Rochester Bridge Demolition 1857
Photograph reproduced by permission of the Royal Engineers Museum www.re-museum.co.uk
The Times - 14th January 1857
Destruction of Old Rochester-Bridge.
The destruction of the first portion of old Rochester-bridge by the Royal Engineers was successfully accomplished yesterday afternoon, under the general direction of Colonel H. Sandham, Director of the Royal Engineers’ establishment at Brompton Barracks, chatham, in the presence of Lieutenant-General Sir Charles W. Pasley, K.C.B., Major-General Sir Harry D. Jones, K.C.B., and a large number of Engineer officers belonging to that garrison, as well as several scientific gentlemen, who were anxious to witness the destruction by gunpowder of such immense works.
As soon as the demolition of old Rochester-bridge-which has stood upwards of four centuries-was decided upon Colonel Sandham made application to the proper authorities that the Royal Sappers and Miners and the east India Company’s Engineers might be employed in its destruction, as it was considered that the rare concurrence of removing such a huge mass as masonry was one admirably adapted for practising the officers and men of the Royal Engineers in destroying great works, especially as the troops belonging to that branch of the service had given such successful evidence of their skill in the demolition of the immense docks at Sebastopol. The authorities immediately granted the application, and on the 24th of November last a body of Sappers and Miners, under the command of Captain H. Schaw, Royal Engineers, who has ever since very ably superintended the undertaking, commenced making the necessary preparations for destroying the bridge. For this purpose the engineers commenced sinking three shafts o different piers, which were excavated to the respective depths of 24 feet, 21 feet, and 15 feet, it being found impossible to sink them any deeper owing to the constant breaking in the water. Each shaft had a mean diameter of 4 feet. As soon as the shafts had been complete to the required depth the working parties commenced driving a series of galleries, leading in horizontal directions form each shaft, in which to deposit the gunpowder used in blowing up the structure. The portion of the old bridge destroyed yesterday was one of the large piers, near the Strood side, from which the arches and superstructure had been previously removed by manual labour. This pier was 36 feet in length, 21 feet wide, and 13 feet in depth, and was calculated to contain considerably more than 12,000 cubic feet of masonry, weighing 80 tons. From the shaft which had been excavated in this pier sprang six galleries – viz., two of 10 feet in length, from the extremity of each of which branched at right angles another gallery of 3 feet in length; there were also two other galleries diverging from the central shaft, each 4 feet by 9 inches in length, the galleries being each 4 feet deep by 3 feet in breadth, to enable toe Sappers and Miners to traverse them. The weight of gunpowder required to be use in destroying this pier was 300lb., consisting of four charges, each of 60lb., and two lesser charges, each of 30lb., one charge being placed in each gallery. The powder was contained in tin cases enclosed in wooden boxes. The Royal Engineers were engaged at the old bridge during the whole of the previous night preparing the galleries, after which the powder was deposited in the places selected. The operation of “tanping” then commenced, which consisted of surrounding the charges with materials to render the explosion more effective, and stopping the head of each of the galleries with wet clay. The wires for firing the charges were laid in wooden troughs, to prevent accidents, and, a communication having been effected with each gallery, the charges were exploded simultaneously by means of the voltaic battery, which was under the direction of Captain C. E. Cumberland, Royal Engineers. The wire used for conveying the galvanic spark was the same as used by the Sappers and Miners for blowing up the Royal George at Spithead.
The effects of the explosion were most satisfactory, and the destruction of that pat of the old bridge most complete, the large blocks of stone of which it was composed being rent asunder ad hurled into the river, the only sight visible to the spectators being a violent upheaving of the water and the disappearance of the large pier. Notwithstanding the immense number of spectators present, the operations passed off without the slightest accident.
There will be another explosion of a still larger portion of the bridge by the Royal Engineers on Thursday afternoon, on which occasion there will be four charges fired, two of 230lb. each, and two of 150lb. each. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge is expected to be present on that occasion.
Colonel H. Sandham, commanding the Royal Engineers, has published a “memorandum” to the troops, in which he offers his best thanks to Mr. Wright, the engineer of the bridge works, for his ready concurrence in the whole of the proceedings, and also for the valuable assistance he has rendered the troops during the progress of the operations.
The whole of the troops belonging to the Royal engineers and East India Company’s service, as well as those of the Provisional Battalion at Chatham, were present to witness the operations.
Rochester Bridge Demolition 1857
Photograph reproduced by permission of the Royal Engineers Museum www.re-museum.co.uk
The Times - 14th January 1857
Destruction of Old Rochester-Bridge.
The destruction of the first portion of old Rochester-bridge by the Royal Engineers was successfully accomplished yesterday afternoon, under the general direction of Colonel H. Sandham, Director of the Royal Engineers’ establishment at Brompton Barracks, chatham, in the presence of Lieutenant-General Sir Charles W. Pasley, K.C.B., Major-General Sir Harry D. Jones, K.C.B., and a large number of Engineer officers belonging to that garrison, as well as several scientific gentlemen, who were anxious to witness the destruction by gunpowder of such immense works.
As soon as the demolition of old Rochester-bridge-which has stood upwards of four centuries-was decided upon Colonel Sandham made application to the proper authorities that the Royal Sappers and Miners and the east India Company’s Engineers might be employed in its destruction, as it was considered that the rare concurrence of removing such a huge mass as masonry was one admirably adapted for practising the officers and men of the Royal Engineers in destroying great works, especially as the troops belonging to that branch of the service had given such successful evidence of their skill in the demolition of the immense docks at Sebastopol. The authorities immediately granted the application, and on the 24th of November last a body of Sappers and Miners, under the command of Captain H. Schaw, Royal Engineers, who has ever since very ably superintended the undertaking, commenced making the necessary preparations for destroying the bridge. For this purpose the engineers commenced sinking three shafts o different piers, which were excavated to the respective depths of 24 feet, 21 feet, and 15 feet, it being found impossible to sink them any deeper owing to the constant breaking in the water. Each shaft had a mean diameter of 4 feet. As soon as the shafts had been complete to the required depth the working parties commenced driving a series of galleries, leading in horizontal directions form each shaft, in which to deposit the gunpowder used in blowing up the structure. The portion of the old bridge destroyed yesterday was one of the large piers, near the Strood side, from which the arches and superstructure had been previously removed by manual labour. This pier was 36 feet in length, 21 feet wide, and 13 feet in depth, and was calculated to contain considerably more than 12,000 cubic feet of masonry, weighing 80 tons. From the shaft which had been excavated in this pier sprang six galleries – viz., two of 10 feet in length, from the extremity of each of which branched at right angles another gallery of 3 feet in length; there were also two other galleries diverging from the central shaft, each 4 feet by 9 inches in length, the galleries being each 4 feet deep by 3 feet in breadth, to enable toe Sappers and Miners to traverse them. The weight of gunpowder required to be use in destroying this pier was 300lb., consisting of four charges, each of 60lb., and two lesser charges, each of 30lb., one charge being placed in each gallery. The powder was contained in tin cases enclosed in wooden boxes. The Royal Engineers were engaged at the old bridge during the whole of the previous night preparing the galleries, after which the powder was deposited in the places selected. The operation of “tanping” then commenced, which consisted of surrounding the charges with materials to render the explosion more effective, and stopping the head of each of the galleries with wet clay. The wires for firing the charges were laid in wooden troughs, to prevent accidents, and, a communication having been effected with each gallery, the charges were exploded simultaneously by means of the voltaic battery, which was under the direction of Captain C. E. Cumberland, Royal Engineers. The wire used for conveying the galvanic spark was the same as used by the Sappers and Miners for blowing up the Royal George at Spithead.
The effects of the explosion were most satisfactory, and the destruction of that pat of the old bridge most complete, the large blocks of stone of which it was composed being rent asunder ad hurled into the river, the only sight visible to the spectators being a violent upheaving of the water and the disappearance of the large pier. Notwithstanding the immense number of spectators present, the operations passed off without the slightest accident.
There will be another explosion of a still larger portion of the bridge by the Royal Engineers on Thursday afternoon, on which occasion there will be four charges fired, two of 230lb. each, and two of 150lb. each. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge is expected to be present on that occasion.
Colonel H. Sandham, commanding the Royal Engineers, has published a “memorandum” to the troops, in which he offers his best thanks to Mr. Wright, the engineer of the bridge works, for his ready concurrence in the whole of the proceedings, and also for the valuable assistance he has rendered the troops during the progress of the operations.
The whole of the troops belonging to the Royal engineers and East India Company’s service, as well as those of the Provisional Battalion at Chatham, were present to witness the operations.