The Washington times., 1901-10-27

was not lessened because he lad been
compelled to replace all the blades
and in turn put new sides on
1t. London Bridge has been many
time rebuilt entirely and by changes
and alterations had its peers, road
way and approaches all replac-
ed, still it is in the eyes and hearts
of the true Londoner the London
| Bridge" coming down from the time
| when Saxon chiefs hunted wild boars
| and deer in the dense forests just
across the river and the invading Danes
and other seagoing adventurers be-
| sieged the citizens within the walls.
Before the first London Bridge was
built there was an enterprising boat
man whose name has come down as
"Audery, the boat wight" who estab-
lished just at the place where the
! bridge was afterward built the first
ferry. This wight kept one boat
which has been described as something
like crescent turned on its back, in
which the most of his passengers were
rowed over the river. He had another
boat which the veracious chronicIer
AYERS looked like blanket gathered to-
gether at the four corners and in which
the passengers huddled, having for all
/ the world the appearance of waiting to
be tossed. An ancient description of
this ferry lire says that the oars used
by the boatmen to propeI the boats
looked like the ace of spades stuck
on the end of yard measure" The
fact that this pioneer in the transporta
ton business between the old city and
the region roundabout kept the second
boat in readiness for rush of traffic |
shows that even a thousand years ago |
there was 3 number of people who |
crossed the river. 1t was a long |
stretch, however, to the time when one |
of many bridges, even though it accom-
modates 100000 people, is not equal to
the demand.
There Is now and then found in the
old histories of the early London ac-
counts of the bridge that which was
built just after Audery made trade by
his ferry, and its successors, being con-
sidered useful as a defence against the
attacks of the sea rovers who harassed
tht NlAS. Oht Vi dDOul TIE yedI !
1000 A. d. dug n canal around the
bridge so he could attack the city from
his boats on the other side. 1t is to be
inferred from this and other evidence
that the. bridge was useful as supply
ing a place from which the attacking |
boats could be in turn attacked as they
passed un6 r it or approached it. These
first bridges were wooden affairs, and |
It is to be supposed that they y re of
rough timbers. One of them, it will be
borne in mind that several were de-
stroyed by fire and storm and replaced
IN the same site, was said to be wide
enough 10 allow two carriages that
might meet on it to pass each other"
The first one built had some sort of an
that supplied the place of
he swinging or bascule bridge that ,
chicago uses on her rivers. The old
London Bridge had a part of its floor
made so that ii could be taken up to 2
lllow boats to pass through. After ,,
ward q drawbridge was put in.
In 1881 the history tells of "a dread
ul whirlwind" that coming from Af- l
ica blew upon the city and overthrow
Upward of 900 houses, some rafters +
rom a church being hurled TO the /.
,round with such force that striking !,
N the ends they were sunk twenty feet n
n the earth and left standing upright" h
-he same account says that the waters
n the river arose TO such a height a
md rushed along with such force that 5
he bridge was swept away" q
Fire in 1876 destroyed the bridge and e;
here are traditions of other catastro "
'hes which overlook similar structures d
rected 10 make a crossing over the o
iver In ll16 the first stone Bridge. the 4
cal beginning of the Bendon Bridge of a.
modern times, was commenced by Pc
er. the chaplain of Cole Church. c;
1t is described as having "a stone l.
latform 926 feet long, forty feet wide, o
ixty feet above the level Of the water, 4
nd consisting of a drawbridge and n
ineteen pointed arches, with massive pI
iers raised upon strong oak and elm a,