The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-19 00:00:00

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

On Tuesday, January, 15, 1850, William Cubitt,
Esq., President, in the chair, the paper read was,
"An Account of the Blackfriars Landing-pier," by
Mr. P. Lawrence. This pier commences on the Middle-
sex side of the river, to the east of Blackfriars-bridge,
at Chatham-place, and continues parallel to the bridge,
and at a distance of forty feet from it, for a length of
185 feet. The body of the pier (exclusive of the
head) is supported on four piers, two of which consist
of a single row, and two of a double row of piling,
forming three spans of fifty feet each, and having
about eight feet headway under them at
high-water. The floating barge, or dumby, on
which the passengers land, is one hundred feet
long and twenty-five wide, rising and falling with the
tide, in grooves at each end, formed by piles and pro-
tected by dolphins. The connexion between the
dumby and the pier is by a moveable stage eight feet
wide and fifty feet long, secured to the pier head, at
one end by a hinge joint, and the other end similarly
connected to a flight of steps, on wheels, which
moved on a tramway fixed to the deck of the barge.
The principal portion of the timber used in its con-
struction was fir ; but the whole, whether of fir or
oak, was impregnated by Payne's process, those
portions :below high-water mark being further pro-
tected by a coating of Stockholm tar. The whole of
the cast and wrougbt iron work was galvanized.
The Corporation of London had ooserved the ne-
cessity for an improved landing place, so early as
1841, but it was net until a fatal accident occurred
in 1844, that any decided steps were taken in
the matter; then Messrs. Walker and Barges
received instructions to prepare a design, which was
approved, and the pier was commenced in March,
1845, and completed in October of the same year,
under the superintendence of Mr. Hewett, M. Inst.
C.E. The total cost was about 4,0001.
The next paper read was a " Description of a
Timber Bridge, erected over the River Ouse, on the
line of the Lynn and Ely Railway," by Mr. J. S.
Valentine, M. Inst. C. E. The total length of this
bridge was four hundred and fifty feet, divided
into eleven bays, ten of thirty span each, tend
one over the river of one hundred and twenty
feet span on the square, and one hundred and
twenty• one feet six inches on the skew. This river-
opening consisted of three laminated timber bows,
resting upon stone piers, the material for which was
procured from the New Leeds Quarries. The dimen-
sions of the bows were, length of chord, one hundred
and twenty-one feet six inches; versed sine, fourteen
feet two inches ; and their depth, three feet eight
inches ; the width of the outer bows was two feet two
inches, that of the centre bow two feet nine inches.
They were formed of fifteen layers of three-inch deals
abutting upon a cast iron plate, bolted to the tie-beams,
which consisted oft wo whole timbers scarfed and bolted
together. Each tie-beam was suspended from the
bows by thirteen wrought-iron rods, two inches in
diameter, and between these diagonal struts were
fitted. Transverse joists, notched on to the tie-
beams, extended across the whole width of the
bridge, and on these the rail-bearers were laid, the
intervening spaces being filled with three-inch deals,
laid longitudinally.
The works were commenced in the autumn of
1846, and completed in October, 1847 ; the total
cost of the superstructure being about 3,7441. When
tested, by placing three locomotive engines on each
line of rails, the total deflection was only three-
eighths of an inch.
The paper announced to be read at the meeting of
Tuesday, Jan. 22, was No. 819. "On the Periodical
Alternations and Progressive Permanent Depression
of the Chalk Water Level under London," by the Rev.
J. C. Clutterbuck.