outside the north cantilever end pier upon the viaduct—the rear engine 40 ft. short of the Fife north vertical columns. The results were as follows:
| Deflection at end of bay 3 in Fife north cantilever, on east side | =1 | in. |
| Ditto, ditto, on west side | =11⁄8 | ,, |
After this various trials were made with the trains running abreast at moderate speeds, and up to about 20 miles per hour. During these trials observations were taken of the deflections to north or south, as the case might be, of the tops of the vertical columns with the passage of the heavy trains. The observations were taken by means of theodolites placed on the circular granite piers. Referring again to the various positions of the trains as above, the movements noted were as follows:—
| First position | : | not observed—see 6th position. | in. | ||||
| Second | ,, | : | Queensferry | vertical columns | moved towards | north | 2 |
| ,, | ,, | : | Inchgarvie | ,, | ,, | south | 1 |
| Third | ,, | : | ,, | ,, | ,, | south | 2 |
| Fourth | ,, | : | ,, | ,, | ,, | north | 2 |
| Fifth | ,, | : | Fife | ,, | ,, | south | 2 |
| Sixth | ,, | : | ,, | ,, | ,, | north | 1 |
From a suitable station near the old castle on Inchgarvie observations were also taken of the deflections of the end posts of the four free cantilevers during the passage at speed of heavy trains, and these agreed exactly with those obtained during the deadweight trials.
For testing the deflections in the central connecting girders two trains were made up, consisting each of three engines and six trucks at each end, these trains weighing 405 tons each, or a total weight of 810 tons upon each girder. Both in the north and south spans the application of this load produced a deflection of slightly over l1⁄2 in. at the centre of the girder. The test loads applied to the 168 ft. spans of the approach viaducts produced deflections ranging from 11⁄16 in. to 13⁄16 in., or a mean of 3⁄4 in.
Various special trials with trains running in opposite directions, and meeting each other at specified points, also took place.
The atmospheric conditions during the three days were not of the most agreeable character—an extremely cold and stiff easterly breeze blowing the whole time, and terminating in the afternoon of the 3rd day in a storm of sleet and rain.
The report by the Board of Trade Inspectors issued on February 24, 1890, is of a highly satisfactory and complimentary character, and enters into every question of interest to the travelling public.
On March 4, 1890, during a violent gale which blew from the south west with a pressure of 20 lb. per square foot, the Prince of Wales closed the last rivet in the north central girder, and from the south port of the south cantilever end pier declared the bridge open. At the banquet which followed the ceremony, and to which nearly 600 guests had been invited, the Prince of Wales annonnced that the Queen had conferred upon the Chairman of the Forth Bridge Company, Mr. Matthew William Thompson, and upon Sir John Fowler, K.C.M.G., the honour of baronetcies; upon Mr. Benjamin Baker the honour of K.C.M.G.; and upon Mr. William Arrol, the honour of a knighthood.
Between five and six o'clock the same night two heavy goods trains passed over the bridge—one from north and one from south, and commencing from the morning of the following day, Wednesday, 5th March—when passenger traffic between Dunfermline and Edinburgh was established between 40 and 50 trains have been run every day and night over the now completed Forth Bridge.
Printed at the bedford press, 20 and 21, bedfordbury. london, w.c.
