714 



PICTURESQUE STYLE OF FLOWER-GARDENS. 



rustic bridges, vases, baskets, fences, &G.1 

 They are only art in its first remove from 

 nature, and only proclaim more boldly 

 that the hand of man has been here. 



Such bridges are constructed by merely 

 laying two trees, with their bark on — a 

 feature which, we need hardly observe, 

 should be attended to in all such struc- 

 tures — from side to side of the space to be 

 spanned. No abutments need be used 

 if the banks are firm. Both for strength, 

 especially if the space be broad, and also 

 for effect, struts may be fixed in the 

 banks, and bolted with oaken dowels to 

 the under side of the bridge. The cover- 

 ing for the footway should be of young 

 larch trees laid across, placing the but- 

 end and top-end alternately, so that all 

 may be straight across the bridge. These 

 may be spiked down with large nails, or 

 with oaken pins, in which latter case no 

 iron will be required for the structure. 

 If the larch poles exceed 4 inches in 

 diameter, they should be ripped up, the 

 sawn side being laid, of course, under- 

 most. 



Fig. 998 is a specimen where, supposing 

 the banks to be insecure, rough rubble 



Fig. 998. 



abutments are introduced. The nearer 

 they resemble a piece of rock of the same 

 character as that existing naturally in 

 the vicinity, the better. A parapet, or 

 hand-rail, is also introduced, both for 

 safety and effect. The footway is covered 

 as just described, and as in all the other 

 examples. The uprights in the parapet 

 are mortised into the floor of the bridge, 

 and also into the top of the hand-rail, as 

 are also the slightly-curved pieces between 

 them ; and, although bolted together at 

 their middles, a strong withing is wound 

 round them, as if they were tied by that 

 means alone. 



Fig. 999 is a bridge of great strength 

 and simple construction. It will be seen 

 that it is upon the principle of the arch : 

 the greater the weight on the centre, the 



greater the pressure on the abutments ; 

 and while these remain sound, no weight 



Fig. 999. 



can break it down. We believe that this 

 bridge was the invention of Napoleon, 

 and first used during his inroads into 

 Germany in the early part of his eventful 

 career. We have often used this sort of 

 bridge for temporary purposes, as it can 

 be put up and taken down in a very 

 short time. The principal part of the 

 construction is to make the abutments 

 sound with coarse stone-work. Four 

 larch trees (or any other that are straight) 

 are cut into lengths, a little more than 

 half the width to be spanned. Their 

 but-ends are set in holes left in the 

 abutments for their reception ; the other 

 ends are elevated upon tressels, or held 

 up by men, until the two cross bearers, 

 the sections of which are shown at a a, 

 are placed ; the one resting on the top of 

 the longitudinal bearer, or tree, on the 

 right-hand side, and the other on that on 

 the left-hand side. The top ends of the 

 longitudinal bearers on each side then fall 

 down, and rest on the top of the cross 

 bearers, thus forming a rude arch of great 

 strength. The cross bearers are kept in 

 their places by having an iron or timber 

 bolt driven through them and into the 

 longitudinal beams; and this, for mere 

 foot-bridges, is sufficient. But when 

 greater strength is required, four pieces 

 of timber are bevelled off at top, and laid 

 on the longitudinal beams, having their 

 square or section end brought close up to 

 the back of the cross bearers, and nailed 

 down fast to the long beams. A piece of 

 wood is fitted into the angle (b), when the 

 whole is ready to be covered with cross- 

 pieces, to form the footway. The parapet, 

 or hand-rail, may be fitted up according 

 to fancy, and for temporary purposes 

 may be dispensed with. 



A modification of the same kind of 

 bridge may be constructed, having a 



