The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-15 00:00:00

NEW WESTMINSTER-BRIDGE.

The works in connection with this new bridge
continue to progress, and though, undoubtedly, they
would advance much more quickly if the Govern-
ment held the contractors for the ironwork more
strictly to their terms as to the time of delivery ;
still, in spite of unexpected delays in this portion
of the undertaking, Mr. Page has contrived within
the last two months to get all the cast-ironwork of
the arches axed and bolted together, with the ex-
ception of the arch from No. 1 pier, which, how-
ever, will be completed with the rest in the course
of a fortnight more. Fixing the cast-ironwork
means that the greatest difficulties of each arch are
overcome. In fact, as cast-iron constitutes more
that four-fifths of every arch, very little, compara-
tively speaking, now remains to do to complete the
western half of the new structure. We have be-
fore described how each arch is of great span,
though of slight vise ; in form, therefore, elliptical.
The crowns of the arches are thus almost flat. In
order to meet this pecuilar form of construction, it
was found necessary to make the ribs partly of cast
and partly of wrought iron. The cast-iron parts
consist of the whole of the piers and up to above
the springing of the arch, where the flat crown
commences. The middle flat portion is com-
posed of ribs of wrought-iron, of immense
strength, and calculated to resist the violence of
concussion and oscillation caused by the incessant
passage of carriage traffic. With the exception of
the No. 1 pier we have mentioned, all the cast-
ironwork is complete, and only the short wrought-
iron ribs in the crown of each remain to be lowered
into their places to complete the bridge for the
formation of the roadway, Two of the Surrey-side
arches are now quite finished, and have their
wrought-iron portions bolted in, and over all other
arches the roadway has begun to be formed on the
cast-iron portions. The roadway is formed in the
first instance by laying downashe2ting of wrought-
iron " buckle" plates as they are termed, which are
exactly in the form of an immense square and
slightly concave tea-tray, seven feet long by four
broad, and rather less than half an inch thick. The
peculiar form of these plates gives them immense
strength on their convex sides. One was testeJ
with a block of granite weighing no less than 17
tons, and after remaining under the ponderous mass
for nearly a week there was not the least sign of
permanent compression. The ribs of each are
placed at a distance of five feet apart, except in the
two footways for passengers, where the weight
being trifling, they are fixed at intervals of seven
feet. Over these ribs the buckle plates are bolted
down, the channels covered by the slopes between
each being filled up with blocks of wood and
asphalt, till the whole way is a perfect level. Over
the asphalt, when firm, will be placed concrete
_to
the depth of a foot or so, and over this again a stone
paving known as granite " pitching," or a paving
of the same kind as is now being laid down on Lon-
don-bridge. Mr. Page has managed to cut away the
abutments of the old bridge in such a manner as to
allow the fixing of another rib, and by this
means there will be a gain of six feet in width to the
poblic on the opening of the western half, which
will then be some two or three feet wider than the
present bridge. In the same spirit, and to give
the utmose facilities for traffic which his means
allow, he proposes when the first half is opened,
and the old bridge sufficiently pulled down to per-
mit the extension, to carry out a wooden footway,
about 12 feet wide, on the east side of the bridge,
and thus leave almost the whole of the permanent
road free for carriage traffic. By the adoption of
such a plan the roadway of the western half of the
bridge alone would be wider than the whole of the
old structure, footways and all put together. Such
a plan has been proposed, over and over again for
the passenger traffic of London-bridge, in order to
make the whole of the roadway and footpaths en-
tirely available for the immense carriage traffic,which
for the last two or three years has almost rendered
this great avenue to the city impassable. Why a
plan so feasible, and one which would afford im-
mediate relief and at so small a cost, has not been
carried out it is difficult to say. The time at pre-
sent fixed for the opening of the first half of the
new Westminster-bridge is still stated to be next
autumn, but, from one cause or other, it is likely
to be Christmas, if not later, before the public will
have access to it. One most fertile cause of delay
has been the non-delivery of the ironwork in time,
and unless this matter is looked into at once this
dravvizAck in the progress of the structure is
likely to COntinue with the eastern half. Another
cause of dela,— will be the want of proper ap-
proaches to thb bridge. The whole block of
houses on the -'.:trreY side, from Stangate-
ltructure, is intended to be
street to the foot of the h
removed, with the greater
i;sor tion of the block be-
neath the Clock-tower on the 1;1 iddlesex side. It
!
is true that a bill is now passing thrC p.,-,h the House
of Commons to acquire these buildings, but after
the bill is passed and the houses are pulled down it
will take some time to make the approaches. Mr.
Page has, however, so arranged his plans that b:r
lowering the roads ay at each end of the old bridge,
and making a sharp turn in the road, he can ma-
nage to open the new bridge even before the re•
moval of the houses we have mentioned. But even
to carry out this expedient properly must delay
the opening, and at the best be but an inconvenient
method of avoiding an obstacle where no obstacle
should exist if all did their duty. When the first
half is fairly opened the completion of the second
half will occupy but a comparatively short space of
time—probably not more than from 12 to 15 months
at the outside. All the piers except two for the
east half are entirely finished, and ready, if tie
old structure was removed, for the reception of the
bed-plates and Iron arches to-morrow. Al these
piers have been carried through the openings of
the arches of the old bridge. One has even been
carried under the centre and most defective
arch, and now serves as a massive foundation for
the timber shores which support the old arch above
it. This was a work of no ordinary difficulty, and
even danger ; but once accomplished it has, of
course, made the old and defective piers stronger
than ever. The eastern halves of two of the piers
are not completed, and cannot be till the old bridge
is pulled down, as the present piers occupy the
ground where the new ones must pass. Where they
amount
t emhr
eso
unNnVltdilloafrbeteih.
neol
arches,
the,
andad
are carried through, aslildtelrdieansbln
evlep
gb
yr eat theisst umt iel
ai tnys ian ta
conking
money will be saved.
parapets for the new The pattern of the stone
structurehas been decided on.
It is of granite, bold and highly ornamented in its
proportions. The timber supports for the " travel-
ling" cranes, &c., to be used in the second half are
already fixed, so that no delay mayexperienced
in
be
in getting this portion forward as soon as it can be
commenced upon. The amount of timber used in
the bearing piles of the bride is 45,700 cubic feet ;
of cast iron in the foundation,l,6oo tons ; and in
the superstructure, 2,600 tons. The wrought iron
in the superstructure is 1,300 tons, and in the foun-
dation 70 tons for tie rods. In the other parts there
are used no less than 165,000 cubic feet of granite,
21,000 cubic yards of brickwork and Portland
cement, and 30,000 cubic yards of concrete. These
seem large proportions, though, for its size, New
Westminster-bridge will be one of the lightest and
cheapest bridges over the Thames, and, beyond all I
question, the strongest and handsomest.

MASSACRE OF EUROPEANS IN

BORNEO.

A correspondent at Batavia has forwarded to
Messrs. James Finlay and Co., of Glasgow, the fol-
lowing intelligence :
" We have the greatest regret in informing you
that we have, by the arrival of the Dutch Govern-
ment steamer Ardjceno, from Banjermassing, on the
21st inst., received the most disastrous tidings re-
garding the coal mine establishment of Kalungair,
which has by some accounts been entirely, by others
only partly, destroyed by an insurrection among
the native subjects of the Sultan of Banjermassing;
but, saddest of all, the whole of the European em-
ployes have been brutally murdered, without kav-
jug one to tell the tale. The tragedy was enacted
on the 18th of the month, and attended with horrors
not exceeded by anything which occurred even at
Cawnpore. The particulars you will find described
in a circular addressed to the shareholders by the
directors of the company. Reinforcements of troops
are being sent in all haste from this and Samarang,
with three or four steamers, which will no doubt
be sufficient to restore peace and order in the coun-
try, and we trust may arrive in time to save the re-
maining Europeans at Banjermassing: and neigh-
bourhood. The cause of the insurrection proceeds
in no way from dislike to the mines, where the
greatest peace and contentment have always pre-
vailed, but to a long-brooding disaffection of the
natives of Banjermassing to their new Sultan, who
had been maintained on his throne mainly by the
protection of our Government, contrary to the will
of the people, and as it would. appear, in disregard
of the legitimate right of succession of another
prince named Hidayal, who was at the same time
the favourite of the people. This disaffection among
the people, excited. to revolt and murder by some
Mahommedan priests lately returned from Mecca,
is supposed to have been, the cause which has led to
the sacrifice of. so many precious lives, already
amounting, so far as known, to 50 or 51 in number.
Among
.these four German missionaries, three of
their wives, and 19 children are stated to have
fallen vieticat to the knives of the asiiassinb."

LAW INTELLIGENCE.-(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.

(Peers present—The Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham>
Lord Cranworth, and other Peers.)

JUDGMENT.-APPEAL.-ROUTLEDGE AND ANOTHER S.

ROUTLEDGE AND ANOTHER.

Mr. Whiteside, Q.C., on the further hearing of this
cause, resumed and concluded his argument in reply for
the appellants.

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, Lord Crarnworth,
and Lord Chelmsford, were unanimously of opinion that
the decision of the Lord,Chancellor of Ireland vas right
and aught to be affirmed.

Theft lordships were of opinion that there vats no fraud
and no misrepresentation practised on the appellant to
induce him to enter into the agreement in question. It
was a family agreement, and as such was favoured in law.
The onus probandi lay on the plaintiff to prove fraud, and
he had not done so.

The Lord Chancellor affirmed the decision of the Court
of Chancery, and dismissed the appeal with costs;.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-(7HIS DAY.)

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

SYSTEMATIC SHOPLIFTING.—TIIREE CIIAR.GES.—TWO
smartly-dressed young girls, named Harriet Davis and
Caroline Harrison (well known to the police), about 1.62
were charged before Mr. Beadon with shoplifting at various
shops in Oxford-street the previous afternoon.
An assistant to Mr. Bird, hosier, of Oxford-street, proved
that the prisoners came in and asked to see some silk pocket
handkerchiefs, and while they were examining them he
aw one move on the counter, and shortly after saw it pro-
trnding from Davis's dress. He spoke to another shopmarit
ands while he was gone for a constable, it was replaced 011
the counter.

Mrs- K enton, searcher at the Marlborough-street statiotl,
said, on searching the prisoners, she found in tb e skirt of
Davis's cli-ess three other silk handkerchiefs and a scat
The prison'e'rs asked her not to show them to the inspector•
Wm. Roauts, assistant to Mr. Charles Cooper, hosier, of
Oxford-•street, identified one of the handkerchiefs produced
as the propert3 - of his employer.
T. Pawny, ast .istant to Mr. Bamfather, hosier, Oxford'
street, identified two pocket- handkerchiefs as the property
of his employer.

The prisoners pl,9aded guilty.
Mr. Beadon said they had commenced life abominabli
bad, and had previously been concerned in a bad robber'',
but unfortunately hard not gone for trial. They had become
regular shoplifters, and but for their age he should hate
cent them for trial.

Committed for six months, with hard labour.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

LIVERPOOL JULY MEETING.—THURSDAY•
Handicap Sweepstakes ofs sous each, with 30 added. The

second to save his stak. T.Y.C. 10 subs.
Mr. Blanton's Fusee, by Orlando, 3 yrs, 7st 12th (Bullock)
Mr. Eatltwood's Tommy Noble., 2 yrs, sst 10113 (Howley)
Mr. Halford's Gwellyon, 2 yrsl 4st 101 b (Doyle) 'l4
Mr. R. C. Naylor's Satanella,2 yrs, sst 41b (GrimshaW)

The following also ran :—Caliph, Darling, Hawthorn,
and Dobbin.

Betting-3 to 1 agst Tomm!.r Noble, 4to 1 each agst
Fusee and Caliph, 6 to 1 agst G wellyon.

Fusee led front start to finisb, and won by two lengths;
same distance between the second and third ; a head be•
tween the third and fourth ; Darling, Caliph, and HO'
thorn all together, were close up with the fourth. Dobb'
was tailed off.

The Liverpool Cup in specie, value 200 sovs, added to °'
handicap sweepstakes of 25- sovs each, 15 ft, and 5 orll4l
if declared, &c. ; winners exi ra ; the second to receive ov
sovs out of the stakes. Two.Jniles. 76 subs, 45 of wbO

pay 5 sous. each.
Mr. Saxon's Ancient Briton, 4 yrs, 6st 51b . .(VerrabY)
Mr. Craven's Newcastle, 3 yrs, r6st lib Bottom(
Mr. J. Barnard's Wrestler, 4 3p rs, 7st 41b (in. 31b ex.? 3
(Fordham)
The following also ran :—Ban hupt, Paul, Uralian, De'
fender, and Hydromel.
Betting at starting-7 to 2 agut Newcastle, 4to 1 soes t
t
Defender, 9to 2 agst Wrestler, 1(10 to 15 agst Paul, to
agst Ancient Briton, 10 to 1 agst Uralian, 15 to 1 agst
Bankrupt.

Paul was first off, but was soon passed by Ancient 1314°
ton, who running slightly out at the top turn, left Paul in
advance. After going about 300 yards, however, Aaciellt
Cain
Briton again assumed the lead, followed from the CO:
Bridge turn by Newcastle second, and won in a canter b 1
length; a dozen lengths from Newcastle came Wrestlefd
third ; the others tailed off. Defender was the first beaten
in the race, and Hydromel was pulled up below the dis'
tance, and did not pass the post. The pace was moderate'
Sweepstakes of 5 sovs each, with 30 added, for 2 and 341.°
olds. Penalties and allowances. T.Y.C. 4 'gabs.
Mr. T. Stevens's Ardour, 3 yrs, 9st llb (Keeler) 1
Mr. Copperthwaite's Lady Kingston, 3 yrs, Bst 121 b
(Ald croft) 4'
Mr. Mundy's Confectioner, 2 yrs, 7st llb (car. 7. t 21b)
(;Swift)
Betting-5 to 4on Lady Kingston, sto 4 agst,
6 to 1 agst Confectioner.
Won by a length ; two lengths between the se lc ond ant
third.

The Sefton Corinthian Welter Cup, a piece of p /ate vallift°
100 sovs, added to a Sweepstakes of 10 sovs esch,
for 3-yr-olds and upwards, weight for age, wi ti t allot
ances and penalties. The second to save his atak
tlernen riders only. Ono mile and a quarter. 2 1 011*
Mr. Shelley's Lifeboat, 4 yrs, 12st llb (inc. 71b extra)
(Capt. ] ;
Mr. T. liowson's Mrs. Stowe, 3 yrs, 9st 131 b (Mr. Er, ikinV
Lord J. SoOtt's Gift (h-b.), 3 yrs, lOst llb (Capt. 1.11111`):
Betting.—C to lon Lifeboat, who won by half a length
bad third.

Sweepstakes of lt. sovs each, 5 ft, with 50 add ,ed by the
Earl of Derby, foi* 2-yr-olds and upwards, w ith alloir
antes and penalties. One mile. 10 subs. ,

Butterfly ............. ...
Shafto ....... ......
Accurate
Tousle
... .•••
Betting-5 to 4 agst Accurate, to 4 agst Butter IV/•t4 °
agst Shafto. Won easily.