The daily sentinel., 1901-11-02
BRIDGE BUILDERS.
MAGIC IN AMERICAN ENTERPRISE
IN THIS LINE.
The Shan State of Thibaw Opened Up
to the World by Railroad Over
Hills, Through American Skill and
Engineering.

Engineering.
There seems to be no spot in the
world into which American enterprise
10 not penetrating. The way in which
the United States is building great
steel bridges in far off lands is some
thing which will bring wall of woe
from the bridge builders OF England
who have until recently had monop-
oily of this sort of thing. How many
people ever heard of the Shan State
OF Thibaw? 1t is a region lying be-
tween upper Burmah and southern
China, and through 1t runs the old
caravan route from China to Manda-
lay. Long before the British took Bur-
nah the trade of the Far East filtered
through Mandalay by slow stages, up
and down the rugged hills and val
leys, through the thick jungles and
over the mountains, finally descending
the Ghaut mountains and emerging
on an open plain. Now this is all
changed, and a railroad winds up the
hills and over the plateau between
Mandalay and Thibaw. American
skill, American ingenuity and Ameri
can enterprise made this possible, for
py means OF great steel bridge and
vladuct the obstacle Of the great
mountain gorge of the Gokteik Val
ley-an obstacle which seemed at first
fnsurmountable-has been successful
ly overcome. This Gokteik Valley
slopes from the mountains on one side
to canyon 500 feet deep, at the bot
tom of which rushes turbulent river.
Across the river precipitous cliffs tow
er high up, forming the further wall
of the valley. Across this canyon the
caravans used to cross by natural
bridge, causeway under which the
river had tunnelled. Now over the
valley and canyon stretches a spider
like structure of steel. crossing the
river $50 feet above its surface and
striking series of tunnels and arti-
hcial Lodges in the face of the oppos-
ing cliffs, by which the railway makes
its way to the slopes of the next val
ley In building this bridge use was
made of the old natural causeway for
foundation for some Of the bridge
piers, so that the deepest pier of the
bridge is only 1926 feet high high
enough, but not so high as it would
have had to be had not the old cause
way been there. This Yankee bridge
is 1000 feet long and 1000 tons of
steel enter into its construction. 1t
was built in sections in the United
ates. carried with infinite care and
difficulty to this far of region and
here set up, every bolt. bar, rivet and
uss finding its place and fitting into
cach other with the utmost nicely.
Such things are the very magic of me-
eNanics. and more wonderful they
scem than any of the stale old exploits
OF King Solomon's Djins. A man in
| ennsylvania takes a piece of paper
sad makes lot of figures on it. He
then takes another piece of paper and
draws a lot Of lines on this calcu-
lations and his plans-the weaving Of
the magic spell. Then half-naked fig
ures in the lights of flaming fires in
dusky, cavernous buildings make
pieces of steel as this master magi-
clan directs; they are his gnomes
working out the SPELL These pieces
OF steel are packed into boxes and
shipped to the far off mountainous
land, where dusty caravans wind
through the hills laden with the prod
ucts of Cathay, and the grave, white
turhaned merchants tell each other
tales of the wonders of Oriental sor-
Gerry as they journey. The raster ma
gictan from Pennsylvania waves his
magic wand, his subordinate magi-
clans spring to their work, and 10! be-
fore the astonished eyes of the people
Of the caravans appears a light and
airy way Of steel springing across the
valley; and over it rush the iron dew
lis, spouting smoke and fire-which
means that the $50 train on the road
to Mandalay is passing.-New York
Press.