NEW ZEALAND BRIDGES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1083, 29 April 1880, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND BRIDGES.

The Kopu correspondent of the Napier Telegraph gives the following interesting particulars respecting the important bridges in the Hawke's Bay district, which have recently been finished by Messrs Proudfoot and M'Kay who have completed their contract for the construction of the three long bridges across the Manawatu, Mangarangiora, and the Makatoko streams. These expensive structures have been admirably built up, and span huge gulches through which run the Manawatu River and its tributaries. These three bridges are the highest in New Zealand, and are the only structures built upon the American trestle principle. The first bridge, which ia about a mile from Kopua, spans the Manawatu,. and is 440 feet long, and 94 feet above the bed of the river. It has 12 spans of 30 feet, one of 61 feet, two of 6 feet, and nine of 13 feet. It took 297,600 feet of timber, and about I<V tons of iron work. The second bridge, two miles beyond, across the Mangarangiora, is 618 feet long, and is 96 feet above the bed of the stream. It has 21 spans of 30 feet,~ one of H feet, wnl ©tre of 6 fee**The bridge contains 404,000 feet of timber, and 20 tons of iron-work. The third bridge, situated two miles further on, crosses the Makatoko, is 260 feet long, and 92 feet above the stream. This structure has seven 30-feet spans, one of 13 feet, two of 11 feet, and two of 6 feet ; its construction has employed 155,600 feet of timber, and 6£ tons of iron-work. The total cost of these three bridges has been £16,758.

There is a village in New Hampshire which has produced twentysix editors. It was in allusion to this circumstance that a pious deacon remarked: "Yes there are twenty-six of 'em, but as they've all left the town I reckon the Lord won't lay it up agin us."