The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-18 00:00:00

THE THAMES EMBANKMENT.

The public are beginning to feel a little impatient
at the dilatoriness with which this great work pro-
ceeds. It certainly might have been urged on faster
but for unforeseen events which none could antici-
pate or control, and perhaps altogether what is con-
sidered to be the slowness of the progress is more
apparent than real. At any rate, the greater part of
the delay incurred has been so far in favour of the
public as to have been mainly caused by endeavour-
ing to secure for them the best work that could be
got for the money. Thus it is more than three
months ago since the specification for the third and,
for the present, the last length in the line of this
great work has been issued. Yet lately thi3 whole
contract has been rescinded. It related to that
portion which stretches between Temple-gardens
and Blackfriars-bridge. Virtually all else is done,
for the river has been dammed out, the founda-
tions of the wall laid, the beds of ooze and slime
behind them pumped dry, and millions of tons of
earth behind them " tipped" in. Yet it would be
very rash to suppose from this that the public were
soon about to have the use of this noble thorough-
fare. It will still take nearly a twelvemonth to
finish its length from Westminster to Temple-
gardens, if, indeed, it does not take a much longer
time, and directly it is finished it has to be
handed over to the Metropolitan Railway Company,
which will at once proceed to undo a great part of
what has been effected, and to rip up the whole
embankment, and build their, tunnel through it.
What time may be consumed in this last-named
process may be estimated from the fact that it
is at least two years since the company an-
nounced their intention of proceeding with their
works immediately. There is nothing whatever
in the way of engineering or mechanical diffi-

culties which need have prevented the railway going
on with its works as the Embankment was formed,
and it does seem too bad that we must now wait
for the slow completion of this stupendous work
only to see it pulled to pieces again. The
specification first given out by Mr. Bazalgette
provided, as we have said, for the completion
of the last section to Blackfriars-bridge. Beyond
this, no doubt, the Embakment will 'eventually
go even to London-bridge itself, and. according
even to present arrangements it is intended
in time to build it as far as Southwark-bridge. The
contracts first made, however, only stipulated for
its completion as far as Bridge-street, Blackfriars,
where, at a gentle incline, it will pass over the
northern end of the new bridge, and so on into
the great main thoroughfare which is to be made
through Earl-street into Cannon-street. Unlike the
other portions of the Embankment, this last section
was intended to be built mainly on arches, so as to
admit free passage under it of boats and barges
between the roadway and the shore. It was to have
a subway for laying gas, water-pipes, and tele-
graphs, and, of course, the paved carriage and foot-
way was to be continued above it, as along the rest
of the work—that is to say, in no place having a
roadway of less than 80ft., wide nor footpaths less
than 14. The whole of this portion of the work was,
in fact, to be a colossal viaduct, the piers of the
arches being built, like the greater part of the rest of
the work, in cast-iron caissons, to be sunk to a depth
of 2lft. below the average level of the river, then
dredged out, filled in with concrete, and left perma-
nently fixed to a height of 6ft. below low-water
mark. Between these piers the arches were to be
built, and strengthened with bar-iron, while the piers
were to be carried to a height of lift. above high-
water-mark, and all to be a cellular construction,
the outward walls being faced with granite, and the
cells filled in with Portland cement. Any stronger
combination of building material than this it would
be almost impossible to devise. The arches which
were to carry the roadway were to be 13 in number,
but varying in span as the peculiar circumstances of
the locality might require. The largest would have
a spread of 80ft., and none were to be very much
smaller. All were to be elliptical in form, and built
of granite. The subway which passed along this
was, of course, a mere continuation of that which
runs through the whole of the Embankment. It
is a brick tube, 7i ft.ahigh by 9ft. wide. Below this,
again, passes the low level sewer, and below all
the Pneumatic Railway. When this subway passed
through the springing of the main archways of great
span it was to be built of wrought iron, the sides
being formed of plate girders and the floor of
arched wrought plates, carried by cross girders,
and at these parts its diameter was diminished from
by lift. to 6ft. On both the external faces of this
viaduct the outer surface would be of solid
granite up to the very summit of the parapet.
The carriage way was to be formed of Aberdeen
granitecubes, and the footway of the peculiar smooth
brown stone known as " Yorkshire landings," not
one of which was to be of less dimensions than 5
feet square. A curious condition was made in the
specification of this new part of the work, to the
effect that the contractor is to bind himself to hand
over to the Board of Trade all coins, articles of
value, or curious objects of antiquity of any kind
which he may meet with during the excavations.
All this contract specification has now, however,
been rescinded, and none who know the nature of
the work will regret it. The ill effect produced by
breaking the front of granite wall with open arches
here and there was for the convenience of the wharves
and gasworks ; but, as these openings would very
seriously interfere with what will at some future
time be the works of the Embankment Railway, it
is likely that some arrangement will be come to by
which, on compensation being given, the massive
granite face may be continued unbroken throughout
its entire length. If the railway can only effect this,
it will do much to cover its sins of delay, and miti-
gate the discontent which is now excited by its
slackness in proceeding to its works.
All the other portions of the Embankment be-
tween Temple-gardens and Westminster-bridge are,
as we have said, so far advanced as to be capable
of being made into a public thoroughfare within a
few months, always supposing that the railway had
not to be begun when the road is constructed. The
greater part of the granite wall has been built.
From Westminster-bridge to Hungerford it is
almost entirely finished, and for the rest of the
line it is built well above low-water mark. The
steps are laid and finished for the footway, which
is to give means of access from Wtstruinster-
bridge to the steamboat pier, and a wall of solid
granite has been built outside the face of the em-
bankment itself, against which lighters for the use
of the steamboat passengers are to be moored The
roadway for carriages on to the Embankment is now
being made. This is to be constructed at a gradual
incline of 1 in 60 ft., leading up from the side of the
river to almost the corner of Parliament-street. 'To
perfect this as much as possible an opening will be
awle in the northern extremity of the parapet
aidabntment of 'Westminster-bridge, and one or
two of the old houses on that side will be removed
to give a broader thoroughfare. A somewhat similar
incline as to steepness and width will give access at
the other end to new Blackfriars-bridge. One of the
most interesting and important parts of the work is
now to be seen near Hungerford-bridge. Here the
labburers are engaged a work at a depth of nearly