THE PBESIDENT S INAUGURAL ADDXIESS. 



except incidentally, with tho special question, having only 

 had to do, to any great extent, with ironwork in the form 

 of I'oofs, bridges, and railway work in general. 



In my own expei'ience, I have found that ironwork is of 

 great value in its proper place and when judiciously ap- 

 plied ; bat otherwise it sometimes has its faults. I think, 

 for example, tliat in building bridges engineers have rushed 

 too indiscriminately into ironwork, and that in many cases 

 our successors may have to pay largely for it in repairs and 

 renewals, and that before many years are over. My opinion 

 is that engin(;ers are exceedingly bold in ironwork, and 

 exceedingly timid in brickwork and masonry, far beyond 

 tlieir relative mei'its ; that, nowadays, too many iron-topped 

 bridges of modtirato span are erected for railway and such 

 like purposes, when good brickwork or masonry arches 

 might have been used in preference. I have three objec- 

 tions to these iron tops : firstly, thoy cost a good deal more 

 nioney ; secondly, they are, as a I'ule, abominably ugly ; and 

 tliirdly, they ai'o of very uncertain durability. 



In talking upon tho subject to one of our most eminent 

 engincei-s a short time ago, he backed up my opinion by 

 telling me that he had had to rebuild many iron bridges 

 that he had himself built ; and, among others, two viaducts, 

 each containing a number of spans, and all within a period 

 of some forty years only. 



The cause of the defect in strength is also very difficult 

 to find out in some cases, as it was in one of these viaducts. 

 From the increased dellection under a passing train, they 

 could pci'ceive, on close observation, that tho spans were 

 getting decidedly weaker ; yet thoy could discover no cause 

 for it. To the eye and to tho rule every plate in tho bridge 

 seemed as sound as ever. The bridge was well painted ; no 

 piece of iron had diminished in size, and no flaw could bo 



