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Clough Bridge - Great Fish River
Makhanda (Grahamstown) district, Eastern Cape
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Click to view large map Coordinates: | Committee's Drift is on the old wagon road between King William's Town and Grahamstown where the road crosses the Great Fish River. The bridge at Committee's Drift is sited in close proximity to the Committee's Drift Military Post constructed between the years 1836 and 1845 (now the Committee's Drift Police Station). Construction of the bridge at Committee's Drift commenced in 1873 under the direction of Joseph Newey. All components were prefabricated in England by Fleet & Newey, then assembled and load tested, stamped with identifying marks, dismantled, shipped to Port Alfred and transported by ox wagon to the site. The partially completed bridge was however badly damaged in a major flood in early December 1874. The flood level is recorded on a square metal marker on the west abutment. The wording on the flood level marker was inscribed on the plate by means of marks made by a cold chisel - with an interesting angular font. The bridge as originally designed had three spans: East span 127' 6" (38.8m), Centre span 130' (39.6m), West span 127' 6" (38.8m), comprising lattice iron girders on masonry abutments and substantial paired cylindrical riveted metal piers filled with concrete. Following the flood of 1874 the bridge was raised by 6' (1.8m) and extended on the west side with an additional two spans of 65' (19.8m) - albeit of a different lattice girder design. The two additional girders were supported on masonry abutments and a pair of cylindrical riveted metal piers at the midpoint. The lattice girders were assembled on the opposite river banks then launched on temporary timber stagings - pushed by hydraulic jacks. The bridge was finally opened on 30 April 1877. It was named after Mr. George Carver Clough, who had immigrated with his family - from Nottingham - early in 1844. He was a businessman and resident of Grahamstown, a representative in Parliament for a period of 18 years and had originally motivated for the government to fund the construction of the Committee's Drift bridge. Clough had however passed away on 4 September 1876 just prior to the completion of the bridge. The inscription CLOUGH BRIDGE 1877 was recorded on the face of a square metal plate mounted on the north balustrade wall of the east abutment. The letters were inscribed by means of small repetitive circular indentations made by a boilermaker's centre-punch. References: Grahamstown Journal, 4 September 1876Grahamstown Journal, 6 September 1876 Measurement of the individual spans in-situ Walters 2014 (William MARTINSON, May 2016) References:
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