The Sun.
London, England, 1829-06-27 00:00:00

WATERLOO BRIDGE.

In consequence of a statement appearing in severe'
of the Morning Papers of Tuesday last, stating that
the northern pier of Waterloo Bridge was in a de'
composed and alarming state, a meeting of the Cot
mittce took place, and, as it appeared that the state
ment was founded in falsehood and malignity, the
Committee resolved that the most public refutation
of the calumnious report should be given.
The Waterloo Bridge Committee directed that on
excavation should be made close to the abutment
pier, on the north side of Waterloo Bridge, for the
purpov of ascertaining if " the part was completeir
rotten." It was considered somewhat marvellons
how the " two gentlemen," without excavation, had 1
ascertained the " rotten state of the pier," which,'
being above ten feet below low-water-mark, had
never been exposed to human eye since.its erection'
To put the question entirely at rest, the Committee
determined that the pier should be exposed to the
view of the public.
Yesterday afternoon the Committee and a number
of scientific gentlemen took a view of the pier and
piles. Sir Joseph Sidney Yorke, Lord Carrington,
Sir G. Cockburn, Sir Edward Banks, Mr. Carstait6
Mr. Jenkins, the Messrs. Rennie, Mr. Powell • the
Surveyor of the Bridge, Sze. were present. The
wo:kmen cut away the timber from the part of --the
piles which is most exposed to the action of the
water, and it was found to be as sound as it
when it was laid down in ISI6. There was no tir
pearance of decomposition, and the weight of the
pier upon the piles had in fact hardened the woody
and tendered it less liable to be affected by the water'
The two gentlemen who waited upon Lord Melville
were, it is said, Mr. Peto, the builder of the Custom'
house, and Mr. Jeffreys, who &aims to be the,
ventor•of the approaches to the new London Bridge. 1
After-the Committee had ascertained that the report
of the two gentlemen was unfounded; Sir Joseph
Yorke, the Chait man, published the following
letter :

" TO THE EDITOR. OF TUX SUN.

" Toll.honse, Waterloo-bridge, Friday, Juue 26, 1629'
" MR. EDITOR—A paragraph having appeared in sere'
ral papers, giving an account of two very interesting gentle-
men having viAted Lord Melville (why Lord Melville?)
to report on the defective state of the piles of the abutment
of the Surrey side of Waterloo-bridge, the Committ:•e
deemed it advisable to open the said abutment this morning,
and laid the satisfaction to find that the platform and pil-
ing were in the soundest possible state. This was wit-
nessed by many most respectable persons, viz. Sir Geo•
Cod:l:urn, Mr. Barrow, Messrs. Rennie, Sir Edward
Banks, Mr. Miller, Mr. Taylor, the Surveyor of Build-
ings of the Navy Office, and many other scientific gentle-
men, as well as the Reporters of the Daily Press, who were
all tvea'sati.•fied that the paragraph alluded to was aPY
thing hut true. The motive in putting such a paragraph
before the public, the gentlemen present were quite at it
hay to imagine.

" On the part of the Committee,
" S. YORKE, Chairman.
" P.S. Specimens of the timber may be seen at the
Company's Office and at the Toll-house."

They brought away with them some of the timber,
which appeared to be in no degree affected, and wog
as sound as when cut from the tree. There are not
less than 1,70() proprietors of the Bridge, and many
of them reside in remote parts of the country. Olio
of them wrote yesterday to the Secretary, askirl
" how long mould the dividend be suspended
consequence of the repairs of the piers and the abut-
ment taking place ?" The gentlemen who have
promulgated so unfounded a report, will no doubt
feel themselves culled upon to explain their extraor•
'finery conduct in this affair. . .

PLAN FOR PAVING CHEAPSIDE.

TO THE LORD MAYOR AND CITIZENS OF LONDON.

GENTLEMEN,— Passing
.yesterday through Cheap-
side, I was struck with e plan you arc pursuing
with the :41b-stratum of broken or Macadamized-
stones, en which, I suppose, the pavement is to.be
laid, as in Fleet-street, at au enormous expellee, and
cannot but think I can propose a much cheaper and
more lasting plan. It is not new, for it has been
pursued years at Milan, and behind St. Clement's
Church, in the Strand; and though I grant the
traffic in Cheapside is wonderfully greater, yet I could
wish you much to try it, if it were only an experi-
ment of fifty yards, before Bow Church.
%von!, it is to lay a double line of the curb-stones of
the street thus—

Ifor the wheels of carriages only to run on, flanked,
perhaps; by a paving stone, for the convenience of
turning off and on. This railway 1 would not have
raised at all above the level of the street, and
as an old coachman myself, I see no insuperable
objection to the scheme ; on the contrary, I see
twenty reasons for its adoption, and will beg
leave to slate a • few of the most important;
assured, that an example being set by the city
of London, the plan would be generally adopted;
and, if I am not mistaken, a. lasting benefit
would be conferred on the country, Many there
are, no doubt, who will exclaim that the scheme
is " impracticable"—that .it is " impossible;" but
to such I answer, that already on •the Corso of
where the carriages • follow each other Ai-
most as closely as in Hyde Park or Cheapside, it
is done; and I will just beg to state the advan-
tages of such a road in a few words, being con-
vinced that, before long, it will be general; it would
really hurt me that the City of London should not
lead the way—at least in England :-Ist. Such a
road is cheap (the best granite curb-stone hewed
and prepared is 2s. per foot, whilst pavement costs
13 shillings per square yard, according to evidence
before the Lords), lasting, and adapted to carriages
as at present constructed. It is not proposed to
groove it, or raise .it at all above the level of the
street ; but is streets of great traffic to lay a double
line, on the near and offsides, but on streets of less
traffic, only a double line in the centre, leaving the
sides for passing and re-passing, instead of the
middle, as in Cheripside.-2d. It is easily laid on
sand, gravel, or turf, and the heavier the weights
that roll over it, the more it would be consolidated,
not as at present pulverised.-3d. It would be
equally
.good in Winter as Summer; and if at last
it wore.into grooves, move it .a few inches nearer or
farther, or turn it.-4th. It would occasion no noise,
dust or dirt.-sth. The excessive facility of draft
(one horse, according to Mr. Jessop, draws twelve
tons 2i miles per hour on iron, and on the Darling-
ton Railway, one gig horse drew .51 persons eight
miles per hour), and rapidity of communication, and
consegnent supply of provisions and intelligence,
&e. froin every part of the island to the Metropolis;
if adopted as a general road.
Gth. The diminished suffering of that roble ani-
mal, she horse.

7th. The immense number of them that might be
dispensed with (at present a horse a mile is the ge-
neral calculation for four-horse coaches; I. e. 120
horses for one roach to Bristol, being 120 miles),
and consequently that the land (perhaps seven acres
cultivated for every horse per annum), consumed for
them, might be cultivated for man, rendering him
less dependent on foreign supplies for bread, and
without injuring rents or revenue, diminishing
pours' rates, encouraging industry, and by giving
employ m; to the poor, diminishing the alarming
increase of crime.

8111. That vehicles on such roads need not be
half as strong, expensive, or heavy in their construc-
tion, nor passengers or goods suffer half as much 09
at present; whilst their cheapness and durability
would go far to increase their number and conve-
nience.

9th. Great increase of friendly arid mercantile
communication, and of human happiness and cent ere.
10th and lastly. The highest of all gratifications
in having led the way, and improved the conditiOn
of the world.
Such, Gentlemen, are a few, and only a few, Ol
the advantages which I conceive would follow til6