Cjiap. VI.
255
In 1608, a timber building called the Samaritaine, containing the pumps for raisingwater for the service of the Louvre and the Tuilleries , under the direction of a Flemingnamed J. Lintlaer, was placed in the tenth arch on the side of the Quai de 1'Eeole Militaire.Ilenry IV., on this occasion, overcame the obstacles which the municipality of Paris op-posed to him from fear of the injury which might result to navigation. The pumps werethe first of the kind established in Paris . It was almost entirely reconstructed in 1715aiul 1772, and demolished in 1813.
Bridge of St. Michael , at Paris . The first of this name of which we have any accountwas of timber, and was replaced by one of stone in 1373. This was partly destroyed in1408, and rebuilt of timber in 1416. Others shared the same fate, the last, with all thehouses upon it, being carried away by the thaw of 1616. That which now exists was builtin 1618. It consists of four arches, two of 46 feet, and the two others of 32 feet span.The starlings are surmounted by niches crowned by a cornice, except the centre one, onwhich is still the pedestal that supported the statue of Louis XIII .
This bridge is 112 feet wide, and on each side houses were constructed, which were de-molished in 1809, when the approaches were improved.
Bridges of the Hotel Dieu , at Paris ; one called St. Charles, and the other au Double, werebuilt about 1634 by the governors of the Hotel Dieu . One consists of two arches, 42 feetspan, and the other of two arches 38 feet 4 inches span. They were covered with buildingsbelonging to the hospital, leaving a passage only 10 feet 8 inches wide for the use of thepublic.
Bridge of Juvisi , near Paris , is remarkable for a serious error of construction. The pierson which it is built not being thick enough to resist the thrust of the earth, it is retainedby eight stone arches built from one wall to another, instead of carrying up one arch lowerand larger, which method has been adopted in a similar case, for the causeway at Cravant,where the arch being too large and too high, a second was constructed, the old walls weredemolished, and the vacant space filled up, by which the original error was entirelyrectified.
Marie's Bridge , at Paris was built by Christopher Marie, the principal contractor forbridge-building in France , and united the Isle of St. Louis to the other portions of the city.It was begun in 1614, and finished in 1635. In 1658 a flood carried away two arches andthe houses upon them. They were rebuilt, first of wood, and then of stone, by means of atoll granted for ten years. The houses were not rebuilt, and the others were demolishedin 1789.
The Pont Marie consists of five semicircular arches 45 feet 6 inches to 58 feet 5 inchesspan. The piers are ornamented like those of St. Michael’s Bridge . Its breadth is 77 feet9 inches.
Bridge of La Tournelle at Paris , also by Christopher Marie, was built of wood in 1614,and carried away by the ice in 1637, and rebuilt of wood; again carried away in 1651,re-constructed of stone, and finished in 1656. It consists of six semicircular arches from51 feet to 58 feet span, and is ornamented in the same manner as the last-mentioned:the breadth is 53 feet 4 inches.
Bridge of the Exchange , at Paris . A wooden bridge which existed in this place wascarried away by the thaw of 1408, again destroyed in 1510, again at a time not exactlyknown, and a fourth time in 1579. Another thaw damaged it greatly in 1616, and threwdown several of the houses built upon it. Lastly, it was burnt in 1621, at the same time withanother wooden bridge called Marchand Bridge, only about 30 feet distant from it. Thestone one now remaining was begun in 1639, and finished in 1647. It consists ofseven semicircular arches, from 35 feet 2 inches to 51 feet 6 inches span- Its breadth is107 feet: there were two rows of houses demolished in 1788. This i^ the largest bridgein Paris .
Bridge of Maestricht , on the Meuse , built in 1683, by Frere Romain, a Dominican friar ; itconsists of eight stone arches, from 39 feet to 44 feet span, and a timber platform, which, incase of siege, could be easily removed. The arches are ornamented with archivolts. Theplan of the starlings is an equilateral triangle on one side, and a half octagon on the other.The salient angle being too sharp was destroyed by ice: it has been repaired, and theangle rounded off.
Bridge of the Tuilleries , or royal bridge. A wooden bridge was constructed in 1632 by acontractor named Barbier, in the direction of the Rue de Beaune. This was burnt in 1656, aswell as the Machine de Jolly, which raised water from the Seine . Cardinal Mazarine proposedto pay for its construction by means of a lottery, but this could not be effected, andit was rebuilt of timber, which was destroyed by a flood the 20th of February, 1684, andthe foundations of that which now exists were laid the 25th of October of the followingyear. Louvois had just succeeded Colbert as superintendent of buildings.
The designs were made by Mansard , and the construction carried on by Gabriel. Thefoundation of the first pier on the Tuilleries 1 side presenting some difficulties, on account ofthe bad quality of the soil, Frere Romain was sent for from Maestricht , who was, we