J. Bowman, Inspector of Masonry; D. E. Spence, Inspector of Iron Works; J. Middleton, Assistant Inspector of Iron Works.'"
The following condensed review is from The Argus of the 3rd October, 1888:—
"Probably no engineering work has ever been carried out in the Colony in connection with which so many difficulties had to be overcome. In the first place excavations had to be made to widen the river, the material from which was deposited in the south approach. The first attempted was that down stream, between the present bridge and the railway bridge. Careful inquiries were made as to the usual height of floods, and a bank of the requisite height was erected around the excavation, after which work was commenced, a gullet being put in, and a track laid from this under the temporary bridge, and up into the bank. Great difficulty was experienced with pipes and drains here, as they crossed the excavation in all directions, some drawing water from the Yarra for use in the paper mills, and some discharging it.
"In May, 1886, cracks were observed in the bank left between the river and the cutting, but as there was still a large amount of material to be removed the bank was shored up. On the 10th, however—a very wet day, the river rising considerably, and cracks showing in many places along the bank—the rails and sleepers and other plant and materials were removed out of the cutting, and at seven in the evening the bank collapsed and the water rushed in. From this cutting 44,000 cubic yards of earth were taken. To the north of the boatsheds was a much larger cutting, from which altogether 70,000 cubic yards were removed. The water was allowed to break into this on the 23rd May, 1887; but another cutting in front of the boathouses was filled by a high flood in the Yarra on the 11th July, before the work of excavation was completed. Centrifugal pumps were fixed,and as soon as the flood-waters began to fall the pumps commenced work and rapidly emptied the cutting. Other excavations were also carried out on the north side of the river, and on the south side, reaching from the northern face of the southern-most pier to the face of the river abutment, and for the various piers and abutments, and containing in all 44,000 yards of earth and 13,000 yards of bluestone rock. A portion of the work was done by dredging, but mostly by ordinary excavation, the material being removed in trucks, which were drawn up an inclined plane by a powerful winding-engine. In all, 224,000 yards of earth and rock were removed, most of it going into the embankment of the south approach. It is said that the site of the present bank was occupied by old clay-pits, but, at any rate, it proved a very bad foundation for the vast weight put upon it. The estimated quantity required for this bank was 140,000 cubic yards, but on account of repeated subsidence over 200,000 cubic yards have been swallowed up in it. It runs up to 30ft. high and provides for a roadway 90ft. wide.
"The bridge in appearance very strongly resembles the Blackfriars Bridge, London. It has unquestionably a fine appearance, and, with the roadway, forms a noble approach to the city, but there are Engineers in the city who declare that as fine, or even a finer design might have been carried out for less money.
"In the construction of the bridge itself 150,000 cubic feet of bluestone ashlar, 11,500 cubic yards of rubble, 6,000 cubic yards of concrete, 13,000 cubic feet of Malmsbury stone, and 3000 cubic feet of granite have been used. The majority of the bluestone was obtained from the contractor's quarries at Footscray, which were opened for this purpose, a siding being laid into them from the Sandhurst line, and a siding to the site of the bridge from the Prince's Bridge Station yard. The largest stones used weighed seventeen tons in the rough, and these finished may now be seen in the cutwaters on the piers, just below the granite columns. The Malmsbury stone—a finer, softer, and cleaner species of basalt, used for the carving and the more finely-finished work—was obtained from the contractor's quarry at Kyneton, and the granite from Mr. Blight's quarry at Harcourt. In that quarry blocks of granite can be easily cut beside which Cleopatra's Needle would be a toy. Blocks, 120ft. long and 30ft. square, can be obtained without difficulty Before ordering this stone, however, enquiries were made in all the granite-producing countries of the Old World—in the Pyrenees, France and Spain, in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The prices quoted were high, and no firm would undertake to supply the large columns in less than two or three pieces.
