The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-02 00:00:00

TILE TII.IIIES EMBANKMENT.

This, the greatest of all our great metropolitan
improvements, is, so far as it has been contracted
for at present, fast approaching completion. Much
of it is already finished. In another fortnight the
whole of the under-water foundations on each side
of the Hungerford-bridge pier will be built. Already
the work of perfectly levelling the immense area that
has thus been so successfully reclaimed from the
river is going forward. The remaining holes and
inequalities on the surface are being rapidly filled
in, and it is calculated that at the present rate of
progress the end of next February will witness the
entire completion of the bank from Westminster to
Temple-gardens. We wish we could add that by
that titne al:io the public may expect to have the
use of this noble thoroughfare, but this seems
almost as remote as when the works first began. In
the first place, the contracts for completing the
Embankment from Temple-gardens to Blackfriars,
and from Blackfriars to Southwark-bridge are not
yet given out—hardly, indeed, are the plans for
these portions definitely resolved on. The latter
section is not of much consequence, for the comple-
tion to 13Iackfriars, and thence by the new street
(when it is made) into Cannon-street, would effect
almost all the improvement as to the traffic that is
imperatively necessary. It is therefore a matter for
public regret that this latter part of the work has
not been as vigorously pushed forward, and is not
now as much advanced towards completion as the
rest. As it is at present, the Thames Embankment
leads nowhere, for it can hardly be said that the
narrow and tortuous alleys which lead up into Fleet-
street from the Temple-gardens would afford any
for the traffic which might nse the Em-
b tnkment as far as it went. What makes the matter
worse is that there is not much reason to hope this
part will soon be begun, for the delay arises on a
question of the compensation to be awarded to the
gas company at Whitefriars, which, by the Embank-
ment, will he cut off from their river communication,
and compelled to establish their works elsewhere. If
the Embankment did nothing but compel the re-
moral of these works, it would deserve the grati-
tude of the metropolis ; for, in spite of all the care
with which they are managed, they are, and always
must be, a nuisance to the neighbourhood. It is to
be hoped, therefore, that no needless delay on the
question of compensation will be allowed to hinder
what, next to the main drainage, is the greatest
national work that has been undertaken in London
since the rebuilding of St. Paul's.

Unfortunately for the public, however, even the
gas works are not all they have to dread. There is a
railway to come through the Embankment—a link
in the circular line of the underground railway, and
one of the most important links of all, for with the
completion of this the subterranean circle of the me-
tropolis will be finished. Of course until this railway
is completed the embankment cannot be used for
traffic,and when it will be completed no man knoweth;
for not only is it not begun, but there is no indica-
tion of its being begun for some long time to come.
It is a pity that these matters could not have been
arranged to fit each other better. As it is, everything
seems waiting for something else. Thus, the north
side, or rather the abutment end of new lllackfriars
bridge, is to be left rough and unfinished, waiting
till it is seen in what manner the Embankment is to
join it. The designs for the completion of the Em-
bankment are kept back till it is seen what call be
done with the gas works. The gas works are waiting
to see what the railway intends to do, and the whole
Embankment will be waiting idle till the railway
works are finished. For nearly 300 yards of its length
eastward from Westminster-bridge the Embankment
is entirely finished, with the single exception of fix-
ing the bronze lamp-posts which are to surmo Int its
massive parapet. here the immense solidity and ex-
tent of the works can be best seen. Here are colossal
blocks of Aberdeen, Dartmoor, Irish, French, and
Guernsey granite—for almost every quarry had to
be ransacked—joined with the neatness of cabinet
work. They are all much of the same grey hue,
but the prettiest, hardest, and finest grained of
all is that which cornea from Irel Ind. The approach
to the Embankment from Westminster br:dge is
quite ready for use, and when it is opened we
think all architects and persons of taste will
see how the fine effect of the massive granite ma-
sonry is marred by the cheap, paltry, and somewhat
narrow flight of common stone steps which leads
down to the steamboat pier. The pier itself is very
good. It has a double outer wall of granite, between
which is to be laid a long floating stage which gives
access to the outer floating pier at which the steam-
boats will call. From Westminster up to the end of
Whitehall Palace, a strip of land about 200 ft. wide,
is Crown property, and this is to be added to the
grounds of Montague-house and the houses in
Whitehall-gardens. This space will be planted with
shrubs, and further screened by a very handiome
ornamental wall about 7ft. high. Thus the privacy
of the inmates of these houses will be entirely
secured, though before long we doubt if they will
feel very grateful to the wall which will shut them
off from what will then be both by day and night
one of the prettiest and most animated scenes in
London.

A little past Whitehall-gardens an exceedingly
handsome pier for small boats and wherries is being,
constructed. The pediments of the outer wall en-
closing the steps leading to the river will be sur-
mounted by two smaller copies of Landseer's lions.
At the end of the steps on the Embankment a very
noble arched gateway in carved Portland stone is
being erected. This is to be of the same character
as the York Gate of Inigo Jones—indeed it was at
one time intended to use the old gateway as it now
stands near the river for this purpose, but the price
asked for it was too extravagantly high. Beyond
this point up to near Hungerford the bank is finished
but east and west of the pier of that bridge for about
500 ft. the foundations of the river wall are being put
in. The mode of building is very simple. Wrought
iron caissons of elliptical form, l2ft. by 7ft., and4Oft.
or 501 t. long, are sunk in a long row by means of
guiding piles, and weighted in the ordinary manner
till thry have sunk deep into the clay. Until they
have got a firm foundation the tide water is allowed
to flow into them freely, but after they have taken
their bearings they are pumped dry, and the
flange edge outside each caisson bolted to that next
it, so as to form a perfectly water-tight wall, the
ends of which are of course closed in a similar way.
About 200 yards are thus built at a tune. The
powerful chain pumps driven by steam soon empty
the space enclosed by the body of water it contains,
and leave it in a few days not only free from water,
but even tolerably dry. Of course, as the water is
pumped out, immense sturts of timber are erected
leading from all parts of the line of caissons to the
earth in order to support them against the great
pressure of the high tides which they have to bear.
These once made secure, and the water all out, all
is then very easy, The mud and subsoil are dug
away till the clay is reached, which is sometimes not
done till near the foundations of the caissons them-
selves—often not till nearly 30ft of the bed of the
river has beeu excavated. Then an immense founda-
tion of concrete, more than four times the width of
the intended superstructure is laid. On this is built
the embankment wall. It is composed of the very
largest slabs of granite set on edge, 2ft. thick, and
backed up by a massive wall of brickwork nearly
4ft. thick, and laid in Portland cement.

While excavating atllungerford the soil
was
moved to a depth of Bft. below the foundations of
Hungerford-bridge pi T. The foundations were
foun 1 to be perfect, except in oue trifling split be-
tween the piles, which had evidently arisen as the
bri toe itself was building, and had existed unchanged
for years. The brickwork, even to its lowest course,
was abs•)lutely perfect ; but being laid in a stratum
of gravel, the water, notwithstanding the immense
weight of the superstructure, percolated through it
freely. Round this pier, up to nearly the level of
the Embanknient, has I:ren filled in with a solid
mass of concrete, which has hardened round it like
a rock. In the same way at Waterloo-bridge the
ex;avations were carried to some eight feet below
the foundation of the first pier on the Middlesex
shore. The foundation here was not found to be in
sllcll goo,l orler as those of Ilungerfurd, and it is
likely. that if the scour of the river is increased, as
it must be by the Thames Embankment, all the
piers of this noble structure will want support.
The Hun gerford, Waterloo, and Temple-gardens

steamboat piers will be of their kind perfect models
of convenience, while in architectural beauty they
can hardly be surpassed. Each differs somewhat in
details, but their effect from every point of view will
be massive and beautiful. Wide and noble flights of
granite steps will lead down to the water. Bronze
lions, the size of those in Trafalgar-square, will be
fixed at the abutments of the parapets on either side,
while the parapets above the pier, and those on the
sides of the steps leading down to the water, will be
open balustrades of carved granite, similar in pat-
tern, though on a smaller scale, to the balustrade of
Waterloo-bridge. Temple-gardens pier will cer-
tainly be the prettiest, though those. at Waterloo
and Ilungerford will be more massive and monu-
mental. From Waterloo-bridge a great part of the
work has been effected by means of wooden coffer-
dams, a slow aryl expensive process, and one which
would not again be tried under the same circum-
stances. Here and up to Temple-gardens the Em-
bankment wall is entirely complete, and only wants
its parapet and the ground inside levelling to be
finished and ready for the public use. It is impos-
sible to speak too highly of the perfect finish of style
with which the two contractors for the different parts
—Mr.Furncss and Mr.Ritson— have done their work.
Such fine specimens of granite workmanship have
not been seen in London before. The brick work is
equally good, and especially in the subways and
low-level sewer. The latter is very deep down in-
deed—almost as low as the foundations of the Em-
bankment wall itself. It is a continuous tunnel 81t.
in diameter, made of three rings of brickwork laid
in cement. Above this is the subway for gas and
water mains. This is built of the same strength as
the low-level sewer, but is Bft. 6in. in diameter.
Ample means are provided for the ventilation of
this fine underground road—in fact, all the engi-
neering details are perfect, and do Mr. Bazalgette
the highest honour. The intended railway is to
pass inside these works in a closed tunnel, formed,
we believe, by retaining walls with a low-crowned
brickwork arched roof, built upon deep wrought-
iron girders. The quantities of material consumed
in the embankment up to the present are something
stupendous, six times more than enough, indeed, to
rebuild the Pyramids. No less than 800,000 tons
of earth have been filled in, nearly 50,000 tons of
granite used, with 15,000,000 of bricks, 100,000
cubic yards of concrete laid, and upwards of
400,000 bushels of Portland cement expended.