Folia historica 27
II. KÖZLEMÉNYEK - Gödölle Mátyás: A Lánchíd alapkőletétele és Tierney Clark szelencéje
THE LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE CHAIN BRIDGE AND TIERNEY CLARK'S SNUFF BOX Summary The building of the Széchenyi Chain Bride (1839-1849) was one of the most monumental engineering enterprises in Central Europe during the reform period. The formal laying of its foundation stone on August 24, 1842 was one of the most anticipated and celebrated public events of the reform-era Pest; its process was duly recorded in several sources. A huge crowd gathered on the square of Rakpiac (today's István Széchenyi Square) and the militia of Pest stood lined up all the way to the entrance of Dorottya Street wearing their full dress uniform to greet the arriving notabilities. The scene of the laying of the foundation stone had already been prepared inside the coffer dam surrounding the trench of the bridge abutment on the Pest side. This structure was enclosed by a double-beam wall on its Easter side and a triple-beam wall in the direction of the Danube, with stiff clay stamped into its joints to seal it off from water completely; this building made it possible to lay the foundation for the chain-lockers on dry planking four and a half metres below the water level of the Danube following the excavation of ground and the exhaustion of water. In a recently discovered letter by William Tierney Clark, the English construction engineer of the Chain Bridge, he wrote the following about the event: "The Coffer dam was fitted up in a most tasteful manner for the reception of 3 thousand persons all gaily attired in their costume produced almost splendid and striking spectacle. In the Centre at one end of the dam was an elegant pavilion for the reception of the Royal family and on either side for the Magnates and the high officers of state. The dam was as dry as your drawing room although the water was 25 ft above the spectators. Altogether it was a most imposing sight save and except your humble servant who had so much to do with so many great people all dressed in costly attire that 1 really must have looked very queer in plain clothes, but however I played my part in the best way I could. Before the Ceremony commenced I had the honor of dining at the Palace with The Arch-Duke Charles (who represented the Emperor) the Arch Duke Palatine and the whole Court consisting of 76 Grandees. After the Dinner was over the Arch-Duke Charles in the name of the Emperor presented me with a gold snuff Box set with diamonds and accompanied with a very complimentary speech." The golden snuff box mentioned in the letter was manufactured by the Charles Colins Söhne workshop in Hanau; it was discovered after 160 years as part of a private collection in Rome by Sándor Váci, an architect in London. With his assistance it could be presented in the exhibition organised in the Hungarian National Museum (Széchenyi's Worlds, October 2010-March 2011) to commemorate the 150 l h anniversary of the death of Count István Széchenyi, the creator of the Chain Bridge. 195
