Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-08-03
The Pontoon bridge at BraiIa.

ucrSlOUuu CApeIltuCt.
I
The POntOOn Bridge at BrRiiR.
A war correspondent writes from
Braila, June "A, as follows: "The
roar of cannon in the carly morn
ing was the first intimation the
people of Braila had that the Rus
slams were already over the river,
and the manner as well as the place
of crossing was altogether unex-
pected and surprising. Everybody |
had been deceived by tho construc-
tion Of the bridge, which had been
in process of construction for about
ten days. 1t had been nearly COM
pletcd on Thursday evening, and
everybody supposed that the pass
age would be attempted on the
bridge itself, and the idea of an
army crossing over in boats was ono
which had never occurred to any
body but the general in command.
do not know yet whether it was
ever intended that the passage
should be effected by this bridge.
+ Twas introduced to the
young officer who had built the
bridge, Captain Kemenka, and as
he offered to take me over it and
show it to me, | accepted the
invitation. 1t is a splendid
piece of work, strong enough
to carry over the heaviest
artillery, and is evidently made to
last long time. The first 1000
feet from the Roumanian shore is
trestle-work, built along over the
railway, which before the inunda-
ton ran down to the edge of the
river, where it was met by the ferry
boat. Part Of the railway has been
swept away and even that which re-
mains is still under water, and the
bridge is now some five feet higher
than the railway track under it.
The construction is simply i'm
mense wooden trestles on benches,
exceedingly strong and solid, and
they are put down on sleepers which
) lie along on the ground. Over this
. is laid a roadway Of planks which
is only wide enough for one wagon
or cannon to pass. At the end o.
I this trestle-work we come to the
: bridge proper, which is not con
! structed on pontoons, but on inn
3 mense rafts. The length of thil
part Of the bridge is 1850 feet, ant
u there are so RATS in all. Thes,
u i RATS are composed of long pieces
u of beautiful timber, whole trunk
G of trees from GO to 80 feet long, anC
from Is to 20 inches in diameter a
{ the large end. From S to 10 piece
: compose each raft, and they al,
solidly bolted and fastened together
J and anchored with strong heml
o cables to heavy iron anchors drop
u ped in the bottom of the river. Tn,
roadway is laid over this, as owe
T. the trestles. At the Turkish enC
> we come to what was formerly tn
village of Gedshe, which is a yillag
u no more. 1t was a place OF prob
u ably twenty-five or fifty houses, no
u one of which is left standing. /
Il was first demolished by the Rus
sian batteries to drive away til
lie Turkish outpost that was statione,
is there, and when Captain Klemenk
le began his bridge he found in neceS
he sary to continue the roadway to tn
he other end, which was for the mos
re part under water, in the best wa
ID he could. lie simply used the dc
bns and rubbish of these house
~ and walls to make a road which
I'd built right over the foundation {
e. the houses. In no other way coul
he get a sufficiently solid iounds
p ton on which to build. The roa(
g. therefore, goes zigzagging abou
III from house to house, with a piece {
bridge here and a piece of trestI
re work there, pieced from the char
9n esses in the most curious manne
he but the new roadway has not bee
en- continued over the old road fC
h more than mile, and there RENAL
a some five or six miles to be mao
IT'S yet before troops can pass over !
Altogether it is a most creditab
he piece of work so far, and does CAY
ed Klemenka great honor"