222 CORNISH VIADUCTS. 



£32,000. It was commenced in April, 1878, and completed 

 and opened for traffic in Feb., 1881. 



The new Moorswater Viaduct, and in fact all the early 

 viaducts, were designed by Mr. H. J. Cole, of the Great 

 Western Office, Plymouth, who also acted as resident 

 engineer upon the works under Mr. P. J. Margary, M. Inst. 

 C.E., chief engineer of the Cornwall Railway. The new 

 viaduct is built alongside the old one, and is quite straight, 

 with the exception of a curve of 1,440 feet radius at its 

 western end. 



A good foundation for the piers was found upon the slate 

 rock at an average depth of about 12 feet below the surface. 

 The excavations were then filled up with Portland cement 

 concrete to the level of the ground, forming an even base 

 upon which to build the piers. This concrete was mixed in 

 the following proportions : — 1 measure of Portland cement, 

 3 of sand, and 3 of clean broken granite of the size of road 

 metalling, and here and there large granite spawls were 

 imbedded in the proportion of f ton to 1 ton of concrete. 



Two kinds of stone were used at Moorswater. For the 

 quoins, voussoirs, string courses, and other ornamental work, 

 granite from the Cheesewring and Luxulyan quarries was 

 employed. The remainder, and by far the larger proportion 

 of stone, was obtained from the Westwood quarry, and con- 

 veyed by special stone train to the top of the bank. From 

 there it was lowered to the bottom by means of an inclined 

 plane, on which the full descending truck pulled up the 

 empty one. This stone is stated to be " a slate rock inter- 

 sected with veins of carbonate of lime. The general colour 

 is blue, like roofing slate, with white veins. It has a first- 

 rate natural bed, and throughout the works was used in 

 blocks up to 2| tons weight." 



The mortar consisted of blue lias lime mixed with sea 



