Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-20
A NOVEL BRIDGE.
1t Carries a Sort of Aerial Ferry Boat
Across the Seine.

1t Carries a Sort of Aerial Ferry Boat
Across the Seine.
From the London Sun.
novel bridge has just been completed at
Rouen. The structure spans the Seine at a
point about one-eighth of mile distant
from the Boieldieu, the principal bridge of
Rouen. The authorities of Rouen had in
mind the necessity of providing an addi-
tional bridge, by which speedy and safe
communication between the two banks of
the Seine might be had without interfering
with the traffic on the river, which has
enormously increased in recent years,
amounting during the last twelve months to
about 2, 600 600 tons.
At first the city authorities looked with
favor upon a drawbridge but the PROPOSE
ton to build a structure of this sort was
successfully opposed by the chamber of
commerce, upon the ground that a draw
bridge was expensive, cumbersome in ope-
ration and not fnfrequently out of order,
entailing considerable expense for repairs
and causing much annoyance and loss Of
time to the travelling public.
1t was finally decided to build a bridge
the like of which existed at that time in
only two places in the world-at Nervion
In Spain, and at Bizerta, in Tunis. The
work Of construction began with the erec-
ton on each bank of the river of a steel
pillar 200 feet in height. These pillars were
designed to appear light and graceful, while
being, In fact, massive and strong In every
part.
Between the pillars. at a height to admit
of passage beneath of the largest vessels a
sort Of suspension bridge was built, consist
ing of horizontal platform. supported by
strong steel cables, stretched between the
submits of the pillars on shore. The plat
form. or base, of this overhead bridge is
1oo feet above the water. Upon it are sew
eral steel tracks, along which roll the
ipa1 ooh loo md he
car attached to them.
In order that the tension produced by the
weight of the overhead platform. together
with that of the loaded car, might not be
great enough to drag down the pillars, the
latter were supported by steel cables, ex-
tending from the SUBMITS of the pillars and
from the base of the overhead bridge to the
ground. where they were anchored in solid
masonry.
The car for the accommodation of pas
sengers and teams is thirty feet long and
forty feet wide. The central portion is for
the use of vehicles of all descriptions. Upon
the sides are covered houses for pedes-
TRANS. one quite deliberately constructed
and furnished for first-class passengers;
the other a simple shelter for those of the
second class.
The combined weight Of the vertical ca
bles. rails and rollers and the car, when
loaded to its full capacity, is about Jos
tons. and this is the weight which the pill
lars and the overhead structure must sup
port. AS an extra precaution, the mech
anism and the vertical cables have been
duplicated, so that in case one set should
become damaged the other may be put into
immediate A system of counterpoises
is presumed to make derailment impossible.
Work upon this novel bridge was begun
in April, 1893, and the structure was COM
pleted within one year. 1t was not, how
ever, open to traffic until quite recently.
The bridge was built by NJ. Arnodin of
Observation-Disclosures. who makes a spe-
cialty of these so-caled aerial ferries"
Besides the one at Rouen and two others
before mentioned, he is now preparing to
build a fourth over the River Scheldt at
Antwerp.
The total cost of the new structure at
Rouen was only e. 800. 1t was pronounced
safer and more to be relied upon for unin-
terrupted use than ferry while at the
same time being much less expensive to
build and operate than permanent bridge
of any other description.