The New York herald., 1879-12-30

by stock company having capital OK f3500o0
sterling. As originally planned. it was intended
that the bridge should have eghty-nine
spans. the longest being 200 feet and tho
shortest twenty-eight feet. This arrangements
subsequently modified. and the bridge
finished with eighty-hve spans. disposed rs fol-
follows:-Sx spans q feet. fourteen of 81 foet
inches fourteen Of 70 feet inches. two Of SO feet
of l62 feet. OF ITO feet and thirteen of 245
feet. The long spans the centre Of the BRIDGE
whiehsit appears the ones which gave way.
were eighty y-eight feot above high water twenty
feet further above high water than the elevation
Of the first span on the Fifeshire sde-the roadway
sloping from this point to the Dundee side OF tho
stream with gradient OF one In scvcntythrec. The
first contractors to undertake the work Messrs.
Charles De Bergue & Co., OF Manchester, and for
some two years. or rather until the death OF the
senior member Of tho firm. they pushed forward
tho construction OF tho piers. Each pier
was formed of two huge iron cylinders,
some nine feet In diameter. on top of
which tho pier proper buiit Of brick work en-
closed in iron rings. The whole mass weighing
eighty tons. was then noated out between pontoons
and sunk in its proper place by forcing into
the cylinder. thus driving out tho water and en-
abling workmen to enter and excavate the bottom
until bed rock was reached. This work i'm
mensely difficult. as bowlders and quicksands
abounded but 1t necdful. fortunately. only on
the Freshire side Of the stream, as on the Dundee
side tho bottom was purc sand. which rendered IL
unnecessary to employ excavators in sinking. Water
was forced into the columns under high pressure,
and the sand was washed out from tho bottom until
the foundation. which was of blue clay. reached.
cYLISpEns AND ORDERS
Messrs. Hopkins. Gilkos Co., of Middleborough
who succeeded tho above named contractors. aban-
doned the of two cylinders to each pier, and
used instead large cylinder of thirty-one foot
diameter. This constructed on Shore lined with
brick and foatod before into position. 1t was
then lowered into place and tho sand from its In
terror pumped out until 1t sank by its own weight
into the gravel bed under the soft bottom of tho
river Tho space inside then filed with concrete
and the upper detachable portion OF the cylinder re
moved by tho pontoons. leaving level platform
rising two feet above the river bottom as
foundation for the brick pier. Fourteen
piers on the Fifeshire sdo were built of
brick of hcxasona shape. twenyseven feet In the d
rection Of the current and sixteen feet in tho droc.
ton OF tho bridge. at right angles to the former On
tho Dundee side the remaining piers were formed of
hollow cast iron tubes brsced together with tie bars
The girders made of tho we'll known lattice
double trianaulation and trough booms that is box
shaped pieces built up of plates bars at tho top
and bottom, from fifteen inches to -four inches
In width. according to the span, vertical tie
being hxod from tho top boom to the cross
ing of the struts and tees at every alternate
crossing. This construction. although much ques-
toned, was nevertheless considered to possess tho
advantage Of producing stiffness and rendering the