New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-26
4 NJ MISTER BRIDGE.
ACROSS THE FIRTH OF FORTH.

the following letter the great suspension
bridge designed 10y Sir Thomas Bouch. TO
span the Firth of Forth. This vast under
taking, which is OF great importance to che
railway system of Scotland, is already under
way, and The engineer expects to SIC it COM
pleted within three years.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE GREAT STRUCTURE.
IRON An OCCASIONAL coRREsP0NDENT OF TRIBUNE.l
EprNBURGn. Nov. 25.-rhe successful compile
ton of the Tay Bridge has had the effect of
turning public attention in Scotland more seriously
than before TO the older project of bridging the
Firth Of Forth When the former was first dis
cussed. II generally regarded as the dream OF
an over-sangune engineer. To-day II stands the
greatest work Of It's kind in the world. Its OPEN
ing for railroad traffic a shock to the unenter-
prslng timidity which the faithess mis-
took for caution. Even with such a
practical evidence before them of the extent of
the resources of modern engineering skill. few
still TO be found who receive with feeling AKIN 10
suspicion the idea of n suspension bridge the
Forth. OF the early demonstration of the folly of
their lack Of faith there can be no manner of rea
sonable doubt. The matter in too good hands for
the be otherwise. and the interests involved
especially those of the North British Railway Com
pany, are TOO great for the scheme 30 be again
abandoned Last year Sir Thomas Bouch expected
that the Forth Bridge would be completed in little
more than three years from that date. The year
1881. OF possibly 1882. will therefore, in all keh.
hood, see the giant span Of his designing thrown
across the ferry.
have said that the bridging of the Forth is an
Older project than that of bridging the Tay. The
latter seems to have occurred to Sir Thomas in
ls49, and was first publicly propounded by him in
-,En lima al cd
between the coneep ion Of the scheme and its carry
ing out. The notion Of a bridge across the Forth
originated in 1918 with MIR. james Anderson. a
civil engineer resident in Edinburgh. Ii is not a
little curious that the Scotch engineer should have
selected the same spot ut which his English suc-
cessOr Sir Thomas B3uoh, now proposes to build
the bridge. No lttle credit is due to Anderson. At
a time long before the railway had gwen the science
Of engineering the impetus which may be said
10 have been increasing in volume as the past forty
years flew by. he had the boldness to propose
scheme which even thrty-six years later was re-
ceivcd with GOODNESS and incredu!ity 1t IS no won
der that a public inrhed TO the dangers and delays
Of stage-coaches and open ferry-boats should look
upon the designer of a hanging bridge with two
spans OF two thousand feet each one who talked
in his sleep when men familiar with the wonders
worked by steam, and presumably with such struc-
with doubt and apathy to the revival of Anderson's
plan. and that too with is more formidable fea-
lures toned down. Sir Thomas Bouch's first plan
had reference 10 n bridge resembling that over
the Tav, consisting of series OF piers and spans
with lattice girding. At the spot selected. about
six miles west of Queens Ferry the Blackness
Castle il was. however. found that the bed Of the
rIyeT not Of such nature as to afford the neces
sary foundation for the supporting columns. The
discovery that the bottom Of the Firth consisted of
mud more than two hundred feet deep unsettled
the engineers scheme and for time seemed to
threaten its Feasibility. Nothing daunted. Sir
Thomas reverted to AnGerson's plan of a gigantic
suspension bridge of two spans and notwithstand-
ing popular incredulty and interested obstruction
the foundation stone Of what viii be the most Won
derful work Of its class in the world was laid by
Mrs. Bouch, on the litts island Of Inchgarvie, on
September 80. 1873
GENERAL APPEARANCE or THE STRUCTURE.
Unlike the Tay Bridge. which carries only single
line Of railway the Forth Bridge will support a
double line general idea of its size and con-
strncton may possibly be best given by COMPARISON
Let il be supposed that the East River is double its
present width and that the eastern tower
Of the Brooklyn Bridge. instead Of standing
upon the BROOKLYN shore. stands on an island
in mid-stream. Throw another span similar to
that now overhanging the East River from the sup
posed island tower TO another tower built on the
Brooklyn side; suppose further that between New
York and the suspension tower on that side wide
space of water Of thirty feet depth athe deepest
point Intervcnes. and that there IS space OF dr.
Land on the Brooklyn side. between the suspension
tower and the junction Of the roadway OF the
bridge with that on shore; bridge these spaces
with spans resting upon columns, and very fair
idea may be obtained Of the proposed Forth Bridge
The southern end will touch the shore at point
abouf 100 Yards east of South Queens Ferry. and at
the western extremity of Dalmeny Park, the seat
the Earl of Rosebery South QueensFerry Is about
eight miles from Edinburgh by the high road. BY
Que approaching the village n that way, and before
desce ding from the height over which the road
masses near the hamlet of Dalmeny, magnhcent
view is obtained of the Forth and the opposite shore
OF Fife On the right the view is circumscr bed by
the woods OF the Rosebery policy. but to the left
and in front it opens out into spaciOusness and
heautv As looked down upon it, a few days ago,
the Forth was dotted with small sailing craft and
between the wooded shores where II passes
ont Of sight n thin wreath OF smoke
told of the approach of the steamer
fron Stirling A man-of-war was lying at anchor
in the roads its lofty spars swarming with sailors
youngsters. probably. UNDERGOING initiation IN
the process of reefng-whle steam launch was
putting off from Its side and heading toward the
powder magazine at Blackness Castle In mid
channel lies Inchglrvie rocky little island about
900 yards in length. east and west. fully twenty
two yards in width. and about one acre in area
Directly before It, the Fife shore. is the village
OF North Queens Ferry. high and apparently per-
pendicnlar cf shows its rugged face to the east OF
the village and in front Is a little headland Ovid
in. the anchorage of ST Margaret's Hope from In
vsrkeithfng BAY. Along the line thus Indicated
across nchgarvie 10 North Queens Ferry the bridge
viii be thrown Il viii cnIye slightly eastward
for about 400 yards after leaving the southern