1845.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



79 



Deptli of the girders at the centre 

 ,, nt the ends . 



Thickness of the three middle girder! 

 ,, outside pair 



oq1< pliinlting of tile platform 



Ft. In. 

 4 

 1 

 2i 



U 

 _ „ .03 



The castings were made at tbe foundry of Messrs. Dixon and Co., 

 at Amsterdam. 



The cost of this hridge was 83,000 florins (=^£00 10 138. 4cf.) All 

 the details of dimensions and cost are given in tht> paper. 



The timber bridge at Vogelenzaiig, figs. 11, 12, and 13, is built on 

 the American trellis-work system; it is 177 feet 2 inches long by 32 

 feet 6 inches wide, and spans the high road and the canal, with its 

 towing-path, at an angle of 30° with the latter. The piers are of 

 masonry upon piles. 



The timber-work consists of three ribs of lattice-work, one on each 

 outer side of the platform and one in the centre, between the two 

 lines of rails. Each series consists of battens of red Riga deal, 3 

 inches thick and 12 inches wide, crossed at an angle of 45° with the 

 horizon, and therefore at fight angles with each other, as shown in 

 the elevation, fig. 1 1, and well fastened, at each crossing, with oak 

 trenails. More than one-third of the depth of the lattices is below 

 the platform; and its general stability is very much increased, and 

 lateral vibration is prevented, by the diagonal trussing shown in the 

 transverse section and plan, figs. 12 and 13, of the platform. The 

 transverse oak bearers, 10 inches square, on which the planking of 

 the platform is laid, are placed at intervals of about 3 feet, every 

 alternate one being trussed, as shown in the section, fig. 13, and the 

 truss bound togetlier by a pair of iron screw-bolts, 4 feet long, placed 

 between the longitudinal bearers of the rails. The planking of the 

 platform is of white deal, 3 inches thick and 20 inches wide ; and, 

 excepting this and the oak bearers of tbe platform, the whole of the 

 timber-work is of red Riga deal. 



The following are the principal dimensions of the parts :— 



Length of the bridge . 



Total width of ditto 

 WIdtll of side openings 



., middle opeuing . 

 Height of the platform 



,, lattice above ditto 



Depth of the lattice below- ditto 

 Total height of the lattice ribs 

 Clear width of each roadway 



Ft. 



1/7 



32 6 



29 



111 6 



1.5 9 



7 10 



6 2 



13 



13 



This construction is stated to be very satisfactory, and to have cost 

 only 40,000 florins (= £3833 Os. Sd.) 



The trussed timber bridge over the Warmonder Leede cios?es the 

 river at an angle of 50^ It has five openings of 20 feet S inches each ; 

 through one of these the navigation is carried on, and it is closed when 

 the trains pass by a sliding platform moving diagonally upon rollers, 

 which is worked by one man, and by very simple mechanism, like that 

 of the double platform bridge at Vink, figs. 14, 15, 16, and 17. 



The heads of the piles for this bridge required to be eut of, and a 

 tenon to be worked upon each, below the water line; this was done 

 by a simple apparatus, consisting of a deal box, figs. 15, and 10, 

 well put together and caulked, so as to be water-tight : it was feet 

 G inches long, 4 feet 3 inches wide, and 3 feet 3 inches deep. Through 

 the centre of the bottom there was a hole, large enough to admit the 

 head of a pile, A. Around this hole was nailed the open bottom of a 

 sack, B, of stout canvas, strengthened with leather. Two cords, C C, 

 were made fast, by one end of each, to the box, and the others were 

 passed through pulleys in the sides. 



When a pile was required to be cut off, the box was put over it, 

 and by weights within it was caused to descend as low as was requi- 

 site ; by means of the two cords, the lower end of the sack was then 

 drawn round the pile. A, so as to form a water-tight joint; by a small 

 pump, the water was then emptied from the box, into which a work- 

 man descended, turned back the canvas sack, B, and after sawing otf 

 the pile cut the head into any desired form. This system is stated to 

 have been used wherever the piles were required to be cut off under 

 water, and to have been very successful. 



The cost of the bridge over the Warmonder Leede|was 44,600 florins 

 (=£3710 13s. 4(f.) 



The trussed timber bridge, which crosses tlie canal and the towing 

 path near Leyden, at an angle of 00", is fixed, and has a span of Sli 

 feet 5 inches. Its cost, with some accessory works, was 34,800 florins 

 (= £2900). 



The trussed timber bridge over the Rhine, near Vink, beyond 

 Leyden, is at an angle of 82° with the stream ; it has five arches, 

 three of which have openings 32 feet 10 inches each, and the two side 

 arches are 19 feet 8 inches each ; one of these later, which is intended 

 for the navigation, is closed by two parallel platforms, wliich slide 

 diagonally in opposite directions, figs. 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21; when 

 opening they are moved simultaneously by one man, with very simple 

 machinery. The cost of this bridge was £3133 Os. Sd. 



The single swivel bridge over the Delft canal, at the Hague, is of 

 cast iron, and spans the canal at an angle of 72°, with only one opening 

 of 20 feet 3 inclies. The piers are of masonry founded ou piles. Its 

 cost was 31,U0U florins (= £2583). 



The railway necessarily passes over numerous canals, whose trafloc 

 must be provided for ; it was consequently lequisite to provide a cheap 

 and simple modi' of crossing them ; the aulhor therefore devised the 

 form of bridge shown in figs. 18 and 19, and has called it "the Turn. 

 rail bridge." 



Four limber bearers, 12 inches deep by C inches wide, carry the 

 two lines of rails ; they are jointed on to heel-posls of oak, shod with 

 iron, which turn upon centres, on plates set in the masonry of the abut- 

 ment. The bearers are further supported by brackets of cast iron, 

 tig. 18, and each pair is connected by two bars, turning on joints, to 

 preserve the parallelism of the rails. Each pair opens outwards, for 

 the passage of the boats, and when they are closed, the ends of the 

 bearers rest in recesses prepared in the masonry for their reception, 

 fig. 19, in order that the ends of the moveable rails, shall coincide with 

 those of the fixed ones. This form of bridge is very cheap, and is 

 found to answer well, for a span not exceeding 10 feet. 



The relative proportions of the fares, per traveller, reduced to 

 English money and distance is — 1st class, l-OOrf. per mile; 2nd class, 

 1-d'id. per mile ; 3rd class, Sdd. per mile. 



COMPETITION. 



Sia — Not being myself a professional man, I have no personal in- 

 terest whatever in Competition, therefore at any rate I shall not be 

 supposed to speak from any private views of ray own, or with the 

 feelings of one who has been unsuccessful and disappointed. Conse- 

 quently the light in which I look at Competition is only as to its 

 operation for real good, — for the advancement of architecture itself, 

 or not. Competition ought to work for good by breaking-up mono- 

 poly, by exciting emulation, and by attbrding talent as yet obscure, 

 opportunities of manifesting itself, which might not present them- 

 selves in the ordinary course of professional employment. But if it 

 holds out — or is made to appear to hold out advantages and induce- 

 ments to architects, it also imposes the most honourable dealing to- 

 wards them, and perfect good faith, on those who invite them to com- 

 pete, and who have the benefit of anxious labour undertaken only with 

 a mere chance of success. 



Nevertheless, the inviters seem frequently to act as if they were 

 altogether irresponsible, and emancipated not only from all restraints of 

 honour, but from those of common honesty also, and whatever they may 

 be as individuals, are in their capacity of "Committee," guilty of such 

 arrant double-dealing and dirty shuffling, as in less respectable persons 

 would be called downright knavery and swindling. 1 am sorry there 

 should be room for such offensive remark, — neitlier am I sorry for 

 that alone, since I am sorry, exceedingly so, to find that perfect im- 

 punity is granted to malpractices of the kind, and that architects suf- 

 fer themselves to be imposed upon by bilking Committees without 

 daring to demand justice. Now and then, indeed, there is a little 

 complaining and grumbling — a little show of remonstrance, but 'tis 

 invariably a mere flash in the pan. Never does any thing come of it ; 

 the affair is allowed to die away and be forgotten, so tliat the com- 

 plainants merely exhibit their own chagrin to no purpose at all. 



It seems to be exactly thus with regard to that outrageously gross 

 case, the late Competition for the Choristers' Schools at Oxford, 

 which scandalous as it is, is now apparently quite dropped, and hush- 

 ed-up, notwithstanding that it is one which requires the very strictest 

 investigation, and the most thorough sifting into. The epithets I 

 have applied to it, are not at all too strong, for foul injustice has been 

 committed somev.here, — either 61/ the parties who now stand crimi- 

 nated, or against them ; and if it be the latter, they ought to rebut 

 the injurious aspersions cast upon them, and openly vindicate their 

 honour. — How stands the case ? It is positively asserted — nor has 

 anv attempt been made to contradict it — that although Mr. Derrick 

 had previously declined to enter the Competition, he ultimately did 

 so, and made his designs after all the others had been sent in accord- 

 ing to the titne specified. Now this was certainly most unprofessional 

 and unjustifiable conduct on his part. Still it is less astonishing to 

 find an individual so dishonourably unscrupulous where his own pri- 

 vate intirests are immediately concerned, than to find that the College 

 authorities — men wdio it may be supposed have some character for 

 integrity to support, should have connived at snch unfairness, and 

 have allowed him to do what they must have known and ought to 

 have felt was on their part a treacherous violation of contract between 



