ZAMBESI BRIDGE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18137, 11 July 1933, Page 2

ZAMBESI BRIDGE

NEW ZEALAND ENGINEERS NINE ENGAGED No fewer than nine New Zealand engineers are engaged on the const ruction of the Lower Zambesi bridge, in Portuguese East Africa. The bridge, which will give Nyasaland direct connection with Beira by rail, is being built by the English firm, the Cleveland Bridge Company. The resident engineer, Mr. Handntan, "was agent, for the Armstrong-Whit* worth Company at Arapuni, and 1 it was there that he became acquainted with the New Zealanders who are now assembled from different parts of the world to assist in this very important work. One of them, Mr. A. J. Learmontli, who was formerly engaged in irrigation work in the Sudan, prefers I lie climate of Portuguese East Africa. “The heat,” he .says, “is not so terrific as it was on the Nile. There ai'e fewer pestiferous insects here. This is far from being a health resort, but it might he worse.” l The bridge is said to lie the longest of its kind in the world, the length being approximately two and a third 1 ’ miles between abutments. It is made up of short approach spans on each side of the river, and 33 spans each of 262 feet across tho main river, the steel spans being carried on concrete piers. Most of the main piers are founded on sand at a depth of .110 ft. below low river level by “open well sinking” with grabs. But in the deep river section five of the main piors are to be founded in rock at varying depths up to 100 ft. below lowest river level. From the engineering point of view, this is the most interesting part of tho work, for the piers are being sunk into the rock as caissons under compressed air. The deepest caisson went up to an air pressure of 401bs. per square inch. It can be imagined what the working conditions wore like at the bottom, with tho temperature outside at 106 deg. F. in the shade. Sealing the bottom of the caisson stopped most of the circulation of air .underneath and the heat became terrific. Tho railways connecting with the bridge and tire bridge itself are being built by British capital, and it is a great, compliment to the training provided by New Zealand’s engineering schools'that most of the engineering staff of so vast iyi enterprise should have been drawn from the Dominion.