The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1900-01-25

Tt Carries Sort OF Aerial Ferryboat
Across the seine nj


A novel bridge has just been com.
pleted 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 au-
thorities of Rouen had in mind the ne
cessity of providing for an additional
bridge by which speedy and safe COM
munication between the two banks of
the Seine might be had without inter
fering with the traffic on the river,
/ which has enormously increased in re-
cent years, amounting in the last 1e
months TO about 100000 tons.
At first the city authorities looked
with favor upon drawbridge, but the
proposition to build a structure Of this
sort was successfully opposed by the
chamber of commerce upon the
ground that drawbridge was expen-
sige, cumbersome in operation ant not
infrequently out of order. entaiing
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
Neryion, in Spain, and at Bizerta, in
Tunis. The work of construction be-
gan with the. erection on each bank
of the river of a steel pillar 200 feet
in height. These pillars were designed
to appear light and graceful, while be-
ing, in fact, massive and strong in every
part.
Between the pillars, at a height to ad-
nit of the passage beneath of the larg-
est vessels, a sort Of suspension bridge
was built, consisting of horizontal
platform supported by strong steel
cables stretched between the SUBMITS
of the pillars on shore. The platform,
or base, of this overhead bridge is 155
feet above the water. Upon it are sew !
eral steel tracks, along which roll the
carrying the vertical cables and
the car attached to them.
In order that the tension produced by !
the weight of the overhead platform, to-
yether with that Of the loaded car,
night not be great enough to drag
lown the pillars, the latter were sup
ported by steel cables, extending from
he SUBMITS of the pillars and from the
,ase of the overhead bridge to the
where they were anchored in
old masonry.
The car for the accommodation of
and teams is 80 feet long
md 40 feet wide. The central portion
S for the use of vehicles of all descrip-
ions. Upon the sides are covered
louses for. pedestrians, one quite elab-
'rately constructed and furnished for
he use of first-class passengers, the
ther simple shelter for those of the
econd class.
The combined weight OF the vertical
ables, rails and rollers and the car,
rhen loaded to its fullest capacity, is
bout 105 tons, and this is the weight
7hich the pillars and the overhead
tructure must support. AS an extra
recaution the mechanism and the
critical cables have been duplicated, so
hat in case one set should become dam
ged the other may be put into imme-
late use. A system of counterpoises
presumed to make derailment i'm
ossible.
Work upon this novel bridge was be-
un in April, 1898. and the structure
as completed within one year. Itwas
OF, however, open to traffic until quite
gently. The bridge was built by M.
rnodin, of Chateauneuf-sur-L who
axes a speciality of these so-called
lerial ferries Besides the one at ]
ouen and the two others before men
oned, he is now preparing to build
urth over the river Scheldt at Ant
erp.
The total cost of the new structure at 1
Ouen was only e2,5OO. 1t was pro- J
,unced safer and more to be relied
ION for uninterrupted use than fer !
3, while at the same time being much s
IS expensive to build and operate !
an permanent bridge of any other {
cription.-London Sun.