 Contact Artefacts | MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | ZAR Road Bridge over Marthinus-Wesselstroom (UTaka River), 'Wakkerstroom Bridge' AL KLUTE: Contractor |  | ||||||
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Click to view map Coordinates: | Proclaimed a National Monument in 1984, devolved to a Provincial Heritage Resource in the Mpumalanga Province in 1999. This bridge was designed by the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek's Department of Public Works. 'In its archives they refer to the UTakarivier'. It spans a modest 12m. It was erected by A KLUTE, completed in 1893 and was one of the last steel bridges commissioned by the ZAR, because WIERDA, in his annual report for 1895, had argued strongly for building stone bridges, especially where exposures of rock offered firm foundations for the piers, since they would eliminate the need to import ‘pre-fabricated steel bridges’ from overseas. On 24 May 1904, Father David Bryant baptized the first black Zionist in South Africa in the Marthinus-Wesselstroom next to this bridge. _______________________________________________ Wording on National Monuments Council plaque OU PADBRUG (Richardson, 2001:257) All truncated references not fully cited below are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon. References:
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