The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-20 00:00:00

The Railway Bridge at Blackfriars.

Foot passengers passing over the temporary bridge a
Blackfriars may now see the ruins of the old stone struc-
ture on the one side, and trains of engines and carriages on
the newly constructed railway bridge on the other—one
telling of the days of the last century, when Pitt guided the
destinies of the country, the other indicating the wonderful
resources of engineering science of the present day. When
the stone briage now in course of demolition was completed
political feeling ran high, and the names of Chatham-place,
Earl-street, and William-street, Blackfriars, still attest the
regard which was felt for the great Minister. The bridge
itself was intended to have been salted " Pitt Bridge." The
engineers and contractors who have spanned the Thames at
this spot will not, we fear, have any honour done to their
genius and enterprise such as that which the great States-
man received, and there will be no Cubitt-street cr Pete-
place to hand down to posterity the names of those who, in
a marvellously short period, have built the new Blackfriars.
bride. Engineering science can point to no greater feat
than that performed in the completion of this bridge across
the Thames in little more than twelve months.
The first stone of the abutment on the Surrey side was laid
on the 2d of May in last year ; the bridge, so ftr as its con-
struction is concerned, was completed on the 2.10 f June this
year, ballasting, laying the rails, painting, and fixing the
decorations only remaining to be done, and even these might
have been accomplished had there been any necessity for
finishing them before the viaduct was complete to Ludgate-
hill. The bridge is Mit in length, including abut ments, and
the river is crossed by 5 spans of iron, each 160 ft long ; two of
these spans laid side by side from the width of the structure.
The mode of building was by cons. ructing what is eddied an
American truss—that is, a powerful lattice-work of timber,
floored at the bottom, and strong enough to bear a load of
three tons per lineal foot. This was built with its ends
resting just below the heads of the iron piers to support the
permanent iron girders. Upon this staging of timber the
iron bridge was put together. The main girders were first
proceeded with, then the broad iron plates of the bottom
were placed on beams of timber sufficiently thick to admit
of the lower plates of the girders being a short distance
above the top, or heads, of the supporting columns. The
portions of ironwork were " keyed" to each other, and stout
iron angle irons at the side rivetted cn to prevent any lateral
movement. When this part of the work was complete, a
floor of iron was obtained on which to proceed with the
building up of the cross-barred pieces, or lattice-work, of
the completed spans, and which serve to resist compres-
sion, and also to provide for the great tensile strain to which
the bridge must be subjected. So soon as all these diagonal
cross bars of iron were placed in position, and an immense
iron lattice side, 16 feet in height wes formed, their ends
wire rivetted and secured by broad flange pieces—and
when thus secured the structure was complete. It stood, it
is true, upon the timber staging, or truss—but when
this was removed, it was and is now perfectly self-sus•
t lining. So soon as the last of the hundreds of then-
sends of rivets were driven the timber was knocked from
under —it had done its work, and the bridge stood, sup-
ported only by its iron columns and abutments. The spans
of iron, though to the eye they appear perfectly horizontal,
still are not so. They are " cambered," as it is termed, to
the extent of five inches—that is, they arched to that small
extent onlyz—five inches in 160 feet. When, however, the
timber staging was removed, and the 600 tons of ironwork
in the span was left unsupported, the centre sunk to the
extent of two inches, caused by the minute compression of
the plates in the upper flange,?, but when once the structure
had been thus compressed it became all the rut re rigid from
the reduction of the curvature of the arch. The strain which

the bridge is calculated to stand is very greatly in excess of
that which can by possibility be brought upc n it by the
ordinary working of the traffic. With the view of giving
additional strength there is a centre girder between the two
two outer latticed ones, which assiEts to carry the cross-
beams. This central girder is 41 feet in width, while those
at the sides are only three feet wide. The " struts" are
placed at intervals of four feet apart. They are bands of
iron about half an inch in thickness, and vary in width

from five to ten inches as the strain upon them increases.
Each of them has to bear a compressive weight of three
or four tons, and the lattice work between them is for
the purpose of preventing their " buckling" up under the
pressure. The girders which cross the bridge transversely
are placed at distances of four feet to correspond with the
portion of the ties and struts, and upon these again are laid
longitudinal girders. By these transverse and longitudinal
girders the whole floor is therefore divided into a series of
square compartments et' wrought iron of great depth and
strength. Above this framework of cells there is laid on a
wrought iron floor, covered with asphalts, and over this
again the sleepers and ballast for the roadway. At the top
of the bridge are seen a number of bent or curved arches of
iron stretching from one side to the other. These are placed
in this position for the purpose c f preventing lateral vibra-
tion, and are secured to the upper flanges of the lattice gir-
ders. Between each pair of spans there is an open space to
allow for the contraction and expansion of the span move
ment, further facilitated by the iron roller frames upon
which they rest. The spaces are filled up with panels of
iron work, which will not prevent the slight movement
caused by the extremes of the temperature of summer and
winter. The supports for the bridge are the masonry abut-
ments on the Surrey and Middlesex sides, and four piers,
each consisting of three clusters of four iron columns, which
rest upon masonry rising from the bed of tho river. They
have a noble appearance at high and low water, and their
massive iron capitals give a suitable finish to the work. The
abutments, too, ar3 peculiarly bold and imposing in their
character. The iron terminals are in keeping with the other
parts cf the structure. They consist of an ornamental iron
scroll, beating upon it the words " London, Chatham, and
Dover Railway," and the motto " Invicta," surmounted by
the royal cypher and the date " 1861." The scroll includes
the shield of the City of London and the arms of the coma-
ties through which the railway passes. The terminals above

the columns are ornamented with iron bosses. The founda-
tions of the piers, as we have explained on previous occa-
sions, were formed by sinking iron caissons an average of 28

feet below the bed of river. This work has been carried out
ith so much care that no subsidence has taken place in any
of the piers since they were completed. The bridge has been
built from the designs furnished by Mr Cubitt, the engineer
of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway; the contrac -
tors for the building were Messrs. Peto and Co.
The first engine, with a long train of carriages attached,
passed on Tuesday, half way across the new bridge towards
the northern side. The train was accompanied by Mr

Thomas, the resident manager, and Mr G. Sharp, inspector
of works. The levels were taken before the starting of the
train, and it was found that only the slightest deflection had
taken place. Another month wll elapse before the whole
of the permanent way of the brilge will bs ready for exa-
minatbn by the Governm lit Inspector, and the passenger
station, to be called the " Ludgate Station," now building
in Bridge-street, Blackfriars, will be ready for tho public
accommodation. The principal object of testing the southern

half of the bridge has been to enable the managers of the
line to shunt the trains from the Blaekfriars Station,—
Railway Neu's.

METROPOLITAN ORNITHOLOGY.—It is more espe_
daily in the early morning in spring and summer
that the wanderer through the streets may best form an idea
of the extent to which the practice of keeping singing-birds
and poultry prevails in particular districts of London.
There, amid the closely-built and pent-up houses, in warm
sunny weather, may be heard the warbling of thousands of
larks, blackbirds, thrushes, and others ; whilst from back-
yards, from areas, and even from cellars, come the crowing
of cocks, and other noises proper to the farmyard. In the
very densest and poorest quarters of, London, in the most
dingy streets, there may be seen poultry, including ducks and
geeee, the two last of which, in the hot summer days, look
truly miserable objects. In parts of Islington, however, and
elsewhere, better accommodation, in the shape of yards of
considerable extent, is provided for these bipeds. Many of
the enclosures are hidden from the general view by blocks
of houses, but they frequently boast of tall and spreading
trees, remnants of bygone days, when the surrounding
space was still open country. They are likewise often pro.
vided with duck ponds, supplied by the natural springs
which yet exist in parts of Islington and Pentonville
Ducks, geese, lind other poultry are hero reared in consi-
derable numbers, and with tolerable success; but they
are rather noisy neighbours, particularly at break of
day. In one of the streets of Mayfair— not in itself an
important street, yet containing a few good houses—the
writer has had opportunities of observing a cloak of poultry,
eight hens and 'a cock, which every day wander about,
exactly as they might do in a farm-yard. • One evening,
passing through the street, he saw a single ben suddenly
vanish, as it were, into the bosom of the earth, and on com-
ing up to the spot, he found it was the last of the flock
which had at that moment dropped through an aperture in
a grating which covered a small area in front of the house.
Here, a common hen-ladder descending in the area ex-
plained how this little herd of poultry was kept ; namely, in
a cellar under the carriage-way, whence, of course, the
cock is heard sounding his De Profundis at all the proper
morning hours.—Chambers's Journal.

The colonelcy of the 18th Hussars has become
vacant by the death of Lieutenant-General Byam,
but neither as regards that regim nt or the BuTs, which,
as we mentioned last week, is also vacant-, has any step
been taken to select a new colonel. "With the exception of
Sir A. Clarke Kennedy, no lino cavalry colonel has died
since March, IS6I, and the vacancy caused by his death was
given to Lieut.. Gen. J. Bloomfield Gough, whose claims
were indisputable on the score of long and distinguished
service in the field. Of the existing cavalry generals, none
of the seniors have seen active service in the field. At the
head of the list is Sir Charles O'Dornsll, who has served
abroad; but the next batch—Lieutenant-Gencrals Lord
Rosslyn, Hall, and nankey—wo believe have been en- '
gaged only on home service. Lord do Thos may be sup-
posed to have been rewarded for his military service by the
Deputy Lieutenancy of the Tower, which he has held for
some time, and until we go some way down among the
major-generals we do not light upon any striking claims ou
the ground of good service. In the absencii of any among
the seniors, it may be fairly conjectured that Sir Charles
0 Donnell, who has often exhibited a most soldierly
anxiety to serve on the field, is likely to have the 18th
Hussars.—"lnny and Hazy Gazttee.

SECOND EDITION.

SUN OFFICE, HALF-PAST 4 O'CLOCK.

MEXICO.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)
NEW YORK, SEPT. 9, Evening.

Despatches from Matamoras to the 24th ultimo,
published in the New York papers, state that
Cartinss had defeated the French with heavy loss
at Victoria City. CJrtin-ts was marching to do.
fend Matamoros.

The French had landed at the mouth of the Rio
Grande to operate against Matamoras.

A Mutinous Volunteer Corps.

The martial enthusiasm of the Rochdale Volunteer Rifle
Corps found expression on Saturday last in cne of tile most
extraordinary, and probably the most scandalous, scenes
yet witnessed in connection with what is called the great
Volunteer Army of England. Under the command of Major
Fishwick and Capt. and Adjutant Elrington, the corps, 204
At strong, that day attended the general county review of
sp e e volunteerstorfG e
nheld a atof
Volunteers. Manchester by Col. M'Murdo, the In-
A the close of the review
the corps were marched from the ground to a public-house
in Manchester for refreshment. Here they were kept for
upwards of two hours; during these two hours the
Cricketers' Inn—the name of the public-house—was the
scene of the most disgracefully riotous dissipation. These
two hours . were spent in shcuting, brawling, drinking,
quarreling, intermingled with coarse snatches of song and
orders for " summut to sup," amateur experiments on the
drum and trombone, blowing out the gas with caps, apply
kg lighted matches to cartridges, See. Why the men were
marched to a public•house at all, why they were kept there
di inking two hours, why their arms were not " piled," and
why they were permitted to keep a large quantity of am-
munition in their pouches, are questions which the officers
of the corps can best explain. We merely note them at
present as facts requiring explanation by the officers. We
are assured that the rill a were to be seen lying about in all
parts of the house—on the tables, under the tables, under
ihe benches of the tap r, om and parlour, on the staircase,
in the bar—in fact, they were scattered about in every par
cf the house. Not content with turning the Cricketers
Inn inside out, as the phrase is, many of the more gallant-
spirited of this gallant corps created a little special diver-
sion for their companions in arms by their flirtations iu the
street with every pretty girl who happened to Le passing. Of
course these gallantries soon led to worse scenes, over which
we willingiy draw a veil. About 9 o'clock 'he bugle sounded
the "assembly," and the men literally fell into the ranks,
some staggering drunk,some without rifles,some with women
on their arms, some bringing three or f cur rifles and the in-
struments of the band. Search was made for the missing
bandsmen and volunteers. They could nowhere be found,
and the corps were marched in sixes and sevens to the sta-
tion. As the train, a special, quitted the Manchester station
one of the volunteers fired off his rifle out of the carriage
window. This was the signal for the rest of the corps, and
throughout the journey of nearly half-an-hour a brisk run-
ning fire was kept up, varied by an occasional attempt at an
impromptu feu de joie. At the Bluepits Station a number of
passengers were nearly frightened out of their wits by being
fired at in a volley by a carriage full of relies. Ono of the
ordinary passengers informs us that the men in the next
compartment amused themselves by firing their ratnrods at
the partition as a curious experiment in mechanics, and
that the cracking of the rifles right and left out of the car-
riage windows was diversified by the experiments of ama-
teurs on the trombone, and by hideous yellings and cat-
calls by way of accompaniment. As soon as the train
arrived at the Rochdale Station, the commandant of the
corps, Major Ffshwick, took possession of the door of the
carriage which he apparently believed contained the most
reckless spirits among his troops, and had their names taken
down by the orderly sergeant, A number of the rest, escaping
from the carriages the instant the train stopped, rushed
through the station gates and escaped. Several of them
were brought back, vi ct armis, after a hot chase, by the
adjutant and forced into the ranks. As soon as the scattered
remnants of the troops wore got together by the officers,
they were ordered to march to their head-quarters. The
band—Dl rather so much of the band as remained and were
able to play their instruments—struck up what we are told
was probably intended for " See the conquering hero
comes!' and this gallant corps of volunteers was marched
to Summer Castle. Here they were formed up in close
columns, about a quarter past 11, and addressed by the ad-
jutant, Capt Elrington, and Major Fishwick. We have re-
ceived several versions of the speeches of these gentlemen,
all agreeing in their general outline. Adopting that ‘,vhich
seems, from the character of our corresponlont and from
the rest of the reports to bo the most corect—A.djutant
Elrington and Major Fishwick subsequently addressed the
men and characterised their conduct as disgraceful in th e
highest de,gree.—Rochdale Observer.