Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-11-05
miscellaneous.
THE MENAI BRIDGE IN WALES.

Mr. Prime writes 10 tho New York Observer the
following interesting account Of this great work:
The fobnlar Bddge ever the Mcnai Strsits i re-
y gard Ns lthe grvNtest mechanical wonder Of the
yesfld, and II my admiration Of it had teen great
whsn. reading the many graphic descriptions We
lave heard Vt It. my wonder and pleasure were
kseaty Increased when came to see it. The care
swept through the bridge fifteen hundred and thr.
teen feet ia length. and we had no other sensation
thhn that Of passing through any other cONeIUd
bridge, but ~ we reached Bangor, ald tbs train
paused, leftit, aud let It ~ On without me. while
bad returned ~ study this stupendous work. The
problem to be solved by the architect was this
10 build bridge 1900 feet over Of the sea
tso high 10 tho air ne 10 permit The loteat mast "a
pass underiS and without piers 20 obstruot the
navigation The point on the straits selected FOR
thopurposc was fortunately provided with rock
rising from the water, and nearly in the midst OF
the straits. This was the basc ola pier. but then
the bridge without a draw must stretch a. ? feet TO
enc shore, and 400 10 tho other, at the hoghh Otat
lsast hundred feet above The SEA. Mr.. Stephen
Ben, the Rehiteet devised and under bis superiutsn
denee has executed this work, which promises to
stand an sndoring monument OF ingenuity, enter
prse and perseverance,, under difficulties the mos
aisheNrtoning, aud to ordinary minds insnrmevn
table. To the work he brought us tho fret and
chief elsiDent Of success, his own genius and cour
Ass, and to those he a1doI l,S00 men, for whom
eVttages we're built along the shore, the labor o
ysarswss before them. The bridge is to be Of iror
nothing olse; it is 70 hold itself without an arch
and without steel cables to bind it 10 the rock,
shorss. Ii is 10 be built on the shore 10 he noatec
"a the water, and then raised porpendicuarly an,
stretching horizontally from land to land Can i
be doney The world laughed and wiso mon sai,
no, it could not be done. The man Of lScteao
pushed on tho mighty work. Plates of iron wor,
riVited together and tube. not round as most poo
plesuppose, but square, or rather rectangular bo
ipg 30 ioet high and n feet wide, built tho
labor Of this army was extended through four and
slalf years,. Two million rivots hold these plates
k..n nd tp1.r x,atoh NJ
less than eleven thousand three hundred and sixty
eix tonst Duringthree years the shores presen-
tsd the busiest and most exciting of peaceful scenes
Schools aud churches were built for the families
gathered here. Tue arts of life were drawn around
the settlement, and il was as if new city had
boen suddenly planted the straits Of Mcnai.--
Sickness rare, for the dir was pure and health
fal, but whom it did come and death with 1t, th'
eonsoations Of religion were not wanting to thC
dying or living. More were born than died. Tn,
work went on, and at last it done. llydrNuli
presses were made to raise the mighty weights, AM
iuch by inch they rJse till in three weeks from tn
timo they began to ascend, they were planted Oh tn
lofty pier and Stood sublime. They did not brea
of their own weight. They did not bend
But would they bear the pressure of a train loade
laundering over this awful chasm, would til
mass Of iron crush and fall in ruins like rel
world, when the first train OF cars, with its livn
burden, should ustitsefon the treachcrous bridg
The train was ready, not with burden of liyn
mon and fair women to re-enaot the Norwalk tra
cdy ian event that dishonors country in q
Dyes Of Eur0pe,) but loaded with iron and ston
tO four times the weight of any train that wou
over be reqairod 10 pass over the trembling stru
ture. Mr.. Stephenson, the architect, mounts Il
locomotive, himself the engineer and solitary pa
senger. Ho moves on, and reaching the midwa
of the longest tube; he arrests the train, pause
there, that the heaviest pressure may at once
fslt, and the grand experimeht be tested f
oil. Ii was not . rash hair Drained feat. 1t WI
calm confidence of man of calculation, who kne
" N WI 10 wa