68 



BREMEN. 



BRIDGES. 



pied lands will be sold at the rate of 23, 46, 70 

 or 90 cents per acre, to be paid before taking pos- 

 session, or sold for terms of five years, the immi- 

 grants paying six per cent, interest yearly, and 

 receiving the title of property only after having 

 paid for the land sold. Immigrants will enjoy 

 under the constitution of the empire all civil 

 rights and liberties which belong to native-born 

 Brazilians. They will enjoy liberty of con- 

 science in religious matters, and will not be 

 persecuted for their religious belief. Immigrants 

 may become naturalized citizens after two 

 years' residence in Brazil, and will be exempt 

 from all military duties except the national 

 guard (militia) in the municipality. No slaves 

 can be imported into Brazil from any country 

 whatever. Immigration of agriculturists and 

 mechanics is particularly desired. Good engi- 

 neers are in demand in the empire. In January, 

 1866, an International Immigration Society was 

 established at Rio de Janeiro for the purpose 

 of encouraging immigration. The Brazilians 

 hoped especially for a large increase of the im- 

 migration from the United States, but although 

 this immigration did not altogether cease, it did 

 not assume the dimensions which the Brazilian 

 Government expected.* 



The most complete and most accurate work 

 on Brazil in the English language, is the new- 

 edition of " Brazil and the Brazilians," by Rev. 

 James 0. Fletcher and Rev. D. P. Kidder, D. D. 

 (New York, 1866.) The new edition affords 

 abundant information of the latest date in re- 

 gard to the material and moral progress of 

 Brazil. 



BREMEN, a Free City in North Germany. 

 First Burgomaster (1863-'67), Oh. F. G. Molir. 

 Area, 112 square miles; population, in 1864, 

 104,091. Receipts, in 1865, 1,819,220 thalers; 

 expenditures, 1,757,961 thalers. Array, 760 

 men. Value of imports, in 1865, 77,294,373 ; 

 exports, 70,879,834. The merchant navy was 

 composed, at the close of 1864, of 294 vessels. 

 After the German-Italian war, Bremen joined 

 the North German Confederation. 



BRIDGES. The Hudson River Bridge at 

 Albany. This bridge crosses the Hudson River 

 at Albany, about half a mile above the old rail- 

 road ferry, or middle of the river line of the 

 city, and forms a connecting link between the 

 New York Central Railroad on the west, and 

 the Hudson River, New York and Harlem, and 

 Albany and Boston Railroads on the east. The 

 approaches to the bridge, designed ultimately 

 to consist of masonry and embankment, arc at 

 present temporarily built of timber trestle- 

 work, varying in height from three to twenty 

 feet, with timber truss bridges over Montgom- 

 ery, Centre, and Water Streets, on the Albany 

 side. 



The main bridge consists of twenty spans, of 



* Fletcher and Kidder, " Brazil " (New York, 1866), give, on 

 pp. 592-598, the letter of welcome aud of instruction to some 

 Immigrants from the South of the United States, by Sr. Paula 

 Bouza, Minister of Public Works, Agriculture, and Com- 

 merce, in 1865-'66, and some extracts from a speech of Dr. 

 Furquim d'Almeides in faror of religious toleration. 



the following clear widths : three over the Al- 

 bany basin of 66 feet each, four fixed spans of 

 172 feet each, and two draw spans of lllf feet 

 each, over the main channel, and one span of 

 71 feet, and ten spans of 66 feet each, across 

 the flats on the east side ; and stands about 30 

 feet clear height above ordinary summer tide 

 level of the river. 



The substructure consists of twenty-one stone 

 piers, all resting on foundations of spruce piles, 

 from twelve to fourteen inches in diameter, and 

 driven from two and a half to three feet apart 

 between centres, and generally from twenty- 

 four to twenty-eight feet below low-water level. 

 In preparing the foundations for the masonry* 

 different methods were adopted in different 

 portions of the work. In the case of the pivot 

 pier, and the three main channel piers east of 

 it, the site of each pier was first excavated to a 

 depth of about twenty feet below low water, 

 and of a length and breadth considerably greater 

 than the intended pier, and, after the piles were 

 driven, a strong crib of twelve-inch square tim- 

 ber was build around them, the sides of the 

 cribs being kept from spreading by ties of one 

 and one-eighth inch square iron, placed twelve 

 feet apart in each course of timber. The crib 

 was then sunk upon the bottom of the excava- 

 tion, having been made of sufficient height to 

 bring the top thereof within two feet of low- 

 water level. The interior of the crib was then 

 filled with concrete, composed of coarse gravel 

 and hydraulic cement, and the surplus excava- 

 tion around the cribs filled with loose stone up 

 to within twelve feet of low water, to support 

 the crib and avert any danger from scouring; 

 the piles were then cut off level with the tops 

 of the cribs, and the whole covered with a plat- 

 form of six-inch plank, upon which the stone 

 work was commenced. For the westernmost 

 pier in the main channel, which is in the deep- 

 est water, no excavation was made, but the 

 piles were cut off to a level about a foot above 

 the bed of the river, and the masonry sunk 

 upon them by means of a timber caisson. For 

 each pier in the basin the piles were cut off six 

 feet below low water, a strong platform moored 

 over them, on which the masonry was com- 

 menced, and lowered upon the piles by means 

 of screws. For the piers on the flats, east of 

 the main channel, the site of each was exca- 

 vated to a depth of about three feet below low 

 water, the piles driven as for others, and cut 

 off about one foot below low watar. The ex- 

 cavation was then filled around and over the 

 heads of the piles with concrete, about up to 

 low-water line, and upon this the masonry was 

 commenced. 



The masonry of the piers and abutments is 

 composed of the best quality of limestone of a 

 bluish-gray color. 



The stones in each course are clamped to- 

 gether with strong iron clamps, and each course 

 is secured to the one next above and below by 

 iron dowels. The shape of the ends of the 

 piers in p^n is that of a gothic pointed arch, 



