THE GREATEST BRIDGE IN THE WORLD.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXII, Issue 3872, 11 May 1906, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE GREATEST BRIDGE IN THE WORLD.

What may bo described a.s the most wonderful bridge in the world is that which spans the. groat Zambesi Gorge, just below the Victoria Falls, Rhodesia. It 'has been built to carry the trains across tho Zambesi, and is part of the Capo to Cairo [Railway, about which so much has been written. Tho bridge is a truly marvellous work of engineering. Tho single span of tho arch is 500 feet! It has also tho further distinction of being tho highest bridge in tho world, being 420 feet above the river level. Tho dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral is 365 feet in height, so that the 'bridge i;s 55 feet higher! Tho engineers who a'ro responsible for tho Cape to Cairo Railway arc Sir Douglas Fox and Sir

Douglas Metcalfe. 'The first man oyer known to cross it'ho tremendously deep ravine near the Victoria Falls where the bridge was to he constructed, was Mr. Charles Jk-resford -.Fox. The distance across from reck to rock is 250 yards. If one wished to cross from one side to the other, making a detour of nearly 12 miles was the only way of accomplishing it. Hut .Mr.' Fox did better than this. He had a rocket fired across, to which rvas fastened a wire hawser. This was made fast at the other sal© by men sent for the purpose. Then 'Mr. Fox was hauled across the gorge in a roughly hut strongly built cage or cradle by an endless rope, in November, 1903. 'Most of the labour employed on the bridge has been “ native.” Tremendously dee]) foundations bad to be dug for the ends of the bridge on either .side of the gorge, the stones from the blasting for which made a noise like thunder as they were hurled into the air to fall 400 ft. to the waters below. The bridge was built frtjin either r-ide of the ravine until the' great steel span met. in the centre. It was commenced in November, 1903, and was completed last year. It has cost many thousands of pounds, and the greatest and most expert engineers' brains have been engaged in planning and constructing it.