The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-28 00:00:00

7,
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z _ NFL ST',t PER
THE NEW BRlDGESCcouncils,
cils ,AT BLA KEW • - e -
After delays,
debates 1;1;It).
meats almost innumerable definite Pti6l4
being taken in the matter of the w
Blackfriars. The time that has beenew4A .
'
' City authorities in quarrelling over\-tbkvs
schemes submitted to their considerationras
long enough to have almost finished both the struc-
tures in dispute. It is more than a year since Mr.
Page's designs were accepted, and about four months
since the Common Council overruled the Bridge.-
house Committee, and rejected them. This time
it is Mr. Cubitt's design which has been chosen,
and we are assured that this decision is final, and
that vacillation and delays are at an end. We hope
this is so, not only as regards the decision itself,
but as regards immediate steps to carry it into exe-
cution. What the public wants is a convenient,
strong, and handsome bridge, and if they get this
they won't much care to inquire whether Mr. Page
or Mr. Cubitt builds it. Much of the delay, it is
said, has been caused by the fact that alongae the
new City bridge at Blackfriars the railway bridge
of the London, Chatham, end Dover Company Wfis
also to be erected.
As both these structures are important public
works, and as new Blackfriars-bridge especially is
one on the quick completion of which great interest
is felt, a short outline of its chief features will be
acceptable. This bridge, to be built by Mr. Cubitt,
is to be five arched, of mixed stone and wrought-
iron, and, while its gradient on either side will be
reduced to a slope less than half that of the present
structure, the headway or space between high-
water mark and the crowns of the arches will be
quite as greet, the increased strength of the wrought-
iron ribs not necessitating their being of such a
depth. The site of the new bridge will be exactly
that which the old one now occupies, allowing, of
course, for the difference of increased space which
the larger dimensions of the new one will require.
Its length is to be 963 ft., and its width for traffic
76ft.. latter space is to, be divided into one
roadway 45ft. Wide (wider than the entire-width
of the present bridge) and two footways of 15ft.
each. Of the five arches the centre is to have a span
of 189 ft., the two arches on either side of this a span
of 176 ft., and the shore arches at either end a span
of 167 ft. each. The clear headway between high-
water mark and the crown of the centre arch will be
27ft., the sprining of the arches commencing about
18ft. above the water. The whole structure will be
about sft. lower than the present bridge. The piers
are to be of solid masonry, taken down into the Lon-
don clay no less than 40ft. below high-water mark.
These, by means of iron caissons, can be built with-
out resorting to the cumbrous and expensive system
of cofferdams. The caissons will be sunk on the exact
spot to be occupied by the masonry of the pier, and
forced down by pressure into the bed of the river'.
The water will then be pumped out, and the mud
and gravel at the bottom dredged away, and as the
dredging progresses the caisson will be forced deeper
and deeper till the ultimate site of the foundations
on the London clay is deeply penetrated. Here the
masonry will be laid in immense blocks of granite,
which will be bolted together and continued to the
point above high-water mark where the springing
of the arches commences. The arches are to be
formed of ribs of wrought iron, light in appearance,
but, of course, of immense strength. Each arch will
be composed of 10 of these ribs, each rib being placed
at intervals of about 62ft apart. They are to be con-
nected together by cross girders and covered in
above with an iron floor. On this floor will be
placed a thick layer of asphalte, and over all the
light granite roadway pavement known as " stone
pitching." The spandrils of the outer iron ribs on the
east and west sides will be filled in with wrought-
iron scroll work, and the whole surmounted with a
handsome iron cornice and balustrade. Above the
five stone piers we have spoken of red granite
columns will be placed, so as to screen the junction
of the wrought iron ribs behind them. These granite
columns, which are to be highly polished, will be
nearly 7ft in diameter and 18ft high, with hand-
some pediments and capitals, the latter surmounted
with richly carved recesses in white stone. The cost
of the bridge, including temporary wooden bridge
for the traffic while the new one is building, iato be
£263,000, and the whole is to be completed in from
two and a half to three years from the present
date.

The railway bridge is hereafter to form, with that
at Charing cross and that at Chelsea, the great main
avenues of communication between the lines north
and south of the Thames. The size and position of
its piers will exactly correspond with those for the
City bridge, and (as the end of the cutwaters will
only be 25ft. distant) it is proposed to connect the
two together by a slight line of masonry or iron
casing. Some such measure will, we think, be neces-
sary to prevent the dangerous eddy currents which
are otherwise certain to arise between the pier-
heads. This railway bridge, of course, is taken
at an uniform level across the Thames, leaving a
clear straight headway between the openings(which,
like the piers, correspond in width with those of
the City bridge) of more than 29ft from high water,
making it on the whole 2ft higher than the highest
part of new Blackfriars. On each pier will be
placed three groups of cast-iron columns—one in
the centre and one at each end ; each group con-
sisting of four columns braced together, and each
column 6ft in diameter and 18ft high. These co-
lumns will be tinted bronze colour, with highly de-
corative castings on pediment and capital, and their
general effect from the river as to size and massive-
ness will more resemble the gigantic columns of
Egyptian temples than any modern work we have
yet seen. Resting on these groups of columns will
be very powerful flat wrought-iron lattice girders,
the outermost ones on the east and west sides,
like the outermost ribs of the bridge, being filled in
with ornamental brackets and scroll iron-work.
This bridge is to be laid for four lines of rails, to
run into the new station on the site of the old.
Fleet Prison, whence by the Subterranean Railway,
the communication will be direct with the Ring's:
of this bridge have
cross
A s awn Great
ed
have
rveea
said,
aNiVde, stt ebren lines.
works
alreadyo st
ecommenced,haalnyd their progress is likely
t
the construction of the
n eon sconsiderably
ab
temporary wooden bridge that is to be erected
when Blackfriars falls into such a state of dilapi-
dation as to be unable to support
The piers of the railway its own weight.
bridge
will
some of the most defective of thosewcbomicbe close to
of timbering and stone ballast are enabled to support
the arches. But the foundations for the railway
viaduct are to be taken into the London clay, and
the rotten basement of old Blackfriars will never
bear this disturbance. Before the railway piers
have been commenced a month it seems very
likely that Blackfriars must
browcleovseerd, against all
been
l
traffic. This contingency,
foreseen, and Mr. Cabitt is instructed to make a
temporary wooden bridge for the foot and carriage
traffic the instant the old one becomes danger-.
ous or that he commences his works for the new.
This temporary one will be commenced on the east
present bridge, and midway between
tshidaet and the
ee
intended railway viaduct. Its width
for carriages will be the same as the present bridge
' roadway, but the footpath will be little more than
ihalf. It is to have five openings for water traffic
of 70ft. span, and one at each shore end of 30ft.
Of course the roadway over these openings will be
carried or. iron girders. By lowering the present
approaches, the height of the temporary roadway
can be brought Sft. lower than that of the present
bridge, and raised on beams above this temporary
roadway the footway will be carried Wt. higher.
Not more than two or three months is required to
complete the temporary bridge, which, though very
strong, is simple in its method of construction. As
far as the public arc concerned this makeshift
thoroughfare cannot be commenced too boon.
rI
gwanted i toa
There has been delay enough in coming
decision as to whether a new bridge was
at all, but now that it has been shown to be im-
peratively necessary the least that may be ex-
pected is to begin the work as soon as possible.
The designs have been
are nearly all accepted, the working draw-
ings Council do not again change
re-
voke this decision, and. if the Common
mll
their mindst that the
works so ) we hope soon to repor
long needed. have actually
menced. been com-