Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1870-05-25
COUNTY, OHIO: WEDNESDAY, MAY Is, 1870
BRIDGES.
Some of the Old Ones-Who
Built Them and How they
We're Built.

occur in the Bible. The first
bridge Of which we have any
record was erected by Queen
Nicotris, over the Euphrates,
at Babylon, (B. G, 2,204), $50
feet in length, and thirty feet
wide. 1t was q draw'blidge,
and consisted of stone piers,
without arches, but connected
with one another by a frame
work Of planking, which was
removed at night to prevent
the inhabitants from passing
from each side of the river, to
commit mutual depredations.
The stones were fastened to-
gether by iron clamps, soldered
with lead. The piers We're
built while the bed Of the river
was free from water, its course
having been diverted into a
large lake, which was restored
to the usual channel when the
work was completed, Darius
(B. G. SPY threw bridge of
boats over the Thracian Bos-
phorus. Xerxes (B. G. 48I
also constructed over the
Hellespont a suspension bridge,
the platform of which rested
upon enormous 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 construction of bridges.
There were eight across the
Tiber, the most celebrated as
well as the most ancient Of
which wasthe ''Pons Sublicius, !"
so called because it was built
by ANGUS Martius (B, G. 624),
and united the Janiculum with
the city. Trajan (B. G. 1859
built a bridge of wood, resting
on stone piers, 5000 feet long,
1t was destroyed by Hadrian
from motives of Jealousy, who
put the architect to death. The
"Pons Fabricius" was originally
built of wood, but was rebuilt
of stone (B, G. 62]. 1t is still
standing. Julius Caesar B. c.
Sc built q wooden bridge
across the Rhine, at Cologne,
in ten days. 1t was the first
bridge builtln Northern Eu-
rope. 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 usu,
al Accomplishments of an army
to be used upon an emergency.
Darius B. G. 12] built q bridge
across the Lippe, and two over
the Rhine-one at Mayence and
the other at Bonne. Charlie
magne Ia. D. S03] built a
bridge at Mayence, across the
Tagus, in Spain, an ancient
Roman bridge is still standing
at Alcantara, 600 feet in length.
In Venice there are no less
than 339 bridges, but mostly
of small span.
The Petit Pont, across the
Seine, near the Hotel Dieu, oc-
cupies the site of a bridge
which was the only communi-
cation between the lie de la
Cite and the southern bank of
the river (B. G. 53). 1t was
carried away by inundations or
ice thirteen times between the
thirteenth and seventeenth
centuries, and rebuilt Of wood,
with houses on it in A. d.
1859. In 1918 it was burnt,
but soon after rebuilt Of stone.
The Grant Pont was built of
wood in l141; it was several
times destroyed and rebuilt;
burnt in 1921 /; rebuilt in l647;
demolished III lIoS; tnen re-
built in 1860, and now called
Pont du Change. Pont Notre
Dame was built in 1414; re-
built in 1889; rebuilt in 1855,
and cost $4,000, and is 1862
feet in length. Pont Neuf was
built in 1904, 1853 feet in length.
Pont Marie was built of stone
in 1885. Pont Royal was re-
built Of stone in 1865, 4l4
feet in length. Peronnet, in
1774, constructed the beauti-
cI L Il To,,ll,r oo,e,e+