Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-08-14
The Host Wonderful Bridge In the
World.

The Host Wonderful Bridge In the
World.
W. Scott Dalsleish In the Engineer.
"As grenadier guardsman 70 20 . new born
infant 20 is the Forth bridge to the largest rail-
way bridge yet built in this country" That IL
the graphic comparison by which Mr.. BENJAMIN
BAKER, q. f., illustrated the extraordinary char
acter OF the structure now In progress at
Queensferry, OF which Sir John Fowler and he
are the engineers. But he did not conflne the
comparison to bridges in this country only; for
~ fro one paper Tread to the British association)
Baker added, Bridges = few feet larger in
span tnan the Britannia have been built else.
Where, but they are baby bridges after ALL"
half OF the Forth bridge. by one of its designers.
That 1t Is the most wonderful bridge in the
Mo , mat the greatest of existing bridges are
out chlio play in comparison with 1t.
w nat Is II that gives the Forth bridge this
toria bridge at Montreal, and also by the un-
fortunate lay bridge at Dundee, which is
nov no So6 6eing rebuilt. The Victoria bridge is
miles. The Tay bridge is, or will be, 1852
Ieet long, or 81 teet over two miles. The length
OF ct the Forth bridge is only s,os1 feet. or 2,2s9
Ieet less than the Victoria, and 2,521 less than
the lay bridge.
=. Neither is the height of its roadway its dis
nearly twice the height OF the Newcastle high
ievel bridge, 1t is excelled by many others
ABROAD.
The striking and unprecedented feature in
Tue fordn bridge is the length OF its greatest
spans The two longest spans of the Britannia
T TTlage over Menai Strait measure 400 feet each
Inc rorth bridge has two spans OF !, 10 feet
each, which Is not far short OF being four times
asgreat.
mis- is fair comparison. because the Britain
ma ana the Forth bridge are both fixed or stable
bridges. Other bridges exist which have longer
spans than the Britannia can boast Of but they
are suspension bridges. and are therefore swing
ing and unstable. The Niagara suspension
Drldge mas single span of $50 feet: The CEN
tral span of the brooklyn bridge, at New York,
measures 900 feet, which is the nearest ap-
Proach to the giant strides of the Forth bridge.
But these, as l have said, are suspension
elasticity. The Forth bridge will be as solid and
as stable as the Britannia bridge, or as Water
100 bridge in London, or as the North bridge in
Edinburgh; and yet its great spans will be
greater than those of any bridge in existence
Well, therefore, may Mr.. Baker boast that the
greatest of existing bridges will be but as baby
In comparison with his giant.
The building of such a bridge is daring eX-
plot. What, it may be asked, has led the en-
glneers to attempt it? Is it the love OF adj
venture-the mere desire 10 surpass their pre-
deceSsors and to "lick CREATION us the Ameri-
cans say, by the production OF the biggest
bridge on record: Considering the enormous
capital involved in the venture, in the cost of
material and labor, and considering still more
the risk to human life which it entails, the en-
glneers would not have been warranted in en-
terins on any merely heroic or ambitious ell
terprlse. The simple answer to the question
OF motive is. that the engineers had really no
choice i'll the matter. They had either to ac-
cept the conditions imposed on them by nature
and circumstances or to decline the task
altogether. They were required to prepare
plans tor a bridge on a site including two
spans OF Ii 10 feet each, over a depth of water
SO great as to preclude the construction OF in
terinediatc piers, and they We're bound either
to face and Srapple with these difficulties or to
declare them TO be insuperable. They pre-
lerred the former alternative, and the Forth
bridge Is the result.
The contract price of the bridge is 81 900, 900,
OF which upwards Of f2UO,OUO has ueen eX-
pended on plant. The numDe OF work men
ployed in the various departments is 1000.
he work has now been going ON for three
years, and another three ut least must elapSe
before it is completed
1t can scarcely be said, perhaps, that the Forth
bridge Will be a beautiful object. To those who
LOOK Ior lines OF beauty ill such structures it
VIII appear eccentric, eXtrava9ant, odd, per-
haps outrageous But to those whose sense OF
the beautiful depends on the realization vi the
useful the daring grandeur OF the design, ami
It's manifest adaptation OF means to ends will
appear To be Il marvellous triumph OF engineer
ing skill, OF patient labor and OF commercial en-