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

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62,=_

PRICE..... -..4d.
STAMPED ....sd.

being pidceeded with ; trade is promisin hot
weather appears to prevail, the thermometegr ;beinc,
reported at 93 in the shade. No further disturh''
ances have been reported at Newchwang, and the
place may yet become a prosperous port.
"In Japan matters are going ou smoothly. It ie
reported that a steamer owned by a J apanese has
arrived at Shanghae, having been worked by a
native crew. It is said to be only one of a pro-
spective fleet about to be organised for foreign
trade. The Japanese evidently do not possess that
timidity of innovation which marks their Chinese
neighbours.

"From the ports on the coast south of Shanghae
' there is little news. Ningpo is still as when we
last wrote. The rebels are said to be mustering in
the district, probably with a view to trying the
chances of recapture. A few more fire-arms have
been seized on board ships. It is only too evident
that more forces will be wanted to establish Im-
perial sway in the districts about Ningpo and
Shanghae.

" An Imperial commissioner is expected at Can-
ton immediately Via Hong Kong, from Shanghae,
It is only known that he is coming by steamer from
Shanghae, the authorities being in utter ignorance
as to the date of his departure. His business is to
superintend the collection of the Chow-li war tax
The last Imperial commissioner who passed through
Hong Kong was Yeh. 2empora mutantur.

Hong Kong_ there ismothiug_ doing coil
for attention. The heat is still comparatively mode-
rate. The governor is said to be going home, as
soon as Mr. Mercer, the colonial secretary, shall
hove come out to relieve him."

C_,

i.EIVSPAPER

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THE NEW BRIDGES AT ' a" M i 44
After delays, councils, debate ,':'--. .- i1,..1
ments almost innumerable definite acta isilia43
being taken in the matter of the new bridges at
Blackfriars. The time that has been wasted by the
City authorities in quarrelling over the various
1 schemes submitted to their consideration has been
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, end about four mom lis
since the Common Council overruled the Bridge-
house Committee, and rejEczed them. This time
I it is Mr. Cubitt's design which hes been cliusee,
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 rtgards 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 1 his
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 alongside the
new City bridge at Blaekfriars the railway bridge
of the London, Chatham, and Dover Company was
also to be erected.
As both these structures are important ptfelic
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 atone 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 great, 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 differetr.9 of increased• space which
the larger dimensions of the new one will require.
Its length is to be 9631 t., and its width for traffic
75ft. This latter space is to be divided into one
roadway 45ft. wide (wider than the entire width
of the present bridge) and two footways of 16ft.
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 expensivesystem
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, is to 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 294 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 Gft in diameter and 18ft high. These co-

umns 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
wislisdekst.
like the outermost ribs of the bridge, being filled in
with ornamental brackets and scroll
oirforna.
or
This bridge is to be laid for four lines
run into the new station on the site of the
old
Fleet Prison, whence by the Subterra.tnhean Railway,
the communication will be direct
with
crossA s awned
haveG rea ts
aWi
de, es tern ebren
works
ionrks
es.
of this tbhreidKgeinhga'vse-
already commenced, and their_ progress is likely
to hasten considerably the construction of the
temporary wooden bridge that is to be erected
when Blackfriars falls into such a state of dilapi-
dation as to be unable to support its own
me of the most doe nfe ballastt i
ands
stone
c
The piers of th
will come
so e railway bridge weight.
close to
the arches. But the foundations for the railway
viaduct are to be taken into the London clay, and
v e oof
rteh enabledose
which
to sb uy ppd oi nrt
of timbering t
the rotten basement of old Blsckfriars will never
bear this disturbance. I:efmoroentthhe
it seemsrailway verypiers
have been commenced
likely that Blackfriars must be closed against all
traffic. This contingency, however, has been
foreseen, and Mr. Cubitt is instructed to make a
wooden bridge for the foot and carriage temporary
traffic the instant the old one becomes danger-
ous or that he commences his works for the new.
1
This temporary one will be commeneed on the east
side of the present bridge, and midway between
that and the intended railway viaduct. Its width
for carriages will be the same as the present bridge
roadway, but the footpath will be little more than,
half. 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 on iron girders. By lowering the present
approaches, the height of the temporary roadway-
can be brought Bft. lower than that of the present
o
bridge, and raised on beams above this tteaporarr
roadway the footway will be carried 9-tt. higher
Not more than two or three months is required tx;
complete the temporary bridge, which,
though
very
ille
s hAi fts
strong, is simple in its method of construction.
far ss the public are concerned this
m
thoroughfare cannot be corm:Le/leo
There has been delay enough in '-i, too soon.
coming to a
whethertooh it ialasnebweenbridgewas want
shown
butadtecailsli,onas nw t
peratively necessar to be un-
y the least that may be ex-
pected is to begin the
The designs have been accepted, the
work as soon as possible.
working draw-
ings are nearly all , if the COMMOII
complete, a
Council do not a • and minds and re-
voke this decisiognain chhanegseootn
to report that the
works 0
8 long neewdeed °fay) actually been com-
menced.