OPENING OF THE VICTORIA SUSPENSION BRIDGE, NEVIS FERRY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3863, 4 July 1874, Page 7

OPENING OF THE VICTORIA SUSPENSION BRIDGE, NEVIS FERRY.

■ o : (FROM OTTB SPBcrAL REPORTER.) This handsome wire-rope Suspension Bridge* at what is known as Edwards's Crossing, veal" completed and opened to the public on Tuesitny '" the 2nd ult., and we feel assured that traveller* when visiting Cromwell and the Lakes will joice when they find that one of the two inconvenient and costly punts is numbered atnon<*st; uhe things that were. These cumbersome awtf uncertain mofUs of crossing the Ka-.varau. River" have doubtless been useful, and done good service, kit they never could be depende-l nwm - ami many a traveller, oftentimes ia a great hwrey • -<i complete his journey, has been aggravating delayed by a flood or storm of wind-somet tunes ior a few hours, at others for whofe. days -a very unpleasant situation to find ODeself> one side of a river, and " can't get over " for loveor money. So far as the Nevis Crossing is ooacerued this state of affairs is happily over, am* by a succession of easy gradients the traveller ia" h;s buggy, or the waggoner with1 his heavijy: laden team, can cross the Kawarau without drawing rein, « ire suspension bridges, as built; by Mi- M'Cormick at the Hannockburri and here. ** appear to answer admirably in mountainous distticts, and where rapid running rivers have cutthemselves deep chasms below the ordinary' level of the country. ■ The materials used ia, ccr.struetiou are, from their numlier of parts/ easy of carriage and convenieut to haudle, whiles^ although there may he some extra costs \iiuie£ tliese heads, there is a vast saving in manual: labour, a gfcat desideratum these times, whe^ men are so scarce, let alone the advantage felt^tfe the work of construction can be concluded within a v.;ry few months, scarcely four being occupied!" m the building of the present bridge. Mth% structure is the result of private enterprise & toll will be charged- -I believe one shillin«r—£<>£;'. every, horse crossing, and proportionately f<ij> cattle. Foot passengers will.be free. In t-io^ case of the punts, one shilling is charged f.}?i every horse, sixpence for the person in "charesana foot passengers, two shillings for velnclaW' and two shillings per ton for loading. Titus? going and returning for a ho-seman would l«a-' three shillings, a buggy six shillings, an eight-! iiorse waggon twenty four shillings —a. very heavy charge, when the services of two puntswere required in rather less than ten mites Ifc. is to be hoped that the day is not far dist?afewhen a bridge will'be erected at the SlorvW crossing, and, if possible, free of toll to tW public. Notwithstanding that the -weather ia tha. early part of the morning h*d been violenttystormy, and considerably retarded the piepawfc tions for the opening, everything was in result ness shortly after one o'clock, by which time a." large numberof persons were on the ground, whiW heavily-laden conveyances from Cromwell d.is--[ charged their living freights of adults and chik dren, together with numerous horsemen who-, continued to arrive. At two* o'clock sosno 4Q& persons must have been present, and the scena was an animated one. The bridge looked ga^ wita bunting and bright streamers, while'afe either end, spanning the distance between Vrafe w° ,pi»re J t were "Prosper Public . Works, Advance Roads and Bridges" Xh^J band from Cromwell, under the leadership of M,cVV. H. Whitter, struck up some lively airs,and> procession to the place of baptism—vhe crown- e£ the bridge—was formed. Mr HJ. Cope, who*, acted as director of the ceremonies, having m^." shaved the company into their respective posJ^ hons, briefly explained the business to be' <*>*<»■ through. The Rev. Mr Drake then asked tTa* Divine, blessing on the work, which was most attentively listened to. Mr M'Cocmick, th^ builder and proprietor of the bridge, hsvla^ handed the sacrificial bottle—which was haiuS" somely decorated with blue and white rosettesand ribbons—to Mrs Dc Corse, that lady, after a? most becoming and neat speech, let it swin«- mm its destined place, at the same time uamin*- tW-sti-ucture the Victoria Bridge. The bursting- o£" thebottlewasfollowedbyuproariouscheerin<»tellowed by the National Anthem, by the Band. Ti>Ot~ Mayor of Anowtown, Mr SaniuelGoldstone> dfeliC vered a speech commenting upon the advaubu^s, the districts of A rro w and Cromwell would cece'iveT by such a handsome structure spanning the;-' Kawarau, and declared amidst much cheering the bridge open for traffic. A. movement in. t\*|' direction of the refreshment tables wos mad.?^. when the ample spread'of the many Rood thinus* provided by Mr M'Cormick was done asu^fe justice to. At the moment of baptism, 3£rAl'Eiichen, of Arrowtown, succeeded ia taknv' an excellent picture of the biidga. , The n.utiitude baviug-" been refreshed, and, it is almost needless to say, thai after their iourney frost Cromwell and Anowtown, some sixteen miles t* either case^jnost persons were pretty huasrv, the Mayor^or^Arrowtown proposed the usb&t loyal toasts, with musical accompaniments, then followed that of His Honour the Super--, intendent and Provinc"al Council j the Pro-, vieeial Engineer and Designer of'-—ttes?" bridge. Mr Cope proposed Mr ATCoriuiekA he enterprising builder and proprietor of t!»L bridge, highly eulogising that gentleman's abUi-v\ ties, not enly as a successful engineer and coa-v. s, structor, but as a pioneer of civilisation, ia IHm* good work of opening up a-country, Mr ZlQsz-1-niick having already built three punts and two., ' bridges.' Mr Cope concluded by hoping that snusefulaman would be long spared to the Psxk vince. The toast was rec- ived with vociferous-, cheering for Mr M'Cormick. the band strike*<«' up, •' For he's a jolly good fellow. 1" the asse.-^ Wage joining in chorus. Mr M'Cormick nwlessljreplied to the effect that he hoped the presentwould not be the last occasion upon which they?might meet to celebrate.the opening of a brid;-'K He was not much of a man of words, but for V t s£ qualities he must let his work speak for hiia He concluded by wishiug that the bridge wonUfcbe serviceable to the wants of the district fo^ very many years to come. Loud and prolong*^ cheering followed. The Mayor of Cromwell, th^ Rev." Mr Drake, and others, made brie? addresses, the unfavourable state of the we-ifcHssr: necessitating a considerable curtailment of thi-. talking business. A speech by Mr Lsece, in r^ plying to a toast of the workmen em{il6ve«l.<ia t the structure, was most attentively list«a«l toand it was most pleasing to find that SAtcksL thorough good understanding existed betfltijQa.Mr. M'Cormick and his employes, which, in a," great measure must have iended~consider.ih.ly to expedite the work of construction and prevesv^accidents—no casualty whatever having occuretHfc to either life or limb. " God Save the Queen"' was played by the band, when a general mo*% homewards was made. Many persons had, kq>w-^ ever, lefi some time since, especially where-tagt*. were females, the weather heiog veiy threats*^' ing and showery ever since the diristeniug ecr^ mony. _-.-■« Viewed by the river the bridge presents a, v«r^, handsome appearance; its beautiful propariaousi;: and Ariel-like structure stretching aci-oss ths^' deep rocky chasm of the Kawarau presents a stnkv ing cona-ast to the heavy overhanging rockswhich here surround the river, that one c<hi&s; almost imagine the work was entirely tW result of fairy hands, than that of real Sesh aydi blood, 'in the .shape of carpenters, stQ9.a-~ masons, and blacksmiths; but, howewvj light in appearance, there can be no tpwy^. tion respecting its strength and durabiHt-w as the following proportions of material usisfe. in construction will show. The quantity■'«£■ timber used was 60,000 feet, iron, 19 tons. Tf^-. wire ropes number thirty-six, twenty-eight being used for purposes of direct suspension, each. qs£ - measuring 4i inches in diameter, and capable Qf bearing a strain of 40 tons. Tliere are also eigH. mooring ropes, which also bear the wcighi; ot the bridge, 4 inches each in diameter, andcircx'^ of an almost equal strain. These 36 ropes* plover piers at either end of the bridge. The are built of thoroughly seasened timber, p-\>-s perly tarred in joint and seam, and boiled together and stayed in the most secure w.aa»ee<. The piers measure 3 leet 6 inches s<ju,u*e, ao?l are let deeply into the solid rock From, ttvt piers the ends of the ropes pass mtoslieavo «W ings weighing oue ton each. These act as. t&4moorings. Those on the Croaiwell side of ih*i river are sunk 25 feet into the solid reck j,the moorings on the Arrow side are, iv the a.^: sence of rock, secured in a mass of hard gteea schistose rock, weighing some 300 tons,- eavk heavy block of stone being set in ceuieat. Tit^ hand-rail, which also acts as a girder, f 3 <J f«;.£ t} inches above the planking, and measures 9 iucU«s'' by (5 inches—the whole being securely stayed. a.tuC bolted to the superstructure with oi inches icn-,^ bolts. The planking is 4J inches red birch. Th«. span of the arch is 190 feet, with a camber or spring of 2 feet 10 inches. The height aW* the ordinary level of the river is 70 feefc." The total cost of the bridge is a little Q<;t?e £6000. One thousand pounds aloue was jsw-.t for the wire ropes; time occupied in <:«'<-■ struction a little less than four months. "WhW ever may have designed the structure we caiu«>v say. However, let the architect be who he may-; he deserves great credit for his work, as nothing more suitable could have been conceived for botSi place and situation. When the building of- tTt,« bridge was first contemplated, it was desired % the Government that it should be a, girdt«: bridge, and it proceeded so far as the first girdtjc having been placed across; but it proved at failure from some cause or another, and the giidW was lost in the river—Mr ATCormick losiog^ £1000 by the mishap, which the Government i& all honour are bound to make good to him, fchsfault being theirs entirely in recouimendtiv« a>\ impossible structure. The approaches are not ye« completed, still a 10-horse waggon laden vri& c.x«i tons of flour was enabled to cross the bridge -witX safety shortly after the opening ceremony. stogether with some 400 persons assembled a,t tho christening, gave it a pretty good test! Qiv both occasions it preserved wonderful rigidity I neither the deflection nor oscillation anyways tsnde Ito show a, weak point. That the affair is : a success, and will mark the beginning of- a nfft?;. eia in bridge building in New Zealand, theirs can be no doubt. There is ample room for Kfe M'Conrick's abilities for very many years, fca come; as feeders to the railways, the necessity, for roads and bridges is uniaisfiaksablp, •' :