The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-22
ADARING ACHIEVEMENT.
TIE WONDERFUL FIRTH OF
FORTH BRIDGE.

etruCTiOn ana opening i ne ALnOunG
of Material in It-What It Cost and
the Monopoly It Destroys-The
Brief Speech at the Opening of 1t.
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. May 22.-The
year 1890 will be memorable for the COM
pletion Of one of the most wonderful aud
daring engineering achievements in the
history of human effort-the Forth bridge.
A stranger arriving in Edinburgh expects
to see a historical and romantic city, and he
will not be disappointed. as it is well-known
the world over that there is perhaps no
other to surpass 1t, but now in addition to
all the other attractions a new one has
arisen, one of surprising interest ami
built by human hands-the bridge
across the Firth of Forth. A beautiful
drive of nine miles from the
city brings one to it. Merely to look at it
is a wonder, with its masses of iron work
towering to what seems an awful hight by
contrast with the surrounding level of land
and sea and stretching its great arm to an
apparently limItless distance over the surg
ing waters. Certainly it is one Of the most
impressive sights in the world, as far as
mechanical devices go, and as bridge
il has the longest span, the
greatest weight and the greatest
strength Of any yet constructed. And, dis
tinctively, it is the largest cantilever con-
struction ever attempted. Perhaps to the
untutored eye, the greatest wonder about it
is how it manages to hold together at all,
and what is the mystery of its strength.
THE EIFFEL TOWER
IS not a circumstance compared to the
Forth bridge as regards audacity of con-
ception, difficulty of execution, scientific
interest or practical utility, for the bridge
holds in rigid extension between each pair
of herculean shoulders a length of steel work
nearly twice as long as the Eiffel tower is
high, and which, while delicately adjusted
to allow of adaptation to the slightest
change in the dimensions Of its parts,
is at the same time of strength SO
immense that the weight of a couple of
ponderous mineral trains passing along it
at a distance of $50 feet from its nearest
point of support can be treated as a matter
Of little moment. it being but a trifle COM
pared with the ever present strain necessary
to maintain its own colossal form, and
stand immovable under the furious attack
of the hurricane.
The idea of bridge across the Firth of
Forth is not a new one, and long before
railways were thought of there was
one projected. Some eighty years ago
there was even a suspension bridge
talked Of to cross almost ON the very line of
the present cantilever structure, but moth
ing came Of it. Everybody is familiar with
suspension bridge, and has some sort Of a
general idea Of how it is suspended upon
chains or cables which are secured over
high pillars at each end. Most people,
however, are no so familiar with the CAN'T
lever principle. A tolerably correct notion
will be obtained If the cantilever be re-
garded merely as bracket built out from
the shore by welding beam on to beam
until it meets a similar bracket sent out
from its opposite side. In the case OF the
Forth bridge there are two sets of these
brackets. One arm extends from Queens
ferry to meet in midchannel a fellow sent
out from Inchgarvie; another
arm goes out from the other side of Inch
garvie to meet one extended from the Fife
shore. These brackets or cantilevers do
not rest upon the shore, but are connected
with it by viaduct supported on arches.
The popularity OF the Forth bridge can't
levers is that they are double--that is SUD-
ported from both top and bottom. This
popularity is not claimed as original, but
1t has certainly never before been applied
TO spans OF 200 feet The cantilever prin-
ciple has been known to the Chinese for
ages, and specimens of it may be seen in
Japan, In Thibet, and the Northwest
provinces Of india The Forth bridge was
built in thirty fathoms of water and crosses
two channels, each one third of mile wide.
Its extreme length, including the approach
viaduct, is one and one-fift b miles, and the
actual length Of the cantilever portion of
the bridge is one mile and twenty yards
The weight of steel in it amounts to 81 900
tons, and the extreme hight of the steel
structure above mean water level is over
$40 feet; above the bottom of the deepest
Anks g. a.
tracks are 1861 feet above high water
Eight millions of rivets were used and
forty-two miles of bent plates. There are
twenty-five acres of surface to be kept
painted, for which 100 painters are en-
ployed.
FIVE THOUSAND MEN
were engaged in its construction, the work
beginning in April, 1888, and it is highly 10
the credit OF the builders that a structure SO
stupendous should have teen completed
within seven years. The cost of this bridge
has been nearly S13,000,000. The North
British Railway Company has expended
nearly s5,000,O00 additional on railway
lines. For this tremendous expenditure and
extraordinary exercise of mechanical inge-
nulty and Intentional skill-for the
building OF the bridge has necessitated
the constant evolution of clever devices for
overcoming difficulties of ali sorts-what is
Shc compromising gains III removes the mo-
nopoly OF the traffic which the Caledonian
Railway Company have had north of Ster-
ling. 1t has shortened the journey from Lon
don to Perth by twelve miles, and from
London to Aberdeen by seventeen miles.
The distance between Edinburgh
and Perth is reduced from sixty-nine to
1orty-seven miles, but to the people of Edin-
burgh, however, who have hitherto had the
tedious and uncomfortable passage of the
Firth to make in steam ferries it means
much more in convenience and economy of
time. Still the results seem small for so
much effort and outlay, and the bridge owes
It's existence to the rivalry and enterprise
OF the East Coast railways, who regarded
the work as imperative in order to enable
them TO retain their share OF the immense
and increasing traffic of the far north.
THE BRIDGE WAS FORMALLY OPENED
On the 4th of March last by the Prince of
w ales, while the wind was blowing a gale.
w hen the royal train arrived a crowd of
spectators had gathered, and all ears were
attentive for the speech which the prince
was expected to make. AS soon as the
engine stopped it belched forth volumes of
smoke and steam. which the merciless wind
drove downward, completely obscurinp for
time the royal party from view. When
the prince appeared in the doorway of the
car the conditions were obviously against
experimenting, for he had the gale full in
4nrg