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NIAGARA FALLS
Removal of the Suspension Bridge
[Welland Tribune, 22 May 1896]
The work of removing the two great suspension bridges, which so long have been among the wonders of Niagara, will be a big and interesting one. Now that it is settled that suspension bridges across Niagara River at Niagara Falls will within a year or two be a thing of the past, people are asking how these massive structures can be taken away, especially how the upper bridge can be taken apart, transported to Lewiston and this will make the task still more difficult. Of course it looks much easier to an engineer than it does to a layman. The work of taking down one these structures is certainly not as formidable as the work of building one, however. The railway bridge is said to be the strongest of its kind in existence and some facts regarding it that are of a historical nature may be of interest. It was completed and the first train passed over it March 23, 1855. Its cost was about $450,000. The length of its span is 822 feet and the height of the towers above rock is 88 feet on the American side and 78 feet on the Canadian side. The track is 258 feet above the water and there are four wire cables each 101/2 inches in diameter and each containing 3,659 No. 9 wires. The weight of the superstructure is 800 tons. The maximum of loads that it is estimated to carry is 450 tons. It is estimated that the aggregate strength of the cable is 12,400 tons.
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