The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-11 00:00:00

NEW WESTIifINSTER-B.RIDGE.

The rapidity with which New Westminster-bridge
is being completed is a standing protest against the
inactivity displayed with the clockworks of the
great tower which overlooks it, and where, though
16 years and upwards of £20,000 have been ex-
pended on the clock and bells, the dials still make
no sign. When we last noticed the progress of the
bridge, only a few weeks ago, the whole range of
iron arches was erected at Messrs. Cochrane's works
at Battersea. Each arch was there built up almost
as strongly as if intended for carrying traffic. The
object gained by this erection was to ascertain in
the best manner that each joint fitted, so that on
being removed to the piers at Westminster nothing
might remain to do but bolt them into their places
as fast as delivered. While thus temporarily erected
also, each separate girder of an arch and each arch
when entire were tested both as to their stiffness
and freedom from any excessive or unusual vibra-
tion. Since this was done the arches have been
unbolted and removed to their permanent site,
where such progress has been made in getting them
together that already three are almost entirely com-
pleted, and all the rest are rapidly advancing. The
manner in which they are put together is simple
and rapid in the extreme. On the stone abutments
or piers are laid what are termed bed-plates, masses
of cast-iron lattice work, which the granite is cut
out to receive, and on to which the plates are firmly
bolted. For the western half of the bridge seven
plates are required on each pier, and to every plate
a cast-iron girder rib of the arch is bolted. Each
rib is made in seven pieces, those at each end, where
the vertical strain is greatest, being of cast-iron, the
centre piece or crown of the arch, which is exposed
to constant percussion and vibration, being made of
wrought-iron boiler plate, of sufficient strength to
resist more than ten times the moviiT load which
ordinary traffic is ever likely to pukon it. When the
bed-plate is fixed, the travelling crane lowers into it
the first cast-iron joint of one of the ribs which are
to carry the arch. Directly this reaches its place it
is bolted with massive screw nuts to the plate, and
by the time the screwing down is completed a similar
part of another rib is ready for fixing by its side.
In this manner the seven basement joints of the
ribs or girders are soon fixed, when, to prevent any
lateral movement, diagonal girders of cast-iron are
bolted in crosswise between each rib, which are
again further strengthened by straight cross girders
of the most solid description between each arch, at
intervals of 3 feet apart. When the basement of
the iron arch, so to speak, is thus completed, the
travellers bring the next length of joints, which
are secured to those already fixed in a similar
manner, and so on with the third length. In this
way, as the work is commenced at once on two
piers, by the time the third joint is affixed to the
ironwork on each, the arch (which is almost ellip-
tical in form) is nearly complete, and to connect the
two piers nothing remains but to lower the wrought
iron ribs into their places between the cast-iron
arch is completed,whAt are termed " buckle plates"
ones, and the span is made perfect. AS fast as each