The Sunday herald., 1886-08-15
The Most Wonderful Bridge in the
World.

aS uTcubuieT uudTuSIuAu lS 10 q new
born infant, SO is the Forth Bridge to the
largest railway bridge yet built in this coun-
try" That is the graphic comparison by
which Mr.. Benjamin Baker, C. E., illus.
trat-d the extraordinary character of the
structure now in progress at Quesnsferry,
Of which Sir Johu Fowler and he are the
engineers. But he did not confine the com.
paI Iison to bridges in this country only; for
in the paper (rsad to the British Association) }
from which that description is taken MIR.
Baker added, Bridges few fest larger in
| span than the Britannia have been built
elsewhere, but they are baby bridges after
| ALL" There ia thus a deliberate claim made
on bshalf of the Forth Bridge, hy one Of its
designers, that 1t ia the most wonderful
bridge in the world; that the greatest of ex-
isting bridges ars but child's play in COM
parisOn with II.
What Is 1t that gives the Forth Bridge this
pre-eminencsi 1t is certainly not In it's
length. In that respect 1t Is far excsll.d by
the Victoria Bridge at Montreal, aud also by
the unfortunate Tay Bridge at Dundee,
which is now being rebuilt. The Victoria
Bridge is lO,3S0 feet long. or within $50 feet
of two miles. The Tay Bridge is, or will be-,
| 1852 feet long, or 52 feet over two
miles. The length of the Forth Bridge is
only S,00l feet, or 2,2S9 feet less than the
Victoria, aud 2,52l less than the Tay
Bridge.
Neither is the height of its roadway its
distinguishing feature. In this respect,
,honsL nearly twice the height of the New,
castle high level bridge, it is excsllsd by
many others abroad.
The striking and unprecedented feature
in the Forth Bridge is the length of its
greatest spans. The two longest spans Of
the Britannia Bridge over Msnai Strait
measures 466 feet each. The Forth Bridge
has two spans of lilo feet each, which is
not far short of being fonr times as great.
This Is fair comparison, because the
Britannia and the Forth Bridge are both
fixed or stable bridges. Other bridges sxist
which have longer spans than the Britannia
can boast Of, but they are suspension
bridges, and are therefore swinging aud un-
stable. The Niagara Suspension Bridge has
of the Brooklyn Bridge, at New York, meas
urss 900. feet, which is the nearest ap-
prOsoh to the giant strides of the Forth
Bridge. But these, as I have said, are sus-
pension bridges, which have a certain no
bility and elasticity. The Forth Bridge
will bs AZ solid aud as stable "a the Britain
mia Bridgs,or as Waterloo Bridge In London,
or as the North Bridge In Edinburgh; and
yet its great spans will bs greater than those
Of any bridge In existence. Well, there
fore, may Mr.. Baker boast that the greatest
Of existing bridges will bs but rs baby IN
comparison with his giant.
The building OF such bridge Ia daring
exploit. What, IL may be asked, has lsd the
snginssrs to attempt itf Is II the love O
adventure mere desire to surpass their
predecessors and to "iink creation" as the
Americans say, by the production OF the big
gest bridge on record I" Considering thu
enormous capital involved In ths venture, In
the cost of material and labor, and consider
ing still more the risk to human life which
It entails, the engineers would not have beer
warranted In entering on any merely heroic
or ambitious enterprise. The simple answer
to the question OF motive is, that the engi
nsers had really no choice In the matter
They had either TO accept the conditions im
posed on them by Nature and circumstances
or TO decline the task altogether They wer,
required to prepare plans for a bridge on
site including two spans OF l,7lO feet each
over depth OF water 30 great as to prsclud,
the construction OF intermediate piers, and
they were bound either TO face and grappl,
with these difficulties or TO declare them I,
bs insnperable. They preferred the forms
alternative, aud the Forth Bridge is the re-
suit.
The contract price Of the bridge is 81, 600,
600, OF which upwards OF R2O0, 900 has bssi
expended on plant. The number Of work
men employed in the various departments II
two thousand. The work has now been
going on for three years, and another thrs
at least must -lapss before II is completed,
1t can scarcely bs said, perhaps. that tn,
Forth Bridge will bs bsautifnl object. n
those who look for lines Of beauty In sucl
structpres it will appear eccentric. sxirsvs
giant, odd, perhaps outrageous. But TO thOs
whose sense Of tbs beautiful depends on th
realisation Of the useful, the daring grandsn
Of the design, aud It's manifest adaptation o
means to ends, will appear to be . marvel
: ous triumph OF engineering skill, Of patien
: labor aud Of commercial enterprise.