The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-22 00:00:00

In a few days, all that remains of old Westmin-
ster-bridge above low-water mark will have disap-
peared. One solitary arch, out of the thirteen
which have stood for so many years, alone remains,
but of that only a portion of the lower course of
masonry. On Friday a number of gentlemen visited.
the bridge, stood for the last time on the ruined
arch, and had an opportunity of seeing the massive
character of the old work. Strong and permanent
as the remaining portions of the bridge appear to be,
they are, however, completely distanced by the
enormous solidity of the abutments and piers
for the new bridge, which. are fast approaching
completion. On the Surrey side, the abutments
and pier seem as though they were constructed to
outlive all time. In the solid part of the work, a
quantity of stone of which the old bridge has
proved a most valuable quarry has been worked up,
and the spaces between the solid blocks filled up
with brick and cement, the whole forming one solid
mass durable and unyielding as the granite rock.
Two piers alone remains to be constructed for the
new bridge, and in order to build these it has been
necessary to remove the piers of the old bridge,
which happen to occupy the spot upon which the
new ones will be built up. The difficulty of remov-
ing those portions of the old bridge which are below
the water line were exceedingly great ; strong iron
bars, bolts which pass through the stones for the
purpose of holding them together, strong iron
clamps, timber, and iron piles, have become so com-
pletely incorporated with each other as to form a
solid rock.. This mass, which has existed for more
than a century, can be only disintegrated by
such slow and tedious processes as the men lowered
in the diving bell can employ. In the face of all
these obstacles, however, the work of removal has
progressed rapidly,
and it is intended to blast some
of the remaining portions of the piers for the pur-
pose of facilitating their removal. So far as the
new works' are concerned, the progress which has
been made is satisfactory. The iron work for the
first arch on the Surrey side has been placed upon.
the pier, and very little remeins to be done to the
abutment to admit of the iron ribs being placed in
position, and the first arch being Completed. On
the Miadlesex side the same progress has been
made, so far as the masonry is concerned. These
arches, No. 1 and No. 7, are of the same span, viz.,
94 feet 9 inches, and their height above Trinity
datum is 16 feet. The next on each side, Nos. 2
and 6, are 104 feet 6 inches, and height 17 feet 7-g-
-inches ; Nos. 3 and 5 are 115 feet span, height 19
feet 31 inches ; while the centre arch is 120 feet,
and its height above Trinity datum 20 feet. The
rise, therefore, from each side of the bridge to the
top of the centre arch is'but four feet. There are
seven ribs to the portion of the arch opened for
traffic, and there will be the same number upon the
portion of the arch which yet remains to be corn-
Veted. These ribs and their supports are cast in
sections, and are built up in portions upon the
beds prepared for them on the piers, until the
crown piece is placed in position, and the arch is
thus completed. So far as the piers are concerned,
they will not require to have coffer dams. Neces-
sity in this case was the parent of invention, for as
the new bridge was to be constructed while the old -
one remained standing, as the one consisted of
thirteen and the other of seven arches and
as the position of the piers of both did not
coincide, the effect of constructing coffer dams
would have been to have dammed up nearly the
whole of the river. In point of fact the new bridge
could not have been built while the old one was
standing, if it had been necessary to proceed by
the old-fashioned mode of budge-building. Instead,
therefore, of driving the two rows of piles, filling up
the open between them with clay, and pumping
out the water contained in the enclosed area, 145
piles were driven on the area which each pier occu-
pies, to an average depth of 29 feet, the test of
their having reached the proper depth being that
each pile should sink only one inch after ten blows
on the head with an iron ram of one ton in weight.
Round these timber piles are driven 44 cast iron
piles, to a depth of 24 feet. Each of these are cast
with a groove on their opposite sides, and iron
plates are driven down these grooves to h depth of
14 feet below the lowest part of the bed of the
river. The site of each pier is thus marked by tim-
ber and iron piling, and encased in armour plates of
iron up to within a few inches of low-water mark.
These form the foundations of the piers, and so far
as its durability is concerned—of which doubts have
been expressed in some quarters—it may suffice, to
quiet any apprehensions on that score, to say that
the result of experiments made by a committee of
the British Association was, that 'a plate of iron,
ono inch in thickness, would require 3,362 years to
corrode through, with one side exposed to the action
of the air and water, and about half that time if
both sides were exposed to similar corroding agen-
cies. There is not much fear, therefore, for the
permanence of the work connected with the foun-
dations of the piers. By the mode of construction
which has been adopted, the foundations have been
brought up to the level of low-water mark, and aro
not below the bed or the river, as in the case of
other bridgcm over the Thames. The consequence
of this is, the pressure upon each bearing pile will
not be more than 15 tons, while, in the case of
London-bridge, the pressure is as much as 80 tons
upon an equal surface. The rapidity with which
the material of the old bridge has been removed,
and the absence of casualties of any consequence,
afford evidence of the foresight and energy with
which the works have been carried on by Mr.
Thomas Page. It is expected that the remaining
half of the bridge will be completed and opened for
traffic early in the next year.

7IIE CENSUS.

BLACKBURN.—We can state positively that the
population exceeds 63,000.—Preston Herald.
CAMBRIDGE.—At the last census the population
of Cambridge was 27,815 ; but at the time the
census was then taken, it was " full term ;" this
time it is supposed that there were not so many
members of the University in Cambridge by 1;000 ;
it is therefore a matter of doubt by many whether
the population here will have reached 30,000. Con-
sidering the increase of New Town, City-road, and
the various new streets that have risen here in
ten years, we have no doubt that 30,000 will be
" topped." Chesterton will assuredly show a great
increase, but many villages around appear to have
remained stationary, so for as we can gather.--
Cambridge Independent.
CHELTENHAM.—The population is said to be
40,815, an increase of nearly 15 per cent. on the
return for 1851.
CHESTERFIELD.--The books of the different enu-
merators show, as would be anticipated from the
large influx of mining population, a very large in-
crease. The returns of the census for Chesterfield
in 1851 were 6,801, whilst the present return exhi-
bits a total of about 10,550.—Derbyshire Courier.
DARLINGTON. The total population of this
township is 15,779, or close upon 16,000.
DORKING.—The results show an important in-
crease in the population, the number of inhabitants
being computed at 6,990, against 5,995 as recorded
in 1851, an addition of 995 souls having taken place
since the last-named period.—Sussex Express.
GUILDFORD.—The grand total is 9,439, being
an increase since 1851 of I,3ss.—Surrey 7inies.
HALESWORTH.—The population in 1861 is 7,995,
showing a total decrease in the division of 394,
which may be cliiefly attributed to the large migra•
tion of the labouring classes into the manufacturing
districts.—. Norfolk, News,
HUNTINGDON.—HappiIy the census must not be
taken as the index of all kinds of progress, or the
inhabitants of this ancient borough will have to
deplore a retrograde motion instead of rejoicing in.
a progressive one. The census has been taken, and
it shows a decrease of 67 in this almost stagnant
borough. The populationis now3,BB6.—Cambridga
Independent.
KETTERING.—The estimated population of the
town of Kettering, as recently enumerated., is
5,845, being an increase of 647 persons over the
census of 1851.—Leicestershire Mercury.
LEWES.—Although the returns are not officially
completed yet, the population may be pretty closely
estimated at from 10,000 to 10,100.—Sussex Ex.
press. •
ORmsTanii.—The return for 1861 is 6,422. The
.light increase on the present census is only 244,
which may be accounted for that in 1851 there was
a large increase of the Irish population, which has
since then considerably decreased.— Ormskirk, Ad.
vertiser.
a
REIGATE.—The population has moreatrinh
shnow
doubled
since the last census ; the whole parish
exactly 10,000, viz. :—The town, 2,008 ;the foreign,
7,992.—Sussex Express.
WEDNESBURY.—AIthough we are not prepared
give
the a
populationcor re c t return,
ofthis
thatoatas returned by'
the census, will be about 21 ,000, tt
0, or an increase of
7,000 during the last 10 years.—Staffordshire Ad-
vertiser.

A sad accident occurred on the Lyons railway
two days singe, between Beaune and ChagnY,
un—elpiained
men employed on the line who, from come
un over by au
cause, was standing between the rails,
the
driver nor that
express train from Lyons. Neitherrbut
stoker were aware of the aceident,re
_when the train
greased the wheels
stopped at Beaune, the man g
astounded to find a human
head
immediately despatched down thl
box. An engine was
headlessfi body I'm taxa lying te—*
I line, and the roadman's ~,,,tss,l
whon the bars of the cinder-
I tiracii the WIN Act for tr 9134 var'