| Show I IMPROMPTU BRiDGE BUILDING IN WAR has read Xeno who rhO l I fly one awe will rl re E plan s famous hoW that his method od gen gentral ot real of It old d dreal r C I In n It AT IA IW OT etl 1 ri ye t tom i r building DurIng their advance bridge Inflated sheepskins It will sal Int r LerI were weN the principal b to rr r r the bridges ot of t those oo early carly In t Sin jace o that time ho however e cr snore morO eke irek I 1 th ds und and more r and have come Into use of y tats general always has U a ar to UP the h caIlY ally corps ot of man mun who are areat areat r t a bridge over oer any stream at that may lie In hi the thee thet or ir lOr r r I Ib t e ot of march h In the twInkling of at an b tits 11 tM ibe h army the corps most r d M f r lit sort ot of tone Is the Royal noal noali i r r r Some Idea ot of the mar marI I IU Iw cork Tork done dIne by the these so men may be beg ird h m the g which how chow Impromptu bridges i rI r s gilt jt out ot of the crudest material and C l under the greatest Modder riv river lant IS s instance ut at er In the South earn it Tas necessary to throw a g 11 ad substantial bridge over oer the parn during the great battle of No Nov 2 to Thu Ras done and It will bo be reo to tomar nIl that General Methuen n marY mar c Y f Brigadier General Pole Cart care sad and his men for tor their and duh doh la Is supplyIng the needed bridge the spot pot when It was necessary I This officer was In command ot of the I cards brigade at the rodder Modder river rivers s fh f br and his corps of engineers ers were hu a aa l d it forward o n a rd an and d had their held go alM a Toss the tho Madder almost be before are the sand d Hoers Doers could realize their In trot ae aB When It Is remembered that thata a or er most ot of such construction worl tikes place under tire fire and that the en ent gs era a at t work have few lew r or none of at th Implements employed b by the expert trudge builder It seems truly mar hw they inn an throw together n a structure that will 11 carry the weight ot of cavalry and heavy artillery This art ot of Impromptu bridge build buildIng big Ing Is acquired only attar atter long pray such work worle are drilled long and patient ly Iy at home In the different forms lorms ot of structures necessary for tor the carrying i of at troops over n a stream These bridges i ot of course vary with the size and the I nature ot of the stream to be II crossed It It Is a wide river the pontoon bridge Is usually made malle use or of For Fer thIs purpose each division In South Africa carries carrl with It II a number ot of strong but light pontoons Those Thole are anchored In n a lino the tho stream girders are arc laid from one pontoon to the and a planking Is then than laid over the girders To put together a bridge ot of this description Is Isa 1 a simplE matter A far ar armore more delicate anti difficult operation Is Isto isto to throw n a single span over n a SO 10 toot foot and one that must be strong enough to support several tons weight at al on one time The engineers can enn throw up with such limit od resources In an hour or two It le 18 lenot not pleasant work for lor It means more often otten than Ihan not working up to the tho waist In running water the tho climbing dy d banks and In fact act all the hardships ot of war without any allY ot of Its glories It hlll has also nil all the dangers o of active war warfare tare fare for tor although the engineer r corps ts le always preceded lit by n a reconnoitering party and n a guard the tIte men n ot of such a corps necessarily hAve to do their work volt In advance ot of the main body of at their army and are liable to attack at any ony moment Owing to the nature or of the tho country countr and the ot of the campaigning In South Africa the whose torte forte I is bridge building has hns very vary often otten been called Into srI servIce One ot of the most brilliant examples or of their skill and r h r I t tI a I j aVI I I IN AFRICA J I It t r t t f 1 t n a Ri r f fr r z t 1 t r 1 i r i i tice and ond a thorough stud study of at scientific engineering reduced to Its simplest and most primitive methods The different British corps supposed to be expert at are usually confined to and rope This does not seem much to work worle with but It Is wonderful what an airy and yet et substantial structure these trained was the tho successful brIdging ot of the Tugela by the Royal noal engineers who had long been trained for tor work ot of nil all such character at Aldershot |
