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Notable Bridges of the World

Trajan's magnificent Bridge over the Danube, 4,770 feet in length, built A. D. 115.

London Bridge. One existed at the end of the 10th century. One built of wood, 1014. A stone bridge, by Peter Colechurch, begun 1176, was finished 1209. The new London Bridge is constructed of granite, from the designs of L. Rennie; it was commenced in 1824, and completed in about seven years, at a cost of £1,458,000. The Bridge at Burton, over the Trent, was formerly the longest bridge in England, being. 1,545 feet. It is now partly removed. Built in the twelfth century. The Bridge of the Holy Trinity, at Florence, was built in 1569. It is 322 feet long, constructed of white marble, and stands unrivalled as a work of art. The Rialto, at Venice, is said to have been built from the designs of Michael Angelo. It is a single marble arch, 9812 feet long, and was completed in 1591. The Bridge of Sighs, at Venice, over which condemned prisoners were transported from the hall of judgment to the place of execution, was built in 1589. Brooklyn Bridge was commenced under the direction of J. Roebling, in 1870, and completed in about thirteen years. It is 3,475 feet long, and 135 feet high. The cost of building was nearly £3,000,000, or $15,000,000. The Canti-Lever Bridge, over the Niagara, is built almost entirely of steel. Its length is 810 feet, the total weight is 3,000 tons, and the cost was £180,000, or $9,000,000.

The Niagara Suspension Bridge was built by Roebling, 1852-55, at a cost of £80,000, or $4,000,000. It is 245 feet above water, 821 feet long, and the strength is estimated at 1,200 tons.

The Bridge at Havre de Grace, over the Susquehanna, is 3,271 feet long, and is divided into twelve wooden spans, resting on granite piers. Coalbrookdale Bridge, England, was the first cast-iron bridge. It was built over the Severn in 1779.

The Menai Bridge, forming part of the line of road between London and Holyhead, having an interval of 560 feet between the supporting points of suspension. It rests on seven stone arches, 52½ feet from one another, and is 100 feet above the level of the sea. Designed and executed by Telford, 1825. The Tubular Suspension Bridge, over the Menai Strait, forming part of Chester and Holyhead Railway, consists of two lines of tubes, each 1,513 feet long, supported 100 feet above the sea. Weight 10,on three towers, besides the shore abutments. IOO feet above the sea. Weight 10,- 840 tons. Commenced 1846, finished 1850.

Tay Bridge, 10,612 feet of 85 spans, across the Tay, 90 feet above the sea. Begun 1871, completed 1877. Cost £350,000. Destroyed by a gale 1879. New bridge. Clifton Suspension Bridge, at Bristol, has a span of 705 feet at a height of 245 feet above the water. The carriageway is 20 feet wide, and the footways 5½ feet wide. Cost £100,000.

Forth Bridge, over the Firth of Forth, near Edinburgh. Total length 2,765 yards (1 miles). There are two cantilever spans of 1,710 feet each (the longest in the world). 51,000 tons of steel. Extreme height above meanwater level, over 370 feet. About 25 acres of surface to be painted. Cost about three millions. Commenced April, 1883; opened by Prince of Wales, 4th March, 1890.