Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-09-04
The CATCH Bridge"

The grand celebration of the completion OF the
Genesee High Bridge, by which the Buffalo and
New York City Railroad crosses the Genesee nv
er near Portagevile. took place last " ednesoay.
About 10000 persons witnessed and parhcipa1ea
| in the celebration. banquet was gwen on the
occasion, and mammoth OK, weighing, 600 lbs.,
was served up.
| The following description of the Bridge we copy
from report of the proceedings at the celebration,
which we find in the New York Tribune:
Approaching the river from the east, the Rail
road passes along the summit of ridge, around
which the river bends in an elbow form, with the
| curve toward yon. From this elevation the
course of the stream may be traced by the deep
valley and the towering rocky walls On near
| ing the banks of the Genesee River, the scenery
Of hills, and gorges, and ravlnes, and waterfalls,
impart to the place wildness and grandeur deep
" interesting. The gorge Though which the river
passes at the point of the Railroad crossing, is
| about five hundred feet wide, but owing to the
sloping of the eastern bank, the bridge at the top
is eight hundred feet long. Rising from the bed of
the river, which is composed of slaty rock, are
eight stone piers of solid masonry, each thirty
feet high, twelve feet thick, and about eighty feet
long. On these piers stands the massive pyramid
al trese work of timbers, firmly braced and coun-
braced, rising hundred and ninety feet above
the masonry.
This work is almost seventy-ive feet wide Mt the
base, but converges toward the top to a width of
only twenty-five feet. On this structure rests the
bridge itself which rises fourteen feet higher The
timbers of the bridge are interviewer and locked
together and braced and bolted in the most sub
stantal manner So firm is the structure, it is es-
titnated that it will sustain twenty times the
weight of any train that can be run upon it. From
the preceding data, it will be seen that the whole
height Of this wonderful structure is two hundred
and thirty -four feet; but this is not alone hun
dred feet below the bridge is fall in the river of
sixty-six feet, over a perpendicular precipice.
Thus, from the railroad track to the river, seen
from the cars, the distance is three hundred feet;
fifty feet greater than the height OF the suspension
| bridge at Niagra, and far exceeding any similar
structure in this country. ,,r.#
| Perhaps more definite idea of the immensely
of this work may be formed from other statistical
| facts given us by J. Pencil, ESP, under whose
superintendent it has been constructed. To sup
ply the 1 602, 900 feet of lumber board measure,
used in this bridge, more than two hundred and
| fifty acres of land were required. This vast
amount of timber has all been cut out with circu-
| lar saws, in steam mill owned by the builders
of the bridge. Besides the timber, nearly sixty
tons of IRON bolts have been employed in this
mammoth piece of mechanism
| The bridge was designed by Silas Seymor, Chief
Engineer of the Road, and built by Messrs. Lau-
mann, Rocksfelow & Moore, at cost of about
$4,000. The Architectural is strlkingy peculiar.
So perfect is the model that from the trestle work
any piece of the timber be removed, in case il
| becomes defective, and new one placed in its
stead, without affecting the strength of the work,
or displacing any other timber. ass s.f 90
| The view from this dizzy height is almost over
| powering. Neither looking from the suspension
bridge at Niagra, nor from the tower on Goat Is
land, gave me such overwhelming sensations OF
depth rs experienced while standing upon this
bridge and looking down upon the falls far beneath
me. So diminutive did it appear could hardly
realize that it was the same foamlng cataract al
which looked with so much awe i'll my child
hood. a4-s O. .U. nos.