HISTORY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 617 



approach to Kiama, twelve openings, twenty-six feet in the clear; 

 approach to Kiania, two openings, fifteen feet in the clear. 



On the railway between Blayney and Murrumburrah a 

 bridge has recently been built across the lliver Lachlan, at 

 Cowra. It consists of three openings, each of one hundred and 

 fifty feet in the clear, and four openings each sixty feet in the 

 clear, arranged two on each side of the larger openings. The 

 dimensions and details of the one hundred and fifty feet openings 

 are similar in every respect to the bridge over the River 

 Macquarie at Dubbo, and the dimeusions and dettiils of the 

 sixty feet openings which consist of plate web girdei's continuous 

 over one pier, ai-e similar in every respect to the bridges on the 

 Northern Line, such as the one over Orimbah Creek. The 

 cylinder piers are sunk to an average depth of sixty-eight feet, 

 and the clear headway above summer level is sixty-seven feet. 

 The testing of this bridge with three engines on each of the one 

 hundred and fifty feet span, weighing two hundred and three- 

 quarter tons, which is equivalent to a uniformily-distributed load 

 of 1"33 tons per foot run, showed a maximum deflection (when 

 the engines were running at full speed) of -Giin. The sixty 

 foot spans were tested with one engine only, and the maximum 

 deflection observed was -2 Sin. 



PERMANENT WAY. 



The rails on the length from Sydney to Goulburn, from Parra- 

 matta Junction to Bathurst, and from Newcastle to Murrurundi, 

 were originally laid with wrought iron double-headed rails weigh- 

 ing seventy -five pound per yard, fish-jointed throughout, on chairs 

 weighing twenty-five pounds each. From Goulburn to Wagga 

 Wagga, Bathurst to Orange, and from Murrurundi to Tamworth, 

 lighter iron rails were used, with single heads of the Vignoles 

 pattern -without chairs, weighing seventy-one pounds per yard 

 and fish-jointed throughout. Tliese iron rails are being replaced 

 by steel rails and re-rolled iron rails, the worn-out iron rails 

 being re-rolled at the Eskbank Iron Works, Lithgow. All the 

 lines which have been constructed since these above referred to 

 have been laid with steel rails. The author has thoroughly 

 investigated the re-rolling of worn-out iron rails at the Eskbank 

 Works, and considers that the re-rolled rails must necessarily be 

 inferior to the original iron rail. The economy of steel as a 

 material of construction is nowhere better exemplified than in the 

 case of rails, and its low cost sliould prevent contracts being let 

 by the Government in the future for the re-rollinL? of iron rails. 

 The worn-out rails may be manufactured into good round bar, 

 angle, and T-irons, whereas they will only make very inferior 

 rails. 



