Page:Professional papers on Indian Engineering (second series).djvu/493

 No. CCCXVI. NOTES ON THE FLOODS OF THE SUTLEJ AND EAST AND WEST BEYN NALLAHS ON THE SCINDE, PUNJAB AND DELHI RAILWAY, AND ON THE INDUS ON THE INDUS VALLEY STATE RAILWAY.

[Vide Plate.]

Report by C. STONE, Esq., Acting Agent and Chief Engineer, Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railway, on proposed utilization of eight spans Sut- lej Bridge girders. September 1878.

I HAVE the honor to invite the attention of the Government of India to a proposal to remove eight spans of girders from the Ludhiana or east end of the above bridge.

It will be in the recollection of the Consulting Engineer to Govern- ment of the Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railway, both past and present, of my opinion (often expressed) that the bridge was too long, causing from such excessive length the wandering of the main channels, the ac- cumulation of large sand banks, that consequently contracted the chan- nels, and which, there is little doubt, caused the destruction of the brick well piers 48 and 49 in August 1876.

The scour of the main channels between these piers was 62 feet. The fallen girders and piers and the stone protection thrown in from time to time rendered it quite impossible to sink new piers between 47 and 50.

I then proposed filling up the deep channel with stone and block kan- kar, sinking a boat caisson filled with stone on the exact site of the old well pier and over the caisson (after ramming the stone and kankar with a heavy pile driver), erecting what I term a cluster column pier, composed of four cast-iron cylinders, fixed to a large wrought-iron bed plate strengthened

Note.-Many letters, plans, &c., in the correspondence are omitted. Only the lead- ing ones have been selected.--[ED.] 2 u 335