495 Sir Frederick Bramwell [Feb. 22, 



and its clear headway of 150 feet above high water. Thanks to the 

 kindness of Messrs. Fowler and Baker, the engineers, I am enabled 

 to show you a diagram of the bridge, and to give a clear conception 

 of the vast dimensions of this work, there are drawn on the same 

 sheet the Menai, the St. Louis, and some other well-known large- 

 span bridges. So far as the efficiency of the structure is concerned, 

 it is a simple question of money, but a bridge high up in the air, 

 although it may satisfy those who pass under, will be of no use to 

 those who wish to pass over, if it cannot bo readily reached from the 

 ground level. Although on the north the ground at Tower Hill rises 

 some 31 feet above high water, the shore on the south is practically 

 on a level with it, and thus on that side the whole height from high 

 water to the level of the bridge would have to be climbed. 



Formerly, no mode would have been open, to get the traffic on and 

 off such a bridge, other than inclined roads. Tiiese, for heavy traffic 

 ascending, could not have been made successfully at a greater inclina- 

 tion than 1 in 30, better still 1 in 40. To give an idea of what 

 appearance is presented by certain gradients, it may be said in 

 passing that St. James' Street varies from a maximum gradient of 

 1 in 23 to a minimum of 1 in GO, and has a mean of 1 in 32 ; 

 while the eastern extremity of the Thames Embankment, where it 

 joins the road leading on to Blackfriars Bridge, is made with a 

 regular rise of 1 in 40. The upper surface of the floor of the 

 bridge could not bo less, to avoid all fancied interference with 

 shipping, than 150 feet above Trinity high water; an inclination of 

 even 1 in 30 would demand therefore a length of 4500 feet for the 

 Surrey approach, while 1 in 40 would obviously require as much as 

 6000 feet. In these days, however, it is perfectly feasible to raise and 

 lower the whole traffic of such a bridge by hydraulic power ; but when 

 the large number of vehicles which, as I shall show you presently, it 

 may fairly be anticipated would pass, come to be dealt with, the space 

 demanded for double groups of lifts, the ascending and the descending 

 (for there are almost insuperable difficulties in making one set of 

 lifts answer both for the ascent and the descent), and the cost of the 

 establishment of these lifts, render the abandoning of inclines, for 

 certain portions of the traffic, very undesirable. 



And although no doubt, as I have said, such a high-level bridge 

 could be constructed and worked, no estimate has been made of it ; 

 the cost, however, of a bridge with 100 feet clear headway has been 

 got out, and, including acquisition of property, amounted to as much 

 as 745,000/., while the annual charges would probably be 18,000Z. 

 If no other mode were available, then the importance of the 

 matter is so great that, large as these payments are, they would be 

 more than justified, and the money would be well laid out ; but, 

 before determining to adopt such a plan, it is proper that the 

 alternative of a tunnel should be investigated. For many years the 

 difficulties met with in the execution of the Thames Tunnel, brought 

 subaqueous tunnelling into disfavour ; but there are more ways than 



