Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-03-23
Bridges,

commit mutual depredations. Tht
= stones We're fastened together 10y irOI
clamps, soldered with lead. The pier
were built whilst the bed of the rive
was free from water; its course having
been diverted into large lake, which
was restored TO the usual channe
when the work was completed. Da,
illus (B. c. 521) threw bridge Of boats
over the Thracian Bosphorus. NerXeS
iB. e. 4Sl) also constructed over the
Hellespont a suspension bridge, the
platform of which rested upon enOr-
NOUS cables formed by ropes of flax
and papyrus twisted together, and
then stretched tight by means OF
windlasses on each side. The Romans
first applied the arch to the construc-
ton of bridges.
There were eight across the TibeT,
the most celebrated as well as the
most ancient of which was the PORs
/ lSu5Licius, so called because it was
built by ANGUS Martius (B. C. 624),
and united the Janiculum with the
city. Trajan (B. c. FA5) built bridge
of wood, resting on stone piers, 5000
feet long. 1t was destroyed by Ha-
driaD from motives of jealousy, who
put the architect to death. The POnS
FnbTicius was originally built Of
/ wood, hut was rebuilt of stone b. G..
81. 1t is still standing. Julius Caesar
/ (B. c. 56) built wooden bridge across
( the Rhine, ut Cologne, in ten days
/ 1t was the first bridge built in North
ern Europe Casks, used to support
! RATS for the passage of an army, and
small boats followed out of the trunks
> of trees, with planks and nails, were
the usual Accomplishments of an
army, to be used upon emergency.
Darius lB. c. ~ built bridge across
( the Lippe, and two over the Rhine
3 one at Mayence and the other at
/ Bonne. Charlemagne "a. d. SO3)
built a bridge at Mayence. Across
the Tagus, in Spain, an ancient RO-
man bridge is still standing at Alean-
tara, 500 feet in length. In Venice
there are no less than $50 bridges, but
mostly of small span.
The Petit Pont, across the Seine,
near the Hotel Dieu, occupies the site
of bridge which was the only COM
munication between the lie de la Cite,
and the southern bank of the river
(B. c. 53l. 1t was carried away, by
inundations or ice, thirteen times, be-
tween the thirteenth and seventeenth
centuries, and rebuilt of wood, with
houses on it in a. ID. 1859. In l7lS
it was burnt, but soon after rebuilt Of
stone. The Grand POnt was built of
wood in lI4I; it was several times de-
stroyed and rebuilt; burnt in 1921;
rebuilt of stone in 1917; demolished in
1888; then rebuilt in 1860, and now
called Pont du Change. POnt Notre
Dame was built in l4l4; rebuilt in
1889: rebuilt in 1855, and cost S240, 900,
and is 362 feet in length. Pont Neuf
was built in 1904. 753 feet in length
Pont Marie was built of stone i'll 1885.
POnt Royal was rebuilt of stone in
1865, 4l4 feet in length. PerOnnet, i'm
IVA, constructed the beautiful bridge
at Neuilly, consisting of five arches of
l2S feet span each.
The first bridge across the Thames
was built in a. ID. 994, at London, and
constructed of wood. The bed of the
river was made dry by diverting the
water through a canal, commencing
at Battersea, and terminating at Roth
erhithe. Shops and houses stood upon
the bridge until 1851, when they were
demolished. The bridge was rebuilt
in l0l6; in 1887; in 1i6S; of stone in
1909, 926 feet in length; and in 1881; [
the present structure being the sixth |
which has stood on or near the spot. I
The first structure was destroyed by 1
the Norwegian Prince Olaf; the sec !
ond was swept away by flood; the /
third was burnt. The present struc- /
ture cost upward of two millions of I
dollars. 1t has been the scene of some /
of the most remarkable events in the
history of the city of London. It is .
frequently alluded to by Shakespeare.
1t was the only bridge across the .
Thames, until 1850, wheE Westmin-
ster bridge was built. Blackfriars
bridge was opened in 1863 rebuilt in
1869. Vauxhall in 1916; Waterloo,
l $50 feet in length, in 1S47; and South
wark in 1919.
The Britannia bridge over Menai
strait, connects CernarvOn with An
glesey, and is HOO feet from shore to
shore. 1t is a tubular bridge resting
Oh piers. An island rock, $50 ieet
long, stands in the center of the strait,
upon which the ends of the tubes rest.
Ii is considered a great triumph of en-
skill.
The ancient Peruvians built their
bridges of the DldgUey or osier of the
country, which had an extreme de-
gree of tenacity and strength. These
Osiers were woven into cables of the
thickness of a mans body. The huge
ropes, then stretched acress the water,
were conducted through holes cut in
immense buttresses of stone raised on
each bank of the river and there Sc
cured to the natural rock or heavy
pieces of timber. Planks were laid
.rausversely across the cables, and
the light and flagile
appearance of the bridge, as it swung
1t an elevation of several hundred
eet above an abyss, afforded a tolera-
lly safe means of communication for
men and heavy burdens of artillery.
The length, sometimes exceeding 200
eet, caused it to dip with an alarming
Inclination toward the CENTER while ,
he motion given TO it by the passen- j
yer Occasioned an oscillation still more I
rightful, as his eye wandered over :
he dark abyss of water beneath
These bridges were twenty feet in :
width, with railing formed of the
anne material.
The first stone bridge, with an arch, :
,uilt in the United States, is said to I,
,e the "ChOate" bridge, across the
IPSWICH river. 1t is still in existence. z
{ was erected in 1854 by Judge i
,hOate, and was called before it was 1
pen to tile public, Choate's folly. A '
ridge was proposed to be built across c
,harles river, in l720, but it was
OOked upon as QuiXotic. In 1856, !
he first bridge over Charles river was
uilt at CharlestOwn, 1903 feet long, .
nd 42 feet broad, and stood upon 75 \
iers, and cost S50, 900. 1t was rebuilt 4
n 1856. Maiden bridge was built in 4
7ST; West Boston bridge was built in 4
193, and is 8, ,4S3 feet in length; Chel- Fl
"a in 1903; Craigie's in 1904; Warren p
q 1898, and cost S42, 900. The Niaga- II
4 Falls, 800 feet in length, and the {
incinnati bridge, l, 100 feet in.length, 7
re both constructed of wire, and con- :,
st of single span each. The East h
ver bridge, now in course of con- o
is !, 1862 feet in length, and r.
} feet broad, and consists of three S
pans, two of 1,0l9 feet each, and a IL
entral span of l 600 fee. 1t will con- a
st of four cables, 10 inches in Diane >
r; each of which will consist of 10 n
rands, each containing go parallel y
eel wires, One-siXth of an inch in n;
ameter; the strands are thoroughly n
lied with pure boiled linseed oil, and 81
ound with wire One-tenth of an inch HI
diameter, so closely as to form a &;
Irface almost impervious to water; OF