Identifier: roadsrailroadsve00londuoft (find matches)
Title: The roads and railroads, vehicles, and modes of travelling, of ancient and modern countries; with accounts of bridges, tunnels and canals, in various parts of the world
Year: 1839 (1830s)
Authors:
Subjects: Communication and traffic
Publisher: London, Parker
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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idges.—Suspension Bridges of America and Asia.—Conditions of Sus-pension Bridges.—Telfords Menai Bridge, &c.—BrightonSuspension Pier.—Fribourg Suspension Bridge.—Hammer-smith Suspension Bridge. Among the many remarkable applications of that valuablemetal iron, its use in the construction of bridges is worthyof our notice. It has been asserted of the English, as anation, that Avith all their powers of application and im-provement, they are Avanting in invention. It is scarcelyworth while to enquire into the truth of this assertion;for in the case before us, the merit is due solely to theEnglish, of inventing, applying, and improving Ironbridofes: and it is not unnatural that, with our eminentskill in iron manufactory, that metal should be employedin the construction of bridges, in situations Avhere stoneis not easily obtained, or for purposes of lightness andeconomy. In the iron districts, in particular, bridgeswould naturally be built of iron, that being the most abun-
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SOUTHWARK BRIDGE. 119 dant material, as in well-wooded districts timber wouldmost likely be adopted. The first iron bridge ever constructed was over theSevern, at Colebrook-dale in Shropshire; the metal for itwas cast at the Colebrook-dale foundries by AbrahamDarby in 1777, at the great iron-works situate there.The chord is 100 feet, and the arch nearly a semicircle,composed of five iron ribs, upon Avhich the road-way isformed by other pieces of cast iron, and plates which carrythe road. The second iron bridge, cast by Messrs. Walker, inYorkshire, Avas as great an improvement on the first inprinciple, as it was superior to it in size. It was con-veyed to London, and exhibited at a bowling-green, nearthe old church Pancras. It was intended to have beensent to America, but the speculator failing in his payments,the materials were used for the beautiful bridge over theWear, at Bishops Wearmouth, near Sunderland. Thespan of this arch is 240 feet. It Is elevated 100 feetabove the water, so

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