Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-12-11
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GREAT PUBLI cwoRKs.


Three great undertakings in widely sepa.
rated regions have lately been completed
that seem 10 be characteristic of our age and
country These are the tunnel from the city
Of Chicago two miles out under the bed Of
Lake Michigan, 10 furnish a supply of pure
water to that town; the remarkable suspen.
sion bridge at Cincinnati, over the Ohio
river, and the railroad bridge over the Sus
quehanna river at Havre de-Grace. Each
OF these cost an immense sum OF money.
and was really a bold and enterprsing ad.
venture. The Susquehanna bridge has been
subjected to the greatest peIils on account Of
the terrible freshets that sweep down that
stream, and the extreme difficulty OF build.
ing piers in such deep water. So serious
was the undertaking felt to be, that for IL
long time the powerful railroad corporation
owning the line between Philadelphia and
Baltimore, hesitated to undertake it. Even
when begun, 1t was prosecuted under extra D.
ordinary difficulties, and subject to uncom
mon perils and heavy losses. But at last it
was finished, and now the broad Susoue
hanna is no longer an obstacle to the travel
between the North and South The run.
ming time between Philadelphia and Batl.
more will now be materially reduced, and
all the dangers of crossing the river in win
ter produced by ice will be overcome. The
Cincinnati bridge differs from this although
like it a railway bridge, in being built from
shore TO shore in a single span in other
words, being suspended over the stream
without intermediate supports. OF course,
since the Niagara suspension bridge was
built people think less of these things than
they used TO, but nevertheless the passage
OF the Ohio river by such structure is really
an achievement, and the reader may mea-
sure its consequence by the cost, two millions
OF dollars. 1t puts Cincinnati in direct COM
munication with the whole railway system
of the South, and enables that enterprising
city to undertake more vigorous comneti-
ton Tor Southern trade, than ever before.
The present ambition of the Cincinnatians
seems to be to establish direct railway con.
nections with Charleston, Savannah, Mobile,
New Orleans, and, IN fact, all the chief cities
of the South, so as to make Cincinnati the
western focus of the southern trade. The
Chicago lake tunnel has seemed more haz-
ardOus enterprise than either of these, but
in reality IL was not so. The boring was at
sufficient depth to avoid all risk, and mod
ern science has enabled engineers to conduct
such undertakings without any of the perls
once thought to be inseparablc from them.
Still it is not TO be denied that the idea was
very bold one, and that the city has carried
It out with promptitude, skill and success
deserving of all credit. 1t is in such works
as these, rather than in the fancy work of
ornamental architecture, that the present
age of Americans must establish its renown.
for while European critics may depreciate
our AIT efforts, they are totally unable to do
SO in the matter of such structures as these.
Hence the Pacific Railroad once finished
will be regarded with thousand fold more
wonder and interest by foreign travellers
than il we could show them art efforts rivall-
ing those of Italy. Engineering is pre-emi
nently the national pride, and we must seek
to shine by its feals.-North American.