iron, built in with stone and cement, the upper structure being of granite, a great portion of it still stood, but not a trace of the iron or steel girders could be seen. The concrete work that formed the base was also in wonderful preservation, but there was not a trace of the cast iron cylinders that had formerly been the outer shell of the piers. Curiously enough the concrete retained the impression of every plate, and every flange, and every bolt, but all the ironwork had disappeared. As I stood and looked at this old bridge, the thought occurred to me—"What a story you could tell, if you only had the power of speech!" It was clear to me that all the steel and iron girders, and the cast iron pier cylinders, had gradually corroded away. I could trace in my mind the entire processes of gradual destruction through many ages: first, the people by some miserable calamity disappeared; then, the ironwork of the bridge would corrode for want of care; the girders would weaken gradually and sag down in the centre, not
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MEDA:
