New-York tribune., 1889-12-22
NOTES FROM LONDON.
A VIEW OF THE FORTH BRlDGE-rliE Nc
DoUGALL-MR. JOHN BURNS-THE'
STRIKE AND THE TRADE OF
LONDON-THE LYCEUM.


.h., NJ, William Arrol contractor Tor
the rav and Forth Bridges was yesterday pre-
se,tca with the freedom of Dundee i'll recognition
81 his engineering abilities and skill III compeuhs
these great undertakings. or the lay pii"s'
have nothing t. say. but the contractor 'esEn'''
engineer and constructor OF the foIth Dii"s.
ought. each and all to be hanged from the 'oPi,Os'
I. =, ,ts cartilevers That Is the only tillng
Erow ~ that would now improve the appear
ouce Of this hideous structure, except dyhani'e'
II is not merely that the structure Is blueouS Nv
itself. but that IL totally ruins some OF 'he mos'
beautiful scenery in Scotland or she world There
were few lovelier views than that 10 pe i'u iio'
Dalmeny cburchyard over wood and field and the
waters of the Firth of Forth and The green en-
panse of the Kingdom of Fife beyond. Diherent''
but not less lovely, was that from Hopetoun
Uouse at the head of the Firth. looking down that
noble estuary Both are gone, for in tue centre
Of each rises the gaunt iron skeleton OF the new
Bridge: monstrous, horrible, huge, shspeless ana
ugly beyond the ugliest dreams of Dante. lou
cannot escape from the Bridge; ii Is near three
miles long and three hundred feet ABOVE tne
water: visible everywhere, nightmare In granite
and iron mostly IRON The cantilevers remind
YOU of nothing so much as those polygonal merry
ro-rounds which may be seen on Derby Day ac
Eusom enlarged and distorted into the semplahce
of some giant machine for torturlng MANKIND
The thing stands naked in all its unsightliness.
The designer Of il made no effort to hide lts
natural deformity or to soften its hard angles or
bring symmetry to its clumsy outlines 1t is
simply the ugliest thing in the world, planted
down amid all this charm of scenery to make IL
look nrlier still 1t is a monument Of engineering
skill and convenience TO the railway trafhc OF
the East Coast of Scotland and it has cost fifteen
millions of dollars-these titles TO glory which
cannot be disputed. There is, however. no en-
pineerng reason why tunnel should not have
been built instead of bridge. The tunnel would
have been completely out of sight, and as monu-
uent of engineering skill would not have been
crowned. as the bridge is, and for all time Will
be. by the curses of all lovers of the beautiful
in nature. i believe the sordid minds OF Tie
railway directors who have committed this Out
rage were governed by the consideration that
tunnel would have cost more than the pridse.
The shores of the Forth are steep. the tunnel open
ircs would have been so far from either bank as
TO make the tunnel six miles long altogether
two less than tie tunnel Of Mount Cents. which
carries a mountain on its back and its passengers
with nerfect comfort So they calmly combined
IN wreck the lovelness of the suburbs OF Edn-
bureb. with the net gain to their shareholders
OF some fraction of per cent of yearly dividend
For tie actual builders propose hanging Dut for
the actual and responsible authors OF this crime
know not what adequate doom can be invented
Suppose we say the reduction of their dlvl-
dends to the bankruptcy point? They would
feel that more acutely than any shame or disgrace
which the weight Of public opinion can bring
upon them.
The McDougall has been vindicated. put it
as briefly, and even as plainly, as possible |
am not quite sure whether he needed vindication,
but II he did he has it. Yet his brother-in-law
Mr.. Duckham, has not got that lucrative post
of chief engineer to the London County Council
which he coveted, and which the McDougall
coveted for him. / imagine you may trace
the hand of the chairman of the Council at each
step of these proceedings He deals out pudding
and praise with frm even scales. Mr.. Duns-
combe hitherto unheard of in these controversies,
gets the pudding in the shape of $1,000 year,
the chief engineers salary; not huge salary
either for man competent to do the work. ana
Obliged TO give his whole time to it, not allowed
TO take any private practice, and not allowed
any retiring pension on superannuatlon. BrOther-
in-law Duckham was not even down on the list
of three which, according to the custom OF the
Council. is submitted by the committee to the
Council.
But there remained Mr.. John Burnss charges
influence in behalf of his brother-in-aw. /
imagine q New-York alderman might smile if
he thought nothing more than that could he said
of him. but he must bear in mind that the London
County Council is still young-is, in fact, but
Just entering on its second year of official exist
erce-and that new brooms sweep clean and new
municipal consciences are tender. An investiga-
ton was proposed, but Lord Rosebery suggested
that they might have too many investigations
III he said nothing about washing dirty linen III
public, he thought il, perhaps, and the Council
followed its chairman with that spirit Of docility
which constitutes its best title to public gratitude
Mr.. Burns took back most Of what he had SAID
about the McDougall, and Mr. Lidgett hurled
back what Mr.. Burns had said about him" cast
il back with disdain" was the precise phrase.
and hinted that honest John Burns was no
bonester than he should be. There good
deal of rather angry talk. and Mr.. John Burns
Lord Roseberys honored colleague seems to
be left, like Mr.. Chamberlain. in the position
of man who has brought accusations against
a fellow-man which he will neither substantiate
nor withdraw But DO not dwell on Mr.. John
Burns. What delights the world is the spectacle
of the McDougall, the Purifier of the Music Hall,
emerging triumphant from this sea of troubles,
and free to embark again. if he thinks the Cause
Of Virtue requires it, on another voyage OF dis
covery, and another crusade against Vice
Mr. John Burns figures in another matter in a
light not quite favorable as his friends
might wish A Tory paper has been publishing
series of short letters with the headline Thanks
to Mr.. Burns The burden of them all is that
the great strike leader is driving trade away from
London. Increased wages to dockers and lighter |
men means increased charges for the unloading. |
IL rhorf nd Rafo str riLe
il paid TO send Continental goods TO London for |
ira ans-shpment freghtS, including port and dock !
charges being lower Now il does not. The con- |
seouences. SAYS one writer. are easy to foresee. |
Direct shipments from all Continental ports will |
become the order OF the day, and shipping indus |
tries will increase in foreign ports. those of Eng
.1lon L. IL