The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-27 00:00:00

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NEW' TVECTMINSTEI?-DRI.DGE.

The entire removal of the last arch of old West-
tninster-bridge was accomplished yesterday, and
very little is to be seen above water of the ruinous
obstruction which has so long impeded not only the
navigation of the river but even the very passage
of the river itself. In the course of another three
months or so even the foundations of the old piers
will have been removed, and the work of completing
the eastern half of the new structure be going on
rapidly towards completion. Let us hope that the
removal of this ancient watermark will inaugurate
a new era in the history of our metropolitan bridges,
and that it may lead eventually to the widening of
London-bridge and the reconstruction of Blackfriars
—especially before the latter falls of itself. The
work which yet remains to be done before West-
minster will be entirely finished is unfortunately
of a kind that cannot be very much hastened, yet
with all drawbaoks there is no doubt but that the
close of the present year will see it nearly if not
quite completed. All the piers for the eastern half
of the new structure have been entirely finished,
except No. 1 pier on the Middlesex side, and piers
Nos. 3 and 5 in the centre of the river. The method
of constructing these is by driving in massive iron
piles deep below the bed of the river into the clay.
Between these piles, which are driven in the exact
form of the intended pier, are again driven iron plates
an inch and a quarter thick. From the massive
coffer dam thus formed the earth and mud are
dredged out below the gravel, and a nunaber of
wooden piles of the largest kind driven in to the
greatest depth they will penetrate. All the space
between the piling is then filled in with concrete,
the heads of the piles themselves sawn off six feet
below low water, and the remainder of the coffer
dam filled in with immense slabs of granite up to
low water-mark, where the regular ornamental
piers to carry the arches begin. Driving the iron
piles is accomplished easily enough, but forcing
down the iron plates between is an operation re-
quiring both time and care. The foundations of
No. 1 pier have been so far advanced that it is al-
most ready for the granite slabs, but the remaining
halves of Nos. 3 and 5 cannot be begun until all
the foundations of the two piers of the old bridge,
which are in the way and occupy the ground on
which they are to come, have been removed. Do-
ing away with these old foundations, however,
takes very little time. So great has been the scour
of the river since the removal of old London-bridge,
that the caissons on which these old foundations
rest, and which when the bridge was built were
more than six feet below the bed of the, river, are
now completely bare. In the centre of the stream
they are not only bare, but many of them have the
ground so worn away from under their edges that
the divers can get their hands beneath them for a
considerable distance. No. 1 pier of the old bridge
has been completely built into the Middlesex abut-
ment of the new Nos. 2 and 3 have been quite re-
moved, and the foundations of the new pier laid
in their place. No 4 old pier has been all removed
but the caisson ; No. 5 removed to high-water:level ;
Nos. 6 and 7 almost entirely removed; Nos. 8,9,
and 10, cut down below high-water mark ; and No.
11 almost away to the caisson. Altogether, in-
cluding the removal of the arches, more than
2,100,000 cubic feet of masonry and brickwork
have been taken out. The Surrey abutment will
be completed in a few days, and all the founda-
tions of that on the Middlesex side are ready for
the masonry. The remaining halves of the first and
second arches on the Surrey side have also been be-
gun, and are well forward. A month more or so
will see these two complete, and others advancing.
When the building of the earlier half is quite
finished, the 15-feet footpath will be paved, and
one tramway next the kerb will be laid down, the
remainder of the space being left for the lighter
traffic. The half now open will then be closed, the
footway completed, the tram next it left as it is,
and the other removed, when the whole will be
opened. There will then be two footways each 15
feet wide, two tramways each of 7 ft. 6 in., and a
roadway for light traffic of 40 feet. The extreme
width of London•bridge from parapet to parapet is
56 feet, or exactly the space of the roadway of the
new bridge, exclusive of footpaths. All the orna-
mental iron-work, parapet, and balustrades of the
western half have been put up, so that from this
side of the river a good notion of the effect of the
whole structure when completed can be gained. It
is simple, light, and beautiful in the extreme, even
more so than the drawings at first showed it would
be. Beyond a doubt, when finished, it will be one
of the most beautiful not only in London, but even.
in Europe. The ornamental shields which are to
fill up the Gothic quatrefoils in the spandrils of the
arches are not yet placed. These will be of cast iron
and emblazoned with the arms of Westminster and
England in gold and enduring colours. From this
side the rise of the bridge seems greater than it
really is, from the fact of the wooden balustrade on
the inner side, within the ornamental railing, ap-
pearing to form a part of it. In reality the crown
of the arch is more than 11 feet lower than the
highest point of old Westminster. The entire space
allowed for waterway under the new bridge is 750
feet, and of this no less than 140 feet are now occu-
pied by the remains of the old piers and scaffolding
necessarily erected for building the new. In a few
months these will all be removed, and for the first
time for 20 years the tide will flow unrestrictedly,
and with greatly increased facilities for its passage
up the Thames. The result of this will be of course
that the tide above Westminster-bridge will rise
slightly higher than it has ever hitherto done ;
while the scour down the river will be largely in-
creased in proportion. This latter fact must hasten
the Bridge Committee to an immediate determina-
tion as to a new structure at Blackfriars. There is
no concealing the fact that one of the arches of
Blackfriars-bridge is completely broken, and resting
on the wooden centreing beneath it. An increased
scour would soon lead to an increased settlement,
which apparently the defective arch could not bear
without great risk of coming down in a mass, when
in all probability most of the arches in the centre of
the stream would follow. No time should be lost
in guarding against the possibility of such a fearful
accident as this, and we hope before long to hear
that plans for a new structure have been definitely
resolved on. A better example for the new bridge
can scarcely be chosen than that which Mr. Page is
rapidly completing at Westminster.

• PRICE 4D. STAMPED, SD.

THE MAILS.

MAILS DUB.

Australia, Ceylon, and Mauritius (via South-
ampton) .. • • • . May 19.
Do. (via Marseilles) May 13.
Brazil and Cape Verds . . .. May 4.
Buenos Ayres, Monte Video, t 4.
Cuba and Mexico .. .., • . .. April 0,
Canada, &c. (via L'derry) .. April 24.
Cape of Good Hope, &c. May 2.
China, Penang, and Singapore (via S'ampton) May 2.
Do (via Marseilles) April 26.
Gibraltar (via Southampton) .* .. May 2.
India (Calcutta),.Ceylon, &c. (via Southampton) May 2.
Do. (via Marseilles) April 2G.
India (Bombay), (via Southampton) .. • .. May 11.
Do. (via Marseilles) .. May 6.
Lisbon • • .• • • • .. • • .. May I.
Malta, Egypt, and Men (via Southampton) .. May 2.
Do. (via Marseilles) ..Aril 26,
Vigo, and Oporto .. May 1. ,
United States, California, &c. .. May 1.
Western Coast of Africa, Madeira, Teneriffe .. May 10.
West Indies and Pacifie,Carthagena, Cuba, &o. April 29.

The following letters from Nantes announces the
invention of a new instrument of destrupt;,..—w, L..—
several times spoken of experiments with artillery which
have been made at Gavre, but particularly with a steel
cannon invented by the Emperor Napoleon. At present an
experiment is being made with a new projectile, of which
the effect is said to be terrific. It weighs 901 b., and it is
estimated that should it fall amonga body of troops in close
column, it might kill or wound 100 men."
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rel\ilitoDusm.p,
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tloVeffefereadri
false pretences. Nevill's imitations u dangers of spu-
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Alfred Hooper Nevill and his a are prohibited by
.the
penalty of £5,000 against
high Court of Chancery under
that Nevill has a patent for
Barry'sand
C o.
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No canister is genuine Nvithouuteth
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Ara;
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in
fthrils.lol,,ica Food and that Ise.
Shopkeepers who attempt imposition
nt
one
uatte7,7rryl
name Barrydywur
°n tlie seal article must
gent-street, London •
of Post-office order by Barry Dyailasl3l7
expect to be distrusted in all others n PLicked in tins 11b.
2s. 9d.; 21b. 4s. 6d. ; 51b. 11 • 121 b. 225•' 241 b. 40s. The
a''pper.
121 b. and 241 b. canisters s' '
are sent ear..,‘,r--
and Co., 77, Ram
Ox-
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tea-dealers; - ?Petty,ing Willm-Btrett
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