These Were Bolted Together At
The Top, While The Other Ends Were Fixed At A
Distance Of About Ten Feet Apart In A Large Block
Of Wood.
This contrivance acted capitally, and
by manipulation of ropes and pulleys the heavy
stones were swung into position quickly and
without difficulty, so that in a very short time
the masonry of the bridge was completed.
The next business was to span the sixty-foot
distance between the piers with iron girders. As
I had neither winches nor sufficient blocks and
tackle to haul these over into position, I was
driven to erect temporary piers in the middle of
each span, built up crib-shape of wooden sleepers.
Great wooden beams were stretched across from
the stone piers to these cribs, and laid with
rails; and the girder was run over its exact
place, while still on the trucks in which it had
been brought up from the coast. It was next
"jacked" up from the trucks, which were hauled
away empty, the temporary bridge was
dismantled, and the girder finally lowered gently
into position. When the last girder was thus
successfully placed, no time was lost in linking up
the permanent way, and very soon I had the
satisfaction of seeing the first train cross the
finished work.
Curiously enough, only a day or so after the
bridge had been completed and the intermediate
cribs cleared away, a tremendous rain-storm
broke over the country. The river started to
rise rapidly, soon flooding its banks and becoming
a raging murky torrent, tearing up trees by the
roots and whirling them along like straws.
Steadily higher and higher rose the flood, and
standing on my bridge, I watched expectantly
for the two temporary trolley bridges - which, it
will be remembered, we had built across the
stream in order to bring stone and sand to the
main work - to give way before the ever-rising
volume of water.
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