The collapse of the Tay Bridge in 1879 was one of Britain's most notorious railway disasters. The transcripts of the Committee of Inquiry, held in 1880, reveal the first-hand accounts of the people concerned, from the bridge's designer to railway staff, providing a unique first-hand insight into the building and destruction of the bridge.
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Finally, the complete story on what happened in 1879. The strength of this book in my opnion is the way in which formal hearings were rewritten into very readable but also very sober accounts. The most spine chilling chapters are those about Observers of the weather and The last train succesfully to cross the Tay Bridge. You know what will be happaning afterwards... It's also very easy to imagine onself in the situation of the people concerned on that dark and stormy night: uncertainty, disbelief...
To call this book a thrilling story would be a gross injustice. It is also a very convincing account of human greed for money and power, and also of everyday stupid misunderstandings leading to this disaster.
One shortcoming of the book in my view is that, because the book is based on statements of the persons concerned, sometimes you wonder what's actually happening: how were the remainders of the bridge en the train lifted out of the water? By steam cranes on a pontoon?
The other shortcoming is that sometimes it takes a lot of imaginative power to understand the technical details, for instance: what lugs broke where? Some simple sketches could have clarified a lot. And as I noticed on the internet, there ARE pictures of those broken lugs. By the way, there's a lot to be found on the internet on this disaster.
But this very well written book is an excellent basis to get involved, curious, and to start your further research.
To call this book a thrilling story would be a gross injustice. It is also a very convincing account of human greed for money and power, and also of everyday stupid misunderstandings leading to this disaster.
One shortcoming of the book in my view is that, because the book is based on statements of the persons concerned, sometimes you wonder what's actually happening: how were the remainders of the bridge en the train lifted out of the water? By steam cranes on a pontoon?
The other shortcoming is that sometimes it takes a lot of imaginative power to understand the technical details, for instance: what lugs broke where? Some simple sketches could have clarified a lot. And as I noticed on the internet, there ARE pictures of those broken lugs. By the way, there's a lot to be found on the internet on this disaster.
But this very well written book is an excellent basis to get involved, curious, and to start your further research.
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
