January 26, 1869. CHARLES HUTTON GREGORY, President, No. 1,181.-"Description of the New Ferry and the New Brighton In the session of 1860-61 the Author submitted a Paper, on the construction of a wrought and cast-iron pier at Southport, on the coast of Lancashire, from the designs of Mr. Brunlees, M. Inst. C.E.1 The success of that work, in an engineering and commercial point of view, has led to the erection of many similar structures at various points on the coast of Great Britain; and believing that others will hereafter be formed on the same model, it is now proposed to describe two modifications of the principle, as carried out at the New Ferry Pier and Stage, and at the New Brighton Pier, both on the River Mersey, near Liverpool. The ferry accommodation of the River Mersey comprises, on the west or Cheshire shore, commencing at the mouth of the estuary, first the New Brighton Pier and Landing Stage, forming a portion of the subject of this Paper. Proceeding up the stream, and still on the same shore, there are the Egremont and the Seacombe Landings, each consisting of an inclined way of stone, along which rails are laid, to allow of the passage up and down, according to the state of the tide, of a wrought-iron platform on wheels; the power for raising the platform being supplied by a stationary engine on the shore. These landings will probably soon be replaced by piers and floating stages. The New Brighton, the Egremont, and the Seacombe Landings are under the control of the Wallasey Local Board of Health. The next in position, provided by the Birkenhead Commissioners, is at Woodside. This consists of a wroughtiron floating stage, 800 feet in length, connected with the shore by wrought-iron bridges. Ascending the river, still in a southerly direction, this is succeeded by the inclined way, also of stone, which is used by the Chester and Birkenhead Railway Company as a landing-place for the passengers and luggage crossing by the railway boats from Liverpool. Following this is the inclined way of stone at Rock Ferry, the New Ferry Pier and floating stage, to 1 Vide Minutes of Proceedings Inst. C.E., vol. xx., p. 292 et seq. be described in this Paper, and lastly, the wooden pier at Eastham, distant from New Brighton about 6 miles. Crossing to the eastern or Lancashire shore, and descending the river towards the north, at a point nearly opposite Rock Ferry, is the South End floating stage, 120 feet long and 30 feet broad, with connecting bridge, all of wrought iron: and lastly, the wellknown George's and Prince's stages, the former of which is 500 feet in length by 80 feet in breadth, carried on thirty-five pontoons, and connected with the shore by two bridges, each 150 feet in length; while the latter is 1,000 feet in length by 82 feet in breadth, and is connected with the shore by four bridges, each 113 feet in length. It has been proposed to construct a pier and stage at Waterloo, at the mouth of the river, opposite to New Brighton. This is still a desideratum as regards the passenger traffic, and by indicating the channel, it would prove useful to vessels entering and leaving the port. It having become evident that there was a want of communication by water, between the central and the southern portions of Liverpool, and New Ferry on the opposite shore, the Mersey River Steamboat Company was originated to run a line of steamers from the Prince's stage to the south end of the borough, and thence across the estuary to New Ferry, and vice versa. Express boats run during the day direct between Liverpool and New Ferry, and others between the south end and New Ferry. This necessitated the erection of a Pier, with landing-stage and connecting bridge at New Ferry, which was constructed from the designs of Mr. Brunlees, by Messrs. W. and J. Galloway and Sons, contractors, under the superintendence of the Author, for Mr. R. A. Macfie, of Liverpool, who leases it to the Mersey River Steamboat Company. The original slipway was one of the oldest on the river, consisting merely of a bank of clay, raised about 2 feet above the shore, and covered with loose stones. The approach to the new pier, at the shore end, is formed by a curved retaining wall, on which the ends of the first set of girders rest. A wrought-iron railing on the coping of the wall, provided with three carriage gates, each 10 feet wide, and two wicket gates, each 5 feet wide, encloses a space pitched with stone sets, upon which the two pay-boxes and office are placed. The pier proper consists of fourteen spans, each 58 feet in the clear. It is formed of three lines of wrought-iron girders, placed 9 feet apart from centre to centre, and resting on cast-iron columns. The pier is thus divided into two distinct ways, one of which is used for the up and the other for the down traffic, the girders themselves forming the parapets. The openings are arranged in three groups; the first, from the re taining wall towards the river, comprising five bays, then two rows of columns, three in each row, and 4 feet apart from centre to centre measured along the platform; next, four bays, and again two rows of columns; and lastly, five bays, terminated by a platform, 18 feet by 16 feet, supported on a cluster of eighteen columns, securely braced horizontally and vertically, by means of angle irons 3 inches by 3 inches and inch thick. The girders are VaM each 60 feet in length, and 4 feet 9 inches in depth. The top member of the girder is composed of two half round bulb irons, forming, when riveted together through the flanges, a tube of 8 inches external diameter. The remainder of the girder is of the ordinary lattice form. The two footways, each 8 feet 4 inches wide, formed of Memel planking 4 inches thick, are carried on the bottom flanges of the girders, the planks being secured at the ends by bolts 1 inch in diameter. The two outside girders are each calculated to bear a load of 120 lbs. per superficial foot of platform, and the centre girder is nearly twice the strength of the others. The supporting columns are 12 inches external diameter, the metal being inch thick. They are generally cast in lengths of 10 feet, and are connected by flange joints, excepting the junction of the columns with the piles, which is of the socket form. The piles were cast in variable lengths, to suit the contour of the ground, and are furnished with one turn of a screw at the bottom, 2 feet 6 inches in diameter, the metal being 14 inch thick at the root. The bottom of each pile is of a plain spigot form. The piles were screwed down to depths of from 6 feet to 10 feet, by means of a capstan head of cast iron, with eight bars 9 feet in length, worked by about thirty men, until an exceedingly hard bed of clay was reached, on entering which about 2 feet, it was found impossible to screw the piles further by hand power. The tops of the piles of each pier were then cut off to a level of about 2 feet above the surface of the shore, and a double false socket was fixed on, by means of a rust joint. Variable lengths of the columns were then cast, in order that the remainder might be used in lengths of 10 feet, and thus insure uniformity in the work. Each pier consists of a line of three castiron columns and piles transversely to the footway, and on the top of each column there is a cast-iron bearing plate, 2 feet long, to which the ends of the girders are secured by two bolts, each 1 inch in diameter, the holes in the girders being of an oval form to allow of expansion and contraction. A space of inch is left between the ends of the girders, which is concealed by a light, ornamental iron casting, so arranged as not to interfere with the motion of the girders. In the case of the centre girders, a cast iron lamp standard is added on the top of these coverings. The outside girders are stiffened at the ends over the piers by gusset pieces, bearing on cast-iron brackets, bolted to the heads of the columns on the outside. Similar brackets are used under the ends of the girders where they bear on the heads of the columns. The gussets are formed of two angle irons, each 2 inches by 2 inches and inch thick, filled in with a inch plate, of a triangular form, the base being 1 foot 9 inches, and the height 4 feet. Throughout the length of the pier, and at intervals of 7 feet 6 inches, the girders are kept apart by transom bars of T iron, 4 inches by 3 inches and inch thick, bolted to the underside of the bottom plates of the girders, by four bolts 3 inch in diameter to each girder. The outer edge of the platform, at the head of the pier, forms a bearing for the moveable joint at the upper end of the Bridge, connecting the pier with the floating stage (Fig. 2, p. 221). This joint admits of a horizontal and vertical motion of the bridge, and consists of a strong wrought-iron girder. having a radial motion round a steel pin, 4 inches in diameter, fixed to a girder forming a portion of the framework on the top of the columns. The vertical motion is obtained by means of a hinge under each girder of the bridge, composed of a wrought-iron forging, bolted to a rotating girder, and a steel pin, 2 inches in diameter passed through it and the two forged straps riveted round the end of the bridge. The underside of the rotating girder immediately under these hinges is supplied with two sheaves, or rollers, bearing on segments fixed to the heads of the columns. The bridge is 158 feet in length, and is formed of two bowstring girders, on the lattice principle, 10 feet in depth at the centre. The vertical web consists, for a length of 16 feet from each end, of plates inch thick, the rest of the girder being of the ordinary lattice form. The girders are 9 feet 8 inches apart from centre to centre, leaving a roadway of 8 feet 4 inches in the clear. They are kept apart at the bottom by transoms of T iron, 4 inches by 3 inches and inch thick, at intervals of 16 feet throughout the bridge, each intermediate space being filled in diagonally with two angle irons, 3 inches by 3 inches and inch thick. The upper members of the girders are kept in place by an arch of wrought iron, 16 inches in depth, the top and bottom being each formed of two angle irons, 4 inches by 3 inches and inch thick, with a vertical plate between them inch thick. The headway from the level of the platform to the underside of this arch at the centre is 13 feet. The platform of the bridge is composed of planking, 4 inches thick, laid transversely, and secured to the upper side of the bottom plates of the girders by an angle iron, 4 inches by 4 inches and inch thick, running longitudinally and crossing the ends of the planks. This angle iron is bolted at intervals to the flange of the girder, and forms a kerb on each side of the bridge. The surface of the planking is covered with teak, 11⁄2 inch in thickness, grooved |