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The Structural Engineer

In the '70's of last century the main railway line from Amsterdam and The Hague to Germany, Belgium, France and London (via Vlissingen) was carried across the then newly constructed "Koningshaven" in Rotterdam by means of a three-span lattice girder bridge. The outer spans were of 80 metres (262.5 ft.) each, and were fixed, while the centre span, of 56 metres (184 ft.), was arranged as a swing bridge, turning about a central pier, thus cutting down the available width for shipping to two openings of 20 metres (65.5 ft.) each. W.E. Fuller

The Structural Engineer

The rapid rise of the firm of Messrs. Boots, Ltd., the chemists, is generally known, and the fact that in the course of one lifetime it has been built up from the most modest beginnings to a gigantic concern owning 852 branches throughout Great Britain is, in itself, a business romance of special note. The head office of the firm is situated in the centre of Nottingham, and around it are grouped many large factories and warehouses in which its products are made and stored prior to distribution. The centre of a city, however, is not the ideal place for an expanding manufacturing business, and as time has passed all available adjacent sites have been developed, with the result that 1927 found this firm developing still wider markets for its goods, but confined within a limited area on its manufacturing side. It was essential for something to be done to meet the emergency, and bringing the same progressive view on this problem as had been adopted throughout the development of the business, the directors purchased a virgin site in practically open country, three miles outside Nottingham. Arthur Watson Legat

The Structural Engineer

The CHAIRMAN, Mr. EWART S. ANDREWS, B.Sc., M.INsT., C.E. (Hon. Secretary), proposed a very hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Gray for placing his views so clearly before the Institution in a very interesting and thought-provoking paper. It was a special privilege to propose that vote of thanks, because Mr. Gray had been associated with him (Mr. Andrews) for a very long time.

The Structural Engineer

The CHAIRMAN (Mr. R. H. Harry Stanger, Assoc. M.Inst.C.E.,A.M.I.Mech.E.(Vice- President) said he was sure they had all been very much interested in hearing this paper on this method of transporting concrete, and he would ask the audience to express their appreciation of Mr. Burrowes in the usual way. In this country we had carried out transit mixing in a small way as long ago as in the early 1900's-he was not sure that it was not even before then. One of the block yards at Dover was so situated that it was found convenient to erect gantries acrom the block yard, and set the moulds on either side of the gantries. Mixers were mounted on trollies; they were loaded at one end where the raw materials were, and as they travelled along to the moulds, these mixers were revolved. Thus the mixing was carried out, and the concrete was ready to pour when it reached the mould. It seemed to him that the great advantage of this system was the saving of space on a building. As all knew, in any big town there was never much space allowed the contractor into which he could put his materials for concrete, so it certainly seemed that this transit system offered very great opportunities in that direction. Whether it would ever come into use in this country in the same way as it had done in America was another thing. He would ask Mr. Burrowes what was the slump of the concrete shown in the picture. It poured like soup on to the floor. Perhaps the driver had too much water in it?

The Structural Engineer

By the courtesy of Messrs. Dorman, Long & Co., Ltd., a large number of members availed themselves of the opportunity to view the works now in progress at Lambeth Bridge and Thames House site adjoining, on Saturday, April 26th.