. LIFT BRIDGE OVER THE MURRAY AT SWAN HILL. CV. 
Mr. Darn, referring to Mr. Haycroft’s remarks on bascule 
bridges, without wishing to trench on Mr. Allan’s reply, was of 
opinion that the bascule type was unsuitable for rivers such as 
the Murray, where a bridge had frequently to be opened in flood 
time, on account of the pressure of water on the tail end of the 
span when open; in any case, if the additional cost of a pier 
sufficiently stiff to carry a bascule span were considered, he doubted 
whether that type would prove economical for a span giving the 
same clear opening as the lift span at Swan Hill. 
Professor Warren said he would like to ask Mr. Allan in 
regard to the revolutions of the pinion driving the rope, how much 
had been allowed for frictional and other prejudicial resistances. 
He himself had nothing to criticise in the paper. One could see 
& gradual improvement in the designs of these bridges, as Mr. 
Haycroft pointed out in the side trusses, and no doubt the lift 
bridge at Swan Hill was along way ahead of any which had 
preceded it. 
Mr. ALLAN said, the first point brought forward was by Mr. 
Burge, that gentleman stating, and with some show of reason, 
that he (Mr. Allan) should not have compared the Swan Hill 
Bridge with the Tocumwal Bridge, without showing in detail how 
the saving in the item of plant, and the reduction in prices affected 
the comparison. The main feature of the paper perhaps was the 
lift span, in which a saving was shown of £800, the lift span at 
Swan Hill costing £2,600 as against £3,400 at Tocumwal— 
deducting this item for work which is common to both bridges, it 
leaves the completed cost ef the side spans, piers and approaches 
of Swan Hill bridge at £7,000 as against £16,255 for the same 
items in the Tocumwal bridge—this difference was so remarkable, 
that he (Mr. Allan), considered it unnecessary to go further into 
figures and show perhaps a 15% reduction in wages, and an 
advantage at most of a few hundred pounds for plant for = 
Swan Hill structure. To have made a thorough comparison 
would have meant going thoroughly into the life of the respective 
Structures and treating the question from a financial standpoint, 
