Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-09-16


Niagara Correspondence New York Post.
One Of the chief objects of interest this
season 10 the ns~ suspension bridge which
is slowly building. This bridge is intended
only for carriages and foot passengers,
being too light to be available for railroad
purposes, Tad Is much more convenient to
the town than The other. Or thu Amer
can side the towers arc within C. few hun
dred feet OF The Fa,ls, aud the cables ere
already swung across to corresponding
towers close 10 the Clifton House. Ia
some respects this bridge is moro remarka.
BILE than the other. la length it exceeds
$50 feet, being 1880 feet in the span. The
towers are l05 feet high, and are built 10,
feet apart. Unlike the heavy stone col
umns oil the lower bridge, they are light
wooden trestles, twenty eight feet square
ct the bsss, and tapsring TO the top. When
feished they will be rooted and wssthsr-
boarded.
The bridge will be sustained by two en-
blss. which we're swung last winter when
the ice fitted the river below the Falls The
lower bridge is sustained by four cables.
Those Of tho NV bridge are composed Of
seven strands OF twisted steel wire, each
measuring two aud three-eighths inches in
diameter, which form cable about nine
inches thick. The ends are fastened by
the new shackles invented by Nr Hewlett,
Of Niagara. in a manner very different from
that formerly adopted. The strands Of
the cable are untwisted al the ends, and
hang separately from the tops Of the tow
ers Each is secured to a separate shsckle,
which looks something like pulley with y
fixed wheel. These are grooved 30 as TO
hold the cable by means Of friction, indie
| pendent Of the fss,enngs al the ends, #
necessary The sh,ckIcs are OF various
lengths, so a. 20 divide the strain as much
ossible, and are secured to a base firmly
| planted IN beds Of masonry eighteen fact
square. This will probably hold the weight
Of he bridge against ordinary pressure !;
al a unless the slight towers are racked
aud weakened by the lateral motion caused
Nv the high winds Of the winter season. IT
Gill probably last as long - the other. The
inside measurement Of the bridge will be
ten feet in the clear. As this will barsly
enrble carriages to pass each other, il il .
wonder that an additional two feet we're
not added when the cables were swung
| The work IL building the bridge vas be-
gun In May. 1857, aud its completion was
promised bslsts the close Of the present
sssssn. II should. and doubtless would
have been 6nishsd before this. had the
work been entrusted 10 . more compliant
end practical engineer. Mr. Samuel Kssfes,
. Canadian, has charge Of the work and
psrhsps more iajudicious chsiss could NO,
hass not havs bssn made BY the company
A great deal Of time and money has been
wasted on worthless experiment; and In.
stead Of costing $4,000, as was originally
estimated by tho engineer. it has already
exceeded that amount, and will cost as leas,
eao0. 900 in gold before it 10 ready for use
But little has been done this season; and
its completion viii not b poss,ble undss
another year ~ least. An American corpo
ration, the Suspension Bridge Company, il
building IL