The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-05-29
: T,oI-I,sh BrIdee 10 Orosa.

At noon we came to the famous aus.
pension bridge of rattan, of which I
had been hearing the most irightful &C.
counts for the last hundred miles. AT
once took off my shoes to avoid slip
nin0 and FASTENED down the airy oscil.
iati3e way, without allowing myself to
look down and become gtddy at the
fearful depth beneath me. At the mid
die II rests on the top OF tau trees, which
grow up from small island In the tor
rent far below. It has been constructed
bv first stretching across three large
rsttans. On them narrow strips OF
boards are placed transversely, and
fastened at each end by strips OF COM
mon rattan. Other rattans, starting from
the ground at little distances back ofthe
bank, pass above the branches of high
camphor trees that grow on the edge OF
the chasn In which the torrent flows.
Descending from these branches in a
sharp curve, they rise again steeply at
the farther end OF the bridge. From
these rattans vertical lines are fastened
to the rattans below them, exactly as in
our suspension bridges, and thus all
parts are made to aid in supporting the
weight. AT each bank the bridge is
toward the middle until 1t is only two
feet where it vibrates the most. had
been directed to go over, II possible, at
hurried walk, and thus break up the
oscillating motion. and particularly
cautioned against seizing the side
of the bridge lest it might
swing to the opposite side and throw
me off into the abyss beneath. When I
had gone halfway across the first span
I found that one OF the cross. boards,
on which was just in the act of plac-
ing my foot, had become loose and
slipped over to one side, 80 that II had
stepped as I intended l should have put
nv foot through, II indeed bad not
fallen headlong and been dashed on the
rocks in the torrent more than a hun
dred feet beneath me. Therefore stop
ned instantly and allowed myself TO
swing with the bridge until 1t came to
a state Of rest, and then again went on
slowly, and safely reached the opposite
bank. My companions, who stood on
the bank behind me, became greatly
alarmed when they saw me stop In the
midst of the long span, and were sure
that had either become giddy or was
frightened, and that, in either case,
would grasp hold of the side of the
bridge contrary to their cypress ORDERS
The difficulty in crossing this bridge,
which is as flexible as Manila rope, Is
so great, not only becausei 1t oscillates
to the right and left, but because there
Is vertical motion, and its whole floor,
instead of moving in one piece, ts con-
tinually rolling in a series OF waves.
An official, who had taken very careful
measurements of it in order to make an
estimate of the cost of erecting a true
bridge-Gor this airy way does not de-
serve such substantial name-gave
me the following figures: total length.
374 feet; height OF the middle and lowest
part of the first span above the torrent,
los feet; height OF the middle and low
est part OF the second span, 1875 feet.
The inspector then came over safely,
and VIC walked short distance to a
neighboring village, while the natives
we're taking our carriage to pieces ana
bringing them over one at ttme.-Ihe
East India Archipelago, by Professor
BicktnOTe.