The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1850-06-17
Editorial Correspondence.
CINCINNATI, June 8, 1850.

Amodel of Relnington's bridge is now
on exhibition at the; Cincinnati Museum.
1t is SO feet long between the abutments
and about 81 feet wide, with A string pie.
ces 24 inches at the abutments and II at
The center. 1t is covered with strips Of
half inch flooring and has low railing,
which adds something to its strength.
From its light and fragile appearance, it
would scarcely be thought strong enough
to bear the weight of man, but it will
sustain as many men as can crowd on it,
even to the weight Of several tons. The
top Of the abutmenis, made of light frame
work, slope downwards a little from front
to back, causing the stringers to rise it,
tie from the horizontal line as they leave
the abutments. These last are secured TO
their places by iron rods passing from
their tops, back, down on to the floor where
they arc bolted. The. weight upon the
bridge has been so great as TO strain. upon
these fastenings until the floor had actual.
ly been raised little.
As a test Of the principle. there stands,
along side Of this model, another smaller
one. 1t consists, simply, of three strings,
or pieces of pine, raised some six inches
from the floor, by frame work at each end
serving as abutments. The three strings
are feet long between supports, inch
square at The e!ds and 3 of an inch in the
middle. In fact, nothing but little pine
switches, looking a. if the weight Of
child would snap them in two. They
will, however, support as many men as
can stand on them side by side. One of
them broke tho other day in the following
manner. Six men were standing on them
and, in taking up the seventh, the weight
Of all became mostly concentrated on one
stick, owing to some failure in balancing,
and 1t broke; not in the centre or small
lest part, as would naturally be supposed,
but close to the supports where it was
largest. These bridges are, indeed, moth
ing more nor less than wooden suspension
bridges, the strain being in the direction of
the length Of the stringers. not transverse.
Like many other discoveries and inven.
tions of genius, its simplicity leads US to
wonder ii had never been acted upon be-
fore.
A bridge is now being constructed in
Alabama, near the residence of Reming.
ton, according to specifications furnished by
him, which is TO be single span of 400
feet. Before it was concluded to adopt
the plan, trial model was constructed OF
60 feet span with stringcrs one inch square
in the centre. This bore fifteen tons be.
fore it broke.
Remington is an eccentric genius. Mo-
noy appears 70 be no object with him
nor does he make any great effort TO force
his inventions into use, any further than
to claim the invention as his own. He
has invented number Of very usefn
things. He is now devoting his attention
to perfec,ing plans for using water to af
ford both light anG heat. The exhibitor
of the model here, who is acquainted witt
him, informs me that he has seen lamE
burning in which, after being once heatoc
and ignited, its own heat was employed
to decompose the water into the two gases
oxygen and hydrogen. Should he sue
ceed in so perfecting his plans as TO de-
compose water so cheaply as to employ tn,
gases on large scale for light and heat, i
will produce one of the greatest revolu
tions ever knownin matters Of science ant
he useful arts. ea, C.