366 BEWDLEY BRIDGE. PART VJIT. 



of investigation . Thi s holds good particularly of bridges, 

 where the principles of mechanics, aided by all the 

 resources of the higher geometry, have not yet gone 

 further than to determine the equilibrium of a set of 

 smooth wedges acting on one another by pressure only, 

 and in such circumstances as, except in a philosophical 

 experiment, can hardly ever be realised. It is, there- 

 fore, from men educated in the school of daily practice 

 and experience, and who to a knowledge of general 

 principles have added, from the habits of their profession, 

 a certain feeling of the justness or insufficiency of any 

 mechanical contrivance, that the soundest opinions on a 

 matter of this kind can be obtained." 



It would appear that the Committee came to the 

 general conclusion that the construction of the proposed 

 bridge was practicable and safe ; for the river was con- 

 tracted to the requisite width, and the preliminary works 

 were actually begun. Mr. Stephenson says the design 

 was abandoned, owing more immediately to the difficulty 

 of constructing the approaches .with such a headway, 

 which would have involved the formation of extensive 

 inclined planes from the adjoining streets, and thereby 

 led to serious inconvenience, and depreciation of much 

 valuable property on both sides of the river. 1 From 

 that time we hear no more of the subject in Telford's 

 private letters. 



Besides his iron bridges, Telford was busily engaged, 

 at this early period of his career, in designing and 

 erecting bridges of stone of considerable magnitude and 

 importance. In the spring of 1795 a thaw, after a long 

 continued fall of snow, caused a sudden flood to sweep 

 down the Severn, which carried away many bridges 

 amongst others one at Bewdley, in Worcestershire. Tel- 

 ford was called upon to supply a design for a new struc- 

 ture. He was very busily occupied on similar works 



1 Article on Iron Bridges, in the ' Encyclopedia Britannica.' Edinburgh, 



1857. 



