"PUTTING HIS NOSE OUT OF JOINT."
Engineering (to Little Tour Eiffel). "Where are You, Now, my Little Man?"
"The Eiffel Tower is 1000 feet high; if the Forth Bridge were put up on end, it would be 5280 feet in height. The tower has in its construction 7500 tons of iron; the bridge has 53,000 tons of the best steel. The tower was made in about six months; the bridge has required seven years. The Eiffel Tower is a wonderful thing; but, then, how much more wonderful is the Forth Bridge!"—Illustrated London News.
The Bridge. You took lots of beating, my sky-scraping friend,
But Benjamin Baker has compassed that end;
I am sure Monsieur Eiffel himself would allow
That the Bridge licks the Tower; so where are you now?
The Tower. J'y suis et j'y reste, my big friend and great rival,
I hope for a long and a glorious survival;
But don't mind admitting—all great souls are frank—
That you—for the present at least—take first rank
'Midst the mighty achievements adorning our sphere
Of our latest of Titans, the Great Engineer.
The Bridge. All hail, Engineering! No wonder you're proud
Of a work in whose honour all praises are loud;
No wonder 'tis opened by princes and peers
Amidst technical triumph and popular cheers;
No wonder that Benjamin Baker feels glad,
Sir John Fowler and Cooper quite other than sad.
'Twas a very big job, 'tis a very big day,
And the whole country joins in the Scotchmen's Hooray!