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Tous las autres exemplaires originaux sont filmts en commen^ant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'iilustration at en terminant par la darniire page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la darnlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — »> signifie "A SUiVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent itre filmAs A des taux de reduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour itre reproduit en un seul clich«. il est film6 A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droits. et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'imeges nAcesssire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent le mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 < • "^ J DtAlCNfD fl( /?^ CONSTRUCTION OF Tllli GEEAT VICTORIA BRIDGE CANADA. JAMES HODGES, (!-it0intcr / i i'O. MESSRS. PETO, BRASSEY, AND BETTS, Contrnctors. ' 1 1 ■ ■' ,^ ( ^V^ eJOHN / LONDON: E, 5!), HIGH HOLBORN 18GU. 2Z^ lUIAIMIlllV AMI KVASS iiiivnus i:xn;Aiiiii]isA]iv h. ifik arrsM. "iiin-KKiAn- I f i 31 J 1 J I 1 TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS ALBERT, PRINCE OF WALES, K.G., Wllr KAS (!l!ACI0rsi,Y VISITED CANADA Tn INAnaMiATK TIIK orKXINu ^T ^ THE VICTORIA BRID(rE, ''^>'' ^ .-XSTiaVTED K0„ TI.K PASSAGE ,.E TirE THAIKS ,.F THE HHAXD T„rM; liAII.WAV Arn„ss THE RIVKR ST. LAWRENCE. ^bis Attempt ni EXl'LAfN AND ll.l.l-STliATE SoMK or THE I'll'Flri-l.TIES 1X1) I.AilOI-Rs EXc.iI-NTEHEDllV IIKI; MA.IESTVS .Sl-liJELXS IX THE .Vcrii.Ml'I.ISll.ME. THIS IMI'iiiiTANT \V(i|:k, WITH HIS IIOVAI. HKHINKsss l'Ei;Mlss|uN-. M'iST l;i:s|'i:rTEl-|,I.V AND DITIEll.l.V l>KI>I( ATKi). I I I i I ll,l,USTI{ATIVK KN(ilNi;i:i;l\(i IM.ATIX n..\n. N.i. I. I'ltiKiliKss OK uoitKs KiiciM i,s;,i i.i im;,!i ,, J. UKNKIt.VL l'I. COl'T'KI! DA.M I SKD rol! IMKIIS .\u.. :i, 1, r>, C, H, IP, 111, 111 am. L'I „ II. SIK.V.M TI!AVKM,EU „ 7. t'lIAFVKV Di;ilI!IOK KI,EV.\TloN „ 7a. ('iiAn''i;v Di:i!i!i( K ilax H. SCAIT'oI.DINd rsi:i) IN coN.STiaXTION OF No. J TI'llK ,, !i. .maciiim; I si;d foi; i!i.Mi:i!iN(i iioijis in ckntiM': tiiik „ Id. COIT'KU I)\M AM) STAOINIi I .SKD IN C'oN.sTUI (TloN oF N..-* IJ am. I;1 I'lKlls „ KlA. niNTlilFniAl, IM Ml' ,, II. ST1:aM DKKDdK L.SKD IN CI.KAIilNd ol T I'l DIU.I-; ('IIA.\Il;i:i;s „ II V HAND DliKDllK F.SKD IN CMOAlUMi I'lDDLF lIIAMltlilW „ I'J. .STA(iIN(l FOI! (.'KNTl!!-; TlliK „ III. TIIiNWAIKl; ,, 11. CoFFKHDAM AND STAClNd ISKD IN CONSTUll'TIoN oF N.. II I'llill ,, iiA. DITTO mm I Dim I „ 1.-.. STA(llN(i I SKD IN KliKCTIoN OF TFIIKS No.s. 11, IJ, II a.m. I.'. ,, 111. FI.OATINii DKI!1!I('K Fol! [:riI,l)IN( 1 f'I!IllS AND STA(ilN(i ,. li'.A. DITTO DITTO DITl'o „ 17. FI.o.VTI.SC l>i;i!l!l('K l'Si;i) IN liKMoVAl, OF (.'oFI'Ki; Ii.\MS ,. ITa. DITTO DITTO DITTO ,, \X. MACIIINK Fol! DliAWINd SIIKRT I'lI.INd ,, 111. TKAVKM.KI! Fol! INSI'KCTION AND I'AINTINd oFTlllKs ,. l;l^. DIITo DITTO DII'TO „ Jii. MACIIINi: IMK liOKlNd SIDK LIdllTS ,, U'l I'l.AN OK I'lKIiS N...i. 10 A.M. 1.-. ., L'-J SOUTH AIU'I'MKNT ,, JJa sol TII Alll T.MKNT (ELEVATIONS OF ENTItANCE TO Tri!I.:s) „ L';i. FLAN OF Tl MKS N..s, I, L', L'l am. •-'.-! „ '.'ilA. DKTA1I,S oF TIUKS N..^. 1, -J, •_'■» am. •.•:. „ 'Jl. HALF PLAN OF CENTKK TIllK ., '.Ma. DKTAILS OF t'EN'ITiE TlliE „ L'.-| DIAdliAM.S SIlOWTNd DKFI.KiTION oF TIIIKS ,, L'll. DlAdllAM SIloWT.Sd IK.MI'Kl! VTIKK oK ATMosrilKUK AND oK WAI'KR ,, Mk Diri'o DITTO Diri'O Vauk 47. SkKI'CII Ol' slIoVINii oK ICK SI. DlAdllAM SIloWlNd KKSll.T OF TKSTlNd N,..,. 1 am. L' TIIiKS llilsTi;.\TIVK PLATKS INSKKTHD |\ T|||.: t|.;xt. fiKNKIt.U, VIKW 111' IIKIIM.K AXI> MuNI'IlK \r, . . . , . t.AiKii'; TiTi.i: i'Ai;i; IlKDIiAlluN l'|.\Ti: i;\ii.\\AV i;i;iiii.i: (i\ i:i! iiai'ids m' sr. anm;x , ... IMMA.V ( 1111:1s . ll.n\TIN(; li.\M , , . . . ■lliiMNd mK k i; rid\ wilAliVKs in nwiNT (iK Mi.M'i;i;\i, .'llnVI.Nii n|' hi: I I'dN" N,.; u \'\\;[\, l.s'.s MAciiiM-; rni! M;i;iM;iN(i i'imu.i: ciivMiiMis , . . . , \M)l:Ks l.v l'l!(i<;i;i:ss, l^,-„s \II:\V I'KmM \;VM>\\ SdlTII \|;IT,MKNT I'ITTIM: 11' .^lIiK VMi Till' l'|,\TM, \Mil!KS lltn.M Till' nV N... li I'IKl!, Ih.'jH ..... ri:\Ti!i-; 'ni'.i: in I'luHiiivw—KiinM ur. ■n i;i:s in i'iiiii;t:i:>s, |, ■<,■,:)_ i.wim; iiiii'h.m ni' iii;!-; vii:\\ I'l' iTMiKiE n;oM Ti'\vi:i; ur csthki'Imi. ..... .iA\ir. Ill' i;\rTs isktw i:i:n i;i vm. 11 i'ii:i!s mii;tiii:ii\ mtihimii .... Wi)I;KMKN's IIiiI.MN \Ml \\n|;ls>IIii|S \ .M i TKM I'l il! U: N l,i Hi iMi ITI VK TASSKMIKKS AMI M\ll. rUns.slSc; |;|\|;|! VIKW (IF I'liiil'iislin l;|;U)ili: f,..,, /;,./,„,■,. I) :.M I.-. I."i I.H .'ill &4 Till '■7 117 70 71 73 77 78 CONSTRUCTION OF TIIK GREAT VICTORIA JHIIDGE. ^ -M CHAPTER I. THE GRAND 'I'RTTNK RAILWAY OF CANADA. Tin; (Jraiul Trunk Riiilwny of Ciiiuada traverses British North Aincriea from tlie short's of the Atlantic to the rieii ])rairie country of tiie Far West. l>y ono uiihroken line of railway, passin.L;-, under one management, throu.ii-h \ii)\var(ls of 1200 miles of cultivated country, it carries the varied products of the distant western states of America to the sea-board. It ojicns up for the iidiabitants of the wonderful valley through which it passes the means of inter-communication and transport throughout the whole of the year, — an advantage of which thi' severity of tiie climate deprived them, previously to its construction for at least six out of every twelve months. But, besides the commercial and social benefits, the Grand Trunk. Railway presents to Canada a great political advantiige. It connects and associates together the British dependencies in North America, and, by means of the Great Bridge over the St. Lawrence, it bi'ings them all into direct conununication with the United States and the best ports of the Atlantic. Before the construction of llie Gi'and Trunk Railway, the River St. Lawrence presented to the Canadians the sole available means of inter-conununication cither for business or for pleasure. To this grand river, and its magnincent chain of inland navigation, — natural and artilicial, — Canada is no doubt indebted for her prosperity and growth' But for six months tif tlie year the St. Lawrence was sealed up by frost. u 2 CONSTRUCTION OF THE For six long mouths of the year, therefore, Quebec and the other ports and harbours of the river were unavaikxble, aucl trade Avas virtually suspeud(^l. For six long months communication between one province aiul another was virtually sto2)])ed. Not even the power of steam could contend against the inert force of the frost upon those Maters. Against the power of the current, sweeping downwards from Niagara, the steam-ship could ply successfully her upward course ; but when the waters of that current became congealed in winter, her power necessarily became suspended also. Cut the ice was not the only difficulty attending the navigation of the St. Lawrence. Even during the summer, the contracted dimensions of the Welland Canal presented a serious obstacle to the navigation. As far as Lake Ontario, sea-going vessels of 700 or 800 tons burden coiUd with case accomplish the navigation ; but from that point, no vessels of greater burden than 300 tons could reach the upiier chain of lakes. At this point, therefore, transhipment became necessary, either for imports or exports. The produce coming from Lakes Erie, Huron, ^lichigan, and Superior, and from the great prairie cities of the West, such as Buffalo, Chicag. and Detroit, had to be brought down in vessels of a size sufficiently small to navigate tlic canal, and to be transhipped into larger vessels for the sea-voyage. In the same mannei", imports from Euroite had to be transhipped into small craft, to effect the same navigation, — thus depriving these growing centres of population and trade, each containing from 90,000 to 200,000 inhabitants, of the main facility of direct inter-comnumication. Tlie rapid growtli of these cities, — yet in their infancy, — the development of the rich and fertile districts by whieii thi'y are surrounded, and of wliich Mr. Cobden declared a year ago that tliey would '■ i)roduee grain enough to feed all Europe in addi- tion to their own requirenicuts," rendered imjjroved conniuniication an urgent necessity. The Grand Trunk Kailway of Canada was designed to effect tlie object. Following the course of the St. Lawrence, and uniting all the i)rincipal towns of Canada, it brings the whole country to the bu.-t ports on the sea-board by the nearest route, and affords the greatest facihtics for communiea.liun witli Euro[)e liy a passage (JOO miles sjiorter tiian any other llial can be maile l)etween the continents. It maintains its chain u\' conuaunicalion, moreover, wilhoul eitlier oi' the drawbacks attending tiie I'iver naviga- tion. The wiiole course of tlie Grand Trunk Lailway can be trave-sed wilhout cliange of vehicles, and the line is open for traffic irrespective of seasons. Li its extent, its social, mercantile, and political Ijearings, and also in the important position which it IkjMs as an enter[)rise, the Grand Trunk Railway may be, therefore, said to stand unrivalled, llegardiiig it as a work conceived and entered GREAT VICTORIA lUUDGE. 3 upon by a Provincial Government, it may also be said to stand alone as an evidence of the cnliglitenment and energy of a colonial population, and of their true appreciation of the value of their resources and of the means necessary for their development. It is not the design of this str-tement to make any particular or special reference to the individuals by Avhose instrumentality the -work has been accomplished ; but no account of th3 railway would be complete without some allusion to the leaders of tlie movement which resulted in the accomplishment of so great a work. It is to the Hon. Francis Hincks, now Governor of Barbadocs, and to the Hon, John Ross, Speaker of tlie House of Asseml^ly, that Canada stands mainly intlebted for the promotion of this means of communication through their adojited country. Through a series of years, and amid difficulties and depressions of no ordinary character, the first as the head of the Government in Canada, and the second as Pi'esident of the Corporation, never ceased to lend their active and effective aiil to bring the enterprise to that successful termination which they have had the happiness to see accomplished. CHAPTER II. THE VICrOIUA BRIDCE. TuE Grand Trunk Railway of Canada was, however, of itself an imperfect work. Confined to the north siiore of the River St. Lawrence, it presented itself, witliin such limits, as a mere provincial line. As sucli it would iiave l)i'en undoubtedly of immense value to tlie province ; but it could not have counnamled its external trade and intercourse. Inasmuch as from the head of Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean, a distance of more than 1500 miles, there was no bridge across the St. Lawrence, excepting at the Niagai-a gorge, it was obvious that the key to the province, even after the construction of the Grand Trunk, would be in utlior hands, if the railway did not span the I'iver, and atl'onl the connecting liidc so much reipiired between British North America and the United States. During the sunnncr of 1852, at the request of the Rrovincial Government of Canada, th- firm of Sir S. .Morton Peto, B:ut., :\r. P., Thomas Brassey, and Ldward Ladd Betts, made an examination of the country with a view to assisting in the ilevelopment of a complete system of railways for the colony ; and Mv.W. Jackson, .Al. P.— afterwards associateil in the undertaking— accompanied by ^Iv. A. M. Ross, (*.!•:.. proceeded thither for that pur[)ose. CONSTRUCTION OF TIIK From tlic information tlicy obtained, tlic Grand Trnnk as a complete system of railways, inchuling the Victoria Bridge, was brouglit before the public in England under the auspices and Avitli the influence of the agents for the province, Thomas Baring, Esq., M.P., and G. C. Glyn, Esq., M.P. As early as 1840, the ' Ion. John Young, of ]\rontreal, suggested the practicability and necessity of a bi-idge across the St. Lawrence, near Montreal, and succeeded in obtaining surveys and reports upon the subject from several eminent engineers ; from Mr. Morton in 1S46, Mr. Gay in 1847, Mr. Gzowski in 1849, and Mr. T. C. Kcefer in 1851, with wliich, and the information he obtained on the spot, ]\Ir. Ross on his return to England designed the structure upon the principle on which it is carried out, and upon which the provisional contract Avas taken, and, as Engineer in Cliief of the Chand Trunk Railway-, afterwards resided in Canada until the works Avere completed. Upon the inauguration of the Company, the great importance of this work, the large exi)enditure it involved, tlie various opinions that existed of its practicability, and tlie great dilliculties and lisks comiected with its construction in such a position, decideil the Board of Directors, previous to bringing it before the public, to consult Mv. Stcplienson. whose high autlioi-jty and .sanction it was deemed of great iniportance to obtain; aud wlio, after examinhig the ■nformation and designs laid befoie him by 'Mr. Ross, signitied his approval of them, and undertook jointly with him the )vspoiisibility of engineer to the liridge. In the summer of IS5:^, ]\li-. .Stt'phenson visited Canada to personally examine the .site of the bridge; and with the additional information procured dtu'ing the previous winter under ]\rr. Ross's instructions, and caiefully rcvic'wiiig the opinions of those best acipiainted willi the locality, decided conjointly with 3lr. Ross upon the structure as it at present exists. 'i'he site of the bridge is at the lower end of a sinidl laki', called tlu' T.a I'rairie Basin, which is sitnatiMl aboiil one mile aliove the cnfra.nct,' to the Laehine Canal, at the wi'st end of Montreal liailtoni-. .\t this jjoint the Itivci- St. bawrence is, from shore to shore, b(J(iO {'vV or a mile and three-quarters, wide, 'i'he lake, however, which is full of liouldci's, is extremely shallow-— so much so, tli.-it t'xeei)(iiig in the main eliannels it is only naxigalile I'oi' vessels drawing from one foot six inches to two feel of water. And even these have dillicnlly in a|i|iroaching the shore, there heing no landing-place aljove the site of the bi'idge except at the La I'rairie village. GRKAT VICTORIA BRIDGE. 5 A t the lioad of tlio lake, sonic eight miles from IMontrcal, are the Lachine rapids. They ' o a total fall, in a course of two miles, of about forty-two feet. They are navij;:; An only lu one direction, and in tliat but for rafts and steamboats. The waters of the St. Lawrence, after passing these rapids, ai-c separated by a cluster of islands?, terminating in one of larger dimensions called Nun's Island. This island extends eastward to within a mile of the Victoiia Bridge. From thence to a point op]iosite tlie city of Montreal, there is a bank called the " Middle Shoals," which divides the river into two channels. Upon this bank lie innumeralle boulders, some just showing themselves above the surface of the Avater, and rendering navigation among them impossible, exce2)t in small row-boats or canoes. This condition of the river proved seriously inconvenient in the construction of the bridge, as it was necessary, in order to convey materials from one part of the bridge to another, to pass down one channel for nearly a mile, and' then return by a second, stennning a current of some seven to eiglit miles per hour. I ■ « Tiie bed of the I'iver, at the point selected for tlie construction of the works, consists of a solid rock, called by Sir William l.ogan, F.R.S., the provincial geologist, "Utica slate.'' Near the shores, say for some 11)00 feet on the north side and (500 feet on the soutli side, this i-ock is perfectly free from any deposit excepting lai'ge boulders. Towards the centre of the river it is covered with sliale, (piicksand, clay, and, on the surface, witli a kind of hard jjan, composed of boulders, gravel, and clay intermixed, almost as hard as the rock itself. The distance from the bed of the ri\er to the solid ruck is, ill some instances, from twelve to foniteen feet. The boulders which liad to be removed varied in weight from one to tweiitv tons. « The scenery at the point at which the bridge is thus constructed, if not grand, is far from uninteresting. On the one shore lies the City of Montreal, on a sloping site, tlie towers of its Cathedral and numerous church spires adding continually to the picturesque appearanct' of its white, well-lmilt houses, w'.iich are frequently well placed amid shrubberies and gardens. On tlie otiier side of the river a range of blue iiills forms a bold and agreeable backgrouiiil to the somcwhiit low surface of the shores nearer to the river. The w hole ehaiaeter of the scenery is agreeable and English ; and, re\ersing the position, and looking at the bridge from tlie ground over ^Montreal itself, few scenes can lie fairer than the noble river which rushes through the valley, crossed as it now is by the stupendous work M-hieli may be deseriljcil without exaggeration as one of the •• Wonders of the World." CONSTRUCTION OF TIIK CHAPTER III. THE ICE. Undoubtedly, tlie most serious difficulty to bo guarded against, botli iu the design and in the execution of the Victoria Bridge, was that operation of nature wliich occurs twice in tlie year, and which is known in North America as tlie "Slioving" of the Ice. Ice begins to form in tlie St. Lawrence about the beginning of December. Then, along the shores and in the shallow, quiet places, where the current is least strong, a thin ice begins to make its appearance, gradually showing signs of increasing strength and thickness. Soon after, pieces of ice begin to come down from the lakes above ; and then, as winter advances, anchor, or ground ice, comes down in vast quantities, thickening the otherwise comparatively clear water of tlie river. A word as to the "Anchor Ice." It appears to grow in rai)id currents, and attaches itself to tlie rocks forming the bed of tlie river, in the shape of a spongey sub- stance, not unlike the spawn of frogs. Inuncnsc quantities form in an inconceivably short space of time, accumulating until tlie mass is several feet in dcntli. A very slight thaw, even that produced by a bright sunsliine at noon, disengages it, when, rising to the surtace, it passes down the river with the current. I\ 4 I' I fe I ' This description of ice appears to grow only in tlie vicinity of r;i])ids, or where tlie water has become tiiJratcd by the rapiility (if the current. It may i)o tliat the particles or globules of cold air are whirled by the eddies till they come in contact with the rocky bed of the river, to wiiich they attacli themselves, anil being of a tenipeiaturc sufficient to jjroducc ice, become surrounded with the seuii-ijuid sulistance of which anchor ice is formed. "Anchor Ice" sometimes accumulates at the foot of rajiids in such quantities as to form a bar across the lake (similar to bars of sand at mouths of rivers) of some miles in extent, lifting the water in its locality several feet above its ordinary level. This freipiently hajipens at the foot of the Cedar Rapids at the head of Lake St. Louis, where a branch of the Ottawa empties itself into the St. Lawrence. »l ( ( s -* it^ I? *l ' hi' 1 » 1^ *'- ,5.vr VJ^'TH.'niA lJRl!>iE '■'»'• ''f fVi-■^A^ ' it! . «,lj.*»;. T ■ jiutJt Will*: ■ ■ r FnjIE Meo. I'. I ■• J-.- - > i] •r ?-. ^ ^.:f:,, ', t ^ ' V . / 7i'7'^Vf: li ,)1 M .. I #%•■ Jk ^ i : ■^ ij^ •',-.• GU1:AT VICTORIA BRIDGE. Upon such occa.sious the water at this iiouit is dammed up to such a height as to change its course, and run into tiie Ottawa, at tiic rate of some lour or live miles per hour. From tlieuce it eventually finds its way back into the Ht. Lawrence by the rapids of St. Anne's (celebrated by ^Moore in the "Canadian Uoat Song"), after i)erfonning a circuit of ^.omo ten or twelve miles. The accunudation of ieo continues, probably for several weeks, till the river is (piite full, and so tliickened as to make the current sluggish and cause a general swelling of the waters. The pieces, too, become frozen together, and form large masses, which by grounding, and diminishing the sectional area of the river, cause the waters to rise still more (there being always the same quantity of water coming over the rajiids). Then the large masses float and move further dov,'u the river, where, uniting with accumulations previously grounded, they oiler such an obstruction to the semi-iluid waters that the channels become (|uite choked, and what is called a "jamb" takes place. The surface ice, arrested in its jjrogress, packs into all sorts of imaginable shapes ; and, if tiie cold is very intense, a crust is soon formed, and the river becomes frozen over till many scpiare miles of surface packed ice is formed. As the water rises, the jamb against which this field rests, if not of sullicient strength to hold it in place, gives way ; when the whole river, after it is thus frozen into one innuense sheet, moves ci: massi: down stream, o::., ing the "shovings" so much ereadcd by the people of ^lontreal. The edges of the huge held moving irresistibly onwards, plough into the baidy the middle of .March tlie sun becomes very powerful at mid-day, which, with CONSTRUCTION OP THE tho warm heavy rains, so affects tlio ice as to make it rotten, or, as it is usually callctl, " honcy-comhed ; " and when it is in this state, a smart blow from any sharp-pointed instrument will cause a block, even though three feet thick, to fall into thousands of pieces, as if it was composed of millions of crystallised reeds jdaccd vertically. The ice when it liocomes thus weakened is easily broken up by tho winds, parti- cularly in places where, from tho great depth of water in the lakes, they do not entirely freeze over. This ice, coming di>wn over the rapids, tiiickens the water, and causes a rise of the river, as in early winter. Tiio weakened fiL'lds of ice then begin to break up, and in a few days the river becomes free, excepting upon the wharves and some particular parts of the shore, where shovings may have taken place. In these places ice nuiy bo seen for many weeks. "When tlie lake ice comes down before that in tho river and its lower basins becomes rotten, great "shovings" take place, resulting in jambs, and the consefpient rise of the water level. 4 In order to avoid the dangers and diHieulties consequent on these operations of nature, it was determined to build the Victoria Ihidge with stone piers, placed at wiile intervals, each pier being of the most substantial character, and having a large wedge- sha2)ed cut-water of stonework inclined against the current, and presenting an angle to the ice sufficient to separate and fracture it as it rose against the piers. Tho piers of the bridge were, in fact, designed to answer the double purpose of piers to carry the tubes, and of ice-breakers to encounter the pressure of tlie ice. In eacli of t'lese respects they have fully answered tlie important objects sought to be attained. --T ( I I » ■ I ^^,U'*v< f ► ij* vi«Tf»RU ttmunr- '•'' ,( Tr. •-* f*^ *-;* nil'.-* s I'l-i'.i ' L '< 1 tMiUiuMii'.-HliiHi With "ir Wi"l>:.f n fjtittan. iiii , I I 1 ill '.I Ml -Nil •«.iijy''>Mi>M'* Hti'l icf.iiniftr.iijii !'t -I ■■ |)!vl>Mii.u,! 1. ho .;t;rl:Uli:> (vp .' ,! ■ .... H,' m -v-.-, I ^'. m *. I i » »".., S>-. /■ ^■^r \H '*4 • .iV* ■ i ,:;^^ .. mt i'^i. .y#i*^. ' 4-- I*' '^,, .*<» 2^. I m OrtEAT VK'TOniA lililDOE. CHAPTER IV. EART.Y PllEPARATIOXS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE I'.RIDOE. Onk of tlio tirst objects |)i'ior to entering on the work of construction, was to tiiul a suitable stone for so important a work. Tliis duty devolved on the writei-, mIio Jiad l)een out to Canada as the agent of Messrs. Peto, Bras.sey, and I'.i'tts, with powers and instructions for the building of the bridge. Prior to making any personal ius|i('ction of (piai'ries, he placed himself in communication with Sii' "William i.ogan. F.R.S., the provincial geologist, and :\rr. Samuel Keefer, Connnissioner of Pul)lic Works, to both of whom he is much indebted for valualjle suggestions and information both as to this and other matters. .\fter having inspected several ([uarries, a visit was [laid to Caughnawaga, where very line stone was found. The lamls from wiiicli it was obtainable were, however, in possession of the Indians, antl it became neces.sary to treat with the chiefs of the triijc w ho held its possession. After considerable delay and dilKculty. an appointment was made with them fnv an intervii'w. [t was hxi'il to take ))lace on a Sunday, after church, that being the only time when a number of them could be brought together sutlicient fur thr transaction of sueh important business. At the aiipointed time, accomiianied by ;in interpretei'. the wrilci' was usiRTed into thf presence of the assembled chiefs. To the mimber of twelve or thirteen they were awaiting his arrival in a wooden shanty. .\ iter so much form and eeremnny as had been exj.ended on preliiiiiii.aries. he eertainly expected to have nu-t ehiel's nrn;inienled after the mimner of tlinse in Cooper's novels, with paint and fe;iliiers, and pre|i;n-ed, before they proceeded to eouncil, to olfer him the •■calumet of peace." Instead ,if this, he was introduced to a body o.' miserably dirty-looking old men. with lank hair, smoking short clay pi[)es. .\t tirst they exhibited great disinclination to treat. The writer endeavoureil to feet. 1 foot iiiciios. I feet. 1 foot S inches. Material used— For keel, sternpost, gunwale, bilge, and principal beams— White Oak. For floor and top timbers, keelsons, and planking— Tamarac. Twenty-tive of these barges were ultimately constructed. Tlie barges were eventually decked over, and tiie whole of the cargo carried upon deck, which, as some of the l)]ocks of stone weiglied as much as seventeen or eighteen tons, was the means of saving botli time and lal)our, tlie decks of the barges being about level witli the top of the dams and the loading wharves. Two steam-tugs, the "Beaver' and tlie "Musk Rat." were constructed by Messrs. Cautiii and llisley, each of siillicient power, draught of water, and beam, to enable tlK-m to tow a barge against a stream six or seven miles jier hour, to pass over some of liie shallows uf tlie river, and also to go through the locks of the Laehine Canal. Tlieir dimensions were as follows : — Iji'iiglli on (Irck „ of kiri . Hl'iaillli of hcaiii ,, ovei' ii:id(lk'-l)o\e,s Dfplii of hiild . Draiigiit of water foinvard ., ., astrl'll l.")S firl. \:>0 firt. ;,'() feet. I I fi'i t (i illl-llrs. s feet. :2 feet (i iiiclies. ;J feet. GREAT VICTORIA BRIDGE. 18 They were built of oak, tamarac, and white pine. They were furnisliuU with — 30 iiiclics. 10 feet. •2'V 0" (liaractcr. Condensing Engines : — Diiiuieter of cylinder . Stroiie ..... Skeleton walking beam, wmuglit-iron shaft and cranks. Paddle «1iecls .... Float.'!, C 0" long, 28 inches in breadth, 22 in number. Hollers — Two circular tubular boilers ; — Length . lij' 1" Length of tubes Diameter . . C>' 10" Diameter . Fiie-box . 0' 3" Number of ditto Tested to 75 lbs. per square inch. Working pressure, 45 lbs. per square inch. feet. 3 inches. 180. CHAPTER V. DAMS FOR THE BRIDGE. The St. Lawrence, where it is crossed by the Victoria Bridge, was, by the sound- ings taken previously to the commencement of the work, shown to be of a depth varying from five to fifteen feet at sununer water level, and to have a bed of limestone rock, with large boulders upon its surface. This led to the contriving of floating dams or caissons, which might be built during the winter season, and immediately upon tiie opening of the navigation floated into position and scuttled, so as at once to form a nucleus from which the dam could be constructed. As it was understood that no temporary works could be left in tlie river during the winter, these floating dams were so devised, that tlioy could be readily pumped out and taken to a place of safety some seven miles bebnv :\rontreal, to be again used the following spring. The construction of these dams will be better understood upon reference to Plate. No. 3. They consisted simply of a framework of timber, forming ;i largo caisson of proper shape and dimension.s to encircle a pier, with sufficient space for i)iling, jiuddle chamber, and for the workmen engaged in the construction of the masonry. These cai.ssons were 188 feet in length, and 90 feet in widtli over all. The front part, or bow.s, were made wedged shape to stem the current, and the stern, or hiniler part, was made so that it could bo removed when the masonry was com- pleted, thus enabling the floating dam to be taken to winter-([uarters. 14 CONSTRUCTION OF TIIK The frame-work, or caissons forming the sides of tlic dams, were twenty feet broad, and twelve +o sixteen feet deep, the width being increased near the bows to give I ■i«r / [ i s! jiiij i I ' -I «f" .1f—.»tt—i l^; £'_-/t'JlUl.U'-*iwiV» Jl . I >> _■ \i\ additional strength where the sides unite, and likewise to give more space for work- shops, dormitories, &c. The bottom and lower part of the sides were carefully caulked, and when launched they drew some eighteen inches water only. Even with this light draught great difficulty was experienced in navigating the shallow rapid waters with so huge a mass. They were continually getting aground upon boulders, and in one instance, the floating dam having grounded upon a boulder, it was found requisite to cut a hole through the bottom of the caisson, lift the stone inside, and take it away with the floating dam, — a work causing both loss of time and cost. The bed of the river being of rock, into Avhich piles could not be driven, pro- vision had to be made to prevent the dam when scuttled from being carried away, or at least moved out of its position, by any of the timber rafts whicli navigate the river during the summer. The bows were therefore made strong; and, at distances of twenty feet, around the whole of the outside of the caisson, strong piles, sliding in grooves, were provided, which, when the dam was nioorod in position, were lowered till they rested upon the bed of the river, keeping the whole perfectly steady. Through the centre of some ten or twelve of these piles was placed a two-inch bar of iron, with a properly tempered point of steel, shaped for drilling the rock, wliicli I ':t 4- GREAT VICTORIA BRIDGE. 10 being drilled some two feet down, rendered it impossible that the toes of these piles could, by any strain, be moved out of position. The whole being thus far advanced, it was intended that the scuttling valves provided for the purpose should be opened and the mass allowed to sink till some part of the underside rested upon the bed of the river, or, as it generally happened, upon a boulder some two or three feet above the general level of the river-bed. The valves were to be closed till the whole of the dam was adjusted ^by means provided for that purpose), and made as level as possible. The piles were then to be bolted to the sides of the dam, and the scuttles opened to throw the whole weight upon the plies. It was hoped that by these means the dam would obtain sufficient stability, with the assistance of the heavy mooring chains used while the scuttling was going on, to stand against any raft that might strike it. The mooring and scuttling was, in practice, found to occupy some four days, so tliat generally within a week from the time of getting the dam into position, the men were fairly at work, with every means and a])pliance at hand for prosecuting the work with dispatch. The getting the dam into position was always found to be the greatest difficulty, whether from the place where built, or from its winter-quarters ; indeed, this was the only drawback to their general usefulness. la addition to the guide piles on the outside of the caisson, walhigs wurc I ,'r ii> CONSTRUCTION OF THE pi'epnrcd on the inner side, or that part next tlic masonry, tV>r the guidance of the Hheet-i^ilint,' necessary to form tiie puddle chumljor. One set of these wnlinga was bracketed from the sides of the caisson by means of iron rods, or bars, as shown. ■t'i :-•( ■ It may not h^ amiss to mention, th.at the iron rods forming the bracketing were, in practice, found to bo very ob- jectionable, from the great difficulty there always was in getting the pudtlle clay ramnicvl sufficiently close to the under- siile of the bars to prevf iit the passage of water. Up to a depth of ten or twelve feet, this plan answered admirably, but with a greater pressure than was given by this head of water it was found advisable to introduce a separate framing of timber into the si)ace to be occupied by the masonry of the ])ier, the transverse pieces, or struts, being cut away as the ma- sonry progressed. [Sec I'late, No. 3.] The floating dams al)()ve described were commenced in the winter of 1853, and two of them were completed and launched in May. Ui)on ret'erence to the diagram ' Plate Nil 4!, sliowiiig the ri.se of water consequent U|)on the breaking up of the ice in tlie spring, wjieu " shoving " usually takes place, and destroys every temporary work within its reach, it will l>p easily understood that the dams had to be constructed at a sufficient distance from the shore to ensure tlii'ir safety tiii the "shoving" was over, This placed the site for building so far from the edge of tlie river, that to get the re([uisite inclination I'oi' launching, they had to l)e ek'vated some tell feet above the level of the ground. These ways were formed of four rows of jiiliiig to within the limit jirescriheil by the ice, after which they were formed in the usual iiiaiiiier. The dotted lines upon plan, Plate No. 2, show the jiosition of building ground, as likewise the intricate channel (if it can be called a channel) through which the huge masses had to be navigated to get them into iiosition. 3 GREAT VICTURU BRIDGE, 17 Preparations and arrangements were also made during the winter for proceeding with the dam ibr tlio formation of the north abutment, the dimensions of which reciuired that It should bo 340 feet by 150 feet, out to out. It was decided to use ci.issons of a similar cha- racter to those already described, which being provided with wallngs, sliding piles, scuttling valves, &c., might be readily moored In position. Six caissons, each 150 feet by 20 feet broad, were constructed upon the banks of the Lachine Canal, and were ready for work early in May. The building of lloating-dams, two steam- boats, and twcnty-tivo barges equal to a tonnage of nearly 7200 tons, added to the unusual activity in the ship-building business during the winter of 1853,* greatly increased the rate of wages and mate'.ial, the cost of building being at least sixty per cent, above ordinary prices. CHAPTER VI. EARLY WORKS. [1854.] The ice britlge having formed, and the river having assumed its ordinary winter level, the staff of tlie contractors conuuenced their operations by setting out and marking the position of the ])iers, taking soundings in the immediate locality of the works to be executed, and marking and buoying out the most navigable channels for their steamboats and barges. Being without any experience of such a rigorous climate they suffered severely ; many of the men had their noses, ears, or feet, frost-bitten, and some hatl to be sent to • In the yciir 18."j;(, f.irty-cijilit sliiii*. with a t(i-.iai;c of 18,0(10 tons, wero tmilt at Quclieo, valued at X'500,000, being an increase in mv yoar of twenty-two ships, and of vahie X"i 10,000. — /. S. llvijuii's " I'lixc ii'ssviy on Cdimclii." IS COXHTUrCTIOX OF THE tho hospital from partial bliiidncsa, i)ro)lucc(l by the glare of the sun upon the snow. During strong winds their eyes were filled with fine drifting snow, at tho same time that the sun was shining brightly over head, — very ditVerent to tho scorching heat which a few months afterwards struck them down with coitii-de-soUil. The first operation was to make a level road over tho roughly-packed ice, in the exact lino of tho bridge. This was performed by men with axes and shovels, in the same way a road is formed on land, some of the excavations being eight or ten feet deep. Fio. -rn;u Xo. in. IS I IS 1(1 ic.ln l.vr, IT-o 17 n l"'! n:i 117 ivi 1.1,7 1111 17 in ii;;i i-.n no i7i> im im iiio mm 1:17 is 1 1.V7 l.-iO l.r:l in 1.V3 no llll 111 13 111 111 1(H 101 l.Vn 1.59 1.1(i 13'.) 1:1 U I'l.'l \2 I l.'l I-' I 111 7 llil 1V3 l.rO 15 130 Un 1.V3 131 13 7 UIO llV7 in I in 3 1.5 9 1.5 3 ivi ini m i.'iD 139 in I 171 inn 113 133 I 13 11 « un i.io 111 13 1 \>i un 113 13 10 11- 1 «in 113 119 n 10 11-10 111 ij n 13-3 13 1 13 1 \: I in 1 17 1 II'' '1 1.5 130 1 r.'o 17'1 IS I 170 U'l) 13n 130 126 1:3 r.'7 130 111 1S7 IS 7 inn 119 113 133 120 Ijn 1110 1110 IJ t IS I 17 1 mo 113 130 130 130 129 13 1 111 111 17 1 in 10 1,V3 139 130 130 130 139 13 7 13 1 HI' The sites of the various piers were then marked out upon this level track, admea- surements being carefidly taken by means of wooden staves, tested by a standard from the Canada "Works at T.iikenhcad, and by M-hieli (he k'ligtlis nf the tubes were subsequently measured. Holes wee tlicii cut in the ice around the site ot each pier, as shown at Fig. (5, and snuiidiiigs were taken as accurately as possible ; though it liappened, from the rapidity of the current and tlie accumu- lation of anclior ice, that some of the soundings taken were f>i ,id to be very erroneous. Tho centre of cacii jiier was also carefully marked out, and an iron drill, or pin, was bored into, and left in, the bed of the river, to mark the exact position of the pier Avhon the dams should be pumped out. These pins or drills wore 5 feet long, 4 inches diameter, bored into the bed of the river about 3 feet (5 inches to 4 feet, or till the cross-bar, to which was attached liuoys, touched. In drilling these in, a small riiigiiig-cngiiie was used, and the drill lieing attached to the long rod by a square socket, was lowered till it rested ujion the ground. "When the current was very rapid, a guy-ehain was used, wliii.-li. passing through a chase cut in tlie ice on tin- up-stream side, held the drill in position till the point Avas fairly entered. A small rum was then worked upon the toji of the rod, and at every stroke the drill was made to revolve a certain distance by means of a ratchet-lever attached to the machine. No augur was used to test tl;e material bored into, because the hard concreted mass forming the bed of the river was in some instances even harder than the rock itself, and it was therefore taken for granted that it was rock, the same as seen in the shallow water near the river bank.s. (HIKAT VICTUIIIA ItUIlJUJv u .\'J ami covered only with a few incIicH of gravel, InterHtrown with largo boultl.i ^leQce it waa that nothing wan known of the cxlstonco of live Hand and clay botwcei lie he rock, or where they came upon boulders, the dam was uiade perfectly tight ; and nuii were seen M'ith brooms sweeping the almost perfectly level rock cleiiu of I lie deposit caused by the washing in of the puddle clay during the stojjpagc of Ic.'.kage. The dam thus formed was some 1:200 feet from shore, and as the water in the river lowered, was almost inaccessible, excepting on one side oidy, and even on that bide, in consequence of the inunense niunber (tf boulders and the rapidity of the current, it was scarcely safe for the navigation of heavily laden barges. A tramway was therefore constructed from tin' shore (in the manner shown). Piers of .skeleton cribwork were placed a: inti'rvals of some twenty feet, which were kept in position by loose stone laid uiion a flooi'ing provideil for the i)urpose, ;ind upon the top of the cribs, longitudinals were placed to carry the roadway, at the same level as the shore and top of dam. A , 'g»nieaBWWE*g^^ -^ /' T'r:: -7' Sloping planking was laid along the whole length of the tramway, in the same manner as that used for the upper side of the dam, leaving perfectly quiet water, in which the embanked approach was formed during the summer, the crib-piers and sloping planking Ijcing buried in the emljankment. flllKAT VICTulUA imilKllv n Tt may not be out of placn to «ay Hotnctliiii'^ lioro roiu'orniiig " Cril)work," wliirli, (iltlii>u;,'h (piito unknown in Kufjliiinl, is so univi-rsiilly usfd botli in Caniida anroach was raised to some five feet above ordinary winter level ; but in consequence of difficulties arising from a scarcity of labour, from strikes amongst the workmen, and from sickness, the embankment Avas not carried so high as could have been desired. Neither was it complete at its junction with the masonry when the winter made its appearanco, and all work ceased. The pumi)s used this season were of very rude construction, being only square trunks, formed of deal and bound Avith iron. Tliey thrcAv a large quantity of water, and answered well with a lift not exceeding fourteen feet. The pumps ordered from England not having arrived, necessity compelled the use of such as our limited means enabled us to make for ourselves. The floating dam, or caisson, of No. 1 pier, was got into position, scuttled, and the piling fairly in hand by the 19th June. The rapidity of the current, together Avitli the numberless boulders Ij'ing in all directions, caused more delay and trouble tlian was anticipated. This, in addition to the ditHculty of getting men competent to handle such unwieldy things in so rapid a current, raised great doubts as to the economy, cither of time or money, resulting from this mode of proceeding. The dam once in place, the piling and puddling proceeded rapidly. By the 15th July, pumping was commenced, and in a few hours the rock forming the betl of the St. Lawrence was dry, and the toe of every pile distinctly visible. It was a curious sight to stand upon the deck of the dam, and to watch the waters /^ •I 24 COXSTRUCTION OF Till-] of tlio St. Lawrence rush frantically past, while, inside the dam, the bare rock was visible, with the i^iles simply resting iipon it. In the first instance, not a little alarm was entertained lest something should come down the stream and displace the whole. So strong was this sensation at first, that when a steamboat or a barge came against the dam moi'C heavily than usual, every one would be looking anxiously around, with the apprehension that some leakage might be i>roduced by the concussion, and that those upon the dam might be compelled to seek safety in a precipitous retreat. The dam, however, stood well. By the 22nd July, the first stone was laid, and on the 14th of August the masonry was above water level. From various causes beyond control, the pier was not finished till late in November, too late by a few days, as it happened, to allow of the dam being removed to the shore, as was intended. For details of masonry of piers, see Plate 21. The floating dam for No. 2 pier was launched and moored in position by the beginning of July. During a storm, however, wliich occurred soon aftei', a large raft was driven out of its course, and tore away the moorings of this dam, carrying it with it a considerable distance, until, becoming disentangled from the raft, the dam was brought up with the anchors provided on board for such a contingency. Three tugs were requii-ed to get the dam back into position ; and this task was not accomplished, and the work fairly progressing, till July ■20th. Various other delays occurring, the second dam was not ready for pumping until the 18th September. When the water was nearly puuiped out, one of the pumps failed entirely, while its fellow, which threw only .some 700 gallons per minute, proved iiisufticient to clear the dam. It soon became evident that there was considerable leakage somewhere, although the water remained perfectly clear, Avitliout any of the cloudiness generally produced by leakage through tlie puddle chamber. Another engine and pumps were therefore put up as speedily as possible. I'.y the 28th a further attempt at pumping was made, and in a few hours the !)ed of the I'iver was visible. It was then found that the rock in this inunediate locality was of a very uneven character, a trap dyke some three yards in width crossing the dam almost diagonally, through a fissure in which a clear spring of water issued, discharging about 800 gallons per minute. As all attempts to sti)}) tliis were useless, the pumps had to be kept continually going until the masonry reached water level early in November. On the 11th November the pier was some four feet above summer water level, and as the season was far advanced, no further attempt at pi'ogress was made. M GKE.VT VICTuniA liUIDUK. 20 In consequence of the extreme difficulty experienced in navigating floating dams, and tlie almost absolute impossibility of procuring sufficient skilled labour to manago them, it was determined that Nos. 5 and 6 dams should be constructed of cribwork in the manner usually adopted in Canada. jMessrs. Brown and Watson, two of the most experienced contractors in the province, who had succeeded in constructing a dam across a branch of the St. Lawrence at the head of the Co*,eau Rapids (where the current was so strong that large boulders, weighing upwards of a ton, were frequently rolled along by its force), were engaged for this work, and commenced operations in June. The commencement of a dam in the middle of a river nearly two miles in width, full of shoals covered with boulders, and with a current never less than five miles an hour, proved, however, a very different matter to the commencement of a dam from tho shore. Still, these sub-contractors, to their great credit, struggled against every difficulty, and eventually succeeded in accomi^lishing tiieir task. (For plans of crib- dams, see Plate 5.) Their first operation was to form portions of cribwork, some forty feet long, for the sides of tho dam in the ([uict water near the entrance to the Lachine Canal. These were then to be towed into position and sunk. Two steamboats wero employed for the purpose, and after repeated attempts, the towing of them against such a current Avas found to be impracticable. The cribs in some of the attempts Avero literally torn to pieces. Tlie material, therefore, was loaded into barges and conveyed to Lake St. Louis, where the cribs were again formed, and brought down the rapids by Indians. A steandjont was in waiting for each piece as it came into the La Prairie Basin above the Bridge, and towed it lo moorings placed immediately above the site of the pier for MJiieh it was intended. To arrest the jn-ogress of the eril) in such a current was found to be as imprac- ticable as to tow it against the stream, and this method of proceeding had also to be abandoned. The timber for the cribs had therefore again to be collected and re-loaded into 'larges. Tliese were taken to tlie site of the dam, and tlie framing uf the lirst crib wus commenced in the rapid waters immediately beiiind the moorings. After great difficulty, this crib was framed and sunk, and well weighted with stone. The men now having something stable to work upon, the remaining cribs were much more readily put togvtlier and got into position; and although the whole of tho season Avas spent in eunstructing tlie eribwiMk of this one tlani, and the process seemed ,1 '. ' so C'OXSTriUCTION OF THE exceedingly slow ami costly, yet tlu^ experience gained was of great service tlirongliout the wliole jirogress of the work. Tiio first Avorking season id the Victoria Bridge was a period of disaster, dillk'ulty, and tronlile. We had opposed to us, iirst, our inexperience of the cliniotc and of the country ; second, numerous strikes of our workmen ; and, above all, tlie dreadful ravages of the cholera. To these were superadded difficulties which arose from Jealousies on tlie part of many inhabitants of ]\Iontreal, Avho predicted that although we mi^lit succeed in erecting the i)ier.s, the first winter's ice Avould sweep all away. In writing home the agent did indeed muster suflicicut courage, at almost the very worst period, to express a hope that he "should live to see the bridge finished;'' but he must now candidly confess that at tiic time he scarcely saw good renson for such a hope, except in his dependence on the beneficence of a liigher power. Nevertheless, despite all discouragements, it is right to record that every assistant and sub-contractor engaged upon the work struggled on manfully to the end, and never failed in dutv or in zeal. The amount of work iu progress at this period, not only in Canada, but throughout the whole of America, particularly in the Western states, was so great, and the demand for labour iu consequence so pressing, that it was no uncommon thing for an agent from some other works to come amongst our woikmen, and l)y an otter of almost fabulous wages induce perhaps more tliau half of them to leave. The eftect of this upon those left behind was to render them discontented and ready to strike, ludess their demaiul for an increased rate of wages was inunediately complied Avitli. The workmen brought from England were also exceedingly troublesome tliis year. In one instance, a number of mechanics, brought out at a cost of upwards of jL'3O0O, became so luimanageable, that in a fortnight from the time they got to work they were all disorganised, and struck. These men, during this year. nev». Avorked nmro than four days in the week; and although bonnd by an agreement made in Kugland, it Mas found better to forego the amounts advanced to tlidu and let (hem leave, than to endeavour to restrain them by force of law against tlieir inelinalions. Jjcsides strikes ocfnsioned by these caiises, it is almost a custom in Canada for }nechanics and labourers to strike twice a year, let the rate of wages be what it may. The first period of general strike is hi the spring, wiien increased activity in every business is occasioned by tlie arrival of the spring fleet. Tlie .secoiul is at the commencement of harvest, when there is abundant demand for labour. Tiie.se sti'ikes, though lasting a short time ior was finished, and the floating dam within one day of removal, v/hon the ice set it fast, and, beyond removing the staging, nothing more could be done than to weight it with stone as described for No. 2. The north abutment Avas left some six feet above summer water level, with the scows that formed the dam still in position, weighted with large cpiantities of backing placed upon the deck. The most exposed angles of the dam were also protected by large cribs filled with stones, and suniv on the up-stream side of the work. The embanked approach was made up to winter level. No. 5 dam, being of cribwork filled with stones and planked over, was considered perfectly safe, and caused no uneasiness. There are, as already stated, two channels crossed by the bridge, which are partially separated by a bank called the ^liddle Shoa'-i. The inner or north channel takes the water passing between Nun's Island and tlu Island of Montreal, and in this channel No. 2 pier is situate. No. 5 dam buiiig upon the Shoals. Upon the first setting in of winter, the whole of the water north of the middle shoal became frozen over and covered with smooth ice, w lich was held in position and strengthened by the works of the bridge. This continued unbroken till the i-iver had become frozen over, and vehicles IkuI ciossed several times. There had been a great deal of ".shoving" below the bridge, and likewise ui)on the south side of the river guhat victouia nniDOE. 2» above, yet up to Um time the part licld up by the bridge remained \ininjiired, and great liopcs were entertained that tlie temporary worlcs miglit stand tlirough the winter. A rai)id th.iw, liowevcr, set in, accompanied by heavy rain, destroying the iee- bridgo, and setting the river again in motion. For a long time tlie smootli field of ice reraaii.od unmoved, although upon its outer edge, along the line of the Middle Shoals, a great deal of shoving and packing took jilaco. This packing continued till it blocked and completely choked the whole of the channel south of No. 1 pier, and till the grounded ice upon the Middle Shoals, upwards towards Nun's Island, quite separated the waters of the two channels. The water coming down the inner channel being thus pent up, had to find its way between the abutment and No. 1 pier, which, being likewise ^lartially choked, the rise of water and the pressure became so great as to carry away three of the sco^■s from the abutment dam, together with about thirty yai'ds of the embanked approach, the whole of which was swept away oi masse, and deposited some distance below, in this ])osition all remained quiet for some time, the packed ice on the ridge or shoals effectually separating the waters of the two channels ; but the rush of water over the masonry of the abutment, and through No, 1 opening, was most alarming. PI The sco^^.'^ anil portion of the embanked approach removed, became frozen, and formed a portion (though a very small portion) of the immense mass of packed ice by which they were surrounded. As the water rose, the scows were floated away down the stream till the waters subsided, when tlicy grounded again and remained stationary. The river continued to rise, and the ice to pack and shove, until the 4th of January. On that day, the water having risen sulliciently to float the packed ice on the shoals, and the jamb below having given waj', a general movemci-.t took plac;.'. Xos. 1 and 2 dams were carried away in the same manmr as the abutment scows. Tliis move- ment of the ice took place at noon on the 4lh January, and presented a sight never to be forgotten. The whole of the river and La Prairie r.asin was one mass of packed ice, wliirh, being held up by the jamb below, had been accumulating and rising for four days. At last .some slight .symptoms of motion were visi';ie. Tiie universal stillness which |)revailed was interrupted by an occasional creakii>g, and every one breathlessly awaitetl the result, straining every nerve to ascertain if the movement was general. The uncertainty lasted but a short jieriod, for in a few minutes the uproar arising from the rushing waters, the cracking, grinding, and shoving of the ;io COXSTRI'CTION cF Till: fk'lils of ice, burst on om- cars. Tlio Hifj;lit of twenty .square miles (over 12l,()0(M)00 tons) of packed ice (wliicli but a few niinutes before seenieil as a lake of solid rock) all in motion, presented a scene grand beyond description. The traveller-frames and No. 2 dam glided for a distance of some hundred yards without having a joint of their framework broken. Pmt as the movement of the ico became more rapid, and the fearful i.oises increased, these tall frauieworks appeared to become animate, and, after performing some three or four evolutions like huge giants in a Avaltz, they wei'e swallowed up, and reduced to a shapeless mass of crushed fragments. After gazing at this marvellous scene in silence, till it was evident that the heaviest of the shoving was over, all those in the transit tower from Avhicli it had been witnessed, began to inquire how the solitary pier, No. 1, which had been battling alone amid this chaos, had escaped i Although some affected to entertain no fear, the author confesses, for his own jiart, to have felt infinitely relieved when, upon looking thri/Ugh the transit instrument, he discovered that the pier had not been tlisturbed. The ice bridge formed on the 5th of January, after which there was no further movement till the sjiring. CHAPTER VIII. WORKS. [1855.] DuRixci the winter of 1854 and 1S55, very little preparation was made for proceeding with the work, beyond providing timber and quarrying stone. Neither was the third floating dam finished. The financial state of the Conqiany, and the rise in the value of money caused by the Russian war, prevented any work being proceeded with, or any preparations made, tliat Awre not absolutely needed to keep the best men together, so that in case of brighter prosi)ects the season might not entirely be lost. On the 20th of April the ice began to show signs of movement. On the 21st it shoved over the embankment, and some clear water displayed itself in tiie La Prairie Basin. IJut it was not till the 28th that the river was clear enough to allow the steamers to leave their winter (piarters lor the harbour of Montreal. OREAT VICTOIIIA imiDGK. 81 On the 5tU of May the ico brulj,'e at Quebec broke up, the crossing to witliin f fow (lays of that date havuig been safe. Upon an inspection of" the works, the masonry botli of tlie piers and the abut- ment was found to liave remainod sound and uninjured. The (hunago and loss sustained iiad been limited to temporary works only, viz., iloating dams Xos. 1 and 2, the scows forming the abutment dam, and the material washed away from the embanked approach. The making good of the last gave more trouble and difReulty than was experienced in lis original construction. The (piantity washed away amounted to some 9000 cubic yards. The season commenced, as usual, with strikes of the workmen. Upon the bridge-work the men were content and satisfied ; yet they were compelled, by the (iLsartectod from other works, to remain idle till the strike was over. ' '111 ■ I'm The programme of this year's work was not decided upon till the season was far advanced. Ultimately it was arranged — To finish No. 2 pier. To build crib-dams and put ii foundations to simmer water level, for Nos. IJ and 4 piers. To complete dams Nos. 5 and G, and put in foundations to summer water level. To build dam for south abutment, and carry up the work to the summer water level. ;■! For No. 2 pier the masonry was commenced Augur » 7th, and the pier com})leted October 2()th, the staging being erected upon two scows built for the north abutment cofi'er-dam in the ])revious year ; one scow being placed on each side of the pier, sup- ported upon legs or j)iles, as the floating dams were. The whole of the floating dams built to this and to No. 1 i)ier had been cleared away by the ice, leaving the masonry perfectly char. The dam for the south abutment was connnenced as soon as the ice cleared awfiy, about the middle of May, and was proceeded with very vigorously. The water on the south side of the river being shallow, and with a current not exceeding two miles per hour, the cribwork of which this dam was constructetl gave V'.iy little trouble. The materials were conveyed to the works by means of a 89 (•(•NSTIlUf'TloN dl' Till', tratiuvMy hiid upon cribs, cuiistriictcil in tho Haiuo UKinncr iih tiiaL used for tho north abutment. This (lam was C0i.".mo"'^i'il imi-.ediately upon tho brt'aliinjj; up of tho ico, say iiy tlio mi(hllo of 3Iay. Tt was completed and pumped out by the SOtli July, iiomo eight feit of excavation was reciuircd, tlio site of tho abutment being in a hoUow of tlio roe!<. The ground, however, was souiul aiul hard. Tt gave very little trouble, and masonry was commenced on 27th August. At the close of the si'ason the masonry was two foot si.x inches above summer water level, at which it was left. For details of masonry, see Plates. The stone for this abutment, and likewise for several of tho piers on the south side of the river, was jbtaincd from an island, called f/i blotto, in Lako Champlain, Avherc it was found in great abundance. Tt was conveyed from tho (piarry by l)arges to St. John's, a distance of some forty miles ; and from thence inunediately U) the work, nineteen miies, by the Champlain Railway. This stone dltVered but very little from that obtained at I'oint Claire ; it was much more easily quarried and wrought, the beds being more even. Excepting tliat the transverse fracture shoved a cleaner and more even surface, the stone from tho two ([uarries could scarcely be distinguished the one from the other. Tn the work it was only perceptible by the smooth fracture of the Champlain stone producing a less bold rock face to the masourv tha i the stone from I'oint Claire. At the junction of ihe Champlain Tlailway with the temporary track for the bridge woi'ks, was erected tlie celebi'ated steam-traveller, constructed by ]\[r. ChatVcy, which handled the whole of the stone for the work on the south side of the river. (Plato No. (i). This traveller was sixty feet .span, moving upon gawntrees, 1I{0() feet in length and twenty feet in height. Tietwcen these the stone was .sorted and stacked ready lor work. Tho engine and lioisting ii]ipar;ilus formed one machine, moving transversely upon the tra- veller, which was likewise moved hjngitudinally with tlie greatest facility by the steam l^owcr. The macliine uidoadcd the waggons, and stacked tho largest blocks of stone, some of wliich weighed ten tons, with (he greatest ease. In addition to all tliis, it performed tlie work of a locomotive : for, after the train was once placeil between tho gawntrees, it did all the shunting re([uired. Over 70,000 tons of stone were moveil twice by this machine: and, although it was most rudely constructed, and frofiucntly handled as roughly, it remained, at the close of the work, an efficient machine in good working- order. One man only was recpiired upon the traveller, with one other to lewis and (JUKAT VICTUUIA llUIDOi;, 03 Ktiitk tlio Btoiie. TI1C80 men, with the asHistanco of a hihourcr to pump water, wero all that were ivcpiiicd to maiia<^c the uidoading, Hortuig, staokhig, an dam was planketl over and made secure till next year. Dam No. 4 was built of cribwork this year, but being upon the centre of tho ^Middle Shoals, with a toleiably even bottom, very little diOiculty was experienced iu its construction. Tlie lloating dam, commenced in '854. wag also completed ready for launching, it being intended for No. 7 i)ier. A rcsinnr of the season's operations shows — Tlie north nbntment carried up to winter level, with tho embanked ajtproach made good to it. Nos. 1 and 2 piers finished. Nos. .'{, 4, and danis complete. No. 5 pier two feet two ir jhcs above sunnncr water level. South abutment two feet six inches above summer water level. The cost of the work this year was much increased by the financial depression which had caused the loss of the best portion of the season. As it appeared ])roljable that this Avould continue during another year, the Avrlter strongly advised the abandon- ment of the contract, if such a thing could be accomplished. Abundance of ])iant and material, able assistants and foremen, competent contractors and workmen, all sharpened and exjicrienced 1)V their former mishaps, were jeady for the prosecution of the work, and to lose these by delays, and eventually to have to replace them by inexperienced men. (diKAr vnrrnuiA luiuxfi:. :>.'> was a contingency ho nnu-h to hv ilreiulcd that any HiiciiUct' iij^K'nrcil to bo liuttur tlian till' fontinimncc* of tlu' work in such a stato of uncertainty. hilVoriMit vicwH njton thcHo matters |iievaiic(l, howovor, in oliicr iinaitcrs, and it rcmaiiUMl to tlio contractors who had uiid( rtaiicn tiiis ;.;i'cat cnteiprisc, to contiiiuo thcii prosucution and to conii)lctc tho woik« they had conunencotl. N CIlAITEIi IX. WORKS. 1185(1. 1 'rni: snow storms of tlie winter of ISfl.'J-O were far more formiihihlo than any before remembered in Canada. Wiien strong winds and intense fro.sts occur siinultnnconsly (a very rare occurrence), the minute i)iutieles of wliich snow-iUift is composed pack so ch)se]y tlnit tliey beconn^ ahuost as Iianl as a well-beaten load. The writer has driven over a newly furmid snow-drift of this kind fifteen feet deep without leaving more than a faint iini)ressi<)n of the horse's feet, and no tiack w hatever of the runners of the sleigh upon its delicate surface. Our iirst operations this year were to frame and sink mooring cribs from the ice for piers Nos. 7, 8, J), and 10. Those for 8, [), and 10 were in pairs, twenty feet apart, but so arranged that by dropping an apron, hinged by a timber laid across, upon Uie down-stro'im end of the cribs, it would efl'ectually stop the current, and form an eddy in which the ciibwoik of the dam could be constructed. The cribs were sunk soiue 100 feet aliove the site of briilge. The ice bridge which was formed on the KUh of January liroko up on the 10th of April. Tlu! river became dear, and the Iirst steamboat was in harbour on the 24th of April. This season's operations were in all resiiects similar to those described for last year. No. .'{dam was pumped out by the 2nd of .June. At the bows of this dam, wliere the excavation was twelve feet deep, a vein of clear blue clay was found, Avhile 80 COXSTRUCTION OF Tiir; along the north side and across the stern, where the water was deeper by some ten feet, there was notliing but bouhlers intermixed with gravel and sand. When the water was pumped out of the dam considerable leakage was discovercil along the whole of this space, the water appearing to percolate through the stratum. To stop this, another row of slieet ])iling was driven, breaking joints with the first, but to no purpose ; for as the finer particles were washed out from between the large stones, the Kakagc increasetl. A third row of piles were then driven, many of which penetrated (lie loose stratum some eighteen inches or two feet, twisting till they were probably at right angles to the line in which they were first pitched. Eventually, after nearly iilling the puddle chamber with piles, and after the water had burst in many times, 1 (ringing large boulders from under tlic puddle chamber with it, the dam was maile tolerably staunch. The masonry, which was commenced on the 9th of Jxdy, was c(mi[)leted on the .'U.st of October. Xo. 4 pier presented no dilHculties, the water being shallow, and the ground excavated solid, witliout any clay or running saml • cut (hrougli sunir ei^ht I'ert in (I( ;itli nt' it, an np('i\'itii)n Imth teiiinii^ and Jiniioying. During the wliole (inie (Iiis work was in prdgi'css, \\-;\r was (■n(ert;>ini'd Ust the water miglit lind its wav amund the stone into tlie dam ; as (lir boulder, to all GRKAT VICTOniA URTDOK. 37 appearance, extended under and far beyond the ou^sidc of the puddle trench. Fortu- nately, it Avas so firmly imbedded in the stratum by which it was surrounded, that not the slightest leakage occurred, and the masonry Avas commenced on the 24th of July. No. 5 pier was completed on the 3rd of October. No. G dam. — In consequence of tlie partial displacement by the ice of one of the cribs forming the liead of this dam, great difficulty was experienced in making it staunch. The object was not accomplished till the 21st of July, although pumping connnenced on the 19th of May. No excavation was required at this pier, the rock being .'ar. Xo. 23 pier was eominonced on the 1st of Oetuljer, and completed lui the loth ut' Novemijer — under seven weeks. In the erection of tliese piers, the steam derriek, constructi'il expressly for the piu'pose by .Mr. Chatrey, was used. (See I'lato Xo. 7.) liy this machine both the hoisting and setting were performed witli the greatest facility, it iieing a most perfec! derri m 38 CONSTRUCTION OK THE The south abutment was this year carried up to the tube level. The material for this abutment was conveyed to tlie work by the tramway ui)ou cribs put ilown last year, and now extended to Nos. 24 and 23 piers. In the rear of the .abutment, upon the cribwork of the olil dam, which was still in place, sidings Avero laid, into which the trucks carrying the stone for the Avork were shunted. Gawntrecs, at iight angles to the line of the bridge, carrying a series of travellers covering the whole length of the work, were extended over these sidings, and by this ax'rangement the stone was taken inunediately from the trucks to any part of the work. Common travellers were used both for hoisting and setting ; a shaft running the whole length of the abutment, worked by a belt from a small engine iixed below, had gearings attached to it (in each of the traveller spans) driving sockets, into which the si)indle3 of the hoisting-jenny fitted. Tlie men working the traveller had merely to lift the stone till it cleared the truck, then to move the jenny, and place the spindle into the socket, turn on the power, and Avhen tiie stone was hoisted sutiiciently high, remove the traveller to tlie phicc where it Avas recpiircd. All the hoisting was done by this simple contrivance, and as manual labour for sef.ting the stone Avas generally preferreil, tliis arrangement Avas used throughout the Avork, and in all instances Avliere iiuistiiig l)y travellers was retjuireil. Tills year tlie north abutment was carried to thirty-two feet above summer water level. Tlie stone for this abutment Avas brought along the embanked ai)pro;ich, now some twenty feet above sunnner Avater level, to a staging erected for that purpose, in the rear of the abutment, and upon Avhieii a tramway was laid. A series of travellers crossed tlie track at right angles, and exli'iided over tlii.: track. Tliey took the stone iiiinieiliatL'ly iVom tlie trucks to the work, s(j that no hoisting was ivciuired. In the niontli of September, 8(10(1 cubic yards = 21(),()()() cubic i'cet, f)f masonry Avas set, being at llie I'ate of 1'3 culjic feet jier working minute during the Aviiole of that period. There being no .service ground at iiny of the piers for tiie stacking or sorting of masonry, evciy cour.sr of stone had to l)e prepared, sorted, and .shl])ped upon the deck of barges, exactly In the order and at the time lequlreil. A course, or even a stone, Avrongly sent, the slipidng of any one of the (pioins or ice-liieaker stones, while I'clng (. GIIHAT VICTOIII.V URIDG]':, 30 lioistcd, so as as to break it, caused delay and disorganisation throughout the whole of tlie work. Occasionally a barge, with a course or portion of a course, would get aground, wlien immediately the whole of the force employed on the pier to which the stone belonged would be thrown idle ; anc', although there might be several laden barges at the pier, yet all must wait, and the pumps must be kept going night and day, till the barge Avas got off, and the stone rc(iuirod was put in place. In some few instances, the whole force employed upon a pier lias been kept idle for several days, simply from the breaking of a chain while one of the shoulder stones were being hoisted. These stones were very large. They weiglied from ten to fifteen tons ; were of pecxdiar shape, and required a very large block of stone to make them, so that the breakage of one was a very serious matter. The quarrying, working, shipping, towing across the lake, through the canal, and eventually against a current of seven miles per liour to its destination, occupying sometimes more than a week. The cost, loss of time, and vexation caused by such an accident, can only be understood by those who know and have experienced the shortness of a Canadian working season. That season is, at the outside, six months. Tlic earlier portion of it was taken up in preparing for the setting of masonry. It was, indeed, seldom that the setting of stone was fairly 'commenced before the middle of August ; and it was quite certain that all work must , se by the end of November. Sixteen wceh, therefore, constituted the whole of the .vorking season for the pier masonry. ■4- ■h The amount of material used in the work this season, was III .Mii'^otiry rudillc clny 'i'ilillx'l' . Stone, for wcigliiiig cri'i 879,120 cubic- feet. 13,22:! cubic yards. 311,150 feet. 11,793 tons. +aJ 'm Daily consumption : — Masonry Puddle clay 'iuuher Loose stone 9,1, J 7 cubic feet. 1S3 cubic yards. 2,805 feet. 123 tons. I •J HI ■'1 I 40 CONSTUUCTIUX OF THE CHAPTER X. WORKS. [1857.] Thk ice bri.lgc across the St. Lawrence formed in 1857 during the first week of January. It broke up on the Utk of April The first stean.boat can.e into Montreal iiarbour oa tlic IStli of April. _ Cireat d.lay was caused, during the cailier portion of this season, by the uncer- tan.ty winch prevailed as to v, hether the Con,pany would be able to provide the n.eans tor proceechng M-ith the work. It was not until the end of June that definite instr-.ctions were receive*], and the an.onnt of work to be put in hand dctennined. The most valuable part of the year was therefore lost, and work that n# have been done to advantage with great ease at the proper .^eason, had to be performed in November amidst cold and snow, at increased cost and inconvenience. ft ^o. 18 p.erwas commenced early in the season, it being determi.ied that the floatnig dam used at No. V j.ier .should be u.sed this year at No. 18. This dam was accordingly cleared of ice. pumped out, towed up the stream and moored to a crib (sunk dunng the winter for that puri)ose), on the 10th of June. O. the ^rnh of June, scuttled and commenced the inner frame-v.ork to form ])nddle chamber. August 18.-Pumpc.l out wat.'r and commence.l excavation. Hock was found at nu>e feet below bed of river. On the 2M. of August commenced masonry. TIu^ pier was completed by ti.e 0th of Xovend,er, and the caisson was again lloated and taken to Its wmter-(piarter., at Boucherville, by the end of Novc.ul,er. Nos. 19, oo^ 21, and 2-2 dams were constructs of c.ibwork. in precisely the .same n.anncr as Nos. 23 and 2-1, the n.aterials being conveyed to thenx by means of a ten^po- rary track laid down as last year. The excavation of f;,m>dation for No. 20 pier ..ue a great amount of trouble, from the continual breaking in of the ground under the piles ORKAT VICTORIA URIDGE. 41 i Tlie whole of these piers were completed this season, No. 19 being the last that could be approached from the shore by temporary tramway. Dams Nos. 8 and 9 were built this season. The mooring cribs for these dams were sunk from the ice in the winter of 1855-6, it being intended tliat this work should liave been proceeded with during tlie previous year. Tiie second winter's slioving destroyed or removed a portion of these cribs, and dejjosited them upon site of dams, causing great delay in tiie commencement of the work till the cribs were replaced, and subsequently great loss of time in the removal of the debris of the cribs before the dam could be commenced. No. 8 w as commenced about the middle of July. The pumps were tried on the Gth of October, when a strong leakage was discovered under the front puddle chamber. This leak could not be stopped, nor the water lowered, by three sets of pumps, four of 18-inch diameter and four of 12-inch, driven by three 10-horse engines, although they thre>v' some 5000 "allons per minute. Ultimately the dam was secured and left till another year. No. 9 was commenced, and the iirst crib sunk, on the 7th of July. Dam complete for pumjjing on the 11th of September. A heavy leakage showed itself under the front i)ud(lle chamber. Another set of pumps were put up, by which the water was lowered sufficiently to show that the leakage proceeded from the remains of the mooring crib in the puddle chamber, which had not been effectually removed by the divei's. An inner puddle chamber Mas immediately formed, and the leakage was so nuich reduced by the 2\u\ of Novemljcr, that the rock was reached at twelve feet below the bed of the river. I'.y the 3rd of December, the nuisonry was 18 ft. 4 in. above summer wat(;r level, but at that time the weather became so .sevo'C that it luul to be abandoned. 'i'he sluirtnesfi of the season for setting masonry, induced at this time a con- ^i.!e^ation cf the advisability of using felt to bed the ashlar in, as at 8t. Anne's Bridge over the river Ottawa, where several of the i>iers were so constructed, and made good sound work. Striiis of as]>halted felt, about three inches in width, were laid along the wlioie of the front edge of the masonry, at such a distance in, that the work might he effectually pointeil. On each of the cross joints similar strips were laid, as likewise at the back of the ashlar. As soon as one course of ashlar was hiitl. it was dressed perfectly fair on the bed to a straight edge for the recei)tion of another course, which was laid on in a similar manner, the i)acking being laid dry and packed as closely as l)ossible. Open sj)aces or flues were left, about one foot square, throughout the whole height of the pier. The work was completed in this manner during the winter ; and, as soon as the weather permitted and the frost was fairly out of the stone, the jjiers I'! m 4-2 CONSTRUCTION OF THE were carefully pointed, and the whole of the interior well grouted from the Hues. Tiio whole thus became one solid mass ; the clear water which filtered through the pointing showing very accurately the progress of tl j grouting. I now come to describe a portion of our operations wholly diflerent from the operations of any preceding; period. Our works had previously been limited to the erection of the piers to c:\vvy the tubes, but this year we were in a position to com- mence the tubes themselves. No. 1 tube was placetl together in the course of this season. The staging Avhich we erected for this tube is shown in Plate No. 8. This staging was constructed with scows, 60 feet by 20 feet, which were moored iu position, scuttled, and kept in place by piles sliding in grooves in the manner described for caissons, or floating dams. These piles, when ffiirly fitted to the rock, were bolted to the sides of the scows, and the tops levelled to receive the sills upon which the framing carrying the truss and platform was erected. Upon the lower chords of the truss (constructed upon the Howe jirinciple) were laid timbers, forming a platform 24 feet in width, closely planked with U-inch deals. The upper chords, Mith .some slight framing to .".'.'just the height, carried raiLs, upon which were moved the travellers used for erecting the tubes. The iron was brought directly from the workshops to the platform v.pon a truck, and with these facilities no difficulty was experienced in putting the tube together. The platform Avas kept about 3 feet to ',] feet G inches below the under side of tube level. Three lines of longitudinal timbers were laid the wiiole length of the oiiening, upon which were placed transverse jjieces of timbi'r, 12 feet by S, at intervals corresponding Muth the keelsons of tube — say seven feet apart, Tliese transverse i)ieces were ujion packings, each being adjusted by means of oak wedges. The transverse timbers being all hiid down and roughly adjusted as to level, ranging lines were carefully strained on each side of the tube, to which the iron plates forming the bottom of the tube were accurately laid. V,\ means of screw-bolts, held tirndy together till the wliole of tiie bottom was plated, tlie I'ivct-lioles in the various tiiicknesses of plates were broiight tDgcther as accurately as jiossibie. Evi'ry hole in wiiicli tlare was not a bolt was rimeivd by a tool (see riate 9) to exactly the size of the rivets by which the worU w.ts to be fastened together. As tlie rimrring proceeded the riveting followed ; and wlien it was so far advanced that the bolts holding the plates together were no longt';- rcijuiird, tlicy were removed, the holes rimered, and rivets put in. This was continued till the whole of the l)otloni was coin[ileted, and the keel.-.on bars, iVc, in [ilace. Kx[KTienee prcned that wiien the bottom was composed of live or six thicknesses GItEAT VICTORIA llIlIDvii;. Vi of platcH, as was frequently tlio case, it was impossible, with all the care that coiikl be bestowed in the punching, and even by the use of the Jaccjuard machine itself, to make the 'loles come ])erfectly fair, so that rivets of the proper size would go into them. The workmen, if left to tliemselves, prefer l)y means of steel pins diiven into the holes with heavy hammers, to make them large enough to admit the rivets ; and generally, if the plates are not very thick, they succeed in doing so. It will be apparent, however, to any practical man, that the natural tenacity of the iron forming some of the plates would be completely destroyed by this process ; indeed, when the hole is near the outsi 'i^ or edge of a plate, and the tendency of the drift is in that direction, the jiiece will be broken out altogether. In a climate in which the tliermoin'^ter stands at 'M' below zero, or 02- below freezing point, the iron is so brittle that very little rough usage destroys it entirely. The use of the drift-pin for the purpose of enlarging the rivet-holes, was therefore prohibited. It is probable that an error may liave been committed in this prohibition, 1 ut, as strrngth of the tube depends so entirely upon the care bestowed in the manipulation of its bottom, it appeared to be quite necessary to take every precaution. I dwell, how- ever, the mo!v especially on tliis j)oint, because, in conversation with a very eminent engineer, i .\ji.ii.l (.liatin his opinion tlie rimering was altogether wrong. He contended that, although the bottom was composed of seven tliicknesses oi" iron, it was quite practicable that every hole should be punched to its proper .^ize, and .should be so mathematically correct as to spacing, tliat neither drifting nor rimering should be necessary. Of course, if tiiis could l)e done it would be very desirable; but in practice, even with the best work, T r.iust candidly saj' tliat I have never seen anything approaching such i)erfection. According to my view, therefore, rimering is the least of two evils, and I shoidd advise its adoption wherever it is found, in a largo work, that the holes cannot be punched mathematically true. In such cases the holes should be pun( lietl rather smaller than the rivet to be used, and, when the work is well i)lated, every hole should be rimered to the exact size of the rivets, and the use of the steel drift should be avoided, except in taking the plates to their respective places. ,1 The bottom being riveted (•om})lete, and adjusted to level and cambre by means (if the (lak wedges before mentioned, the erection of the sides was proceeded with. We connnenced at the centre, and as the side work i)rogrt'ssed in either direction, closely followed it up by the plating of the to)). In jiutting the sides together, it was found in practice that if the plates in the vertical joints, at their junction between the T bars, were ;.'.lowed to touch each other, the })lates that were in contact invariably buckled as the riveting progressed. It was 44 CONSTRUCTION OF TIIK consequently often requisite to cut out the rivets, take off tlio bars, and by cliipping tlie edge of the plates, allow suflicient space between them to prevent the buckling taking place. The side plates were therefore kept as close as possible, though never allowed to touch each other. Tlie wriior would not dwell on this, but that he has heard men of science insist that those vertical joints should be planed anil made perfectly close, and therefore he things it right to give the results of his own experience on the subject. For details of tubes, sec Plates 23 and 2:J,.. Level marks were given upon the stagings at twenty feet distances. These were tested by the engineer in charge of the work every morning, and formed a datum from which the woikmen kept the cambre time. The top was always the last part of the tube that was completed, and, as befoi-e observed, it followed the progress of the sides as closely as possible ; and as the whole of the joints of the top were planed mathe- matically square and true, if ordinary care was taken ai the commencement in the ceuti'e of the span, no trouble was afterwards experienced — with such care and accuracy were the plates prepared at the factory at Birkenhead. The tubes of the bridge, although erected separately, as if for independent beains, wn-Q afterwards united in pairs, and were firmly bolted to the masonry of the piers over which they were so united, so that no movement could possibly take place. This pier was always called the "resting pier." The other ends of the tube were placed on rollers so arranged upon the adjoining piers that they might expand or contract from the resting piers as the temperature varied ; a space sutFicient for this purpose being left between each pair of tubes. In the early part of the work (as will be .seen by reference to Table, page 84) the first tube of each pair erected was completed and allowed to take its bearing as if for an indejiendent tube. The second tube, when conqtleted, was joined to its fellow over the resting pier, so as to make a continuous tube of the two, before the wedges of the second tuljo were struck. This, however, threw too great a tensile strain upon the top of the tubes when connected over the resting pier.s, and likewise partially threv the bottom into compression for some distance either way from the same points. It was tiierefore decided by the engineers that the tubes should 1)0 built separately, as if for independent tubes, and that after *\\c wedges had been struck, ami the tubes had ta\en their bearing for some ten day:^ th sliould be connected over the bearing piers at day- l)reak, before the heat of the snu -.ised any ditference of temperature between the Ijottom and top. For cambres, subsidence during construction, deflection, &c., see the Tables at p. 84. J ll 'I 1 « lu ^ m>A fe: \ I _^ *". *« -■i^.'SA'Vj*- IK.M Vif! H\.\ ih;i 1 ) i; 1 1 > 1 , i 1-. !,.. ' pi'i'/'ii (■■•■ '-M it •iv\ ,i.!n i j-;iNrlv' Tiidi r ofiii! !»■• 'i-. 1 1 .!,!-^'ri,!!' ' « I 1 1 1 f*! W(. (■< i W r-.;ivi.-,ij■ ,f., I. '\ '' r i t;;,'? : _->'s ■ It ■ :f*^ f >it ! V'-: 'If. '.t ■ '), 1 I ■h "f wiii.tci ftiiiT '!li.l aot bo itm'- ■ ) i' 1 ! ; 1 h.U. :.■,!-■ I'-. uis jiiHu; •) ■■I, iii: t .»"liiK'll'-''-V J > ■!,>>- iT.t»7 cllli't^ IJ iir -[a;j;in:c ibv _ 1 ,ii'.' i\ :n ; •! • iiM \'. :■: •v!..ri- ,\,.- ;,■. .1 wii.L VI.*.. I ii'.' r- * . t'n laiiicr ' li ■ !■ i.'. )r;'; !i|..>;i -vhirli '.'i '-li!-' ■^ ■1^' > .it 1 1 v: >illllK-ll' ■ *. -•I'll !., .-I 1. ■ ' J y^ '% n. '^^" W'^ ,-^» m: #"4:: ffl^ f r f v,^ GHEAT VICTOTIIA BRIDGE. 45 It may probably be thought by many that the stagings used in this woric were unnecessarily heavy and costly. Under ordinary circumstances they would be so; but it must be borne in .mind that any failure or subsidence during the progress of construction would have caused so much delay, as to have rendered the loss of some of the tubes by the aiiproach of winter almost inevitable. Moreover, it was felt that with thin plates, without cells to either top or bottona, unless the staging were made perfectly rigid, the tubes could not be riveted together and finished with any degree of accuracy. This was pointed out to the writer by the late Mr. Robert Stephenson before the work commenced. That lamented gentleman more than once impressed upon him the importance of this precaution, and experience amply established tlie wisdom of his observations. The staging for No. 25 tube was proceeded with tliis summer, and, as an experi- nient, a temporary pier of cribwork was constructed in the centre of the span. It was of a form and strength sutlicieut, as was thought, to ensure its standing against the shoving of the ice during winter. The truss forming the platform upon winch the tube was to be erected was comi)leted before the winter set in, but no ironwork was com- menced. As soon as the ice bridge fairly formed, the tube was to be commenced, and it was intended to be completed before it broke up in the spring. If, therefore, this pier stood well, tlie risk of attempting a similar mode of putting the centre tube together was to be considered. i CHAPTER XI. WORKS. [1858.] The ice bridge formed this year about the KJth of January. In arranging for this season's operations, it became necessary that provision for the navigation of the river should be considered, and it was determined that No. 11 pier sliould be left out for that purpose till the large oi)ening was complete. Nos. 12 and 13 piers were, if possil)li\ to be completed iluring the season, and provision was also to be made for putting up the centre tube during the following winter. To accomplish the completion of these i)iers in one season recpiired extraordinary exertion ; but, with a view to ensure their completion, it was determined that although upon former occasions cribwork put 46 COXSTllTJCTION OF THE in diiriiij,' the winter had been moved by the spring shoving, another attempt shouhl be made this year, upon a larger scale, and with greater care an'l precaution. The plan for Xos. 12 and l.'J dams will be readily understood upon reference to Plate No. 10. The dam head Avas to be formed by sinking three cribs, 80 feet long, 24 feet broad. They were to be of a depth corresponding with the water, so that the ice during the spring shovings might pass over them. The cribs were to be kept expotly in position by means of guide piles passing throi.^h sockets framed in ti;e cribs, it being considered that as these piles coulil be driven ,oi eighteen inches into tlie hard bed of the river, they would help very much in pi en Ling the cribs from being shoved out of position by the ice. The cribs Avcre likewise to be close planked, in on'.er that the ice might the more readily glide past them, in case the river did not rise suflficiently high to carry it clean o\e\: The whole dam head extended to a distance of 112 feet, leaving two openings of 32 feet each, which Mere to bo filled up in the spring by means of aprons sloping ngainst the stream. These were framed in a horizontal position, just above the water level, and were hinged to the cribs between which they were to fit by means of a heavy piece of timber at the down-stream end, so that immetliately the up-->tream end was released, they would swing to the bottom of the river and stop the current. It was felt that an eddy thus formed would give great facilities for building the dam in compara- tively still water. Similar operations had been carried out at No. 8 pier, where nn eddy was formed Ijy an apron, framed, hinged, and sunk between the mooring piers placed for that purpose. These, however, \,-ere some 100 feet above the dam head, and served only as a turnwater to form an eddy, in Avhii-h tlic dum was constructed ; whereas, at Nos. 12 and i:}, the dam head itself was to be formed by the crib.-s and ajMons. The sides of these two dams were to be formed of two scows, 180 feet long, 20 feet broad, with guide piles, walings for sheet piling, &c., same as used for floating ilams. Four of these were constructed and ready for work upon the opening of tlie navigation. The cribs were fi'amed upon the ice, filled with stone, and sunk exactly in position with the greatest care and in the most substantial manner possible, as above described. Nos. 14, 1/5, and 16 dams were to he of cribwork, and, the state of the ice being favourable, ad the facilities for prosecuting the work inviting, it was determined to GREAT VICTORIA IIRIDUE. 47 put in the heads of these dams in one piece, tlius forming a turnwater, behind wliicli tlie sides of the dam could be proceeded witli immediately tlie river was clear of ice. To carry out this project, holes were cut in the ice 100 feet by 40 feet. All surface ice was removed ; and, by means of hooks and tools made for the purpose, the anchor ice was also clearetl away. 'Jribs of the exact size of the dam head were then framed in the water, and kept in position by chains from moorin<,'s fixed in tlie ice above, V"'l by i)iles driven into the bed of the river behind tlie cribs. The piles which were lieid in place at top by the ice wei'e taken away after the '^ribs were sunk. The framing and sinking of these cribs proved to be an easier work than was exi^ectjd ; and so sanguine of success were all engaged in the work, that it was regretted Mos. 12 and l.'J heads had not been done in the same way. It appeared, v.ioreover, as though groat sums might have been saved if similar means upon a large scale had been adopted earlier. The cribs were conijilete by March the 19th. Tlie sheet or field of ice above the bridge, before any movement took place, was unusually free from ice grounded upon the slioils, so that the weight of the who-e of the area of ice in the La Prairie Basin was throv.Ti upon the abutments and piers on either side of the bridge, which held it in place. The ice below the bridge became very rotten and partially broken up in the centre of the river, so that the ice above received little or no support whatever from that below the bridge, and there was also a largo space of open water between them for some time previous to the shoving tnkiiig place. The first movement made its appearance on the south side of the river, where the ice shoved upon the shore and over the embanked approach to tlie bridge. A large sheet in mid-chainiel then became detached and moved down stream, shoving upon the north side of tlie bridge, till it received support from the grounded ice below and from Mort'att's Island, upon which also it shoveil, and where it became stationary. This movement left a large open space of water, extending upwards for a quarter of a mile, for nearly the whole width of the bridge between the abutments. On the 1st of Ai)ril tlie ice covering the La Prairie Pasin broke up, and, contrary to all previous experience, without any rise of water. All our hopes of success were thus frustrated, depending as they diil upon such a rising of the water that the sheet of ice covering tlic La. Prairie Basin might iloat, and pass ovor the tops of the sunken cribs. Still it was some days before the amount of damage done could be ascertained, but when the water sul)sided the whole of the cribs at Nos. 14, 15, and 1(1, and three of those at 12 ami l.'J were found to have been displaced. Thus not only was the wlmle 48 CONSTRUCTION OF THE of our winti'i-'s wo'l; oiitiroly lost .'t 14, !.'>. an. I 10, Imt before a commencement of the summer's work could be made, all that had be -ii done had to bo removed. vXt Noa. 12 and 1.'? matters were not quite so bad, as the <'ribs remained in position. Immediate steps were therefore taken to repair the damage without delay. At No. l.'J, during tlie tin;!' that the repairs to tiie cril)s were being proceedcu witli, and the dam head made perfect, the sc< \.'9 forming sides of dams were got ii.oo position and scuttled : — the cribwork of the euil, and that forming the inner sule of the puddle-chamber, was also proceeded witii. The sheet-pilings used for the outside row Mere sawn dv s(piare 1:2 feet by 12 inches, shod with cast shoes IGlbs. weight, driven v,'ith a Hi cut. ram, 12 feet fali, until they would not inove, or until they twisted so as to prove they Avore lu'iwocn lioidders, and that further (ir"viiig was useless. Tt fieipiently happened that Avhi n tl^e oonercted mass fornnng ll'o bod of the river was very hard, or wlien t'le toe of it ]i\\o caaie directly ii]«>n a boulder llrni'y j;.ii'e(ld"d, it would turn aside completely at right angles, and Avhen the dam was ])ninj>eil out so^uc four or five feet would be found lying along the l)ed of the river inside (ho dr.ie • for this reason it was always rcfjuisite that fi wliole row of [tiles sJiouM lie |>;tclic.' and plain, nl iirnily upon the ground before any of tlieui were driven, or they couid not be kept close and fair after receiving i'ao or three blows of the ram. On the north sivle of No. \'.i dam the piles drove very eii^ily for a leiigt!! of some !j{) feet, .-^oJiie going as deep as three feet. Tn sinking the franK'Work to cany the inner row of piles, a large bonldei' was discovered occui)ying the whole breadth of the /, CJL n laiddle-chaniber. Its removal was necessary iTi JU^b l)efore the dam could be proceeded with. This operation caused a loss of time eipial to six days, ieveral attempts Avere made to split it by blast- ing, wliieh failed Imt it was eventually iXMUoved en iini.-^sc oil the 7lii of July, it weigheil over twenty tons. The oiiter piling bi'iiig all driven, and the inside iVanieWork sunk and seeureil in place, di\('is were enijiloyed to I'emove all boulders and stones from the piiddle-eliambi'r, after which it was c'nel'ully dredged by means of ,'i machine worked by sti'am ]iower, and eon- stiuetcd txpresisly foi' that pnipose. (See i'late 11 i .Ml loose material was by this // #/ V l^: # \ MfX' !. H'H ■•^riHtffk-^Vifr ^ "N^rUl I 'IIO.V . ( rfitt '(mJv lost :it 14 I,', •!. .1 trr. '■ ((t luf %. w*„ *«%' l»' Diatlf, 'ill t1ii»: ('*(.! a uoKiUiCiu-fTiH-ru of the 'ft' 1,1 )t r.\n':r '> ' i'^ :\- f-b; cnl ♦&k itts rCit..uv'.l 111 po-^^iti.ji) ]innM>«iiato i*|i ♦ » J,* f 'h^- Jruiiui^v v'itli.'ii liflny. i\t No n tnm i*$ :.H^ time thiit , ivpaii-.-^ t., [iN-cnU uvrc 1 »mi t!H .Jhj^s h^-ui iruulo porft-ct. >.lu^ s... -s Ibjiuiiii^ «i.lo> .»f d; iirldlf-i'ii.jfuf rtK-il :— Ml.' (-lihwork of tin- , d.l, ;iiul tl itAii'x pi-a<-vct\i\l iius w ti-ij ^(,1 iiitf Jut«cr ujisalso jtrofeodoii with. )a,t foniiinij: Uic iniUM' siiU- of ih 'lis.. sluM-t f«jhjg« t,;,^^} fVjr thf ai\tif?4 ;ii. ? ■M r.-, v i >{nhi<- ]-i fV,u l>v 1: 'It. .. 1 = f ' (Tli, (, 1 '^t'l '"-til •0 ii.-'liilt ■a f , * ' or-iih II' ■J! ri!;-||' ;»'|i. i n;il iviii-j; nioiii .'IW!t' / '■ ' 'Mj -ll ' lie ^"F ,;1, I. i (,.-ti li- .im vsr til! ^ih ,f or I 111 -I :.,,-;!. ui 1 : ,iii.< u ..i-i. 4. :i', i til I- '.11. • I I l'ii._ i!-,i;<: ii')i,(.ifr \v •r..-.,Vi r.il -icrup^'n^ the wliilv Iv; ._';'({» !• '■'.' ;■.,• [■■^■Nil-.-,-!,;!).,l„ ; Ij^ icn.cv:)! was ■Mr.'VHirv "••!••;'■ til.' il;i.|, r.,ul(! l.f |ir^'.-!;,.,|, ,| ■,^:.;l. -.j^ I'l ;r ■ i.i,' i .,,, »»-■-•«.:. ...bEic;^' iiiis^Set '»***!»*«••- ■■«* iilM -1 '^ '■','. :, ,.* Ill 'M '' ''^1 f I il '■ (Jllil I ,•{!■: \l-|,'i ! i' '■'■•'■'' <■■■ •■'.■;')!. .. ,. , • :,t,,) , ,, I i *l I (illEAT VIC'ToltlA KlillMji;, •!!< iiioatiH rPtnoved, til! Mu- liaiil iiiiin'iictrablo roncrotod pan was readied, upon whieli the ilrcdn'iii^' spoon liad no clIV Upon tlie nortli sidt; of ilie datn, wliere the piluM drove so cnsily, II clrnr liuiil lilut- rl.iy was reaelied, the roinoval of wliit'h If drcilj^'iiig wnn Hot nttcniptcd. After tlic drcdt^'in!,' was done, tli(! piiiliil«'-(!liatnl)er was ayaiii inspected iiv tlie (livcis, wild niiide it. !is cleur as possiMe. The inner piles, 12 feet l)_v 8 inclies, wei'c tlien piteli(M| innl tlii' )iiii|(lli' tieneli ti!le(|, .'ifter wliicli the piles were driven in llie siinie ni.'inner MS tlin>;r on tlie ontsidc. On the 2(!tli .7idy the dnni wms pinnju'il out, and foninl to be very Htauneh. The hoidtjers covering,' the lied of tie river were removed, and tlio excavation eoinnieiieed, when a lilowof the pick, within a few feet of tlie centre of the (hmi. tapix'd a spring' of thieU lilack water, which at tirst produced a fountain ahoiit as larji;e as a man's tinij;er. This attracted the notice of the workmen, who crowded round to sco " a sprinji of Ink " (jis they ciilled it) issuiii'4 IVnm the lied of tic river, lnit tliey found it increase in volume so r.ipiilly, Ihiit in a lew minutes they had to iMin [hv their lives, !iiid in a (|tniiter of an hoiir the (lam was full. This leakaj^o caused j^reat consternation, and as no suhsidence of tln' |Mi(ldle iiiiinedialely tollowed. it was dilHciUt to discover where the water had foiiinl its way uiidi'i' the puddle chamher and piles. The jiile enj;ines were immediately put to work, and every [lile tried, till it was Inuiid that alontr the north si(h\ for a leni,'th of aliout ten feet, the piles could be driven further. These bein,n' diiveii till thi-y would not move, caused the ])U(ldle to subside in that locality, and the chamln'r was ai;'aiii tilled u[i. To stren.^theii this side of the dam, an inner pudille chamlier was fornu'd (see IMate 10), provision for which had lieen made ti' facilitate the piiitinu in of the piliiin' and planking' re(piisite where any great depth had to lie exca\ated below the foot of piles. This havinjj; been formed and puddled, the puiiips wei'e auain set to work, the dam unwatered and found to be staunch, till the e.Ncavation bein;L,' proceeiled with, the water broke in aj;ain as before. This second leakaj;e was discovered to have taken place at a spot immediately contiguous to the former leak, exteiidin,;;' some ten or twelve feet further in. It was again stopped, but ;igaiii liroke out : and this state of things cont'iiiied till the whole of the length where clay had In en discovered in the puddle chamber hi'.d been I'epaired. Kventually it was discovei'cd tliil iiiidt r the clay tlieii' was a bed of lioulders and live sand, an oeiitro cril) Miiiik diiriii;,' tin* winttii", .nil wliirli was slinvt'd l>y tlio iff into the site of iliiiii. Sonio (lilllculty waa alao or.porloMCud with tlu' iiiiitr r, Itut tluMf wms no l('akn;;;o at'tor tlu> diuii was |)iniipt>d out on tliu 2nd of Stptonil)cr. Masonry was coninicnccd on tlic liltli Si'ptoniltt'r, and on tlio '.Ud Doci'inhor this pier was conipii'fi'd. Dniini^ tlii' hittor part of tho tiino the pro^^ross was oxwedingly hIow and unsatisfactory, in consciiutMU'c of tho severity of tlio cold ; I)ut it was in)|)cra- tivc tliat till' wori\ slionld lie dniu', and tlicrcforo tlio greatest exertion was nmdc. At No. 17 the floating dam was again pumped out, towed up the stream, and moored in position on 7th ^lay The moveal)lo part of tlio dam was not used tliis year, but n fraiuiiiLi; of eril>worlv was sunk in place of it. (See IMate No. H.) On the Kitli it was scuttled and made ready for the outer piling, which was driven at tho time tho inner framework was lieing proceeded with. All loose stones and boulilers were removed by divers, and the pudtlle chamber carefully dreilged. After this the diver.s again inspected tho puddle tieiicii, the inner piles were |)itcliod, the puddle clay put in, and the piles driven : the inner piles were also again tried, to be certain that no under current had bared their toes. The pumps were put to work and tho dam unwaterod on tho 14th July, just two months from the time of scuttling the caisson. Tliis dam was iierfectly tight, there being no leakage whatever, excepting from springs through the gravel forming the bed of tho river, and this was kept under by the ])umps working one half hour in the twelvi'. The excavation was proceedecl with in the usual way by sinking a sumpt hole for the pumps to tlie level of the rock, or rather some eighteen inches or two feet into it ; aiiii as tlie dip of the rock was invaii.ably against the stream, this was generally made at the bows of the dam. As soon as the sumpt hole was down, the pumps were j)ut in, and a gullet was cut u[ion the rock to the end of tho masonry at the stern of the dam. The gullet was maile of sutlicieiit width to admit of tlii' pas.sage of a truck, carrying a bucket or skip, holding about a yard cube, to raise which, tho steam-engine attached to the traveller was used, or a small steam ci;me was eiecti'd at the bows of the dam. As soon as the tempoi'ary track was laid in the gullet, the lower end was opened out till it was of sullieieiit width to admit the masonry, wiiich w;is put in as fast as the excava- rillKAT YK'ToUlA lllillxii;. ftl timi procccdi'd, Wlu-ii tlic ilrptli to the rock cxcirdod four (ir five fi-ct, it wnn iitwayM iDTeHHiiry that ovury iiidi Hhoiild he piled and pliiiiiicd ; mid as hood as space was excavated to admit of a stone hein^ put in, it was Het close home, ho as to prevent any chance of a break occurring under the toes of the piles. ]W the time the excnvatlon was finished, and the nnse-Htonc in place, the masonry, which had ijeen proi^rcssinj,' siniultanedusly with the excavation, wiis fairly in hand. After thin it was very seldom that any dilliculty presented itself, except tluit of j^i'ttin^' a sulliciciit sup|)ly of stone, which was in itself always a troublesome task, particularly in the heij,'lit of tlie season, when six or seven piers were in hand at the same time. The first stono of this pier was laid on the :23rd of July, and on the .'hd of Scptemher the masonry was completed — ^,just six weeks elapsing from the conimenco- mcnt to the conclusion of tlu' work. The old dam was then dismantled and pulled to pieces, there being no further u.se for it. Nos. 14, J5, and KJ dams, the head cribs of which were removed out of position by the ice during the Hpring-sl>'n-ing, were much delayed, as nothing could be fairly pioceeded witii till the old cribs were removed. To accom- plish this, tvirnwaters of |)lanks and timber were formed in front of the oUl cribs, to i)revcnt the rush of water from i>assing over the work. Men were then placed as closely as possible, who, by working in the water with tongs and hooks made for the purpo.se, cleared away the loose stone from the cribs to a considerable tUpth. After this diveis were employetl, who removed a fur- ther quantity, thus lightening the cribs, till, by means of levers, purchases, ant';iped notice. In additinn to this the piles were groovfil. and every ]><)»il)le care taken to t'lisure success ; yet, w ith all this precaulinu and care, at No. lU the water bur>t in under the piles several times, and it was not till the jtotdiiiles or veins of live Mtnd and l)oulders i-unning umhr and across the puddle eli.'imber wc'-e washed clear, and the iiilcs dri\en to the sound ground below, thai the diim could be made stauni'h. There were dilferent rimes during tin' progress of the work when the writer thought each plan, in its turn, certain to Micr.'i'd. In their turn, howev.r. they all failed, and with all tin.' experience he li.as ar(|uired he is v\v\i now at a loss to decide which plan is the i)cst. I'poii the whole, he is perhaps incbued to think that sin'cos depended more ujxui the .accident of hilling' upon ;i, sound bottom, than uimu any exlraordinarv precaution that was taken with the work. I''ailures. >ucli as those described, in a climate where teniiioinry works couM i-emain through the winter. Would be comparativdy of lilile importance, and would |,robalil\- pas-, unnoticed. I'.ut. in a climate like that of Canada, when, liy the time tiie Work was far euouuli advaiicil |br te-iing. wintei' w.as prob.dily but a few week^ distant, the exciteiin iit produced by only a trilling leakage or lailnre was by no mean> sni-h as we-idd lie ordinarib' cau-ed iiv so ti'itling an occurrence. Ill the month of dune nf this yeai'. anxious delilierat ions took pl.ace .-i- to (he io.»iljilit\ of getting the bi-id-e linishcd and leady foi' ojieiiing by the end of b^."j!l. I Kl I i ''\ ■': nW I ^ ^T. S- M 'r' \ -t ^ ""^. •«*te-. , :r'J -«. i» ! hiy^.r (iUKAT VKTUlilA liKIlxiK SK Could it 1)0 accoiiiiilisliei lent of tlio (!oinii;iiiy, >[i 1 i " wan the (lucstion anxiously propounded l)y the Viee-l'ie- T. K. lilackwell. Tpon niatuiv consideration an affirmative answer was ;ivt n by the contractors ; i nil 1 it was decided that the attempt slioukl be made. From that day the ,<;-reatest activity i^r with the desire to accomplish the work. CWUli'l 1, and every one seei ned animated In coiisc(pieiice of this new ai rnie'cment, \n. 10 dam was commeiicet 1 ()ii the :28tli if dune, liwascoiiil tod on the :21th ..f Scpt'iuber. The masouiy, which commenced on t he / 7th( ■■ October, was complt'tcd on the :iOMi oi November foliowiii--. With th is liier very little diili^ulty was ex] leru'iicci 1. Kvri V pivcautioii that experience poll ted (111 t was taken to ensure success, ami fol ■n it IS coiisii Icred that in live moiitli> / tuiiately everythin-' turned out ri.nht. But ,r timber had to lie framed into 70.000 feet cribs and sunk in a curreii t ruiinin'4 -i^ uiilcs \n-v hour for which 1^70 tons of loose ,toiic wtie iiMiuiretl :2i),(;:20 feet ot i'lles were ill ^s)s>:{0 cubic feet ot ma-oiirv ^et iim| to i!>!IO cubic fc't fol' Iriveii. -I'lOO yards of puddle clay juit lu, il to coinpletioii. t (e,|ual. from the time it w;is commence TV \\ol kin- da\), ill ad.iitioii to which machinery had to bi jiut up for pnm| Mil iioi.-tiiiL;-. excMvatin.Li'. i.ile-(hi\ ni-: ^t e^c, it will be esideiit that much iiiu ,t have depended UJiol- uooi 1 fortune, an' "•'I'"'' ''>' ^'-<''i-"""' No. ^i dam was ;diandoiici 1 ln>t vear ill conscipieiice o| ;i-e under the pile; iheii eir.p 1,..„1 „f ihe dam. Th.. puddle was now drcdued out, and piles ,l,awn across .. ,,f each side of the puddle chaiiib.r. Divers were ,1 II uas f,mn.l that a bed of l;ir,ue bouldei- extended ouite acro» the at the li:c head and down >oiiie fii'. lo\ed. al puddle elKiniln'r, r.etweell Ihc.-e the water found its way. an I lis the >aiid ill which ||ie\ were einoc W.'islied oU t so the leakage incri.'a>ci 1. The reiiio\al of the>e stones wa> a IV] \cr\ tedious wol k ; but afier they were t ,laccd, no further ditliculty 'Vom leaka-e occi ikeii awav. ;i nd the pilin.u' ami \ )Ui Idliiu ll're( 1. The niasoni\ was conimeiicei 1 on ll,c;}l>t of Au-iist. and coiiipf ted on the :2!st of Ociolier, The einliaiikt'd appro.ach on t he >outh >ide of the river wa> inimeiiced this vear. md carried up to win ter level. At the cln>e of th asiui theie wa? illlv No. 1 1 pier to be fouiidei 1, Nos. 14 and If) to be carried up from suinm cr wa ter level, and th.' ;ibutmciit wall- to linish. 'I'lic ureat exei tlolis w hich were nia.le thnui-hout tlii ear mucli iiicrea- llie iiroiia liiliiv of the Company lniiiL;' abk' to (C|H'1i tl e iiritiL; iioin ts of uieat uncertainty arose, uideed, fruiii the ma-mtiule ol l-ebv the end of Ks.'lt. Tlu' only the task to be aeeoiu- r.f .,1 Nirl I- I I '; If" 1 '■''*'■ ••! i ' St rONSTUUCTIOX (IF THK 1 1 > plislu'd ill puttinif tlio cpiitro tube together during winter ; and also in ronipletion of No, 11 pier in time to receive the tubes Xos. 11 anil 12, so that they sliould beeonijiletcd before the winter. During this season eleven tubes were erected, the first being No. 25, tlio scatVold for which was supportetl in the middle upon a temporary pier of cribwork, built sufH- ciently strong to stand against the ice shoves, This staging standing well, the erection of the tuVie was commenced on the l.'Jtii of January. It was coinjileted on the .'Hst of ^larch, the wedges being struck before the ice shovings took place. Tiie ereiM' >" of tubes upon good suo.stantial scaffoldings wiiere no subsidence can take jilace, is -^n smipk' a work that any other description than that given for No. 1 is unnecessary. The whole of those erected tins ?eason were .i> nearly as possibl; laid down to that c'unbre, the results of which are given in the Table. Till' stagings u|ion which tiie tubc^ wert' erected this vcii-mi were of viry >implr con >t ruction. (Sec I'late No. S.) In deep water, scow s wci'c moored and scuttled as Inst year for No. 1, \'y<>ni which piles weri' dn\en to I'arry the transverse timbers upon which the snper-tructure was ereeteil. in -liallow water. si left in tlieiii for piles, upon which the supeistructuri' was erected. The stones for wi'igliting these crili> were all p!;ice(l alio\e wnter. to f;ieiiit;itc removid, the weight reipiisite being tli;it only wliich was sullicieiit to witlisttind the slioei< .ir;iny >tr;iy I'aft that might be driven out of i' coiu' ■ ag,'iin>t tlieiu. .\s ;in additional ])rotectioii iig.iinst riit'ts, sloping timbers were Inid iVoni the c' ■ or iiows of the scow or ci'ili (o the lied of riser, '{'he s])aiis were divided into foar spaces, so that no truss was reqiiii'dl upon the vertical fr.amiiig, a strong ImiLiitudiii.al tiinber lieiiig sullieieiit, upon which were laid tiie transverse tiniliers foiiniii'.;- the platlbrin. Wellington cranes were used instead of travellers for moving the iron of the tnlies. The whole of the iron-work for the tnlies was prejiarid at the Canada Works, * %. ?! •m A ■* Mr I ■ill ; ' '111 I i-iit 1 III! 1^1 i' i lu ,.i 11; ,[ ;)!(.v S(l II I ;i-!uiil i,ii».'ot,.-*|,.t.'ii ffiti '» "hill.! ...,-!:i,^! iin, j^ • ' I'* - • Ml!' >,,, •:.., (!,,■ v,vt^ii,| !>■■• -iJMf.'.-s ''■' f i' II. n! ! 111. I ,(,,,.,• , . I '• ...; -!..• ,.., "' ri,,. "'• 1 >: I . . - \ , - • - ' ill J; jM.uiitt'Wiil ,,,,, ^ ii- 1 .-■ 1 ■ • i' j 1 1 ^' : iv : , 1 il jn k m .j»i IMAGE EVALJATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) y A A> e 4^ % /, & -^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 IJ50 ""'-^ S ■- III I 4.C 2.5 2.2 18 U III 1.6 <^ w 0% /2 ^/ o9^ ^^^' - '';^ ^^ ^. w A> V /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 & 4> c^ ^ ^ ^ ■■^i . !, ! i.r . URKAT VICTUWA imiDQE, u % Is? s*f ...mlv/riwl where a plan or map of each tube was nuuU;, upon whk-li wh« «howjti «v«iy :!!.., T tw"-, angle iron, keelson, and cover phate, in rlie tube, the i>o3ition of ca<;h being • iiupf? and nuirkod upon it by a distiuctivo fignre, ktt^r, or chra-aetBr. As the woik ,>ngre8se.J at Birkenhead, every piece of iron, as it waa puachod and fini.slicd Jbr 4iip- r^^vX, was stumped with tho idcnti'-al mark corre»[Kifttt»rr|> wi*>j that un tl»<; phin [ so that, *hen btnng erected in Canada, although each fcuU w > *.-4 V-f Wlft i*nt». 'jr 9H52 :ui- a pair, the workmen, being provided] with a ptett *# ^ ^ '** ■j'Avu }iieo<.' I>y pit^cewith a*«rriag oertftimtjr tiU jffe* f*«h< "^^ spectator thi;-( [>io<^«^i "tppWi^ »» ««w|*W'i ''■'■ ;*' {HittKigtogethtirof &Cyikr*' <%,!<» *o« p^rf^Aio liotul in making the plans, in j.., ?*■! |«iii«>^Hg *«* kinen. .•«•*-, -., •rth.'K it arrived in Canada (*'iiHt»; no nt^a hr eaeb tube *ft». as »t ans. - •^!;<..-5.»il separately ftjr use), tliR workusuao being pwvidi-d with the piAii m^M pr'*;.v ■ '.\ih hin work throughout, and never put- a piece in the wrong place, nor have kt si=*-r » single plate. It waa not uniiitetcsiting to wat<;h the gradual dimiuution of the pilo ol' ]rou on the placform m tho work progrc-^seil. and eventually to see the last piece taken 'u tin i;p some out-of-the-way hole ''■ completed. 4'H^ m 1*: I -^1 ^ -.^me to recmvQ thiJ iik. vil! they Avero high ffSvyi'wn t«- *= ncv^^-- 'Ue n;»*!;ing, ths- ?^'id4 v-?' ■si.vis ^^^b*^; iHi. jf'".- on ihe face of jiie ■{«»e'«'4*„ s?«t*% '•'«' . : \.vi I'A woul h* ' T t -1 \! tids period tlio •^.tuohtt ^mm frf *^^ n^v.¥ WSH s^* io;»efc ''i^ ' » t*:- ^ iii|».>nvry workn noM" in thf^ th^-op wat^r, tj*at fii« 6nri*«s»t was im-^i^md gfm^.i}, auii i{ :,its ^dmifv<; bfin^ t-.voijrabk to such :iu operation), and then to Btnit it off iot.t rhe rurn.ut. fiom r.!io dam. t'tl s'.nk h m 5«peedilv .as p(>s.-iU)le. Of course heavy nioorin>?:s \\< fv l.tid «1 tlio iTih ;o piftce asxainftt. liie stream, and chains were b'jt'wi-** made fa^t to the U»v¥ S.'h 12 After nuinerou-s delays and failnrea. tlw? tirHt riih wan «\uik and *t,v>ii*'t ■I' *%'..;■ His iiitend.-d pimiliou. The wst-nid VftJ^ tij^'^B pr>>«edcd with in » -imji'-f .'unfv, but not with the -^aim «ujee*w ; fm. mhtm itesi' fs-o«Jiding, t'n- i?»; »''n^* - ; . (10 ibrtv !'H.t. And ther** wn«.no aiteraative but eiih«r to cut idi ftwav ,,('i '^ v ■ -^iiik the ci'ib wliere it was and eonsmv ficr mothBr immeditttt'i' *' i m r i. ; Si ii d *^m 1^ .i' li 1; GltKAT VICTORIA BRIDGE. 55 Birkenliead, wliere a plan or map of each tube w s made, upon which was shown every j)hite, T l*!"'. angle iron, keelson, and cover plate, in the tube, the position of each being stamped and marked upon it by a distinctive figure, letter, or character. As the work progressed at Birkenhead, every piece of iron, as it was j)unched anci finished for shii)- ment, was stamped with the identical mark corresponding with that on the plan ; so that, when being erected in Canada, although each tube was composed of 4U2G pieces, or 9852 for a pair, the workmen, being provided with a plan of the work, were enabled to lay down piece by i)ieco with unerring certainty till the tube was complete. To an uninitiated spectator this proceeding would appear as complicated and hopeless a task as the putting together of a Chinese puzzle ; but to such perfection did they arrive at Birken- head in making the plans, in preparing and punching the iron, and in shipping it, that when it arrived in Canada (where the iron for each tube wps, as it arrived, sorted and stacked separately for use), the workman being provided vith the plan would proceed with his work throughout, and never put a piece in the wrc ng place, nor have to alter a single plate. It was not uninteresting to watch the gradual diminution of the pile of iron on the platform as the work progressed, and eventually to see the last piece taken to lill up some out-of-the-way hole or corner, and then to hear for certain that the tube was completed. As soon as it became evident that the centre piers, 12 and 13, would be finished in time to receive the centre tube if erected during winter, two temporary piers were commenced in the centre opening, the intention being to carry up these erections in cribwork till they were high enough to sui)port a continuous Howe-truss extending across the opening, the ends of which were to rest upon large stone corbels left for that purpose on the face of the piers. m At this period the sectional area of the river was so much iliniinished by the temporary works now in the deep water, that the current was inci-eased greatly, and it was almost impossible to hold a crib of any dimensions in such a current till it was sunk in position. The plan pursued in this instance was to build the crib in the eddy on the soutli side of No. 12 (the stream which set partially across the piers being favoui'iil)le to such an operation), and then to strut it ofi' into the current from the dam, and sink it as speedily as possible. Of course heavy moorings were laid out aheatl to hold the crib in place against the stream, and chains were likewise made fast to the bow of No. 12. After numerous delays and failures, the first crib was sunk and secured very near its intended position. The second was then proceeded Avitli in a similar mannei', but not with the same success ; for, when near grounding, the moorings slij)ped some forty feet, and tiiere was no alternative but either to cut all away anil begin again, or to sink the crib where it was and commence another inunediately above. Tlie latter . 'i so . < INSTRITTIOX or TIIK ' : !■ i . 1 plan Wiis ;iil(>|)tcil, iiiiil the pier Imilt, Imt not in position to divide the span into three equal openings as desired, tiie sontliern span bein^' very nmcli hirger than tiie others. Every exertion was nia could not be finished in this way, owing to its being out of position ; ami as the additional sti'ength gaini'd l)y its greater length would be con- siderable, tlie jmddle clay and sheet piling were dispensi'd with, ami sm-li piles only were driven as were re(juired to carry tiie trusses, and render the.se inde|>endent of any subsidence that might take jilMce fioni scour under tiie crii)S during winter. The weight of stone in the crilis was (i/jli tons : the sides were dose planked to winti'r level ; and the sloping face up-stream was covered with jilanking of hard wood. (Jreat hopes were entertained that they would withstand the shovit'.g in tlie early winter. IJefore the spring shoving occurred, it was intended that the tube should be independent of --u})iMM't. so tluil no damage to the ])ermanent work might result from any .scouring of the river. u, /I*^-^ I X -^ -J-S *• ^ " ■ . •■^fi^ '' f sii ^sEi ll ill 5=^ N ,1 Ml! "V^i! !•■ i: pin- i nVS'llil '"J■^i^ <,.J TKf. ' ihf pin l>Milt, !fUt not in [lo-^itiiiu I d divide llu' ,-|i*tn iiiUi Uiivo It -[■*;• I Uk' . « !i\rt* wettther tlu- -rslH wtro f.ui»hcil, aiil two tiiirl. t.f t,hi umn wuiv in plfu-o i)y DtMX'rnljer 1.%^' pfogress dia^cram, I'lntt- 1, and ai- > isLtto fur plan of tiMnjioraiy piers nf vrihtt'ork.) A« it at tliis time becaino '^\ idfjH tlmt in a frw day^ oveiy fiaft must leavfetbe river, attcutioti wa» t^irnod to the lioiatiu^ ai|d utifvkiiij^ of tlio tiiol>f.M- r« (puf^it»' for the complrtiiiu of tho work xtpon tiie portion already dnnr, »■> tliat, !is snou a?^ ilu' ir;o bridge fi:>rnuMi,.tl«.i work miglit be re5«in n-d. Foitiinat"!y, m :»r!yj.)t(i wliulo wiis lioisicd. although the work wsis ovtsntually stojiped by the i^iriiyJn,' "f thft buislitiK hc ,v, nv sfejBanvderrick, whirh was !, f el I. a>.% t«».i , ■*-.m ; .* - . l" »*• i'lieri'tr of Mt* r-ft(5 si. !'l«-( i'l'-' . hu.^s'fe-l -^ w'lv'i ' iuii (le.'t jiiieii, were tiliwt «■e- (J,^ ,'»,•. i/i< nt 'in ^l.oi .if (.lie pan atiove water wa*? j>ai.*ked tid! nf \tH,-:- -iUinv Th< puJie ciii\ a\u- s.iiich w.i-^ n->"(l for wrJji?htiiif^ tlie crib, Wfw uned in preference to at.Jin?, from tlte facility it nliorded iii tie,' it?nioval of the crib yier- in the ejisuing nju-in^, Avhen. by ^i'iq>!y drauiim :» l"'-\v -if tin t^hcet jviiew. tJur Kivea^th of the eurrCnt would 8]>eedi]j w.tsh ;(.way tin whoU: uf lie r!:iy, rciideiiatr recourse to diviri«i unuecefcH'irv, 0^ The seeo (1 cii'i could iioi lie fiiu.->he.f j.i)-ii;.)!, and a^ '',i .-uMlf ionrtl '-trenfrtii .i^aiui'd !■> ir- L'rc'itfM li'ii.-tii 'Aonjii bt- i-^m -»ii.');di!c. the I ■ 'If :>:\ and -^iKcf , pi;rijj w.-re d'^pl ;!•-'! v.iiii, ,.'.•! ■^•vL i.ih-- oiilv UI-"! I" .'aiiA t!n> ti'o'VA .iiS \i itii >' t!n.-H<' ,11 (■ (>.ud«;iii et'aiiv _ • ';'»' i>!n-(' Utidi sear i.'fui*-'.! le <■! .;i- 't.u iui? ^.'it ti. i . '1'}, %-.ii<;i,t >-• ,■ -.(.l^ ! .'(■< , {>. i-hi- r >s i II ( .i>.-. fs''.;ik:'ii t" •>. I'ci !. \e) , iintt ~'i • •' •• • ''-tt) vv.ib 'ii.sidv ",.T ' f i.-- ri* >', .)cl . it ,'iope.s were , ■, ^i..>Md .. li,,. , ..1 tl... .;,n ;,^ ;, ,.,,. ,..,..', ..^ ,,,, i before tie.' " i, i' ^i-i' ■*■ »'»i (' .1 i't ,ti .. -*>(»'. In I'l- iiiJetM'ndent of . eiv lr;v. h ,,.- -pi 11,^ -■,, ■uppcii -.) l!i. lln i i\ I I :';- In ill ■'■ .v( Ci ii. . '.' !i "le. ;ii'li; -iHX -se-itiritiu- lit .A s 1 ^ •''5 ti- ?5 -if 1^ ^4 ■ ' i fi fe' '-!! , -Ti!^ T7T1 I t'l '<( 1 'I if ■il I I *i -1 ( ! is I ,1 •'' '. rll ,,.,1, .III ;r !■ I J ' ;'': ! X-^ 5 tl?- ' ■ i!tf.m i iMiW MM> - '"¥^'*, .■'/■A/- ..' I* ii'Si-..' 1 li ;;1^!' i< w\ *|H i. iir ffHEAT VICTORIA BHTDGi;. ft7 inl i t "^ ^ ■ ^li : i X(i. 1:1 (.!.■:• :^f tlio hc;4.i) of th'- ^m'ittie ^\■'.^ urjaHU;.:':' a tiavor:vin;r faaiiurii!. i; ihu Lrurk ' hiil'i: villi inatt rial-* \m i"./ Jii..vfii tu Oi^ o utn* h;!*-' uf Ui- hvidije 'h.uHV, iq.ii;! a tsruli ii Jil d'lv li :n t!it^ ivofk iin i4rf«-><^i io v ■, . i'y pa rt uf tlit" ' xtaMUiif it, •■lino H\i\ Pii'Xin K-'Ui wfn: eoravi^'hsi vus*! n:a-iy (''>r nurk, an-l Uio :;-> ot ;7«Hn'-- .u- tv-;,t w-'-.: Lib-'i- n! ■ -h'j ptsivsv-jfii; u, : hij:^ tVi.' ii"' nm. y- • ■ ti ' I :i v> 17 siiow.s thf p,».^'t»;.;' # tb»* sJioviHg*. of ib.- gnnimlo^l ice, .lud ai tK(^ air hob*. ■ ■'-. \U9 river luui U-tioiuu Hafe fiJif erttss'mg. ' f I -I Hangs of rricn wore .;et to work to form roads «pau t-h*:; ice for tljt.- cot»Vf;yan(S3 of »^ vhilsto t!u^ iviitro tube; and, at'^lve same time, tl)e carjw?ntyM wore rigoio?wly at .» fdiufkiiti-,' thf stai,qu;_fH, ^vliidi fortonoitflj vverc iniinjurtxl by tlie ka. .j,u. t;ir> ICiU, III!; .i:k* ?i-i:\ vv<->sv tVt- *«f.iii« ?' H' <> '^j.,.;. jo- j ■,» 1' * (fvi* for , ■' >|.'>r i!"^ ]i. ■ .'1 > '• " ' " ' ' ' * "'15. ;'i liti -if . ' .If!, <■[.'' it'DM ,.• fin.'' ' 1 <■ ''^ ''li' ■" ••* *■*" 'i'l'^ti Ki'pt ,' jU-; iJ'li) it! t'-.'' ".•t'M-.i '.'■ .■ «'i;l ■i , , : \ If jl 'il. !' r if' 1. ' 1 ',1' 11 I 1 It i t 1 i$ f yr 1 j« ! 1 ! ^k 5g i-' 1 If 11 . r 4' #^' i ,• m ,«^ ;**i ' ; »*■ " if: GREAT VICTORIA BRIDGE, ft7 CHAPTER XII. WORKS. [185!).] The ice bridge formed tliis year about the middle of tlie first wcelc in January, rage 47 shows tlie position of tlic sliovings, of tlie grounded ice, and of tlie air holes, after the river had become safe for crossing. Gangs of men were set to work to form roads upon the ice for tlie conveyance of materials to the centre tube ; and, at the same time, tlie carpenters were vigorously at work completing the stagings, which fortunately were uninjured by tiie ice. January 10th, 11th, and 12tli, were the coldest days experienced in Canada for many years, the thermometer at the bridge registering ro less than 36^ below zero, Fahrenheit. An incline of timber framing was formed from the packed ice in front of tlic temporary pier in centre span to the top of No. 12 pier, upon which a tramway was laid. At the bottom of the incline a small crane was erected for transferring the iron from the sleighs to the trucks, which were then drawn to the top of the incline by a chain passing over rollers fiom an engine fixed on the packed ice in front of No. 12 pier. Attached to this engine were force pumps and hose, so arranged that, in case of fire, a stream of water could at any moment be thrown over any part of the staging. Watch- men were employed night and day, and the engine kept constantly in full steam in case of such an emergency. Upon No. 12 pier, at the head of the incline, was arranged a traversing platform, upon which the trucks laden with materials were moved to the centre line of the bridge ; and from thence, upon a track laid down as the work progressed, to every part of the tube. The staging incline and steam iioist were completed and ready for work, and the plating of the bottr .a of the tube was fairly commenced on AIoiHlay, .'Ust January. By the 9tli February, the plating of the bottom was well advanced, and as many as forty gangs of rinnners were at work night antl day preparing the holes for the riveters. (See I'late i) for tools used.) Tiiese gangs followed each other up as fast as the holes were prepared for them, The gangs working at night were lighted by large fires in \^^ 11 ha w. •m if I' ; 08 CONSTRUCTION OF THE braziers. During tlie extreme cold, or wlien the thermometer was more than 20' below zero, Fahrenheit, if there was any wind at all, the men could not work, as at such times the smallest portion of the body left exposed was frozen instantly. The greatest care was, therefore, requisite. The men had to work in thick gloves, and with heavy coats on. Fur caps covered their ears, and heavy handkerchiefs were worn over the greater part of their faces, so that only a very small portion was viaible. Even with all this care they occasionally got frost-bitten. The vapour from the open water below the bridge in extremely cold weather was exceedingly troublesome, particularly during the night. At such times, when there was any air up-stream, the workmen in a very short period would become covex'ed with icicles, and be driven from their Avork. It During the erection of this tube, scores of men were frozen in their hands, noses, ears, and face. Some had to go to the hospital in conserpience ; yet not a man lost either finger or toe ; neither was any man seriously injured during the time the tube was in progress. There were, indeed, fewer casualties than usually occurred in the summer season upon similar work. And this is to be accounted for by the excessive precautions that were taken, in consequence of the certain knowledge that the slightest carelessness would produce fearful mutilation, and very probably loss of life itself I : 1; .1 On the 12th of February the first pair of side plates were erected. They were riveted together at the workshops by the macliine, in lengths of three plates, making about ten feet, and were brought to the work upon sleighs as the tube progressed. The canibre of the tube was now finally adjusted, and by instructions from the engineers this was not allowed to exceed six inches, which was supposed to be sutficient to cover all subsidence of stagings, packings, &c., during construction. The height from the bed of the river to the underside of the tube was about 85 feet, with a current of at least eight miles per hour constantly scouring away at the foundation. The force of this current, added to the numl)er of joints and tlie thicknesses of the timbering, each of wliicli (with a weight of over 800 tons pressing upon tliem) must give a little, caused during the progress of the work some apprehension lest greater suijsidence should take place than was provided for. The ends of the tube rested directly upon the piers, Avitli planking only between tlieni and the masonry ; therefore at these points no subsidence during construction could take place. Consequently, as the work i)rogressed, and subsidence occurred in tlie centre, the eanibre was constantly altering. This may not probably be a matter of 'I GREAT VICTORIA BRIDGE. 09 any moment where the subsidence is not groat, yet it is, nevertheless, a defect, and if the staging is not exceedingly rigid, such subsidence becomes of vital importance ; for if, after the work is well advanced, any great amount of lifting is required to adjust the cambre, some portions of the work must bo subjected to strains such as they are not calculated to sustain, and permanent injury to the tube might l.o the result. It is also probable with ordinary staging that unequal subsidence ma) Lake place. This is always a source of trouble ; for, without any consideration for that which has already shown itself to be the weakest part, the workman crowds on the screw-jacks at that identical spot, and in all probability puts double the strain upon it that it ought to have. The fear of this, together with the knowledge that there would bo no time for adjustments, led to the use of the continuous truss, which, although costly in the fir.st instance, fully repaid itself by ^'tc advantages gained in the great uniformity of support which it aftbrdod. On the 28th of February the bottom was completed and riveted, 180 feet of the sides were in place, and 100 feet of th j top was plated. On the 11th of March ohe greater part of the iron was in place, and the cambre of the tube, from subsidence and compression of packings, was reduced from six inches to four and a-half inches. On the 15tl; of March a fearful storm destroyed a great portion of the temporary scaffolding used upon the sides of the tubes. This storm was followed by heavy rains, covei-ing the ice bridge with water, and awakening fears that tho river would break up early. Thermometer at 50". Ice getting very rotten. On the 21st of March the whole of the plating was completed, and 18,000 rivets only were required to finish the tube. The Wellington cranes and inclines were in course of removal. IMavch 24th. The ice at this time was getting very rotten, with a great deal of water upon it. The thermometer was at 40', with heavy rain. The riveting was well ailvanccd : only 5600 more rivets to finish. We now made preparation for striking the wedges. The cambre of the tube at this time was four and a-half inches, the subsidence for the last week having been exactly one hiudredth of a foot daily. Friday, the ioth. First movement of the ice. About 2 o'clock several faintly dark lines like ridges made their appearance upon the ice about half-a-mile above the bridge. For some time it was very questionable if they were new, and surprise was '! ..I ' t. I n;^ ■h ■w m ' 1 1,1 90 CONSTRUCTION OF THE expressed that they hail not been observed before. An oxperienced man was sent to examine tliein, and the men contnuied at their work. Before he returned it became evident that tlie ridgos were not only new, but that they increased, and that the whole of the ice in the La Prairie Baain, of some twenty miles area, was in motion, Blioving upon the Middle Shoals and upon the south shore of the river. A panic immediately seized all hands, and most of the men were for running for the shore, but as that was nearly a mile ott", while the ice in motion was otdy half that distance, it was thought wiser to remain upon the tube. In a few minutes all move- ment of the ice ceased, and the men turned to their work again with a quaint remark or two. This day we commenced slacking wedge-s, taking out all except those immediately over the temporary piers. Under the tube, in the centre of the span, fifteen bottle screw-jacks were placed, it being thought that these would put less lateral strain upon the tube, if a movement of the staging should take place, than if it was left supported by wedges. For this reason, the whole of the wedges, excepting those immediately over the temporary piers, were removed. Saturday, 2Gtli. A sharp frost made the ice much more safe, and most of the men returned to their work, so that by night very few rivets were required to make the tube complete. By noon the cambre of the tube, left yesterday at two and a-half inches, was reduced to half an inch, the wedges left in being crushed, the seats of the screw-jacks embedded in the timber, and the screws so bent that they could not be moved. In the afternoon, while taking away thu remainder of the now crushed Avedgcs, the whole of the screw-jacks buckleil almost siuuiltiineously, and gave way with a considerable surge, throwing the weight that they had hitherto sustained upon the wedges and packings, crushing them still more. When these were cut away, the tulje \A-as found to be three inches below the straight, giving a deflection, from the time the wedges were first slacked, of seven and a-half inches, and from the first laying of the tube, of nine inches. The pleasurable excitement that would have been experienced by all upon the work when the wedges were cut away and the tube was for the first time seen unsup- i 1 1 OIIKAT VICTORIA nillDGE. 61 ported excepting at the ends, was very mucli lessened by the siir^'o produced from the breaking of tiio screw-jaclts, particularly wiion it was discovered that the under side of the tube, instead of being straight, or having a little cambre as tlie other tubes always had, was below the straight some three inches. In every other respect, however, the tube was all that could bo desired, l)eing as true to lino and as sound in workmanship as any tube that was ever constructeel. The surge caused by the breaking of the jacks was increased in the imagination of most of those present by the springing back of the truss, upon which the jacks stood, into its original position. To understand this, it is necessary to explain that tlie jacks were not placed immediately over a temporary pier where there was no elasticity, but in the middle of the tube, and, consi'ciuently, between the temporary piers. As the wedges, therefore, became compressed or were cut away, the additional weight thrown upon the jack', caused a deflection of some two and a-lialf or three inches in the truss, which, as soon as the jacks broke, sprung back to its original position with great force. There was much more alarm felt by those upon the temporary staging than by those within the tube. March 27th. — Ice unsafe ; men not able to get out to centre tube. 28th. — Ice breaking up, and shoving very heavily, just eight weeks from the commencement of tube, being certainly one week earlier than anticipated. • 4'' '■ '{ .,4r ■ m Upon an inspection of tlie temporaiy piers after the shoving was ovei-, it was discovered that the ice had racked or shoved them bodily down the stream some two feet. Otherwise they wore uninjured. The same thing occurred at Mo. 7 staging, where the temporary piers were forced some throe feet down stream, causing great alarm to the worknien who were upon it at the time, some of whom narrowly escaped from foiling off by the concussion produced during the shoving. Tlie writer cannot avoid mentioning the anxiety that every one engaged upon the centre tube felt about its being oomplotod before the breaking up of the ice. The goMcral opinion was, that unless this was accomplished it would in all probability either fall into the river or bo so crippled that it would bo necessary to take it to pieces and reconstruct it. i^ii ai Perhaps it is in some degree to this apprcliension that we are indebted for its completion in so sliurt a period and in such inclement weather. Indeed every man IS :a\. ■I M 'I M m if i\u m 03 coxsTiiucTioN OF Tin; lit. 1 . seemed to iina^jino that success dopondod upon liis own individual exertion, and all worked with this feeling as if for very life, irrespective of ronuinoration. I have frcciuontly witnessed in cases of emer-i^cncy groat enthusiasm displnyed by a few men, but I never saw anytliing so universal or so continued as upon this occasion. I iiave before noticed that the whole of the iron work for the tubes was pre- pared at the Canada Works, Hirkenhead (an estaldishment erected by IMessrs. Peto, Brassey, and Betts expressly for the manufacture of the bridge work and rolling stock for their Canadian contractti). At these works every plate, kc, was finished ready for putting in place. I have likewise endeavoured to show with what care and accuracy the whole of this Avas done ; but I trust I may be excused for again drawing attention to the extraordinary perfection attained in the preparation of this ironwork. In the centre tube, consisting of 10,309 pieces, in which were punched nearly half a million of holes, not one piece required alteration, neither was there a hole punched wrong ! The importance of this accuracy may be estimated by considering that had any portion been carelessly prepared, or even wrongly marked, a failure might have been the result, involving the delay of a year in the opening of the bridge, and a loss of many thou- sands of pounds. Therefore, to Mr. George Harrison, the manager of the 13irkenhead works, Sic, and to his able assistants, Messrs. Alexander and Heaj), is due as great credit for the successful completion of this work as to those engaged in its erection. For details of tubes, see Plates 24 and 24/. April 4tli. — The "Musk Rat" made her appearance at Montreal, being the first boat in harbour. The removal of the centre staging was the first work that claimed attention. It was proceeded with as soon as the craft could be got up from their winter-(piarters ; for, till this was done, and the opening cleared of all obstruction and made free for the navigation, No. 11 pier could not safely be commenced. Great trouble, difficulty, and annoyance were anticipated this year, from the river being so full of obstructions to the navigation. These it was necessary still further to increase, and that too in the most frecpicnted and, indeed, only .available ch.anncl. The dams being some 200 feet apart, or rather leaving openings of 200 feet clear between them, had hitherto given sufiicient space for any rafts to clear that had been driven out of their course. But this 200 feet had now to be again diviiled by the temporary piers re(piisitc for tube staging, which reduced the openings to something like 80 feet. It conscfpiently became apparent that a raft, 250 feet by 40 feet, managed only by a few (lUKAT VICTOUIA llUIIKIF,. (t:i Iiidijiiis, woiilil, ill l)!i(l weather, have great ilIlHeulty in gettiiij; tlirougli without injury either to tlieiUMelves or tlie works. Tiie greatest number of raftn ever seen at one time from tiio bridge worivs was thirty-five. hii| Tlio current, as before stated, being very rapid, and cril)s in the centre of the spans absolutely requisite for the temporary staging, some means had to bo devised of putting them down rapidly, so that little risk might bo run of their being carried away by rafts when prol)al)ly half constructed, or perhaps when just finished, and only re([uiriiig weiglit to make them stable. To facilitate tho work, a barge was fitted with a huge triangidar-sidcd skekton framing, about thirty feet wide (seo Plate 13), hinged to tho deck l)y means of a strong transverse timber, and held up clear of tho water by l)loeks and falls attached to a lofty derrick. The framing was so constructed that whoa the barge was moored in position it could be lowered in a few minutes, so that tho four legs of the framtiwork would rest upon the bod of tho river, with only a few feet of tho top out of water. As soon as it was fairly upon tlio ground, stones were laid upon a platform prejiared to receive them, which, as tho framework was only skeleton, offered very littlo obstruction to the current, and was easily kept in position. Planks were then laid on tho sloping part against tho stream, which were pushed down till they reached the grounil. When the whole was covered with planking, tho weight caused by the rush of water up the sloping face kept tho mass perfectly firm, and formed an eddy in which cribwork could be framed and sunk with the greatest dispatch and facility. As soon as the crib was sunk and weighted, the turnwater (as the machine was called) was removed to another place, which operation, after the removal of tho sloping planking and stones, was easily accomplished. This turnwater was used very successfully in some instances, but failed in others ; nevertheless it was a valuable machine, and "f it had been constructed at an earlier period of the work, might have simplified operations very materially. On the .'3rd of May, long before the centre span was clear and free for tho navi- gation, an attempt was made to commence No. 11 pier, aUhough it was now the only chaiuiel available both for steamboats and rafts. For this purpose the barge and turn- water were moored in position, and tho apron, or sloping plaiddng, put in successfully. On tho 5th of May, the cribwork intended to form a portion of the dam head was commenced, and c. .ryihing was proceeding favourably in the eddy formed by the turnwater, although the current was now increased to over eight miles prr hour. At this time, however, it was observed that the lake was full of rafts, and very shortly fifteen could bo counted from tho bridge. ' t ^ 1 [1 ■ M mti >■ wu m coxsTurfTio.v OF Tin: ■poats wore iminodiati'ly maiincil ami pluood in loadiuosH, it bocomiiif,' t|uitn cvitlont from the eourso tlio rafts witi; takiii;^ that they couUl not al)soIntc'ly cloar the work now in conrHi' of constniotioii. Koitunately, nono of ♦' oariiei" rafts stiuck tho work itself. Hut it was no pleasant situation to he in witli theso iieavy masses, eaeh of tliem oonipoaotl of many liundreds of pieces of oak timber, crushing aj^ainst tlio siden ut tho barge and of the turnwater, and tlireatcning every inHtant to curry all away. Two more r.ifts now oidy remained above, one of which was evidently com in;,' full upon us. This raft struck aiil was i)rouyht to a btanil l>y tlie mooring' chains of the barjjes ; and after remaining poised for a few minutes, as if undecided wliich side to go, it swun^' round, and at the same time that one end was erusiiiii^- and j^'rindinu; past tlie turnwater, the other was i)rokeu up by No. \-2 pier ; the len^^h of tho raft l)ein,i,' more than c<[ual to the o])eniii;4, which exceeded 250 feet. We had scarcely time to recover from the excitement of this occurrence, and congratulate ourselves upon liaving escaped without injury, when the last raft was dose upon us, broadside on. This raft, composed of lar;;e baulks of oak, was nuinned by thirteen Indians. It was evident that it must strike us, and likewise pretty certain that the raft and temimrary work must all be swept away. A yell arose from the Indians wlio manned the inft, and who, up to the time it was witiiin one liundred yards of the work, appeared to have been panic sti'icken. Tlie raft struck the mooring chains of the barge in about the centre of its length, nnd in an instant, as the huge unwieldy tiling was swept round by the current, the ■wliole of the men were in the water, struggling amidst the Ij.iulks of timber, which were borne down like straws by the river, and sunk on lach side of us. To save many of them seemed impossible. Two or three were hauled on lioard, but the remainder were whirled down in the eddies (ui(l( r the barge and behind the turnwater, where they could Ije distinctly .seen in the clear blue water struggling to fiee tliemselves from the tangled mass of timl)er. One very old man was seen from the barge for a long time, the sun which shone on his bald head rendering him very conspicuous. We almost gave him up for lost, but he was evcntuiiliy picked up by onr of the I)oats, very much exhausted, but still clutching a luuKlkerchief, in which were the remains of his dinner. After the mass of tinilxr Iiad been held foi' a few minutes, a portion became detached, but still immense (piantities were entangled with the turnwater, which was now di.scovered to bo so much damaged as to be useless, even thou h it rcmniiic I in position till the whole of the raft was gone. Orders were accordingly given (> ut ti OnKAT VICTOUIA imiDaE. 03 all away as quickly as poHHililo. Every axo was iiiHtantly at work, and in a very short tinio tho work of tliis houhoii, to;;t'tl»or with tlio roniaindur of tlio raft, was swept away, and lIoattMl an masstt down the rivor, lt>avln<( wh thankful cnou^di that the nu-n on tho turnwator had CMcapod wit'iout injury, Our next anxiety was to discover how many men wore mlHsing, for as soon as the screaming of tho raftsmen told that collision was inuvitahle, every boat was manned ; and, by the tiujo tho raft had sti-uok, ei^^lit or ten boats' crows were straining every nerve to arrive in time to render assistance. As soon, therefore, as the men were disen- tanjjlod from the raft and could f,'et out of tho eddy so as to be ablo to reach the surface, plenty of assistance was at hand, and it fortunately proved that not a umn was lost, althouj,'h some of them were picked up halT \ mile below the point at which they hae as the scow. Instructions were given to build this cribwork of such hei;,fiit above the deck that when the scow was scuttletl tho cribwork should be level with the surface of tho water. The other scow was heavily laden with stone, stroiif,' moorip',;-chains were attached to her, and she was then taken some hundred yards above the site of No. 11 dam and sunk. Tho scow with the cribwork framing upon deck, securely bolted down, was towed up to the work, a barge was placed on each side of lier, and being held in position by tho heavy mooring-chains attached to the sunken scow, she was scuttled on tho 19th of May as near the centre of the dam liead as possible. (See Plate 14.) As soon as this was done, the crii)Worlc was raised some three feet and very heavily weighted with stone. In the eddy thus formed, wedgc-sliapcd pieces of cribwork were constructed and sunk, which spreading out fan-like were continued till a sufficient width was obtaineil for the whole of tlio dam head. These various cribg were then well bound together at the top and weighted, .so that the rafts could do no further injury than by tearing away a portion of the upper part of tho cribs, which could always be repaired at leisure. Sufficient width having been gained, the work was fairly set out ; dormitories and workshops erected, and the framing of the sides of the dam was proceedetl with in safety. The work now consisted of an cciuilateral triangle framework of timber, with sides I ■ 11 ;^I!J '1' CO CONSTRUCTION OF THE 11 ■* '' ;lf. I'. 'It 11 ,'i 100 feet, and a dei)tli of 25 feet, laden with stone some 1500 tons weight, and sunk in a current running seven miles per hour. It is necessary to realise this to form an adequate idea of the extent of temporary work that was put together in a few days, to enable the permanent work of this dam to be commenced, and to afford it adequate protection. As soon as the cribwork forming the sides and stern of dam were framed, simk, and planked over, a tramway was laid down for the steam pile engine, and the outer row of piles of ]iuddle chamber were driven, divers having first carefully examined the bed of the river and removed all boulders and large stones, some of which were so large that they had to be lewised by divers, and hoisted and raised by blocks and falls. The outer row of piles were 12 inches by 12, shod with cast shoes ; the inner piles were 12 inches by 8. The ground upon which tliese piles were pitched was closely examined by divers several times ; first before pitching the piles, tlien after dredging was done, and finally after the inner row was in place, just before the puddle was put in. By driving the inner row of piling after the dam was puchlled, the piles were in some measure kept from twisting, and were driven more regularly than tliey could have been before the puddle was in place. The pile driving, the framing of the inside crib- work, the clearing of the puddle chamber by divers, the dredging, the fixing of pumps and machinery and the puddling, progressed almost simultaneously ; indeed, at one period, the whole of these operations might be seen progressing at one time. Such a busy scene as tliis dam now presented is seldom witnessed. The works presented a small island of cril)work surrounded by barges laden with stone, timber, steam-engines, puddle clay, traveller stagings, and pumping machinery, in the midst of which were crowds of men appai'ently in the greatest confusion. This, added to the shoutings of the workmen, the noise of the pile engines, the " yeo-heave-yeo" of the British boatmen unloading materials on one side, enlivened by a cliorus of French Canadians chaunting their boat songs to the time of their work on the otiier, amidst a torrent of Avaters rushing past, Avith the sui'ging and creaking of tlie barges as they tugged and tried to break adrift, formed, at first sight, such a bewildering scene of apparent disorder and confusion as can scarcely Ije described. A careful siu'vey, however, must have satisfied tlie obscsrver, that instead of con- fusion, everything was order. Observing the gang of men driving piles with a steam engine at one place, he would not fail to notice that they were as indifferent to what was going on around them as if not a soul was there but themselves. So witli a body of mechanics putting up pumping apparatus, or witli the divers — tlie men working the air-pumps as unconcernedly and with as much confidence as a philosopher would pro- r i n a i' 1 ate ible i " ion. ■ 'if': nk, ■'1 i ter the i f ■ 1 rrro N 1 % \ V 1 I'l •4 m u i 1- I i .1. 1 ii: r fP: « « imw ^!',l .,..-\ii.e <-xi:'>>;m^:iit'i in a ^:\mtit. At anpthor \;h>:f., the dmiging niacliinc, -sv.i^ta ''^ ^ ■ •um I'Tiniue, wMsld !h swn i liiifHl wiUi inou jvrmed with, rammers, intihlling ami wotiunfr tht- <;l;\y nu.i .;'v iiole and rnn>oJ| so that: Usere tmi^bc U- ci; ItnikiUjo. Ttiv Vanouci work - ; n.- I--- ^'*. from Ui; •>!t.?'' i'l I'l if 111.' i;om!!. ^<»' i ' '. '■ '■ ■"' ' ■'■ ■ ■ •< 'A'' ! ■;-., ■' 111 •!' s'"' 1 ' '• .■' ,\, ( • 1 1,1.., I ,\t. if > J^ ... !•;> h'.ti, -am ' r- ■ ■ ; 1 r. f V '■'j^tfh^^-"'^- *•■•■' ■^ "-*> ^«(-'5-*,-^ *> - ,.( ,.: ..' r t'i flu- iMi- •!' 'I • I. ;> i. !■ ' I ti. I ■(■;,-! ru.'i.'M :'■- -M. "♦ ■ V ■ ;» ■ *■' ::, sf^ m GUEAT VICTOULV BRIDGE. 07 sccute experiments in a i^ioset. At another place, the dredging machine, worlced by a steam engine, would be seen scooping every bit of loose material from the puddle chamber, while in the rear were men wheeling puddle into the clccared space, each side of which was lined with men armed with rammers, puddling and working the clay into every hole and corner, so that there might be no leakage. The various works pro- gressed so simultaneously and rapidly, that on the 2nd of August, at 1030 a.m., the engine was started, and pumping commenced. At 6'30 p.m., we were scrambling over the slippery boulders forming the bed of the river, while outside the dam the mighty waters rushed madly past at the rate of eight or nine miles per hour. * :>l Fires were immediately made on the bed of the river, and two gangs of men were set to work, one party clearing away all boul- ders, Ike, from the site of the pier for the exca- vation to be commenced, while the otliers were employed sinking a sumpt hole to the rock. When this was accomplished, the pumps were shifted, gullet driven, and tlie excavation for the first length of masonry taken out by the lltli of August. Tiie illustration is from a stereoscopic view taken of the work at this period, the transverse timbers in the fore- ground being the lower pieces of the inside cribwork, which, previously to the commenc- mcnt of the excavation, rested upon the bed of the river. On the 12th of August the foundation stone of this now called last pier of the Victoria Bridge was laid in the presence of some 300 spectators, and in just six weeks two days from this date 108,000 cubic feet of masonry were laid, the pier being complete by the 26th of September, 1859. All that remained in this season's work, in ortlor to insure the completion of the bridge, was the erection of temporaiy stagings upon which the tuljcs were to be put together. These stagings, as the centre of the river was approached, almost ceaseil to appear like temporary works, — the depth of the water, the rapidity of the current, and the danger from rafts, rendering it imperative, in order to ensure safety, that they should 1)0 as well and as strongly constructed as permanent works usually are. 'i'he turnwater was used with great success in i)utting in tliese cribwork founda- tions as far as No. 11 pier, \ip to which point one crib or pier to eacli opening was suflicient. The criljs were constructed as shown upon drawing No. 15. At Nos. 11, 12, CONSTRUCTION OF TllJi ■lit % I :i 14, and 15 spans, however, two temporary piers were used ; the current being so strong tluit it was impossible with the avaihablc means at liand, to ly the aid of a fiuiall engine, the largest piece of timber could in a few minutes bo taken from the deck of a barge and hoisted into position wherever it might be required. If The whole of the work was prepared and framed upon shore ; each piece of timber when loaded upon the barge being placed in order as required, and having a mark showing its position in the woi'k. a CSreat efforts were made to get the centre span clear for the navigation, but the immense (juantity of materials of which the staging was composed, could not be got away before the I8th of May. After that period the steamboats and rafts made use of this opening to the great relief of the work generally. Still, occa- sionally, from casualties beyond control, rafts con- tinued to be driven out of their course and carried against the temporary stagings. At one time as many as thirteen rafts, manned by more than 150 men, wore driven by a sudden squall against the work. The debris so completely blocked up spans Nos. 10, 20, 21, and 22, that men wei'e soeu walk- ing at the water level across those openings. Fortunately no lives wore lost ; and in the course of a few days, by great perseverance, this im- mense jamb of timber was gradually liberated A loss of time was occasioned by this accident equal to nearly a fortnight's labour ; but we were thankful enough to escape so lightly, for certaiulj', in the construction of our temporary works, we had not contemplated such a contin- gency as having to arrest in its progress i' mass of timber ocpial to 500,000 cubic feet, moving at the rate of live miles per hour. Tlie last staging (No. 14) was finished in October. As soon as the season was suttieiontly ail- vanced, and the temperature of the water favourable, we commenced the removal of ^.'M TO (•< »NSTULXTIUN OF Till: tlic cribwovk of the dams. Some of these gave a groot deal of trouble, boinf;; put together witli rng Ijolt.s niul tilled with stones to a great depth ; while in the dams constnicted during the last two years, the stoue-lilling extended to only some four or live feet below the water. To facilitate the operation, powerful steam cranes were erected upon barges (see Plate No. 17), strengtheneil and prepared with steadying piles. The whole of the stones were removed from the inside of the cribs by hand- nipjicrs and hooks made for the purpose, but sometimes divers had to be employed. "When the stones were removed, very little dittieulty was experienced in removing the tind)er work, Mhich was rijiped up by the machine above mentioned in pieces twenty to thirty tons weight. At each of the stagings a force puin}i was lixed, and ui)on the platform a t'aiiv was kept constantly full of water in case of fire. A watchman was also kej)t on duty night and day at each of the stagings. Nevertheless several stagings very narrowly escaped being burned. Occasionally the rivet boys carelessly let hot rivets fall on the platform, which, igniting the dry chips or timber work, would set the .staging in a blaze at once. On one occasion, l)ut for the timely assistance of the crew of the "Beaver," No. 10 staging would have been destroyed, the flames having got fairly hold of the super- structure. On the 9th of November, during the time that No. 11 dam was being taken to pieces, an accir the removal of the cribwork upo'. the scow in the centre tjf the dam head, when, without any notice, the scow with the cri!)-fi'aming ujwn it swung round, and, before anything could be done to stop it, was floating in the full strength of the oirrent, l)roadside on to one of the cribs upon which was erected the staging of No. 12 tube. The concussion pro- duced by the sudden stopjiage of this heavy body, eighty feet long and drawing twenty feet of water, was sufHcicnt to drive the whole of the staging, supported by this pier, some two feet down the river, carryuig the blockings upon which the tube was being erected with it, and letting down the tube till it rested upon the longitudinals .some d r ■t-.v- T^'- ' 111 |i:f'l B ^}rk" .# ?■ r III II !l «.'i»fjHr«rti'|oN OF THE ■. : a- !'•■<' ihii iJic tlfiin • •> ui':m.i giivo a great ileal of tr-niMo. licin^' put 1 xvitli Hinnm l«i ii great (U;|>th ; wJiilo in tl-.c (liin»>< two yoiii'?4, tli« »>tot>'' tilting e>l«rt ci-ibs liy hunU- nippi'rs iiud liookM luailo for tin.' piirjHi^io, )>\^t soinotinifs ilivtTB .lifui to bo omiiloji'd. When , tiio stoiios Were rvuiovivti, vorv liuJi ililfu iiity wjik' •'>ci»«>n«;iK't*t! m r«'««i»vi».,4 *jir Umw .«•.,*. wlildi ^>^.^•J« ♦'♦viU' »-»t\kiftV lOft* »'.-ic:ht. M^<*«. ri*.. • ytjMKi f*t\! ,,*4<4W4H» A ' -U* v .« kept ooiistauitiy ftiU i*f traui .t< case ot fire. A wiitcliinaii was a)au Kupt on { tlio " V>i ;ivor, " No. 10 stagiuj< would havi' bf».'U dcstrovod, tlu^ tlaiuesi having got fairly holil :,i tlio Hiipvr structiiro. On the Ofh of No^iMiilpi.-r, during tlio lime th.it No. II dam wii* In-in-/ tiiki-ii '<> p locos, an accid'mit rfournd, vvliif;)i fc, au aecid* nt wiiicli •* niM -i ■•>• ■. iw* 'tc tuix- r'.>!i -wi-tU;!-. '■■',<,• ' !'• '.>•.• filicii iuto the river. Tin ■•.. • ■ ' > ?.^ ,. >■..•,.. ,^ ..'.-uoij^' -:,'•', ■.»'•}»* lam h.-id i.M'i't. .: im, •. ,. j ' . .;,..• ■■}• rJ!-- K'li.ovai .f ., .■)'! sc'ov .n I},* 1- - •• ''<■ '.III. U-:>>\, vvlii-i). wt'li'^it ;niv noticf, ih'j -r' -v v- - •« ■> fs-vi-iiiiv; 'ipiiii it, nvvun,:..'- rouiiii, j-id lu I'.ur •. .>vtii'ii^ <.oiiM l)f< doiio to .^I'ij i. y - *■- •,' ! =* i!.' ! il! H*i*«iiv'il- of 1^1- (.-■(••iTiif !'ro;t.J.si(l" on to oik- i.)i' tiif t-r'O'4 uiioii will' o « ' » i:tii> ir.r • i»->'i, i'^iitv ffO* loii',' avid dr.iuiiiL' t\M 01'. iVet of w^tor, vva.-> .siuli'ii nr to di'is"- jl:.' 'm; :■ <,i :]>■,• ^l.ngii!.;. supporlrd b\ lirj.s piti, some twf. foot 't"'>V'! iLo livii , r.in'.ii;;.*- tin !«.■, .kiii'j;:* iijioh u iiich Lin; tube W.is !i. iu'.^ cicolod with it an I I";t«^inL; Jn, •,: {iu t"i.c till ir rcsk'l wiom [\:v l(Hi',!;'lii.i|iu!ii-' .■•■n*i-: I* I 'I &■ I =1 ! l I I f I*ii n M- •■ji i I ify )i\ il: t ^, Cl'IA'i' VICTORIA liUIIKilv ■' *.» Irel lo\M:jr. 'I'lu,- hcmw ami crilvwdfk were w) nicely poised across the eiitl of the i' ivf ml hoiirj* ; ntnl it, was iu»t till heavy purchases rn'fins ni l)i(.ck:-i ami (■■lila >vtr-? ;ijvpiie.l thftt it ojiilvl be moved. When oucc started, • <:\>-r, it *\aM s -r.ii .'<^^^■]lt a\v;iy l»y the torrent amklst the hearty cheers of our tvork- . M.Wi.o for sfv.'val ]i(>iH-H had h.t'n in dr»?ad that at Wiy minute they might «;•? the .viiiiir toi)pliu:: lio'.vM. 'iiul ':.-•• uf-ru. ■*«»•« tuhti dep««it*^s ?*.; fjt« riter. Bejfim^i Ihi- • s <.t' .L roup]'- !'? diU>, V !"; iffi^' ;^;-. ';?*«: r r-,4. ,;f'--d IVolii ill ■ !-.'!'ii!-.':it. '^' idt'^irii * ■ - 'i;;-.'>.v= i L'll and >U( ., ' ' An accidout of a ^i<,.l^u i-.tMr-' rMvuired "! No. !1 .slacrihg, wlicro sonic Mu.':- "r f'-uv raft- ■V..I1 out of their course came again-^i tiie tern- i.(.-:irv i>ifr, and threatened to carry it away. Miiiipih, ho'A-.;vr-r, thena wci't at»o trvwunrdly gor * ^•t♦l,.!;!t iUi'iu!t<", j*,it>t A'i^fi M'lU tb»' ('■>>« of a' .A-?i. •* If •UK' A*;*, ,••■<» ih'-^ ■,i0^ '»nm. . pMn;., Lh'.'-" tit '"^1 1 ■' ., 1 ' » . »«- ""Sr 'li- the erib». tifci! . M, a the xc:- nii;/h. .-u-,r ti«u^ ) ..i, nway at t,hv tn>t nhovii.^-^ At No. 14. h-n- ... i.- w:,^ o •( t.nir t.. i-.'nn.v,. t..r ^^liiorsh-uciure -t the r^tagio^. m the rttotw.wu. vii\ h'lOi , and th" f-l;i,'iog left to its iaU*. , I- f ■•■■ •■.-ul ■■■ nil". V,;. j|wi!it> diiy apptMiU '.i; ;i)>'t !>:'-■ Will UN. I .. -:. f"orfu! ,'ri'!ciit W';t. : >* < Mi • ^Ite* \ ,*«t:* !|r''rsr?'»?| I n. £%• ':3 »V-; * • ^*_| I (illi:.\T VK'ToltlA iJlillMlK 71 (-\vr. Tlic kcow niiil crihwork wcrn so iiic<'l_v poised .'icross tlic end of the <'iili pin-, (lull, it, rciiiiuiicd llirrci I'oi- scvcriiJ hours ; mid il, \v;is not, (ill liciivy piircliaHcs l>.y inc'iiis oCbliH-ks iiiid rjdis wcro iipplii-d, tli;i(- il, coidil 1m- moved. When once s(,;i,r(cd, however, il wiis soon s\vep(, juvjiy Ity the (.oirent, Jiniidst the lieurty cheers of our work- men, who Cor Severn! hours h:ul Iti-en in drejid th;iL at luiy minute they mij,dit sec the st!i,L,dn,i,' topplin.LC down, :ind the unlinished tuhe deposited in the river. iJeyond tlie loss of !i, couple of d.'iys, verylitlle mischief re- sulted I'rom (his ,Mccideu(,. No liilcr.'d movement if tl le iMlie took jilMCe, ,'111(1 (I le c;iini)re wms readily !ul justed !is soon 'is the st,'i,i;in.u' w,i )>;iircd and strenntheni'd. s re An accident of a simiifir n.'it"''" '> •• Mirred It No. I I s( ii,dn'..;', where some thice or lour r.'il'ls driven out of their course came a.L;;i,inst, the tem- porary pier, .Mnd (hrealcncd to c;irry it awiiy. Ilnppily. however, tliese were ;\\m} evenhudly <;()t, olV without dani;i^<', and with only the loss of ;i few d.'ivs" work. 'riiese mishaps, so near tin- completion of the work, caused more anxiety than even more stM'ious disastt'i's at an earlier period. I'eiliaps this \'ery anxiety i»e,i;af incri>ased eiu'ryy and c.arc ; and as ener.ny and care are oi' groat vaiui" at such a time, it is not impossible tliat these casualties may have l)ecn of service to the work. 'rii(> remov.al of (he dams w.is completed before the se;\son closed. ;is w.asalso the reniov.al of the sba^iu^s for the tubes, and the cribs upon wliicli they were erected, I'Xt'cptiuL;" those at Nos. 12 and 11. At No. 1l> tl le staniiiu' was cle.aretl awa\, !\U( I the stone tilliuu' of the cribs taken low out. so th.at the ii'c nii^lit clear that ]i;irt away at the first sliovliii;'. At No. 14, 1 evi-r. there was not time to remo\e tlu- superstructure (.*' tbe sta,L;iii,L;'. so the stone was cle.ired aw.av fnuii the erilis, and the '^tai;inL( left to its fate. The 17tli of December was the day appointi'd for the tirsi, jiassage of trains through tlie bridge. About an hour before the (irst train was timed to pass, a fearful crash was heard. We were all much frightened, but on running to di.seover the or.vise of (he uproar, we found the staging drifting down the rivi'r with the ice. leaving the bridge perfootly clear of all its temporary wiuks, Tlio result of this accident was to cdxrriiucTioN of thk ^1 f n 1 1 ' ;i clear the river of every obstruction to the passage of the ice, excepting such as was caused by the masonry of the piers themselves. This circumstance, occurring just at the particular moment it did, added to the I'v.lat of the day's proceedings. During this season, the nuiking up of the embanked approaches, the rip-rap stone work to protect the earth against the shoving of the ice, t ^jether with the erection of the abutment Avails, and the coping to and pedestals at the end of embankment, were proceeded with and completed. f i' .j!mf- The rooting of the l)ri(lge was also put on. This roofing was of wood covered with till, which was so laid as to allow the snow and water to run off from it. Upon the top of the ridge was a footway for workmen, two feet broad. Inunediately over the sides of ''* the tubes, rails were laid u])on longitudinals of oak, bracketed up to allow for the passage of water under them. The rails were designed to carry a traveller bestriding the tube, to be used f(n- painting, &c., and called the 2)aintiiig traveller. (See IMate No. 1!).) This traveller was made of iron, i)ut as light as possible. It was so constructed that it could be moved to any part of the bridge, and from it any part of the oiitsidcs of the tubes could lie insjiected or )aiiiteil. Two travellers were made, one Ibr each side of the bridge. Fioin the great facility they atibrd, t' e whole of the outside of the tubes can be painted in tive weeks. !■;; V; ..I' of ,,.- •1 of ':;* .^ ^-^ * l<>'0 y .r.'V' 'o^ ,M.« - . . icd r • • scd k'P. * ■ as ;■ ' . . it \ N ^^ ■ ' ' vii lid iihl . ■,\ ■' go. ■ ', ted ,::;.#.:'■ . '-' . "^ 1 :i^.» .,,:i.\,tikf a» . I. (ji'.si'-ucttou f • tli-' |ia«.s;i.,ict! ot tiic !'-•'•. ij\f.''.*piin;.r ,:Ufli as wns r.HHiV/«t ! ■ !.► , i-oi-yuC l!i','i.i'' • .r,i,,Tii<*t-Ut>M. Tiiis viriHini.-slaini/, o-M-uviiii.u just, ;i,l t , {>ui'ili-, flK> ,>^:•. it :'.i:) c.-irlli !i:rainsfc UR'.sliuviii:,^ mI' tiie i<;<'. t (>••;• tlii;r with llu' ^reoiiu! oi the abimiien.. vuils, ami the itipnivc '.• :i:i(.l |n.t].jistaiT at lite ttil. of tmi, iikiiieii;, v.t.:,.- Iiroteedi'il with ;u!.l iMiii]ih:t(.i| m ff 1 1 <; :■ #*T^3W<-.'^W«!*SnSi»t' ^'•: """^^BP^*-' '■''f. Tmi- imMiu;!^ '■(' t liC )>j iii-T- svas JtifiO j)ut Ol). Thi> r.julin;^- \v;is .'■ .vi"i4 .-•jiv.-lcj 'virhi;;i whii.i! was su lj.i:ti! IWilili^diatc'v r,\(;r :;,.' sMi',-, v^:' the iuhe^, I'liilM Wire luii'i ;ij>(!i! lun^'i' ihlh'.-ilN af (ink, ''r:!''ki--i!-attern, 03 lbs. to the yard, laid upon longitudinal timbers, 14 inches by 12, framed into one continuous beam, and well bolted at the joints. Tliese beams are connected by transverse pieces of oak 14 feet apart. Over the piers upon which the tubes ave stationary, or where there are no expansion roller.s, the longiture some of the labours and difficulties encountered in the construction of this cnoi.'.jus work. They were duo to the character of the situation and founda- tion for the works ; to the rapidity and power of the current of the river ; to the diffi- culty of obtaining, and to the still greater difficulty of controlling, labour ; and, even beyond all this, to the shortness of tiie seasons, to tlie severity of the climate, and the limited period into which, latterly, the work was obliged to be compressed. Those who have had practical experience, in however limited a degree, of the eflect of such tlitfi- culties, will be best able to estimate their importance, and appreciate the way in which they were surmounted. The writer will only say that, for his own part, he did his best, by the aid of those about him, to turn the difficulties of his position to account, — to render even the ice, the current, and the temperatiuv subservient to purposes of conve- nience, expedition, and security in the progress of the works. That his great task was successfully accomplished is, primarily, owing to the spirit and inspiration he derived from the confidence reposed in him by his employers. Looking back at all the various dilficulties, practical and financial, by which this work was from time to time embarrassed, it scarcely admits of doubt that, in the hands of other and less energetic and persevering contractors than .Messrs. I'eto, Brassey, and Betts, it would not have seen the successful issue to which it has been brought. Amid every discouragement they stood stoutly to the task ; and when the hearts of all around them seemed about to fail, their cneourageiueut, enterprise, and assuring confidence kept everything going. As Mr. Robert Stephenson enunciated, in the course of an address on the subject of the bridge at a dinner given to him in 18;j.'} by the engineering profession of Canada, at Toronto, " the contractors left even the engineers themselves little more than the poetry of engineering." Next to them, the writer feels in duty bouml to record his most grateful acknow- ledgments and thanks to all his a.ssistants and subordinates. It was not only that they zealously seconded his ertbrts ; they did much more. The novel character of the work and its various vicissitudes afforded scope for the exercise of their ingenuity, and elicited (iltKAT VK'TnUr.V ItUIIKIK 7» their tak'iitH. Duriiiij the hIx years the works wuro in [jrogroMs, the writer had coii- Htaiitly to acknowledge useful and valuable HU^jf^estions of a practical character from those liy whom he was surrouiuled, and he is hound to record that the work is mainlv indebted for its success to the aid he thus received. Nor mui^t the writer omit to say how much is due to the devotion and enci<,'y of largo numbers of his workmen. Once brouglit into proper discipline, they worked as Mritish workmen alone can work. They leave behind them in Canada an im])crishable record of British skill, science, and perseverance, in the bridge which they assisted to (•onstruct. The writer cannot omit to record an anecdote, which will show that, in iinother form, they have left behind them, he hopes, an equally imperishal>le record of their humanity, charity, and good feeling. Before steam was employed for the emigrant traffic between Great Hritain and America, the vessels that were sometimes used for that purpose were of the most wretched character — ill-provided, without proper accommodation for a long passage, and entirely without means for ventilation. In these miserable tubs hundreds of poor creatures were crowded, almost to siitfocation, below deck. After enduring sometimes twelve or fifteen weeks of sutt'ering and sickness, those who survived the long voyage emerged into daylight, and were put on shore at Quebec or Montreal, with the seeds of pestilence implanted in them in the shape of a ship-fever. In hot, unhealthy seasons, such as engender or favour the prevalence of cholera, this pestilence was a fearful scourge to the city of Montreal, and indeed to the whole of Canada, where hundreds of these poor wretches were landed without home or place of shelter, many of them in the very last stages of this most dreadful plague. The years 184G and 1847 were perhaps the most fatal that Montreal ever expe- rienced. Many hundreds of the inhabitants of the city died from this contagious disease. It was ultimately found necessary to estal)lisli a quarantine, and to erect buildings away from the city, foi- the accommodation of emigrants. These " Emigrant Sheds," as they are now called, were built at Point Charles, near the northern end of the Victoria Bridge. During these two yenrs (184() and 1847) some (iOOO poor emigrants died in these emigrant sheds, and were interred in a large pit or grave common to the whole, in nuieh the same manner as those are described to have been buried who ^.^.m" J' ' l<)M.-i-K''y, aad Iks^.^ Aii*f4«- :jt«v tffS* }• a! teiidanct; i^i w.'t> niii^ |>r\\: aro due, foi I'm' f',. <^^'., • ? ^ '•'•^ .-( + r:u.>!ni';a J'l^s.lv? i" i hi' ; u-l thiii, .uim!,l: ''■ • . 'oiIm' wcHkru •; -v .i-^i.scn wan ii'it o-i'^ -v .-•■.- liuWl Vs;l\ Whic!' \^ : :•' <>--'i' tl. -.' n>'|,, .t; ,ft('(? ''i^ , \v!iii-!.i Hi -irder '."^ij '■■''• . > -,,. s - lo^rniitti'^i N> .fuvr* ■. ■ - :>; <, ■= '■ til i'>i;i I ■■' U '> ■ • i>t--.i:-,: , • '■ i» hii!!; ^1 '.-T <.l ■ i . - i». !>' ' .i-„ . -^ iini j,*'.l 1 Aiiii s ' - ■ .^ . , V , , ; :i';lil u ,:m' . jiirili'ni -!!|i-_, . , ii i.i Mi) !*!? JXHUJ. ( ■'. ' •'-.-. -. : ■ r, •.,■.,;, |:, , ,, tl,,^ _,..,' • rs''''. 'ii»v':u' I i"'<;. i^imi >" ' ■ -! Mi'.ii.il wniils. \[r if i^i-;v U''l, '\ nj ' "I'l.'r.n. !''■ (: ,'!ririut.-'; , I ' . -■' ---- '■■• ■< i"!' !'i<* !/'• ' -''av: *■ r iiH' iifiijtti^ iT!j.: vy |: it', 'i.ni ,i--,i 'ii«' lU;' ;;;•!'- >■; ^'liiii:- iJi^i! T,!) jilliit i! 1. i! CfUi !■ 1 (■ iillil j'^' n'.i.h lill.! -il'-^ii N5' H >*>:■ • ■• ■ :>f ICilWI-P f -( \il - - I i" \\ ii !i ri-j.i'">l 1 ■ fhr I.! i 11 r V\ i' I: '. 1' '.' 1 ■ •«. i^ "V jS t '^^'^■" % • -.'^i# GREAT VICTORIA BRIDGE. 77 The total nunibei- of lives lost during the six years the work was in progress was twenty-six. Most of these were lost by drowning. Nearly every man on the bridge was a good swimmer ; but it seldom occurred that any man who fell overboard, and was drawn into the eddy caused by the torrent that was rushing past, was ever saved, even though life-buoys and boats were in readiness at every point. In all work carried out by Messrs. Peto, Brassey, and Betts, ample medical attendance is uniformly provided for those who receive injury or are sick. Our medical staff for the Victoria Bridge consisted of — Dr. Macdonull, Principal Surgeon, St. Patrick's Hospital. Dr. David. Dr. Robillard. Dr. Godfrey. Dr. Howard, Oculist for Snow Blindness. To the whole of these gentlemen the thanks of all connected witli the work are due, for the attention and humanity they uniformly displayed, and for their zealous devotion to their duties. The cost of this staff exceeded .j^lOOO annually. The writer would scarcely mention this, but for the fact that, during the early part of the work, the attention paid to the welfare of the workmen was not duly appreciateil at Montreal. The reflections, however, which were cast upon those who conducted the works were more than com- pensated for by the favoural/ie o])inion expressed by the Bishop of Montreal, and which, in order comi)letely to tlispel all imputations on this scoi'e, the writer must be permitted to ([uote. At the entertainment given at the completion of tho work in 1859, his Lordship said — " He was there because lie wished to pav the tribute of his personal respect to Mr. Hodges, to testify his hii^h sense of that gentleman's integrity and of the Christian princi[)lc with which he had provided fur the education and spiritual supervision of all the people coiniectcd with the work. He looked on this gentleman's example as one which all employers should follow. They had no right to congregate large bodies of people without making provision for tlu'ir spiritual wants. Mr. Hodges, with the approbation of his principals, had acted so as to secure this great blessing for the peo[)le eni|)loyed by iiim, and the integrity of character, high moral principles, and Christian philanthropy which had actuated Mr. Hodges, would remain on per|ietual record." With regard to the provision made for the workmen, it should be mentioned that tlu'v were provided with a comfortable range of dwcliing.s vIdsv, to their work. A portion of tiie range was tittod up as a chapel and school-room. It was used for Divim' nnl 78 CONSTRUCTION OF TIIE Service every Sunday, the Rev. Mr. Elligood officiating as our cliaplain, and being occa- sionally relieved by the Bishop of Montreal himself, while at Point Chair the Rev. Mr. Flanigan officiated as chaplain. On the week days, the building was used as a school- room for the children, and as a library for the workmen. There were sometimes as many as eighty children at the school, and we provided the library with as many as 1000 volumes of books. Before the completion of the Victoria Bridge, the crossing of the St. Lawrence, during the time the ice bridge was forming and breaking up, was a most perilous proceeding, and one which few would attempt except from absolute recossity. The passengers were compelled to seat themselves or to lay down in the very bottom o; the canoe. The canoe was manned by some ten or twelve Canadians, who, i..f.er watcliing for a favoural)le opportunity, when there appeared to be a larger space of open ^^\lt'-v than usual between the fields of ice, launched the frail bop,t into the troubled sea of ice and water, and paddled it through the circuitous and intricate channel, amidst thousands of floating islamls. Tlius they continued their journey towards the opposite shore until their progress was entirely prevented by the icy barrier, or probably by the meeting of two of the floating ice islands, between which they had been threading their course. Then the canoe was obliged to be lifted altogether out of the water, and every man jumped upon the ice, and helped to carry the boat over its uneven surface. Guided by one of tlieir number, avIio having attained some temporary eminence ujion the blocks of ice, directed them to the nearest open water, they again launched their canoe and paddled onwards. Sometimes a great portion of the distance had to be passed through small detached pieces of ico, not sufficiently largo to carry them upon its surface, in which case the i)assengers had to keep rocking the c:inoe to prevent it from oeconiing frozen amidst the.se mas.ses, while the boatmen, poised upon the gunwale of the boat, with their feet outwards, took iidvniitage of any piece of ice sufficiently large to carry them. A crossing of this sort, when attempti'e.i.s<'d to '22 feet in the %^- *Nk'- ■^^ f ' ti.Vsrj^ < TJifS" OK TUK Serviiv fviv . ^i' ..u, tiiv H<- V/- J* ini:«.oil .frficiatiM^ a-, mir . Iia)>liviii. and l>eijig occa- sioi.ttJl? ' -V J 4 M ii'V.'.vf. ,'■ .« vtiuviii i,i!ns*>lf, 'vliilc at Toiiit Chair tliu Kcv. Mr. hh: • ;:v;s' i n? .L frjrfEv ii's ti/i' rt*'. k (la), 'hi- KiiiMing wa^ used as n s ''"ool- •'« ■ '-fiii'iftrn i^T; ! ., ,: lii.ju'-v l.rr tlte Ml 'ikiiifu. T'li're wvrc >»i-iii(Himos ix» rwm Af eighty .-i.ii.iiv:. ,>t tU.: sMiuol. ai,.| •\ ru-^jvid-a mj. (fi.rav^- uiili i nil iiM man) at* IMoro thecoi.ij.lctioii of iIk \'i(.Toria Britl-c, tin- rW)Sriiun;/cr!s wtre pmp.'lk'd (o hi-ii (he»>«oivef; -^r to lay d.-A-n in tin- 'sry Knttoia ol^ tiio oauoo. Tlie cnuo.- -.vas mauw d l«y W^.|a.- t.-ii rv twelve tVuad.a. . - ^.o. -ti'U- i^aUhiiig ft.i a fuvounit.!.- oj.puituuu) vvh-i, ih.-r- ,t|n>. .(-• -i .,,. . v..1vr Miaii Uhiial i.etsv. ■■■! )•■. jU.id- ^* !'•.■. i'Mirut;,.; tj ^. in-* i...).... -iiu. f|n t;ra*»' ikUU •• VMtAj : )■-* < .; f ..^t..M*i ,,»!/; it),,!'!, vtt.? c!i;;iiii';l. nuih-' .. th-.' ,~.iudt; ' ;' • " ' V i-^ ;i!drt L'lf 'inii.^.i'-' p'''.r<' u.itii ■>r jir< MjHil-. I y li- ij„;»"'i'. 4' t!|«n* ihu i-t, ami h,'\y,vd .., -mix ^1,, l>,, ,t ,.>,.,■ ,i^ mi,-..-;. Mir!:'.*- • u...-,i |,v =.ih. o!" tlioir lauaber, who Iravin- an., ^r.-d f.,nsc l.')np'.r'iv) < niin,.,,,^. u],:,v •!. - M.,-!:^ ,,r j, t-, d,mH.-d tiKiu to tiu; iicas.-l .•■: ;, „;,,,., [jr^s -i-ulM usMi^i iu-i ii' : , - ^, .„l i-addUd ni.w;u-a> ^-.>inf>!in^^^ii giva: !,.,,: , .■' !),<^ di-^i-uu-- ii;)d ,-. ^i, m:. - , ;. ....di -ukUI d-triclud |.if,;c< .. fit-:, not Miui.-i.-ui iy i --,' (•.•rriv ! i-. .,, upon its ^.irM,. , u-hi.-ii m:,,; •he:i'' .'i'i-.:M-rt, .^ '.(!.■ iliv honiuuMi. i .i^-d up.m Ur- lmmw;.!- s.f' il,.. !..:;>' -ni, n,,-) u,.; .'.lUtHLiV nf aiiV !.>..■>' ..'■ ;(.(• ,,:;lh.'''il i\ i ; Pl''- : I ,P': V (luii: A Mlit\\:i: 'v ,ih,' MP'! ■ '!■*> '■■• rl, wlicit ;''i,i/i;,i.'..i( rn \ ■ 1.. j; v,(..i . (, V "■■■ll.l If'-. 'll':H'j!>h.|i:J oj I h, ' III. IV re J»i iV.-! ui'l. ;if . I :< V -ii V Il '. ,1.. .i;:-u U . 'I;.!' iUU' -il .1 i!lc ti lU"-i l.f • J I'l" \ M'!. .;.. i; ;,:, ■:/t d, u- 1 1 OIIKAT VICTOUIA lillllMiK. 79 centre, and constructed of iron plates on the tubular i)rinciplo, the same as those at the colobrated Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits, except tliat there are no cells either at top or bottom. The spans are 25 in number, viz., 24 of 242 to 247 feet, while the centre span for the navigation is 3.30 feet. The height above the water at centre is (50 feet. The height above the water at abutments is 36 feet ; giving an incline of 1 in 130, or about 2 feet for every opening. The piers, 24 in number, are of solid masonry, composed of heavy stones, wei<'hing from 5 to 20 tons each. The sloping stones forming the ice-breakers are bo\uid together with iron cramjjs. Their dimensions at summer water level are, for 22 of them, 90 + 18 feet, while at tube level they are 33 + 1(5 feet. The centre piers are of gr:3ater tliickness, being £« feet at summer water level, and 24 feet at tube level. The abutments, 24C + 90 feet, are of masonry of similar description ; while the maLioivc cndjanked approaches are protected on face by 5 to 8 feet of stone work, sloped to meet the shoving of the ice. In building the tubes, the greatest increase of cambre which occurred in oi. . day, consequent upon the difference of temperature between bottom and top of tubes, was 1\ inch. The thcrmoiiiL'ter in the sun on the top reading . „ „ n simile ut bottom Making a dift'erence of 124" 90° ■■W Tlie thernaometer during tlie previous night was so low as 57°. It is therefore only fair to infer that as the bottom was in shade, it would not be of the same temper- ature as the atmosphere, and that this increase of cambre of H inch, was due to a ditterence of temperature of probably as much as 50° Fahrenheit. The greatest expansion of a siiigle tube from the centre of the resting pier to the extremity of the roller end, say 258 feet, with a variation of temperature of — 27" to + 128', or e(iual to 155' Fahrenheit, was 32 inches. This was ascertained by an index, locked up for twelve mouths. The greatest lateral movement caused by difference of temperature in sides of tubes was l{ inch. 80 COXSTIU'CTION OF TIIK It lins Hd'on alivady cxplaiiitd that when the bottom of a tnbo was fairly riveted toj^cther and coiuplt'ted, tiic iiigiiioiT in charge of the work gave levi'l niarkH at every 2i) feet (listanceH, Hliowing the exact canibre to which tlic bottom was adjusted. Tiiese level or bencii marks were adjusted daily, ami the workman m.i.'e his work as it pro- •jfresaed correspond as nearly as possible with them. Nevertheless, it freiiuently happened with all his care that, if the staging subsided, the work, when it was com- pleted and ready for launching, wo\ild not show precisely the same cambre as that first laid down, Tliis vari tion is shown in the second column of Table No. 1, while the third column shows the dlHerenco, which is called " subsidence during construction," The fourth column sliows the position of the undersiilo of the tube immediately after the wedges were struck, and it was left unsupported ; while the fiftii shows the position some few days before the final testing of the tubes on the 1st of December, lH5i), after the roof and |)ornianent way Avere laid. The last column was not so acc\n"ately ascer- tained as tlie others, or rather as the levels could not be taken immediately iij)ou the same places as those by which the work was constructed, it is probable there may be in some instances a variation of i)robably [th of an inch from what they might have been if taken upon the original marks. They are, however, very near the truth ; and if they do nothing more tiiaii show the a^eui .n-y with which the work was done, the writer has the greater pleasure in giving publicity to this Table, as a tribute of praise to those assistants who had the entire ciiarge of these levels, and of the setting out of the whole of the work, in aiMition to the onerous duties of superintendiiig the work itself. In tubes Nos. 11, i2, 14, and 15, tlie permanent way was laid, or rather the materials for it were in place, before the wedges were struck, which will to some extent exi)lain why there was not so much of sub.secpieiit .subsidence or detlection as witii ti'c other.s. It slioiUd also be mentioned that, at the time of striking the wedges, some of the tuljcs were more heavily burdened with spare materials, botii on tiie top and inside, than others. This was unavoi(lal)le, and may explain wliy the deflection or subsireaking, was strained along the side of each tube. One end was fastened lo a bracket at one extremity, while the wiie passing over a grooved wheel attached to the other end of the tiilie, was kept in a state of tension l)y means of a weight of over iiOO lbs., ami which, although sufiieient to keep tiie (lUKAT VICTOUIA imiDOE. •1 250 foet of wire nearly Htraif,'lit, und almost nn tight as a fiddle Htring, was not Bufficient to bleak it. Tills \voij,dit alwiUH acted t'rccly ii|)()ii tlio wiro Invspci'tivo of any nioveiut'iit or defU'ctioii causod by tliu pansiiig of a train, tliu veisi'd hIiio of tiio natural curve being always tlic same. Tlio wire In tins state was used as a datum from which tlio deflection caused by the passing of a train was measured. Wli'es Hucl» as these described were strained throughout the whole of the tubes ; and at intervals of (JO feet, strljjs of cardijoard were so placed and attached to the tube that the wire just played ui)on without actually touching them. These arrangements lieing coni|)leted, and a mark made upon the cardboard to correspond with the position of the wire when the tubes were not loaded, similar nuvrks were made when the load was in the ditferent positions shown in the diagram. Tlie actual deflection was thus very readily ascertained. In the spring of 1S."JH, Mr. Stockman, who had been employed under Mr. Cieorge Robert Stephenson in making the working drawings for the whole of the tube-, and girders used in the construction of nearly lOOO miles of the (irand Trunk Hallway, was sent to Canada by Mr. Robert Ste|)henson, for the purpose of inspecting the tubes and ascertaining whether any defects, either in design or workmanship, could be discovered in any of the works, so that n milking designs for future works, advantage might be t:iken of the e\[»cri- tMU'e tliiit w;is thus to be olitained. During his visit, the tubi's of the \'ietnii;i iiiiilj" which were eoiiipleted were fully trstcd. Vi^y lesiilt see iliagr;iui. .Mr. Stoekniaii reported the work- manship and material of the tul)es to be niiexeeptionalile. Ag.iin, in December, IN.")!). Just befoi'i' the Victoria Ihidge was opened, Air. lirnee, an engi- neer of great experience, and wim liail for many years enjoyed Mr. Robert Stephenson s eonlidenee, vi-^ited Canada, iieeoni|ianied l>y Air. Stockman, and witnessed the tinal testing ol' tlie wliole of tiie tubes. The result is i;iven. I'late :25. This latter visit was in aeeordanee witli a wisli (_\|nessi(l by tlie late .Mr. Robert Steplienson a short time iiel'ore 111- death. 'ill M (O.VsTIUdInN or TIIK (illKAT V|(T<»UIA ilUilXiR Tlio l)ri«lj,'o was fli»^t oponnl for tlio |>nHHnj,'o of trains on tho 10th of Decomber, 185i). Till" roniiiil inanyiirntioii Ity liis Uoyfil lli,<,'liiu'Hs tlu; Prince of VValos, who vIhUh Caiiachi fortlie iturposo, is appointed (or tlio 2.'»tli of An<,'u.-(t, 18(J(», when, iintlor ({od's Itle.sHin},', tiiis woriv, of nui'h ^vcat Mocial and international Importance, will lie (hily dedicated to the great purposes for which it let ileulgnod. The following aro the InscriptionH at the entrance of the Uridgo : — |( iKiH (if iiiirtli uliMtiiii'iit t'oll'iT-ilaiu towed inlu lir-t stone df lirid^r,. laid ijdili .Iiilv, JS.Yl.. |.l;iir -.'Itli .May, I"'.")!. lu-.>t tiaiii piisM'd over tliu l)ri(lgc 1 7tli DccciiiIht, I ^.V,». DIMENSIONS, WEIGHTS, kc. Total Iciij^lli (.{' tiilxs, (i.V.t^ f(Tt. Nimilur <,( spiiiLs -■"' ; tweiity-luiir from -^IZ to :.'|.7 Total liii^tli of hiidjr,., <)l II f,.,.t. Icct null; one, ;i;i() firt. Ilciglit of hotloin of ciiitiv tiiiii' al)ovi' suilacc nf Qiiaiilily of iimsoiiiy in piers and alnitniciits, water, (id iVcf. :2, 71. '5, (»!).') cnliic feet. Ilei,!,'lil of l)ott(iiii of tiitx'.s at aliutineiit, •'!(! feet (ii'iatest depth of watei', ;2C feet. Rise of tidies lo centre, I in I'M). .\vei-a^'<' rate of ennviit, seven miles an lionr. Weight of iron in tidies, '.Kill tcais. Quantity of timliei' in temporaiy works, -J.."^!).!)!!!) Number ol' rivets in tnhes, l,.j III, 0(10. euljie fed. Painting — niiniher of coats, -I ; niimher > if acres in (Jiiaiility of elas puddle used in dams, I |(i,(l(lO each coat, :!;?. Total iicrcs, 1:2''. eidiic yards. Niinibcr of piers, 21. Numlier of steam-Iioats, (i. Number of barges, T'l. Tonnage of ditto, 1:2,0(10. Power of .stcamur.s, l.jO 1 1. P. FORCE EMPLOYED IN CONSTRUCTION. Number of nil n employed, :i(l 10. Number of hoise^, 1 I [. Loeomoti\e eliiiiiies, \. a rr. y. P ^' 5 I g I7 I I fi .5 i ■4 «i ••■» s 1-ni 3 ^4 i.C pM '•?, « 2 4 W « » » s — M « rt ^4 « « CI - « ■0 2 C. — » ■J »-* V pH X » § il i 3 8 I 1- i P4 s 1,. w w* r? « CI " C'l i ?;< r? tt — • • = - n CI r? -^ CI -^ ^ ■?• rt r. ?/ 1- 'C -i - 2 re ss Cl r? CI 1 J 1 1. S y r .^ ^i 3 3 5 2 .-•5 i 1 •-4 I- jjl. •»" !• iC CI •: iS iC ?. 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Cl Cl — — — Cl Cl — ' Cl c» .= -r ■? ir I- X r — Cl Cl *( ri Cf Cl I" i ^ a ° •- o 7- +:' II £ a tf) CJ a V is r ■/: ^ A 3 «? <3 43 m 84 APrENDIX. as r. 1 55 . r] j;. •- £? ii 2 j« 11 i? J s;" Fl n -% si ^ f ?- '-*J »'-ij 5 ~ e * ^1 a ^ ■5 ^ o i3 11 s 3 11 li i * s " S = _ » » -Si?, s 'I Is 3 * S 7, i'2 - .« s : s - * i3 2.^ 3 o ►-5 a «>! H i S 3 £ 1.^ E-, .a ^-i^-i_____^ -^ *^ -^ 1—11—.— ^^,—, ci I+ + + + +I I I i + i I I i + i + i ++ + + + + u 1S inch JH -H -^ (N CJ — 1 rj Jt- — - + + + + + + I I I 111+ +l++f + + + ^ . . . . y « ,. * - s CI Ti -I u IN ?< ret ri ■» rr ?r rr — X i^( (N TO CI O) C( TO i -^ rz t -^ ■ -/,-,r .-fc-,/ r,-*r,/ TO7,"rCTO'7|.^CIC'**^'-"r7^H CCT* -^^CCiO ■ ^ ?' — — ?^ --^ 7( ■^^ c rr ,— ' rr o o '■!i>Tr"t-i>'*'Tf'i;TC-r-r'r-i"-)<* t'-p Tf,' -f'^"'-;© r - X c: o -H o -r -r , - •- - _ -, ~, -, -,, ,, ^ a 6 APPENDIX. 85 III. LETTER OF ROBERT STEPHENSON, ESQ., M.P., TO THE DIRECTORS OF THE GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY, ON THE DESIGN FOR THE VICTORIA BRIDGE. To ihe Chairman and Directors of the Grand Trunk Bailway of Canada Companij. Genti.kmf.n, Ilaving learnt tliat sonic doubts have been expressed respecting the fitness of the design for the Victoiia Bridge across the St. Lawrence at Montreal, — that it is more costly than necessary, and that other systems of structure less expensive, yet ccjually efficient, might with propriety be adopted, — I feel called upon to lay before you in sonic detail, the considerations which influenced me in recommending the adoption of the design which is now being carried out. In doing so I beg to assure you that the subject was approached in the outset, both by Mr. Alexander Ross, your engineer in Canada, and myself, with a thorough consciousness of the enormous expense which must inevitably be involved, whatever description of structure might be adopted, also of the large proportion which this cost must bear to the entire outlay of the undertaking of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. We were, therefore, fully alive to the imperative necessity of studying the utmost economy in every part of the work, consistent with our notions of efficiency and pennancncy. It will be my endeavour, in the following remarks, to satisfy you and those interested in the under- taking that these objects have been steadfastly kept in view. It would evidently be unreasonable to expect that amongst professional men an absolute identity of opinion should exist, either in reference to the general design or in many of the details of a work, intended to meet such unusuuUy formidable natural difficulties, as are to be contended with in the construction of a bridge across the St. Lawrence. You will remember, that at the time I first entered upon the eonsideration of the subject, these difficulties were deemed by many well acquainted with the locality, and publicly stated by them, to be, if not insurmountable, at all events of so serious a character as to render the undertaking a very precarious one. Till' informatidu I received respecting these obstacles, when my attention was first drawn to this project, was so striking, that I reserved foriniiig an opinion until I had visited the sjiof, had well considered all the detailed iiifiirnuition which Mr. Alexander Ross had collected during several monfh.s' previous residence ill the country, and hud heard the opinion of tiuiny intelligent residents regarding the forces exhibited by the moveuients of the huge masses of ice during the opening of the river in spring. The fai'ts gathered from these sources fully convinced me, that although the undertaking was 86 APPENDIX. practicnblc, tlic forces broiiglit into action In- the floating ice ns dcscribi-d were of a fonuidable nature, and could only be eBcctively counteracted by a structure of a most solid and massive kind. All tlie information wliieli lias been collected since 1 made my first report, has only tended to confirm the impressions by which 1 was then guided. Tor tiie sake of clearness and simplicity, the consideration of the design may be divided into four parts : first, the api)roaches ; nccoiiilli/, tlie foun(hitions ; thirdly, the upper masonry ; and fuiiiihl//, the super- structure or roiulwny. The npin-oaches, extending in length to TdO feet on the south or St. Land)ert side, and 1:300 feet on the Point St. Charles side, consist of solid embankments, formed of large masses of stone heaped up and faced on the sloping sides with rubble masonry. The up-stream side of these embankments is formed into a hollow shelving slope, the upper portion of wiiieh is a circular curve of sixty feet radius, and the lower portion or foot of the >lopc has u straight incline of three to one, while the down-stream side, which is not exposed to the direct action of the tloating ice, has a slope of one to one. These end)anknients are being constructed in a very solid and (liiial)le manner, and from their extending along that portion of the river only, where the depth at summer levd is not more than twt) feet six inches, the navigation is not interrupted, and a great protection is by their means afforded to the city from the ell'ect of the shoves of ice which are known to be so detrimental to its frontage. For further details on thi> subjeel 1 beg to I'cfi r you to the report made by Mr. Ross, and myself, on the (itii of June, \>'y-\, to the llonoiu'able the lioard of Uailuay Counnissioners, Quebec Advantage has also lieen taken of the shallow deplli of water in constructing the abutments, which are each -IVl feet in length, ami consist of masonry of the same description as that on the piers, which 1 am about to describe, and lii.ia their being erected in >ueli a small depth of water their foundations do not rc(|nire any extraordinary means for theii' conslruction. The foundations, as you an.' aware, are fortunati ly on solid r^ck, in no place at a great depth below the sunuiier level of the water in the river. \ aricjus methods of cinistiiieting the foundations suggestiil thcni^cUe^, and were carcfullv con- sidered; but uilliiiut deciding upon any particular melliud (]| proceeding, it was assumed that the ilivin"- bell, or such modifications of it on a larger scale, as have been recently emjiloyed with great success in situations not very dissimilar, woidd be the most e\;H(licnt. The contractors, Imwcver, or rather the superintendent, Mr. Hodges, in conjunction with Mr. Ross, after much consideration on the spot, devised auotlier system of laying the foundations, which was by means of lliating " coirer-danis," so (•ontri\ed that the usual dillic\illy in applying cofier-daius fur rock fonmlatioiis would be, il was liopid, in a great nu'asure obviated. When in .Montreal, I exainimd a niodil of this cnutrivanee, and (piite apprcjscd of its apjilication, without leeling certain that il woidil nialenally reduce (he expense of constnu'tion below that of the system APPEXTITX. 87 assumed to \w ndoptcd l)y Mr. Ross nnd myself iw . 'n iiig tlic estimate. In approving of tlie metiiod jjroposed i)y Mr. Iludges, I was netiiateil by the feeling tliat tlie engineers would not be justified in con- trolling the contractors in the atbption of such means us they might consider most economical to them- selves, so long as the soundness luid stability of the work were in no way affected. This new method has l)een hitherto acted upon, witli such modilications as experience has suggested from time to time during the progress of the work, and aldiough snceessfidly, I learn from the contractors that ex])cr"-'nce has proved the lied of the river to be far more irregular than was at first supposed, presenting, instead of tolerably uniform ledges of roek, large loose fragments, which are strewed about, and cause nuieh inconvenience and delay. They are, therefore, necessitated to vary their mode of proceeding to meet these new circumstances ; and it may be stated, that all observations up to this time show the propriety, notwithstanding the dilHculty with (hinis, of carrying the ashlar masonry of tlie piers down to the solid rock, and that any attempt at obtaining a pcrnuuient foundation by means of concrete, confined in " caissons," would be utterly futile. However, if it were assumed to be iiractirable, there would be extreme danger in trusting such a snper- strnetiu'c of niasnury upon eoni'rete, confined in cast-iron " caissons" above the bed of the river; indeed, considering the peculiarities of the situation, and the facts which have been ascertained, this mode of forming foundations is the most inappropriate that can be suggested, as it involves so many contingencies that to calculate the extreme expense would be utterly impossible. These considerations lead me therefore to the conclusion that the present design for the foundatioi. is as eeonomieal as is compatible with complete security. We arc now brought to the ([uestion as to wliether the upper masonry is of a more expensive description than necessary, or whether it can be reduced in (piality. This ([uestion is exceedingly important, since the cost of the masonry constitutes upwards of 50 per cent, of the total estimated cost of the bridge and approaches. 'Ihe amoinit of the item of expenditure for the masonry is clearly dependent upon the number of piers, which is again regulated by the spans between them. The width of the openings in bridges is fretiueutly infiueneed, and sometimes absolutely governed, by peculiarities of site. In the [)re>eiit ease, however, the spans, with the exception of the middle one, are decided by a eom[)arison with the cost of the piers; for it is evide'ut that so soon as the increased expense in the roadwav, by enlarging the spans, balances the economy produced by lessening the ninuber of piers, any further increase of span wo\d(l be wasteful. Caleulations based upon this principle of reasouiug, coupled to some extent with considerations based upon the advantages to be derived I'mm having all the tubes as nearly alike as possible, have prove 1 that the spans which have been adopted in the present (h^sigu for all the side openings, viz., ^' 1:J feet, have iirodneed the greatest eeouomy. The centre span has been made :i;SO feet, not only for the ])urpose of giving every piis>ilile facility for the navigation, but l)eeau:-e that span is very nearly the wi.lth of the centre and principal di'ep chiuuiel of the stream. 88 APPENDIX. The correctness of the result of these calculations nbviously depeiids upon the nssninption, that the roadway is not more costly tlian absolutely necessary; for if tiie comparison he nuide witii a roadway estimated to cost less than the tubular one in tiie design, then the most eeononiical span tor the side openinjjs woidd have come larger than 212 feet ; and the aniount of masonry might liave been reduced below what is now intended. In considering tji quantity of masonry in the design, you must therefcne take it for granted, for the inonient, that the fidi .r ivuc/ivai/ is the cheapest and best that could be adopted, and leave the proof of this fact to the serpiel of these remarks. It may ])crhaps i;i)pcar to some, in cNamining the design, that a saving might be eflected in the masonry by al)andoiiiMg the inclined planes which are added to the up-side of each pier, for the puri)ose of arresting tiie ice, and termed ice breakers. In European rivers, and I believe in those of America also, these "ice breaker/' arc usually |)laeed a little w.iy in advance of, or rather above the [w'yh of the bridges, with a view of saving them from iujnrv Iiy the ice shelving up above the level of (fieriuently on to) the roadway. In the case of the Victoria Bridge, the level of the roadway is far abii\e that fn wiiieii the iee ever reaches; and as the (}rlan(ls ' of Innlier ar.d Mono will have a n elangnlar rr// 1, ft open in the middle of their width, toward their lower en(l<, out ot wliieh will riM' the sniid masonry towers, suppia'ling the weight of the superstructure, and resting on tlu' rocky bed of the river. This enclosure of sulid eribwork, all nnnui the nuisonrv, vet detaehed IVoni it, will reeei\e the shock, pressniv, and 'grinding' of the wr, and yield ; ■•■eilain esli'iit, liv its elasticity, without connmuiieating the slKJck to the masonry piers. 'I'hese cribs, if .ianaigi ", can be repaired with facility ; and from 1 heir coliesi\e poucrs will n -isl the action of the ice belter than oidinarv ina>oni'v. During construction they will serve a- ' eotl'er dams,' and being formed of the eheapot materials, their value as service ground or jilatforms for the use of machinery, the mo\ing of seov.s, .'ce., during the erection of the woik, uill be a' r appreciated. Their application to the sidi s (.f the piers is with particular nfereme to preventing the Irom reaching the spring of the arches, which will be the lor,e>t ami most c\|iosed p,ut of the s\ipersirncture, ii' wood be u>ed.'' ArPKNDIX. 89 In tlic first (k'sigii for the Victoria l^iidgo, " icu-broniiers " very siiiiiliir to tlic above described by Mr. Kccfer wore introduced, but subsequently tlic nrrnngemcnt was ciianged, partly with a view of gaining tiic nasistancc of flie whole weight of the bridge to resist the pressure of the ice, before it beeaine fixed, and partly for the purpose of obviating a considerable amiual outlay. I have not data at hand, ti .itiniate correctly the cost of the ordinary " ice-breakers," as described, but 1 have little or no doubt that, as 1 bcf )re stated, they would have retpiired to have lieen large aiul sub- stantial masses of stone and tind)er, which in amount o*" cost would be scarcely less than, if not ccpud to, the inclined planes of masonry which have beeii added to tiic up-side of the piers. On this point, however, ns well ns u|)on others in reference to some rrduction in the ipiantily of masonry in the piers and abutments, I intend to address .Mr. Ross, who, i)i'ing on the spot, will be able to determine with more accuracy than I can the amount of actual saving which can be cfleeted in the masonry. It i-. now necessary for me to say a word or two upon the style of the workmanship. It consists simply of solid ashlar, and, considering the severe pressure and abrasion to which it will be subjected by the grindini; of the ice, and the excessively low temi)cratin'e to which it will for months be periodically exposed, I am confident that it is not executid with more solidity than prudence aljsolutely demands; and, considering tin' (litl'eience of the rates of wages i'l Canada and this country, I believe the price of the work will come out iieiu'ly the same as any siinihir woik let ^hel•e) by competition. The description and style of the masonry is precisely similar to that adopted in the Ilritannia Bridge ; the material is tiie same ; and the facility of obtaining it is not in any important degree dissimilar. Till' nexl point to be discu>si'd is the eonstriietiitn of the superstructure, or roadwiiy ; and here, owing to the niisconeeptiun which seems to exist on this subject amongst some engineers, I am compelled to enter somewhat into technical details, in lefereiiee to the treatment and construction of beams. Tlu' matter has already been di'bated befi're the Iii.'titution of Civil Engineers, at great length, arising out of a iia])er read by .Mr. liarton, on the construction of the bridge over the river Boyne, erected under the ilireetidii nf J^ir .loliii .Maeiieill. In the desiirn nf this brii'ge, the eiujiieer ha< adopted what is technically termed the "trellis" system (if beam or girder, for the avowed purpose of saving material, as compared with the ]>laiii tubular system adopted in the Ib'itaimia, and now i)r,)posed for the \ ietoria Bridge. It has been ali'eady stated that the design and cost of niasonry materially di'p(>nd upon the com- parative evpense which may be ineiirri'.i in the coii>lnietinn of the roadway, since the spans or openings adopted ai-e really goveviied by tlii-i item ill tile estimate. It is therefore doubly necessary that this part of the projiosed desiiin >liould be alialy>ed with great cai'e. Notwillistandiiig the diseiission which took place i\l the Institution of Civil Kngineers, as to the It 90 ArrENDTX. t'omparativc niciits of constructing Ijonuis in niniost cvciy variety of lU'tnii, it certainly appears, as far as I am able to furni a judgment, that mueli error still prevails regarding the simple principles that should, and indeed nuist, govern the arrangement of cvcy beam-ijiidge. The tubular system is openly di'cl.u'd by some to be a wasteful expenditure of material for the attainment of a given strength; in short, thai ii' !!»- scid of comparative merit, it stands at the lowest point. This, if it were the fact, voidd not jc extvuordimiry, since it was the first proposed for carrying railways over spans never before deiued pra; (icalde , but '.'a ', '.' following renuirks 1 iiope to convince you in the simplest uuuuier, that (except i?i jiartii uLir i ii.- ■ s) wli <■ it is not a more costly method of construc- tion, it is the ni"-' cHicacioiis one that has hitherto been divisid. At j)resini ihere may be regarded as existing three methods of con; acting wrought-iron girders (II' beams for railway j)ur|H)-<'s : — 7iVj(/.— The .'iJii//ar yii:li;r, or what is sometii'ies called the box-girder, when employed for small spans, w!!h ivhieU may aiso b-. ...inied the mnyJv-r'Mvd yirdvr, — the whole I)elonging to the class known as " boil r-plate girders." Second. — Tlie trellis girder, which is simply a substitution of iron bars for the wood in the trellis- bridges wliiel) have been so successfully employed in the United States, where wood is eheup and in w is dear. Third. — The single trian|j;!e girder, recently called " Warren," from a patent having been obtai;\ed for it by a geiiil':man of that name. , Now, in caleulating the strength of these ditlereiit classes of girders, one ruling principle appertains and is common to all of them. Primarily and essentially the ultimate strength is considered to e\isl in the top and bottom, the former being e.\|)osed to a compressive force by the action of the load, and the latter to a f(}rte of tension ; thei'efore, whatever be the class or dtiiomination of girdi'rs, they must all be alike in amount of ciTective uiaterial in these numbers, if the spans and dei)ths are the same, and they have to sustain the same amount of load. On this point I believe there is no dill'ertiice of opinion amongst tho.se who have had to deal with the subject. Hence, then, the (|Uestion of comjiarative merit — amongst the ditrerent classes of eonstruetion of beams 01' girders — is really nai'rowed to the method of connecting the \o\^ and bottom irebfi so called. In the tubular system this is eil'ected by means of continuous plates, riveted together; in the trellis girders it is accom[)lislu'd by the application of a trellis-work, composed of bars tiuetion of the roadway of the Victoria Ib-idge, as it is now designed, by the sul)stitutiou of any other description of girder. Vet, lest this should be considered mere assertion, permit me to adduce one or two exampl.s, where the close-sided tubular system and the open-sided system may be fairly brought into oiuiparisnii with each other in actual practice. The most remarkable parallel ease which occurs to me is the comparison of the Metoria tubes, under consideration, with a triangular or " Warren" bridge, which lias been erected by Mr. Joseph Cubitt over a branch of the rivtr Trent, near Newark, on the Great Northern Railway. The spans are very similar, and so are the di'ptlis. In ca.lling your attention to the comparison, you lnll^t bear in mind that all i)(is>ible skill and science were brought to bear upon every portion of the details of the Newark Dyke liridge, in (>r tons, for a length of -I'u t'eit. 03 APrKMUX. Newark hjkc liriJijc, us crrcli'il. 8|mii, 210 feet iiiclii's. Wciglit, including l)cni-ings, 292 tons, for n length of 2.')!. feet. Wliicli shows a Imiiincc^ 17 tons in favour of the Victoria tubes. The Newark D}kc Bridge is only 13 feet wide, while the Vietoriii Tube is Ki feet, having ii wider gauge railway passing tlirougli it. Tliis is a very important cnsc, as the spans and depths arc all lint identical, and it will therefore eiiulile you to form a judgment upon that point which has caused so nmch controversy at the discussion aiiudi'd to. It is true that in the Newark Dyke Bridge a large jjrojjortion of the weight is of cast-iron, a material I have frecpiently adopted m the parts of tubular bridges subjected to compression only, but from its brittle character I should never nconuncnd it for exportation, nor for the parts of a structure that are liable to a latcnil blow. It lias been suggested that there is much convenience in the arrangement of the trellis or " Warren " bridge, as it may be taken to pieces and more conveniently and economically transported over-land than " boiler plates ;" this may be correct under some circumstances, Init it cannot hold good for a work like the Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence. I am aware that girders upon the " Warren " principle have been odopted in India, and I am not jirepared to call in (piestion the jji'Djiricty of their ai)i)lication in cirtain cases ; but what I have been aiming ut in these observations is, to j)rove to you that no economy over the plain tube can be etl'ected in the case of the Victoria Bridge. I may add, that it has sometimes been urged that the workmanship in trellis or " Warren " giicK rs is of a less expensive character than that required in tubes. I am bound to confess my utter inability tn understand such a statement ; for, after niiniy years of practical experience as a nianufaetnrer of iron work of every dcscriptio.i, 1 do not know any class of workmanship that bears so small a proportion to the value of the material as "boiler-plate" work. If there lie any difl'erenee in the cost, it ought certainly to be in favour of tubular beams. Another example may be mentioned of a tubular beam, somewhat similar in diinensioiis to the last described, and one which is actually erected on a eontinuation of the same line of railway as that on which the Newark Dyke Bridge is situated, namely, over the river Aire, at Ferry Bridge. Although the similarity is not so great with this as with the Victoria Tube, yet I belie\e it is siillieieiitly so to furm another pivjof that the advantage is in favour of the solid side. As before ; — Nvicark Ih/h- llriili/i . Span, 2 K) feet (i inches. Weight, 2'J2 tons I'lTfi) llriihjc. Span, 22u feet. Weight, 235 tons. Il Al'l'KNDIX. fi.'l Tho difli'ioiiCL' between these weights is more timn sutlicicnt to compeiisiitc for tlic (lifferenco of span ; besides whicli, in tlie Firry liridgc, nindo nceording to my designs luid instructions, I was hivish in tlie thickness of the side-piutes, and the hearings, which arc incln," a term which signifies that it is not allowed to take a natural deflection due to its span ; but being tied over the piers to the other girders, the ell'ectivc central span is shortened to 17 I feet; in fact, this priiiripl,' changes the three spans into five spans. Now, the ctVeclive area given for compression in this centre span is 113.^ inches, which gives a strain for the 171- feet span of nearly six tmis to the inch in comparison, The Victoria tubes are so dissimilar in form and eircumstnnccs to the IJoyne Bridge, that it is a troublesome nnitter to reduce the two to a comparative state. However, the Victoria tubi^s are known to be •27,") tons in weight, :2 12 feet in span, and of l!) feet average depth, the strain not being more than four tons per inch for compression, with a uniform load of :A\ tons, which include its own weight, sleepers, and rails, and a rolling load of one ton per foot. The Victoria Hridge has not been designed upon the principle of continuous beams, for l)raetieal reasons, including the circumstance of the deep gradient on each side of the centre span, and the "rcat disturbance which would be caused by the aecnnnilated expansion and contraction of such a eontinuons system of ironwork in a climate where the extremes of teiuperature are sc widdv ilill'erent ; otherwise, the principle alliuled to was first developed in tubular beams, namely, in the Britannia Bridge. Ibit since we are only now discussing the merits of the siiles, let the Hoync Bridge be supposed to have sullicient ana in its toj) to resist four tons per inch (the proper practical strain), and let the spans be not coin innous; it will be found by calculation that the area reipiired at top will be 30 I inches, instead of ll;i.i inches, and the weight of the span would be fouiul by calculation to come out little short ol (iOI) tons, whereas it is now 3MI tons ; aniipport, and since they could not sustain their sliii|ie, Init collapsed iinuiediatelv they were disconnected fioiii these top 1111(1 Iniltoiii nieliiliers, it is evident that Ihey add to the striiiu upon tlieiii, and coiiseipieiitly to lliiit extent reduce the ulliniate streni;lli of the liianis. In the case of the N'ewiuk Dyke bridge, when tested to a strain of 11,' tons to the inch, its detlectioii was 7 inches in the middle ; and when tested with its calculated load of (iiic ton per foot run, the dellrclinn wii- I 1 'i' inclies. The (lellection of the A'ictoria liilies liy caleiilation will not lie more with the Imid of one loll per flint, lliiiii 1 (i inch ; and we have hud siitlicieiit ]irniif of the correctness of this ciilculiitinn in existini; exiunples. 'I'lini ni the lioyne l!ii(l;.'r, with a uiiifnnn Imid of Tilll tons, was \\) inch, with the >piins shortened ill ellrcl as (lescrihed, ^ Many nlhiT liiiiL'rs nf siniiliii' spans In thnse alinve mimed have lieili cnlislnicled upon the " npeii- side " or '• truss " ]iriiuiple, vUiiili are, in e\riy sense of the wurd, iicrllinl stnicliires ; hut since no cnni- piili>nn of ecoiinmy littuceii lliiiii iiiul the \'ictoriii lulies has been od'ered, il would lie imprii|ier III clii>s them with those aln :ii|\ naiiieil. Aliicli have aelinilly lieeii put forward as examples of eeoiinmy lo a large extent i'\rr the tulnilar sy.triii, A-- nil iirt:iimeiit in lavmir of the tiillis-li( aiiis, it liii> Imii slated thai no fnininla has lieen n^id to Millie tl dr^ III a plali-hrinii I'lir liorizontiil >lriiiii'- ; and tin rrl>ii-c, since the sides are llimw n away, lArepI I'nr tlir (iliji I they pciinnii in eoiiiii cling the tup and linlium wclis, il is asked, why slinnld more malrrial lie plareil in ihe sides lliaii vnlliciriil for that purpose? Now, I admit that there i« no t'oiiiiiila I'nr Miliung the solid side^ I'nr slrains, and that we only ascrilie to lluiii llir Miliir or use of connecliiig the top niid liottom ; yet we are aware thai, frniii their cniitinuity and snlidity, tiny m-i' nf value to resist horizontal and many ntlier ^trains iiide|iiiidiiilly ol the Inp and linltnin, liy which tiny luld very mncli to the siift'ness of the lieaiii ; and the fact of their (nlitaiiiiiig lilol'u malrrial than iii're I'aillv i slal)li>heil. Il i< also said that Ihe " trellis " or " Warnn lieams are usiiall\ made deeper in proportion to their span than tin- tiilii- ; ami ihrnfore, the strain lieiiig less, a less ([iiantily of iiiaterial is emplincd in the Inp and hntlniii Wilis. .\ii imporlaiit coiisiili ration should be named in \\\i\\ to thi-;, which conciriis all the Ari'r.NDix. o:> cliiiisi:. of l)fnm» nlliulud to, which in, that any chango of prnimrliiin i,i llivfiynrc i/a icam chniigrt tie amount (if utrtiiii rniinril tty the hud, and coimcqiteiitli/ chniiffm the wvuikt uf the ttenm >IkcI/. 'I'lii; re^^iHtniirc to hori- zontal stniin ill the altovf diii^-'i's of liridt^cs, (lc|uiuls iipaii tin; (li'^tiuicc Iictwi'cii tiuir top iiiul Imttoin wrlin; Huch Ikiiiui lire said to vary in strength ilirictly as thiMr (h'litlis, and invurscly as their spans. Wilh regard to tiiliiil.ir liennis, a practical rule has been estalilisiied, \vlii<'li detcrniines that tln> depth slmll not bo less tliiin l-l'ilh of the span ; hiil aUiioiigh this is the iniiiiuiniii depth given, there i-. no reason to con- Hider it the inaxininni depth; indeed, the tnliular bridges jiist named are of a greater depth than liial propuitioii wouhl give; for instance, the deptii of I'Vrry bridge is 1-llth of its span, and that of the Victoria tubes, next the centre opening, is 1-1 ith of the span. These proportions are, 1 believe, very .similar to those tliat are usually adopted for " Wurreii " or trellis-beams. 1; is Well known that the diagonal "struts" in these latter systems when under pressure deflect as if I hey thenisehes were beams, and any increase in the depth of tiie sides would be an increase of length in the diagonals, which in the "Warren must be compeiisati'd by an increaM' in their sectional area; and in the trellis-beam, if they are not increased in area, they must be in number, so as to make more inter- sections ; therefore an increase in deptii of the sides of these systems would not only be n propor- tionate increase in their weight, hut would be an increase p^r sipiare foot of their surface. Now, the sides of a tube, from their nature, miiy be increased in depth up lo a reasonable practical limit, wiihout any increase in their thickness. Having given you my views with respect to the comparative merits of the din'ereiit kinds of roadway consisting of " beams," that may be adopted in the Victoria Bridge, 1 now proceed to draw your attention to the adaptation of tlic "suspension" principle, similar to that of the liridg ■ which has been completed within the last few months by Mr. lioebliug over the Niagara River iieiir tlu' Great Falls. You are aware that during my last visit to Canada 1 examined this remarkable woik, and made myself acage of railway trains, are carefully and clearly set forth. No one can study the statements contained in that Report without admiring the great skill wliieh has been displaxed throughout in the ioii in lln^liiml, ill I'liN'Mir 111' II SiH|ii'ii-i(iii Uf.';;i' i.i |>liic(' of iIimI «f iiic iiigiinid in <'(>iiHtriiftiii|^ nerosi the St. LuNMriirc 111 tlii'* pliiri', 'I'liii idrii, lu) (IkiiIiI, Iiiih ill' ill IVdiii llii' miici'chh of llii! Nin^(uru 8iis|M'iiMiini Drid^c, liitilv liiii»lu(l liy Ml'. I{()t'liliiif{, iii'.tl now in unc liy ilic (iniil Wi'Htcrii lluilwiiy ('iiiiipniiy, n* tlir niiiiU'ctiiiK links liclwi'cn tlltir lines im nicll side llic St. I.iiwriiici', ulioiit hvo liiilis In lnw llir (li'ciit "Fulls," of tile sitiialioii iinil |i:ii'li('iiliii's of wliicli you will im iloiilii Ilivc ioiiio I'l'i'iilliition. I visjicil ihc spot lately, anil Ininid Mr Itdililiiii,' IJirle, wlio |.'iive iiii' every I'lieility I emild disii'e fur lliy olijecls. Of Ids last lleport (ill lli( (oiiipletioli of llie wmk, lie aUo gave iik> a copy wliieli you will ri'ceiM' willi this. I |iii\e in irked the points wliieli eoiitaiii llie NiilistiinctMif liis statiiiieiit. 1 also eiielose an eiiniiived sktieli of tlie stnii'tui'f. Mr. Itoeliling lias siieeeeileil in aceoinpiisliiiig all lie liiid iiiiderliikeii, vi/,., safely lo pass over railway trains at a speed not excei'diiig five niile!* an lioiir, — this speed, liowever, is not practised ; tlie time orciipied in passinj: o\( r "^iiil feet is tlii'ce iniiiiites, wliicli is eipiiil to lliree miles an liiiur 'I'lie delli'dion is foiiiiil to \al\ flnin .') til !) ini'lics, di peiidiiij; on tlir evleiil nf Imid ; and the Inrf^esl load \et |iii>Md over is D'JCi tiMls of ■Jniiii III'- each, uliicli eiiiiM'd II depressinii of jo iiulies. A preeaiilioii lias III ell taken to diinini^li the ^paii ji'oni ">iiii to 7110 feet liy liiiildiiig up, iiiideriiealli the pliitforin at eueh end, alioiit ID feet in length, inter- vening lietween the towers and tlii' face of the ]ireeiiii('e upon which they stand, and struts havi' also liecii added e\teiidiiig 10 feet flirt her. The points involved in the coii'-ider.itioii of this snliject are, llrst, w/f^. rifiiri/. iiiid sceniid, cifs/. 'I'Ik ■;(' iii'c ill llii-- piii'l iciiliir case soon disposed of. I''ir>t, we liii\e a •.Iriliture uliicli we daii nut use at a higher speed tliiiii time inih ^ an lioiir. In crossing the St. Lnwrt'iice at Montreal, wo should thus occupy tliree-ipiarlei's nf an Imur, and allowing reasoiialile time for trains clearing and getting Well out of each other's w.iy, 1 coiisidrr thai twenty trains in the twcnty-lioiirs is the ulniost we could iiecoinpli^h. A\ hen our coniinuiiication is compleled aci'os> the St. Lawrence, there will lie ''.:'"s (now existing, having their leriniiii on the south shore) which, with oiir own line, will mpiirc four or Ww •iiiiea this lu'coiiiniodation. This is no exaggeration. Over the Iniilge in ipiotion, although opened only a few- weeks, and the roads yet incoin|ilete on eillur ^ide, there are ln'twcm thirty and lorty triiins pass daily. The' mixed ainilieation of timlier and iron in connection with wire, renders it iinpossiMe to put n|i so large n work, to answer the purposi's reipiired at Mraitieal. AVe iniist therefore ciaistrnct it entirely of iron, omitting all peri^lmliK' materials, and wi- are tlm> liioiiglii to ('oii>id(r the (piestion of cost ; in doing wli.eh, as regards the Victoria Bridge, 1 find that, ili\iding it under lliree heads, it slanils as follows: — •• /V/'.v/. — The a|)proa('hes and aliiitnieiit.>, which togrllur rxtiiid to :!(i(iii fed in length, amnimt in the estiniiite to (.■jOli.Onil " Si'iiiiiil. — The masonry forniiiig the piers, which occupy the inteivcniiig space of 70011 lilt lietwceii the aliiitinciits, inchidiiig all daiiis and appliances for their erection '<0(),l)00 " '//,;/■,/. — The wrought iron tiilMilar siiprr-iruetmc, Tihmi fn t in length, which aiiioniiN to 400,000 (aliont l.")" per lineal foot •^— — ^ .Makin-a total of tl,t()0,OUO " 15v sul).sliluling a >UNpeiision liridge, the case would stand thus; tlir approaches and abutincnts Al'I'MXKlX. !)7 extciuling to iJdOO fiit in liiif^th, l)iiii;^ riiiiiiiiDii to both, luori' rs|)((!iiill)' uh tlu;«f iiro imw in iiii ailvaiiciil itutt', may ))u ntutud wt ubovu at l.:!(ll),l)l)i). "Tlu- iimnonry of tlio Victorio Hridgc piiTx ranges fniiii K) to 7i ffct in lici.nlit, averaging 50 feet, and tlu'sc arc twrnly-four in Munihcr. Tlic nuniluT ri'<|iiii'f(l l'(ir a Hus|i(iisi0 fell, wiiuld 1(1' /(•/(, and tlicst' woniil extend to an avrr:»;(),()()() sterling. llstimiUing his towers and anchor masonry at £20,000, whieli 1 believe is more than their due, we have £(10,000 left for the superstructure, which, lor a length of "^OO fe((, is e(pial to t7."i [ler lineal foot, giving an excess of Ll"> per foot over tin- (nbes, of which w<' have 700(1 feet in length. By this data wt; show an excess of nearly |0 per cent, in the suspension, as compared with the tidiular principle, for the particular locality with which we have to deal, besides having a structure perishabh^ in itself, on account of the natiue of the materials; and to construct them entirely of iron, woidd involve an iiuTcase in the cost which no circnmstaiice coimccted with our local or any other consideration at .Nbmtreal would justify. We attain onr ends by a Mineli more economical struetnre, and what is of still greater consequence, a nioi'e permanent one; and as Mr. Ilocljling says — ' No suspension bridge is safe without tiic appliances of stays from below.' No stays of the kiinl referred to coidd be used in the Victoria Ibiilge, both on acco\mt of the navigation and the ice, either of wliich coining in contact with them wouhl instaiUly destroy tliem. N(j security would lie left against the storms and hurricanes so fre(jnently occurring in this part of the world, " No one, however, cajiable of forming a judgment upon the subject, will doubt for one inoiiient the propriety of adopting the suspemled mode of structure for the particular place and object it is desgined to serve at Niagara. A gorge, 800 feet in width ami 210 feet in dejith, with a foaming cataract nieiiig at a s]iced of twenty to thirty miles an hour, luiderneath, points out at once that the design is nKi>t eligible ; and .Mr. Hoebling has succeeded in perfecting a work capable of passing over ten or twelve trains an lioiu', if it should lie re(piired to do so. 'i'he ens's letter, that 1 can add no further remark upon the subject, except, [lerhaps, that there appears to lie a discrepancy in that part wliich relates to aj^it. In dividing the i^'d.OOO into items, Mv. Ross has deducted tJO.OOO for masomy, ami left the residue, £(i0.00(), for the 800 feet of roadway. Now it apfiears evident, that this ai'.uiunt sluiuld include the cost of the " Land-chains ; " and assuming their value at about £!.">, OllO, there • oidd lie only t |.'i,0()0 o ' 1 08 Arn;xi»ix. Kft for tlic SOO foL't of roadwiiv ; thus iviluciiig the ^'ost jicr linciil foot to Ix; ahoiit timt of the tube. But in the nppliciition of a sus]H-iision UnA'^c for t'u' St. Lauivucc, tlu; item tl.'i.OOO foi- " Laml-cliains," woulil, of course, liave to be nddeil to the cost of the 70(10 feet of roiuluiiy, which wouUl swell the amount per fool to a little over that of the tubes. In all that has been said respecting the coiupanitive nitrits of the ditferent systems of roadway, you will |)ereeive that a coii//j/c/i' inmh'ii .s/ntrf/n-r has not beeu attended to ; because, in the first plaoe, when the design for the Victoria IJridge was at tirst being considiMrd, iniui/ was deenied not sultieientiy permanent ; in tlic sc.'ond ])lace, the structures alluded to in the ri'ijort as being inferior to that now in progress, are proposed to be constructed of stone and ironwork; and, as a third reason, the construction of tiie tubidar roadway is already so far advanced, tliat any alteration, to the extent of abandoning iron and adopting irood, uuist involve monetary {piestious of so serious a nature as to render the subject beyond discussion, or even being thought of in this l\i'[iort. [n coiK'lusion, therefore, I have to state to you (my deliberate o[)iuioa) that the present design now biing carried out fo" tin- Victoria liridge is the most suilable that can !),■ adopted, taking all the circnui- stanccs into consideration, to which the c[nestion relates, lu luaking this statement, I nuist ask you to bear in mind that I am nut addressing you as an advu.'ale for a tubular iiridge. I lua \'ery desirous of calling your especial attention \o this fact ; for really .uueh eiTor lu'evails upon this point, tluciugh the impression that in every case I nuist appear as an advueate; no one is more aware than 1 am that such intlexible advocacy would amount to an absurdity. I entirely concur in «liat .Mr. Ibiss says rc-^pec ting the propriety of applying the suspension prineipli' to the passiigi; across the Niagara (iorge; no other system of bridge-building yet de\isecl C(jul(l n>\iv with the liu'gc span of ^llil feet which was there abx'lutely called for, iiTe>peetive of the other ditlieullies i'llnded to. ^\'hen such spans arc d. inanded, no design of " beam " with which I am aeipiainted would b,: at all fiasible. 'I'lie tuiie, fnllis, and triangular svsti'ms are all impracticable in a eonnnercial sense, and even in a practical engineering (piistion, the (liliicullies invij\ed are all but insurniouiitalile. Ovrr the St. I.awniH'c we are, fortunately, nut compdlrd to adopt vi it large sp.ius ; lu-vcr so lart;e, in fact, as have bicn already aecompli^lird by the simple " girder " system. It is uiidir these eii'enmslances that the suspeusiiiu principle fails, in my (;pinion, tn possrss any decided juKaelage in point of expense; whilst it is eerlainly nuu'h inferior as regards staijility fur railway purposes. 'I'lie flexure (jf the Xi.igai'a liridge, llidugh reall_\ small, is sutlieiently indicative (4' sneh .a lunvement amongst t!ie pai1s uf the platl'orm as cannot fail to augment, where irood i.s cmplnved, liefon; ,a loni,' time elapses. I beg that this observation may nut be eoiisideivd as being mach' in the tone of disparagianent ; 1 APl'EXDIX. flO on tlic contrary, no one npinvciatcs nioro tliiui I do, tlie skill and science disi)lnycd by Mr. Rocbliiig in overcoming the striking engineering diifioiiltics by wliicli he was sni^oundod. I only refer to the (jnestion of ilexure in the pliitforni, as an niiavoidiilile defect in tlic snspcnsion principle; which, from the com- paratively smiill spans that arc available in the Victoria Bridge, may be entirely removed ont of consideration. 1 am, Gentlemen, Your obedient servant, (Signed) WOU. STKPIIKNSOX. P.S.— In my last commnnication, 1 stated thai, in order to bring more clearly before you the comparative merits of ditlerent kinds of girders, now very generally nsed for railway purposes, I had designed some experiments, and intended that the results should be contained in this Report. They are in progress, l)Ut as tiiey cannot be eoMipietef tlie Grand Trunk Jtaihriii/ if Canada. \~th Dcn-mhor, ISr.l). Gf.NTM'.MIN', We bru' to hand yo\i our joint Report on the state of the V'l-loiia Ih'idge, at .Moutivai, wliieh will be ojieued tnr pid)iie trallie on Monday next, the IDth iust. .\l ihe time we eouumiieed our tiual insinrtiou of the Bridge there were two of tiie ordinary spans (Nov II am! IT. in an iue.implete stati\ b\it the last of these (No. 1 I- tube) was eomiileied on Monday, leavmg nolhiuu' but the testing to lie dnue pri'vion;.|y to the bridge being o])ened fur public trallie. Dining the tiau' that arraugenu'Uts were tuiiig made lor eouuueueii'g the testing, we directed our atteiUiou to ihe work> generally, and, with the exception of a few small matters t" be tiui-hed up, which we shall enumerate hereafter, we are able to inform .\ou that in every respect the wi.rks are of the most perhet description. 100 Al'lULNDlX. The piers and ahulnicnts arc of tlie most substantial cliaractor, the masonry of wl.idi tl.cy consist being massive, well built, aud finished most ace.u'ately. The approaches consist of solid material, and are constructed in a mnnncr such as will render theui thoroughly ijcrmancnt. The tubular beams comprising the superstructure of the bridg.' are formed of the best nmterials, and the workmanship is unquestionable. In fact, both as regards the .jnality of the iron in the plates, rivets! and other parts, and the manner in which the whole is put together, we believe that better ,vork cannot be r.ro.lnce.1; and our views in this respect will, we believe, be fully bon.e out by the results of the tests to which wo subjected the whole of the tubes. As you may be aware, the Victoria Bridge was designed to sustain practically a load of one ton per foot run of its entire length ; which load, added to the weight of the tubes themselves, it was intended should cause a horizontal tensile strain of five tons per square inch, and a compressile strain of four tons per so, uhuh was of course allVetcl. owing to its connection with the loaded tube. As the effect pro.lueed was the same in all the ordinary pair, of tubes, it will only be necessary to give you the observations taken in one pair, which were as follows : While the load was in the tlr>t tube only, the delhrlion of that Inl,.. in the middle wa> I of an inch. .•ind the adjoining empty tube was lifted in the middle. Tile load then being plaee.l over both tubes,' the (h-fieetioii was the .same in each, and wa> ; of an inch, in the middle. And when the load wa> run on to the second tube only, the elhrt on the two ti.hes was .similar to that ill the liist experiment. ^\^^ next t,>ted the large central .span which is quite iineonneeted with any olhcT tube, .and the load extending from end to end eaiised a .h'llectimi lu.t moiv than 1.^ inch, in the middle. In Mil theexperini.nts the tubes returned to lh,.ir origintd p.is.tion when the weight wa.s removed. The result of the tests applie.l to the uhole „f the twenty.five tubes is highly satisfactory, inasmuch as the actual deflections were couMderahly within thr cahnlated .lellections for siieh a load, accor.ling to Ari'ENDIX. 101 formulae well-known nnd generally mndc use of. We therefore consider the tubes excessively strong as regards the load they are designed to carry, and wo attribute this to the perfect manner in which they have been fitted and riveted together, and the excellent quality of the iron of which they are composed. In the .'5;50-feet (central) tube, the sinallness of the deflection is very remarkable, it being but little more than five-eighths of tiie calculated deflection. It is also worthy of remark that it was a difficult matter to make up a train weighing the enormous weight of one ton per foot run ; and it was just as nuich as three large engines could do to ])ropcl it. Such a load siu'elv never can pass through the t)ridge in the ordinary way of tratfic. The works re([uire(l yet to be done to com[)lcte the Victoria Bridge are — The laying about ibO lineal feet of coping in the south approach, and fixing the iron caps on twenty-two piers. And we beg to say, in coiulusinn, that when these small matters are completed, we sho\ild recommend the lioard of Directors of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada to accept the Victoria Bridge from the hands of Messrs. Peto, Brassey, aiul Iktts, the contractors, as being completed satisfactorily, and aeeoidiiig to the true s|)int and meaning of ilie contract. We deeply regret that Mr. Robert Stephenson had not lived to sec the end of this important work ; lint we feel enabled to assure you, in the most confident terms, that everything has been carried out with respect to it entirely in accordance with his wishes. We are. Gentlemen, Your obedient servants. (Signed) ALEXANDER M. ROSS. GKORGE H. lUU'CE. B. 1'. STOCKMAN". 103 ArrEXDix. o 0H < CO O en » X Fd tf > W Eh o PS s 2 s S o :p ^ »c 00 »■'? 00 »■■? i- ».'^ I-, -f »-'?' X X f-H c^ w ».■^. r; <^ I- i; X 1- 00 I- X 00 o !_-. 1.;; X. 9 w i.;r ^ -i- (X '_f o '-'? X i.'^ CD ir? w o i.f I- 1.7 1^ i.l I, -o o C) X M X -M X ?! J. 7J X 7; X i» "- I- ^ I - :r 1^ -o ■ I- X - c — -M r. - ■.■^ ■ — ■ " — T^ C'^ C" */ 7/ 7* ^ H /,' IZ ?2 "i '■= il ."-' it ^ t; ■■£ -^ : '.r !- '.; ^ u — - '* ~ - " "* '- i^. r. 1? -/ T) ^ « ^ « ?3 w ;14 n H Yl « Ph i^ » I 1 — — • — ~i n ii 71 71 71 I I ArrENDix. 108 VI. CONTRACTORS' STAFF. loiix nrxcAN- . tllAltl.KS Ll'.CdK . W. (II.IVKU (iOODIXCi Kl!i;i>. (I Tlill.L Wll.l.l \.\I (IliAIV II. II. KII.I.AI.V .1. VV. WOOIiKOlif) .I.WIK.S DIMIAI! . ENGINEERING DEPAPTWrNT. KxtllNKKn IN ClURGE OP WORKS. AsSI.ST.\NT DITTO ASSI.STANT-E.NOINKEB. South Side. „ ANli Dr.\ugiitsm.\s. MkiIUNK AL E.VnlXEER. ,, DllAUOUTSMAX. w. c. .>. HOSS KKHI! .Sl.ATKIt IIAVIS .1. i:VA.V TlliiAIAS DITTOX . UollKUT HI MAN' \r (. iPlTTii.V STEAM BOAT AND BARGE DEPARTMENT. Sltehixtexdent. Master. t-'l.ERK. SUB-CONTRACTORS. liKN.IA.MIN 1 IIAKKKY .KHIN ci, IJnlMlK.s .\li;.SSl;s. I'.liowy ANM WAT.SOV WII,1.I.\M .\K\V( (iMHK WII.I.IA.M |;I.SSANT 1 1 1 1 \l A .\ .lAi <,il KS NnJlMAM) .1 w, \vii,>ti;ai) \VAl.ri;i VAIMH.K .pA.MI'.S I, iliKINSdN , MAKTINinr .... riiiiMA.-^ l-'olt Snl Til .\;il.TMl:\T, AMI lOH I'lElls N.i-, :.'4, -.i, l.'!.', 21, ■20. l;i, 1 ;, l.-|, .\Mi 14, For I'irits 1( , 11, I:'. Axn l:i, „ „ 5 Ah 0. „ (JrAi:iiVi\(; a.M) Citt so Stuxe at I'mIXTK Ci.auie. „ Si-utixi: Maxixry, „ ClUI) Wc.liK. „ „ .VXll STAlilXO. „ .'-^TAcilXi,. „ Kiii:i Til IN oi- TruEs. „ 'I'l-SNlXi; ,.F Uo.iF. ., ['AINTIXn. 10} APPENDIX. A. G. FOWLKR MILTON SKSSIONS . L. KIKKrP, Ju.v. . \V. 1!. liKLL . SIMON FOOTE (JOLLUKR ALEX. SUTIIEULAND J. IIAUIU.SON . J. AKEMIEAD . J. HILL . JOHN THOMPSON G. I'YKE . JOHN MELLVILLE JOHN M. NEIL .S. liON NEVILLE . JO.SEPH KIltKBKIDE WILLIAM KlUKimiDE DUNCAN .M( DONALD ED, WILLIAMS . D. WILSON J. TUUNKK . .SAMUEL liATULIEl'E EDWAlil) I'OULTciN . (iEoKOE rEUKi'N? UOIJEliT W1LI5AU JOHN lS.\il,EY BAUNEV SEEKEV SUPERINTENDENTS, INSPECTORS, FORt.VCN, &o. Geneiial SLI'KIII.NTKNDENT. iNSrKCTim III' lilVKTl.NO. M.vaoNiir. „ I'.ll.S'TIN'a. Imiiikman ok Siiors. „ (-'AHl'KNTEllS, Masons. I!ivi:ti;ii.i SlI'KltlNTK.NDK.VT (IK SaILOIIS. l"nUl;MAS OF LaUUIHKHS. Sli'i:iunti:nui:.s'T hk Divkiw a.vu liOArMt.v. IlkAlitil'RV ANO EVANS. I■^11MK^^ EMItAokl.INAUY Tii Illh yt Kh.v. WIlllEKUnlt.-l.