The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-13 00:00:00

S N, JUNE 13, 1848,

THE CONWAY TUBULAR BRIDGE
(From the 111anchester Guardian.)
There have already been numerous descriptions of
this wonderful structure before the public, all more or
less scientific ; but we have seen none that gives a
good idea of the bridge itself as a whole to those who
have not seen it. Now to those who are familiar
with the covered galleries connecting the upper floors
of two detached mills with each other, the picture of
the Conway-bridge is at once conveyed. It is the
iron,
and length of a square tunnel of boiler-plate
and its consequent great weight, seen unsupported,
like a huge beam, resting on the two banks of the
river Conway that awakens the astonishment and ad-
miration
before of the spectator. Its appearance en-
tering it,
and in passing through it, or in standing
midway in the tube, is much more light and cheerful
than that of most stone or brick tunnels of any length.
As all the edifices around, and its own abutments, are
of masonry, the outside of the huge hollow beam is
painted stone colour; but the interior is at present of
a bright red tint, and it has nothing dark or dingy
aboutits interior. Its length is 424 feet, of .which
400 feet are in the clear inside the piers, the remain-
ing 24 feet being placed between the piers and abut-
ments. It is 15 feet 3 inches across, outside measure,
and 21 feet from the top to the bottom, outside. 19
feet 6 inches of this are occupied by the space from
the top of the tube and cells, to the level of the rails,
which are 18 inches above the real floor of the lower
cells. The following rude diagram, which makes no
pretension to be in correct proportion, may give an
idea of the tubular bridge in transverse section—look-
ing through it from one end to the other :

I I I

0
/D\

MIMI

A, the upper eight cells, or square hollow tubes;
13, the lower ditto; C C, the side walls of the tube,
sho wing a series of ribs projecting inwards, these ribs
being T-shaped rivet-plates. The ceiling of the tube
is somewhat similarly strengthened. D, the floor of
the tube and rails ; there being only one line of rails
within the tube. Another tube is in process of con-
struction, and till it is finished, placed, and opened,
both up and down trains have to traverse the same
rails through the present tube.
On the iron floor of the tube, nearly 70 solid
timber transverse beams are laid, about twelve inches
square, and five feet clear apart. Upon these cross
beams are laid, longitudinally, two ways of timber,
six or eight inches thick, and covered with planking
of inch stuff, to which are screwed or bolted the
cradles that secure the rails. The ribs of the side-
walls are about one foot eight inches apart, and
project about eight inches, thusi— One
of the very natural misconceptions with respect
to the bridge can only be overcome by either
passing through it in a railway train, or stand-
ing within it when a train passes through, or by
closely watching, from the outside, so as to secure the
detection of any obvious vibration or deflection of
the structure when subject to the pressure of the
moving weight within it. having tried all these
modes, the writer may say, that there does not seem
to be the slightest perceptible vibration, the smallest
appreciable deflection, of the structure under such
consequences. And he was assured that, when sub-
jected to the greatest weight, while being tested
under the eye of the Government inspector of rail-
ways, when more than 200 tons of dead weight
remained in the centre of the bridge for about four
hours, the deflection was not more than an inch and
a-half, by careful measurement,—an amount inap-
preciable by the naked eye, under ordinary circum-
' stances, in a length of 400 feet. When the whole
structure is completed, and the masonry of the
abutments or entrance towers, is erected, the effect
will be exceedingly good to the visitor approach-
ing the structure in a railway carriage, from
either bank of the Conway. It will be in very
good keeping with the older, and we may add,
with the ancient structures around, with the
older structure, the castellated abutments of Tel-
ford's handsome little suspension bridge adjoining it,
and with the ancient and ivy-covered towers of Con-
way's time-honoured castle, which rise high above it.
Inc abutments of the tubular bridge appear intended
to consist of a " curtain," flanked by two bold and
lofty round towers. In the curtain are two large
semicircular arches, which will give entrance to the
two tubular tunnels or bridges. The towers and
curtain will have machicolated battlements, and the
towers have slits or loop-holes, and are otherwise
architecturally ornamented in character with the sur-
rounding objects. On approaching the railway
bridge from Chester, the visitor finds the line carried
on an embankment close aside the road leading to Tel-
ford's suspension bridge, and the light and elegant
towers which form the abutments of the latter are
soon seen, near the more massive masonry of the rail-
way structure. Plunging into one of the arches just
described, a few seconds, at a slower rate than ordi-
nary in railway locomotion, carry the " liner" through
the aerial tunnel, and he emerges into daylight close be-
neath the gray walls of the ancient castle of Conway;
after passing this picturesque and venerable ruin, he
glides in like manner by the still standing though
dilapidated walls of the town, and on " landing" at
the Conway station finds himself in one of the most
picturesque spots which any line in the three king-
doms can exhibit. The natural beauty of the sur-
rounding scenery strikes the most prosaic observer ;
while the antique charms of mouldering tower and
broken arch, and ruined wall, all clothed in green, by
the clinging ivy, carry the mind back to " the days
of old," and " the deeds of other years." So careful
have the railway company and their architects been
to prevent any rude collision of architectural anoma-
lies, that in carrying their line through one of the
ancient walls, they have cut a gothic arch for it, and
carried the battlement of the wall across the line ;
they have also built a neat station, in the Tudor style,
and we have seldom seen any place where the in-
trusive foot of modern science seemed less intrusive,
or more in harmony with the relics of past ages than
at the Conway station of the Chester and Holyhead
Railway.
A. visit to the place where, upon a long platform or
jetty, the second tube is in progress of being con-
structed, williinterest the observer who has half-an-
hour to spare. The way in which one boiler-plate is
joined to another by overlapping plates or ribs at the
junction, and is then quilted over by other plates
haring their junction at a different place, and the ob-
vious attention to security and strength, combined
with the least expenditure of metal practicable, will
strike the visitor. When the writer was there, about
100 feet of the 400 in length were completed of this
tube, and the workmen (quite a little colony) were
putting in the top cells, forming the roof of the tube.
The visitor should not leave these works without in-
specting the operation of the perforating machine, in-
vented by Mr. Richard Roberts, of the Globe Works,
in this city, for piercing the wrought-iron plates with
round holes at equal distances for the bolts. The ease
with which this powerful machine punches out the
holes must surprise every one who sees it for the first
time.

Before leaving Conway the writer took a peep a
the two bridges—Telford's chain bridge, and Ste•
phenson's tubular bridge—from the walls of the old
castle of Conway. From this point of view the de-
licate chain-work of the former is in striking contrast
with the solid fabric of the latter; and any man, who
had never before seen a structure of either kind, and
who was wholly unacquainted with the great and
peculiar mechanical difficulties over which both struc-
tures are the proofs of triumphant conquest,—would
naturally give preference to the tubular, as being to
all external appearance by far the most solid and
stable structure of the two. The light net-work of
the suspension chains of Telford's bridge, together
with the great vibration experienced on the crossing
of the lightest vehicle, give to this bridge an appear-
ance of fragility and insecurity by no means war-
ranted by its great real strength. Altogether, we
know no place within the same few hours' distance of
Manchester, that will afford the same amonnt of varied
gratification to the lover of fine scenery, to the
antiquary, and to the admirer of the achievements of
mechanical science, than Conway, with its brace of
bridges, approached by the Chester and Holyhead
line of railway.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE " MANCHESTER GUARDIAN."
Sir,—l have read the speech of Mr. Robert Ste-
phenson at the recent dinner at Conway, as reported
in your paper of the 22th instant, with much regret,
as the statements which it contains are not only in
many respects incorrect, but the degree of credit
which be gives to some of those who have aided him
in the undertaking is far from being compatible with
the services they have rendered.
From my intimate connexion with Mr. Fairbairn,
from accidental circumstances which threw in my
way the means of tracing the earliest history of the
design, and from the great and constant interest I
have felt in the gradual development of the idea since
it was first conceived, I am enabled to supply some
important particulars.

Mr. Stephenson's.remarks imply that he was not
indebted for any assistance to Mr. Fairbairn until
" after the Act was obtained, and it became necessary
to construct the works."
The Act received the Royal Assent June 30th,
1845.
Mr. Stephenson gave the evidence before the Com-
mittee of the House of Commons, to which he alludes,
on the sth May.
The day on which Mr. Fairbairn was first con-
sulted was the 14th of the previous April. On the
following day, Mr. Fairbairn having sketched out his
own notion of what the structure should be, and
what experiments should be made, received Mr. Ste-
phenson's permission to expend 5001., or more, in ex-
perimental researches. They were immediately
commenced, and were reported from time to time
to Mr. Stephenson.
These preliminary experiments were completed
soon after the Act was obtained, and Mr. Hodgkin-
son was called in by Mr. Fairbairn, in the month of
August, to render his mathematieal assistance in de-
ducing correct formulae of calculation. Subsequent
and still larger experiments were then instituted, and
in the month of May following (1846), Mr. Fairbairn
was appointed by the directors of the railway " to
superintend the construction and erection of the Con-
way and Britannia bridges, in conjunction with Mr.
Stephenson," with full and ample powers to carry on
his duties in an independent manner.
show the inaccuracy of some of the statements in Mr.
subject, showing
mind, and the
pStephenson'supon
ihsesopnbe
recoifdhgt.hee. foregoing facts and dates will
Since reading the report of the dinner, I have, by
scheme, cannot begg
the kind permission of Mr. Fairbairn, looked through
the whole of • the correspondence which has taken
undertaking
A more beautiful series of letters on a scientific
they
veTeythtwieneagrl:mi was matured, d,steispthebrye exhibited.
material theyadh
developed
which
immediatehich a b
Every thought, every
means for overcoming which the mighty
mdi
sr
aiattdohdgonveuacae:clwitevaodegredekv.
disadvantages
development
the
efn
tproperties
hy
whole
ent
es e
rela-
tive proportions of the various advantages a
difficulties
with—the suggestion of
most us parts—the mode of
consist of little more than
vtaharpeepu.rieetcrpeieiastrioaimnndeonf
ts_atnhoemthpeaeliceusliattr
r el e t
ta
el
rl s there
conimportantf improvement
was introduced—the manne
spontaneouslyaifirnoati ng, and
sug-
gested the
moAdier.ofstreaiphsienngso—n
and matured by Mr. Fairbairn.
approvals of the various and numerous suggestions
which were transmitted to him in rapid succession.
It is to be regretted that Mr. Stephensoncc i°n.
should
dim the glory which undoubtedly belongs tolinh*
acknowledging the services of others in a manner' by
un-
worthy of their assistance.
The original conception—the confidence with which
he relied on the sagacious suggestions and experience
of those he had consulted, and the courage to execute
the work, confer upon him the highest honour; and
it is no detraction from his merit that, not having the
experience of others in the particular walk of science
to which the construction of the bridge belong, nor
the time to devote himself to the elucidation of all
the important points involved, he had the manliness
and candour to recommend to the directors the ap-
pointment of a gentleman whom he considered capa-
ble of supplying these deficiencies.
I should be sorry to attribute to Mr. Stephenson
any intention to detract from the merits of others,
or any desire to place them unfairly before the
public ; his character stands too high, and his
reputation is too fairly earned, to allow me to be-
lieve that this has arisen from anything but
inadvertence. It is, however, impossible not to feel
that the rtlative position of himself and Mr. Fair-
bairn, would, judging from his speech, be misinter-
preted by the world. I cannot better illustrate their
relation in the construction of the tubular bridges,
than by describing it as that of a surgeon calling in a
physician, or that of an attorney seeking the legal
opinion and advice of a barrister.
The effect of Mr. Stephenson's speech is to lower
the physician to the standing cf the surgeon's assistant,
and to bring down the learned counsel to the rank of
an attorney's clerk.
In making these observations, my object has been
to secure tribute to those to whom tribute is due,
without encroaching upon the rights of others. The
successful accomplishment of the great design of the
tubular bridge, is probably the boldest achievement
of modern science, and the most beautiful exhibition
of the combination of theoretical calculation with
practical ingenuity. It will be referred to in succeed-
ing ages as one of the wonders of this great mechanical
period, and copied in every variety of form in the
future constructions of the engineer.
The glory of such a work is too great to be unfairly
divided.
I remain, Sir, your very obedient servant,
JOI-IN FR,EDC. BATEMAN.
Manchester, May 24, 1848.

THE Tax Houss BILL.—A medal was struck to
commemorate the giving of the Royal assent—the "la
Reine le vent"—to the Ten Hours Bill,—an impression
of the medal in gold having been presented to the
QUEEN, from the operatives, by Lord ASHLEY. And,
at the great meeting of the working classes, held in
Manchester last week, at which 3,000 were present, his
Lordship told the people:—"l had the honour of speak-
ing to her MAJESTY of the character of her subjects,
particularly in these vast counties; I had the honour of
telling her what I have said to night, that I did not be-
lieve that there was a finer material to rule over, —I did
not believe there was a body of men capable of more generous
sentiments than the operative classes of the great kingdom
hearAiid the
etealrld ye on ut
and it wouldfere deronine ywohuicr
which
earrtms
Ag
jozodsTivo
that GOD in his providence had called her to govern.
enthlanvaenn
replied —' I KNOW IT, I KNOW IT WELL, I FULLY BELIEVE
WHAT YOU SAY; I AM SURE THEY ARE AS GOOD A
PEOPLE AS ANY SOVEREIGN WAS EVER CALLED UPON TO
RULE.' "

SUDDEN DEATH Or MR. MACFARLANE, JOINT
CITY CLERK OF PERTH.—Much sensation was caused in
Perth, on Sunday last, by the announcement that Mr.
Macfarlane had been suddenly cut of that forenoon. He
had been attending his official duties on the previous
day, but had been indisposed for some time, and had
gone to the Bridge of Allan in the beginning of the
week, from which he returned after a day's stay, feeling
worse. His medical attendant saw him on Sunday
morning after breakfast, and when the family left for
church in the forenoon, he was sitting in his chair read-
ing. Upon their return he was found in the same pos-
ture, and it was some time ere their suspicious were
roused that anything was wrong, so calm and composed
were his features in the sleep of death. It is understood
that the immediate cause of death was an affection of the
heart.
LONDON STONE.—On the bank of the Thames,
near Staines, at the very extremity of the county of
Middlesex, close to Shire Ditch, which divides the county
from Bucks, stands "London Stone"—marking the
western boundary of the city of London on the River
Thames. The stone itself is very small, and appears to
have been placed on the pedestal whereon it now stands
in 1781, by Sir Watkin Lewis, Knight, Lord Mayor. On
the north side of the pedestal is this inscription—" The
ancient stone above this inscription is raised upon this
pedestal exactly over the spot where it formerly stood.
inscribed:—' God preserve ye Citey of London, A.D,
1285.' " How this stone has stood fer a period of 563
years is wonderful, considering its unprotected state;
and I earnestly hope that the Lord Mayor of the rich
and powerful city of London will soon take steps to se-
cure the venerable relic. The ground on which it stands
is private
half au
property—why do not the wealthy citizens
purchaseacre of the land, and adopt means
for the preservation of the stone? The City arms are still
visible on it, but the original inscription is nearly effaced.
The dagger is yet clearly to be seen on the stone; but I
fear that Sir Watkin Lewis has committed an error
in making the date 1285—that is, if the opinion
that the dagger was first introduced into the
City arms in the reign of Richard 11., on the death
of Wat Tyler, who was killed in Smithfield on
the 15th of June, 1331, to be a correct one. If the
date of 1285 was :on 'the !stone in 1781, as recorded
by Sir Watkin Lewis, "it is clear that the dagger was
on the City arms ninety-six years before Wat Tyler's
death, and was used in the reign of the first Edward. I
cannot help thinking, however, that the date should
have been 1385.—Correspondent of the Athenceum.
On Friday last the Chinese junk Keying was
honoured by, an official visit from the Lord Mayor, the
Sheriffs of London and Middlesex, several of the Alder-
men, &c. The Lord Mayor was attended by the City
Marshal, bearing the mace of office, and came in his
semi-state carriage; tho Sheriffs also came in their state
carriages, and the whole
party were attired in their
Court dre9ses. The Mandarin and Chinese Artist, on
being introduced to the civic dignitaries, at first mistook
the state footmen, in their splendid gold lace liveries for
the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, and made their salaams
accordingly. The matter was speedily explained to
them. The civic party expressed themselves highly
pleased with their visit, and returned to the City in
their state barge, which was in waiting for them at the
Brunswick-pier.
ACCIDENT TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF Yostx.—This
Mostßov. Primate met with a serious accident on Thurs-
day last, whilst proceeding on horseback along the
Birdcage-walk to the House of Lords. His Graco'a
horse stumbled when opposite the Wellington barracks,
' and he was violently thrown. The Archbishop was con-
veyed in the carriage of some ladies, who were passing,
to his residence in Hill-street, when Dr. Bright and Sir
B. Brodie attended, and his Grace was bled, having sus-
tained severe contusions on the forehead, and other
(bruises. The Archbishop is, we understand, going on
favourably,