DOUGLAS, Howard An essay on the principles and construction of military bridges and the passage of rivers in military operations. London, Murray 1853. 3rd edition
8vo. xx + 431 + (1)pp, engraved frontis. and 14 folding engraved plates. Modern cloth. Orig. printed label on spine. The third and final edition of Douglas’ classic work has once again been enormously enlarged by the inclusion of developments since the appearance of the second edition in 1832. The chapter on pontoons has been completely rewritten in light of extensive experiments undertaken into the portability as well as stability of such structures, while that on bridges of boats now describes the equipment used in India in 1839 during the first Afghan war, and in 1845/6 during the first Sikh war. Most notable is the lengthy chapter on trussed and suspension bridges, which replaces the earlier, shorter “On carriage-bridges and suspension bridges”. Various types of timber and iron trusses are described and examples given, such as the 220 foot span satinwood bridge in Kandy, Ceylon, together with some American structures. Suspension bridges are represented by a myriad of examples from all over the British Empire. However, such had been the advances in bridge construction during the middle years of the 19th century that such famous bridges as Telford’s Menai bridge, I.K.Brunel’s Chepstow railway bridge and Stephenson’s great Britannia bridge are all described, presumably so that military no less than civil engineers might benefit from such major innovations.
£250
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