The Works Of Messrs. Schneider And Co.

134 MESSRS. SCHNEIDER AND CO.’S WORKS. Bridge over the Chiffa.—This bridge, built in 1869, on the road to Algiers, is a good type of curved girder work; it is in four bays of 200 metres (656 ft.). Stadlau Bridge.—This crosses the Danube, near Vienna; it was built in 1870 for the Austrian State Railways, and is shown in Fig. 368. It is formed of straight girders, of about 400 metres (1,312 ft.) in length, in five practically equal spåns. The girders are 7.590 metres (25 ft.) high, of close trellis-work. Their érection communication between the north of Chili and the towns of the south, such as Valdivia and Osorno. The Crossing of the Malleco River was one of the greatest difficulties encountered, and the construction of the line was long delayed owing to the importance of the bridge work required. The Malleco River is not more than 20 metres wide (66 ft.), but over the whole of its course it runs in a deep valley, so that it was necessary to erect a very high bridge. In the design that was finally adopted, and Fig. 369. Viaduct over the Rio Malleco, Chili. was specially interesting, owing to the enormous mass of metal—above 2,000 tons—that had to be dealt with. Many other important bridges executed by Messrs. Schneider and Co. for foreign countries, notably Austria Spain, Portugal, South America, &c., must be passed over ; those concerning which a few data have been given above are the most interesting of early date, and reference will now be made to some others more recent, and possessing special features of construction and mode of érection. Viaduct over the Malleco (Figs. 369 to 375).—This viaduct is at the head of the railway built by the Chilian Government some years since, to establish a means of which was followed by its execution in 1888-90, the level of the rail is more than 100 metres (328 ft.) above the bottom of the valley. The viaduct is in 5 spåns. The main continuons girders are 347.500 metres (1139 ft. 10 in.) in total length ; all the spåns are equal,—69.500 metres (228 ft.). The superstruc- ture is arrangée! for a line of 1.680 metres (5 ft. 6| in.) gauge placed on the top members. The piers are exception- ally high, 75.700 metres (248 ft. 3 in.). Owing to this great height, the conditions of stability under the action of the wind were of extreme importance, and were taken into account before all other conditions in designing the work.