316 Mr. W. A. Tait [March 4 r 



£200,00o, and was brought into operation as a railway as soon as 

 the necessary bridge approaches were completed. 



(A slide was displayed showing cross-section of the two tunnels 

 side by side. Another slide was exhibited showing the positions of 

 other crossings of the Thames, all of a special nature, between 

 London Bridge and Blackwall, and all of which were made after the 

 Thames Tunnel became a railway tunnel.) 



In the six miles by river below London Bridge there are now the 

 following five crossings : — 



1. The Tower Bridge, opened in 1894. 



2. The Thames Tunnel, already described. 



3. The Rotherhithe Tunnel, for foot passengers and vehicles, 

 opened in 1908. 



4. The Greenwich Tunnel, for foot passengers onlv. opened in 

 11)02. 



5. The Blackwall Tunnel, foot passengers and vehicles, opened in 

 1897. 



No account is taken in the above list of the Tower Subway, 

 which was opened for foot passengers in 1870, and was closed about 

 the time that the Tower Bridge was opened, and is now used for 

 carrying water-pipes across the Thames. 



Tower Bridge. — Wolfe Barry's adoption of the bascule principle 

 at the Tower Bridge probably carried with it the maximum improve- 

 ment of facilities for crossing the river with the minimum of 

 interruption of either river or road traffic. In the same way long 

 and heavy approach gradients were obviated, and there was the 

 minimum of demolition of riverside property. The bridge, which was 

 opened in 1894, provided for great developments in cross-river traffic. 



Forth Ferry.— The train ferry on the Forth was between Granton 

 and Burntisland, a distance of 5J miles. Being open to the North 

 Sea it was at times exposed to very stormy seas, which even large 

 passenger steamboats shrunk from encountering. 



Prior to the construction of the train ferry it was the custom r 

 on the arrival of the train at either end, to remove all goods from 

 the wagons and place tbem in boats lying alongside the pier, and 

 to retransfer these goods to wagons after the boats had reached the 

 other side of the Firth. The operations involved much loss of time 

 and great expense, and often caused breakage and damage to the 

 goods, which was the source of frequent litigation. 



One of the chief troubles to be overcome in the design of the 

 work arose from the variation in the level of the water, there being 

 a difference between high and low water spring tides of about 16 feet. 

 This was overcome by the construction of a masonry slip upon which 

 a cradle was run up or down to the required level to enable wagons 

 to be taken on or off the lines of rails on to the steamship, which was 

 capable of carrying about forty loaded wagons. 



(A slide was exhibited showing the masonry slip and cradle.) 



