, 1865-02-03

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the dangerous passagH, paid a fee which
varied from one 10 FIVE shiIlings. BY
this contrivance, thousands of persons cross
ed the Avon. The basket ran by its own
gravity down the incline TO the centre Of
the bar, and was drawn up TO the other
side by means Of a rope. On one occa-
sion, a SonterSetshire wedding-party
went TO see the fairy bridge, and the
bridegroom having had enough cider 10
make him adventurous. persuaded the
not unwilling bride to make the flying
passage. The two got into the basket;
but when they had reached the centre OF
the bar, high over the Avon, and the
moment arrived when they were TO he
drawn up on the opposite side, it was
found that the communlcatiug-rOpe had
broken and as no provision had been
made for such a contre temps, the enthuSi-
astic husband and his newly-wtdded wife
dangled in mid-air-to the astonishmrnt
of the rocks, no doubt-for several
hours, their extraordinary position being
rendered none the more comfortable by
their friends on the abutment shouting
across to them that they would have to
remain in the basket all night! This
novel way Of beginning the honeymoon
was avoided, however; but the party
were not rescued till they had passed
several hours in their strange carriage.
In 1853 the trustees under whose au-
thority the bridge was being constructed,
had exhausted their funds-the expendi-
ture at that time having amounted to for
ty-6ve thousand poundS-and the works
were temporarily abandoned. The tow
ers, or abutments, which are IN the form
of Egyptian gatrways-a style of archi-
lecture considered suitable 10 rocky stu
ations-wtre completed, AMI the excava-
tions in the rocks for anchoring the main
chains were commenced, but no chains
had been got over the river. In this con-
dillon the works remained for seven years
more. In The meantime there had been
several proposals to complete the work.
Among other propositions was one by
the American engineer, Colonel SerrelI,
the designer of the famous Queenstown
and LewiStown Wire SuSpensIon-bridge
at Niagara. This gentleman proposed TO
use the existing ahutments and towers,
but otherwise to abandon BrunePs plan.
substituting Wire cables In lieu of the
chains. This plan was not adopted and
in 1860, when 1T was known thar Hunger
ford Suspension-bidge was to be removed,
it occurred to some one that q portion of
The ironwork of that bridge could be
used at Clifton. The idea was mooted
Company was formed, and the Hunger
ford Snspension-bridge was purchased,
and removed to Clifton, where the mate
rial was used in the construction Of the
new bridge. The work is now nearly
completed, and is to be opened during
the present year, after having been in
process of construction-with certain in
terruptions-for thirty-three years.
The Company under whose auspices
the bridge his been completed proposed
that it should he t~wenty-four feet wide,
the carriage way being sixteen feet, ard
two footways, four feet each but by an
Infringement with a local landowner.
whose estate will be greatly benefited by
the construction of the bridge, il was uItI-
mately decided that the bridge should be
thirty feet wide The ironwork of the
bridge weighs about fifteen hundred tons.
Approaching the bridge from Clifton, we
come first to the main chains by which
81 49, ~ "a srFEAA-E -Ea 49, n F FrB