Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-05-11
I1hteresting fhforra Great FublicT

|xoHIt has been fashliisonasple lis to compare un- |IfaUoEySly sthe works of this country with 7those ef Europe. To such an extent has this been carried that it is not unfrequently said that we have to look to England or the continent for most of our examples.- We are continually told by travellers of the great extent, beauty, and durability of the continental works, and of the enormous strength of the English structures Now 1t IS perfectly true that Europe can boast of railroads, canals, bridges, and aqueducts unrlvalled Tn the world for beauty and ex- cellence of workmanship and design, but it is equally true that America can point to works of utility that, in the magniicence of their proportions, are not exceeded any where
 The Julian Aqueduct of Rome is two miles longer than the Croton Aqueduct of New York, built by John B. Jervis and Horatio Allen, but the Croton carries more water than all the seven aqueducts of Rome put together, and more than any other aaue- duct in the world, and is longer than any other excepting the Julian
 The Illinois central railroad, built by Col. Mason, is the longest line ever con structed by one company, and in point of workmanship is equal to any European road.
 The National road, over the Cumber- land mountains, built by the United States engineer corps, is more extensive and du- rable by far than the Appian way.
 The stone arch over Cabin Johns Creek, on the Washington aqueduct built by Cap tain Meigs, is about fifty feet greater span than any other stone arch in the world, and is more beautiful in proportion than the arch over the Oca, so long celebrated for its magnifcence.
 The tunnel built by Mr. Hautt, on the summit of the Pennsylvania railroad, was a more difficult work than the tunnel under the Thames
 The structures on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad at Harper's Ferry, and beyond the summit, built by Latrobe, and the Starrocca Viaduct, on the New York and Erie rail- road, built by Julius Adams, are equal in magnihcence and excelen e of wo llman- ship to any thing Brunei eve lid in Eng land or Moran in Fance
 The suspension bridge over the Niagara river at Lewiston, buiit by Major Serrell, is 1,042 feet 10 inches in one span. and is 43 feet greater than any other single span in the world, being nearly twice as great and quite as strong as Telford's celebrated bridge over the Menai Straits in England.
 The United States dry dock at Brooklyn is the largest dry dock in the world by many feet. The workmanship, done under the direction of Mr. McAlpine and Gen eral Stuart, is equal, if not superior, to anything of the kind anywhere. The plates of iron used in the gates of this dock are the largest that had ever been made up to the time they were rolled
 The flight of combined locks on the Erie canal at Lockport, built by the State engi- neers, are equaled only in one other place in Christendom-( Sweden
 The railroad suspension bridge built by Roebling over the Niagara is within a few feet of twice the span of Stephenson's great tubular bridge in England the largest structure of the kind. It is 800 feet in one span, and is two stories high, the railroad being above the public highway. Nothing like this exists anywhere else
 The lighthouse on Minot's Ledge, be- ing built by Captain Alexander, is in more exposed situation, and as far as proceeded with Is more securely bolted together than the famous Eddystone light house in Eng land.
 The bridge at Wheeling, built by Charles Ellet, is exceeded only by span by the, Lewiston bridge, and is heavier than it; # is the second largest span in the world, and is much more beautiful than the Fribourg bridge, its European rival.
 In carpentry we are unexcelled in the world. Such structures in timber as the dry docks at San Francisco and Philade- phia-McCullam' and Col. Seymours bridges on the Erie railroad and branches, the timber viaducts on the Catawissa rail- road, built by Stancleff, Col Long's bridges on the various New England rail- roads, and How's trusses at Harrisburg, have not got their equals across the Atlan- tic.
 The stones on either corner of the Ex- change in Boston, built by Rodgers, are larger than any single stone in Cleopatra s needle, and those now being put into the United States treasury at Washington are much heavier than any stone of Pompey's pillar, or the Pyramids of Egypt
 As to the difficulties of location, there is no country where more science and skill have been brought to bear than in ours, and tits remarkable fact that, in point of time last year, our average travelling on railroads was faster by two and half miles per hour than in England, comparing our pal lines with theirs, while the charges on the American lines was but little over half the English rates.
 The reason why these things are not gen. orally known is, that here we build great work, announce its completion in the same advertisement that heralds the opening of the road, and no more is said about it, ex- cept, perhaps, what may appear in one or two scientific periodicals, where dry feet and inches, stress, strain and tortion are discussed, and are never read except by the professional engineer. While on the con trary, in England and France, as soon as a great work is built, and while it is being erected, pictures by thousands are publish ed medals are struck and circulated, glass models are made, and the illustrated news papers show it in every stage of progress and from every point of view; the engineer is knighted, if he is not already of the mo- bility, and the fame of the structure is sent from land to land; while with us, as we have shown, may be found some of the most gigantic works ever undertaken that are passed by and over without hardly any notice. It is remarkable that the best pop ular descriptions of our own public works of great magnitude are to be found in the journals of France and Germany. From the Memphis Appeal.
 Cane Hill, Washington County, Ar