The line to the horses is to the left of the workers. Using the far abutment as an anchoring point, a block and tackle was stretched from the abutment to the bridge. The muscle was supplied by draft horses walking around a capstan, winding a rope and moving the bridge. The front end of the bridge was then dragged over the nearside abutment and onto cribbing. This cribbing and the front end would then be dragged across a temporary bridge over the creek while the back end of the bridge continued to pass over the nearside abutment.
Horses turn the capstan.
Another horse takes a break in the background. The frame in place above the abutments. Return to the Auchumpkee Creek Bridge page.