expect, and the matter was one of the greatest importance to 

 be taken into consideration when any scheme was mooted. 

 He was perfectly certain if Mr. Maxton's proposals ever attained 

 realisation it would be a source of intense gratification to the 

 members of that society that the huge project first saw the 

 light of day in the Belfast Museum. He should state that 

 Mr. Maxton's paper had not arisen out of the recent discussion 

 as to the feasibility of a tunnel between Ireland and Scotland. 

 Mr. Maxton had mentioned the matter to him about two 

 years ago, but it was only, however, within the last two or 

 three months that he had put the matter in practical shape 

 and worked up the details. The President then called upon 

 Mr. Maxton, who proceeded to read his paper — 



"A PROPOSED SUBMERGED BUOYANT BRIDGE. 



As a preface to the subject matter proper of my paper I may 

 remark that although the recent agitation as to the desirability 

 of a more expeditious means of communication between 

 Ireland and Great Britain did not prompt the idea of this 

 proposal, yet it stimulated my efforts in working out the 

 calculations, quantities and details of the proposed bridge, 

 in order to bring before this Society at least one alternative 

 scheme to the much talked of proposed tunnel under the North 

 Channel. 



The general idea of a submerged buoyant bridge originally 

 occurred to me some six years ago as a practical substitute for a 

 subaqueous tunnel, when there were such strong military objec- 

 tions raised against the scheme of Sir Edward Watkin's proposed 

 English Channel Tunnel ; objections which cannot be urged 



