46 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



fFEBRXMRy, 



lioist timber, iron, Sec. draw loads, and perform a variety of other 

 o])erations, in substitution of manual labour. 



A temporary bridge, carrying a railway, has been thrown across 

 the whole breadth of the Dnieper, and is connected by a self-acting 

 inclined plane witli the heights of Kieff, whence the great blocks 

 of granite and masses of iron are sent down from the depots above 

 to tlie works on the river. The great provision of granite, bricks, 

 timber, cement, lime, field-stones, &c., is very extraordinary, 

 covering many acres of ground. A whole village of warehouses, 

 offices, sliops, sheds, dwelling-houses for tlie superintendents, and 

 comfortable cottages for the numerous workmen, have been erected 

 on tlie left bank of the river, on ground expressly raised for the 

 jiurjiose above the flood level. A regular commissariat is attached 

 to tlie establishment, and the whole organisation of service is very 

 complete. The bricks employed are very hard, and of a beautiful 

 j)ale colour. Extensive quarries of granite were opened in a great 

 many places, solely for these works; but the principal supply and 

 the largest and finest blocks are found nearly 100 miles from Kieff, 

 and are brought thither on bullock-catts, through a rough country, 

 destitute of roads. Not the least remarkable part of the establish- 

 ment is that for the manufacture of tlie hydraulic cement required 

 for the foundations and masonry. It is, in fact, an artificial puzzo- 

 lano, made from a peculiar clay found in the Kieff hills, and pre- 

 ]iared on the principles laid down by the celebrated French en- 

 gineer, Vicat, in his recent publication. The buildings for this 

 purpose are very extensive, being gigantic laboratories, where the 

 operations are carried on day and night. Eight large roasting 

 ovens, besides numerous grinding mills, are in constant action; the 

 quantity manufactured is upwards of 300 bushels (or about 500 

 cubic feet) in every 21 hours. 



It must be reserved for a technical iiublication to enter into all 

 the engineering details of construction of the Kieff bridge, as 

 there can only be given here a merely general idea of the principal 

 features of this magnificent bridge, which will be the largest in 

 Europe, the length being fully half an English mile, and covering 

 an area of 100,000 square feet, being considerably more than three 

 acres. The works were first commenced in April 1848. The ce- 

 remony of laying the first stone took place in September of the 

 same year. Eight large coffer dams were completed by the early 

 part of lst9; two of these having been destroyed or damaged by 

 the spring floods, have since been entirely reconstructed. The foun- 

 dations of the abutments and of two of the river piers were safely 

 got in before the winter began, and all the foundations and coffer- 

 dams have been secured by an extensive system of protecting 

 works of mattranse-nascines, laid down according to the modern 

 jiractice in Holland, by Dutch contractors brought purposely to 

 Kieff by Mr. Vignoles. It is expected that the whole of the ma- 

 sonry will be completed by the end of the season of 1850, and that 

 in the course of the autumn of 1851, the Kieff Suspension bridge 

 will be finished and opened. 



The causeway approaching the Dnieper from the northward, as 

 before-mentioned, having been greatly damaged in the great floods 

 of 1815, will be put into suflScient repair for the roads on the left 

 bank of the river. On the right bank, a fine new road along the 

 shore at the foot of the acclivities leads up-stream to the commer- 

 cial and other parts of Kieff, and down-stream to the jiresent ferry 

 .-i.nd the lower fortresses. Another road will be formed ascending 

 to the great military positions on the heights above. 



The beautiful model of this remarkable bridge is on a scale of 

 about y,- of the length of the actual work. It is the most per- 

 fect thing of the kind probably ever designed or executed, and 

 reflects the highest credit on Mr. James, of London, the modeller, 

 .•iiid his chief assistant, Mr. Sims, who, with another engineer, 

 came [nirposely from London to erect the mndel at St. Petersburgh. 

 Every piece of wood or iron, every bolt, screw, and plank — and 

 they are there by thousands — is represented in miniature and in 

 the most perfect manner; the architectural details of the masonry, 

 the interior arrangements of the abutments, the niooi-ings, arid 

 saddles of the chains, the machinery of the swivel bridge— all are 

 faithfully reiiresented on the proper scale, and in due proportion. 

 The projiortionate scale of length being as I to 100, that of area 

 is of cimrse as 1 to l(l,0i)O, and that of cube as 1 to 1,000,000! 

 and all the smaller pieces of iron are accurately )mt into tlie model 

 in the latter proportion. The stand for the model is of mahogany, 

 supported on bronze Ionic pillars, with gidd capitals and frieze, 

 forming a splendid piece of furniture, worthy even of the Imperial 

 Palace. The water of the Dnieiier is represented by a mirror, 

 which reflects the under siile of the jdatform, and the whole model 

 is covered with a splendid glass case, set in a gilt frame, with a 

 beautiful dome of glass, supported on richly gilt pillars of the 



Corinthian order; the wh<de exquisitely chased. The mode! and 

 stand have required two years to make, and the expense, from first 

 to last, has been fully 6,000/. sterling. 



The cost of the Kieff suspension bridge, exclusive of the ap- 

 proaches, will be upwards of 400,000 guineas — say about two mil- 

 lions and a half of silver roubles of Russia, and nearly ll,000,000fr., 

 which, though large in amount, may be considered a very low 

 ]>rice for so large a work. Mr. Vignoles has already prepared, by 

 command of the Emperor, designs for several other large bridges 

 in Various parts of Russia. Some of them have been approved, 

 and others are still under consideration, and designs are in various 

 stages of progi-ess for still more bridges, besides other works; for 

 all of which the iron must be furnished from the English manu- 

 factories. — Times. 



REVIEVl^S. 



A Treatise on the Rise and Progress of Decorated Window Tracery 

 in England. By Ed.mund Sharpe, M.A., Architect. London: 

 Van Voorst, 1849. 



If the passion for mediceval works has had no better results, it has 

 had a good one in this, that it has given us a copious literature for 

 the mediseval styles, and has destroyed the monopoly of the Greek 

 and Roman styles. So long as these latter were the only learned 

 styles, their professors could put forward a magistral claim, and 

 assume the air of superiority without allowing dispute; just as the 

 Greek and Latin languages were called learned, when these alone 

 had a philological organisation. It is always a bad thing when 

 people are saved the trouble of thinking for themselves, and 

 become '"''Ullius jurare in verba magistri." When once they have 

 taken to themselves a master, and swear in his name, they are, 

 like other dogs, faithful to his service, and snap and snarl at 

 everybody else. So was it with our classic architects — the princi- 

 ])les of art were set aside, and the Ionic or Doric canon was flou- 

 rished as a weapon against any unlucky wight who thought any- 

 thing could be beautiful or sublime without the Grecian stamp. 



It is to be hoped we are getting to a better period, when we 

 shall be neither Ionic, Italian, or Christian-ite sectarians, but shall 

 be able to acknowledge and appreciate the beautiful in art, w hether 

 in the Indies, Persepolis, Hellas, or Germania; and having got 

 thereby so much nearer to the right shrine and the true worship, 

 we may be inspired to do something of our own. Everyone who 

 has a true love for art has, therefore, a deep interest in the culti- 

 vation of every department of it: the architect should make a 

 saying for himself, that there is nothing architectural which does 

 not claim his sympathy; and the writer should be encouraged who 

 gives us practical information not only as to Greek and mediieval 

 art, but as to the productions of Egypt, Persepolis, and Hindostan. 

 Thus, Layard, Fergusson, and Owen Jones are as great benefactors 

 to the cause of art as Wilkin or Pugin. It is very certain that we 

 want all the energies of the human mind to be successful in the 

 noble study of architecture; and nothing can be so surely detri- 

 mental as restriction to any one school or school-book, if we are to 

 have a national school of architecture as we have a national school 

 in everything else. There are few now who are contented to be 

 the lacqueys of the Greeks and Normans — and yet such we are; 

 while in every other pursuit of genius, we have shown ourselves 

 not unworthy rivals of the great men of olden and of later time. 



To study any department of architecture jiroperly, as much 

 attention must be paid to constructive peculiarities as to artistic 

 effect; and as this requires a practical treatment, it seems to us, 

 suiting so well the English character, the field of architectural 

 exploration is one in which we are likely to be particularly suc- 

 cessful. Indeed, however much the High Dutch have dreamed, 

 the English have with pen and pencil truly done their share of 

 work; and in England, Normandy, Flanders, Dutchland, Italy, 

 Greece, Egypt, Lesser Asia, Assyria, Hindostan, and Mexico, our 

 students have done much for the extension of architectural know- 

 ledge. 



It is not, however, given to every one to wend his way to the 

 great shrines of art; and though railway travelling has extended 

 the resources of architectural study, a scamper to Rome or to 

 i\Iem])his can hardly be looked upon as greatly conducive to the 

 instruction of the mass. If, however, this is not so, we believe, if 

 they are properly used, there are large means of instruction open 

 to every study, even in the remotest parts of this country, if he 

 will but choose them. 



