Hopetown Old Wagon Bridge (S. Africa)
1900 'The picture given below represents the centre span of Hopetown Bridge over the Orange River, which was destroyed for strategic reasons by the Imperial [British] authorities in the early part of the campaign. The order for the new span was placed with Messrs. Joseph Westwood and Co., Limited, of Millwall, E., and was manufactured by them, and erected complete as shown, in eighteen days after the receipt of the order and eleven days after the receipt of the material, without making any allowance for delay caused by the snow-storm and bad weather generally. The span is 108 feet long, weighs 80 tons, and is what is technically known as a "Link Type, pin connected, Warren Girder Bridge." The rapidity with which this span was turned out forms a record in the annals of bridge-building, no span of similar construction having ever been made in such a short time. It is satisfactory to note that the patriotism of manufacturers in this country is equal to any emergency that may arise, so that there is no justification for urgent work being placed with bridge-builders outside the United Kingdom on account of time, as was pretended in the case of the Atbara Bridge. The whole of the main connecting pins were drawn out and forged under the steam hammer, turned and screwcut within five days. When the operation of assembling the component parts of the bridge commenced the whole of the span was erected complete, as shown, in twelve hours, showing the great accuracy of the connections throughout. One of the most satisfactory points to notice is that Mr. William Beardmore, of Parkhead Forge, Glasgow (Chairman of Messrs. Westwood and Co.), rolled the plates within six hours of the receipt of the specification, and, but for an unfortunate delay in receiving a part of the steel consigned by rail, the span would have been completed in less than a fortnight. The portion consigned by rail from Glasgow was three days longer in reaching London than was the portion forwarded via Grangemouth per steamer.'[2]
![[1]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hopetown_Old_Wagon_Bridge.jpg){kind=link}