Then came the other two pontoons towed by the Araucano, Captain Hind, and the Independencia, Captain Charles.
The first thing to be done was to make two longpontoons or floats, on which to erect the superstructure of the yacht.
These two pontoons were then laid on the ground side by side with a space of three feet six inches between their centres.
All through the night of January 16-17 General Lyttelton's Brigade was crossing the Tugela at Potgieter's Drift, fording the river or ferrying over in the pontoons and ferry-boat.
Perhaps the pontoons to bridge the stream had dropped behind on the muddy roads; perhaps the general thought it inexpedient to launch weary troops forthwith against the enemy.
Simultaneously a number of pontoons were got to work, and the ferry, which had stuck obstinately and refused to move, was repaired by the Natal Naval Volunteers.
The pontoons were called for, when a bold colonial rode up, looked at the stream, spurred his horse in, and quietly sped across.
The West Yorkshires were the first to cross, ferried over in pontoons; the engineers set to work to build two bridges, both above the drift, the one ofpontoons and the other of trestles.
There were but fewpontoons to be obtained, and here the genius of man came well into play.
Pontoons were now necessary for bridging the river at this point in order to cross the troops again over to the south side to assault Middleton's Ridge, the point of it sloping down near to the river, on which rested the rebel right flank.
This is a tedious and exhausting operation, which sometimes takes many days; and when it is completed, the pontoons are towed into position at each side of the ship.
The pontoons in general use were skeleton frames, made with a hinge, so as to fold back and constitute a wagon-body.
We have pontoons enough for four bridges, but, as our crossing will be resisted, we must manoeuvre some.
He had occasionally to use the pontoons both day and night.
The pontoons were of the skeleton pattern, with cotton-canvas covers, each boat, with its proportion of balks and cheeses, constituting a load for one wagon.
The harbor was thoroughly dredged with the aid of twelve pontoons and barges manned by a crew of presidarios (criminals condemned to hard labor) and slaves.
Once the pontoons give way, the weight of the engines will sink her.
Of course the craft, as I have said, was built to navigate on the water by means of pontoons or hydroplanes, but this could be done only on comparatively calm surfaces.
Floating Bridges, the roadway being carried on pontoonsmoored in the stream.
Floating" bridges are roadways carried on pontoons moored in a stream.
The lone charge was made through the marching column: some jumped into the pontoons to avoid the hoofs; a few went overboard; but the head of the column was reached at last, and the music stopped.
Between these luxuriant banks stretch the pontoons and bridges to facilitate the rapid crossing of the North Anna by Hancock's Corps on May 24th.
Late last night an answer was received from the President stating that the pontoons would be at once forwarded by the Secretary of War.
It is estimated that some eighteenpontoons were launched.
Many prisoners were wounded, and fifty dead were counted by this post, where some pontoons were also found.
Thus late in the afternoon the trenches near Toussoum were free; all pontoons in the vicinity had been destroyed; there remained but the enemy opposite the Serapeum position to deal with.
Therefore it may be taken that the enemy approach was carried out very quietly and silently, for two pontoons were already in the water when they were fired on from the groups of Indian troops entrenched on the western bank, and were sunk.
A few reached midstream--the rowers were riddled with bullets, the sides of the pontoons ripped, and they sank almost immediately with their freight.
This was, however, unnecessary to foil the main plan; for the pontoons that had been carried with such terrible difficulty across the desert were being sunk almost as they were launched.
Pontoons at Harper's Ferry and Berlin were used for crossing the army into Virginia.
Our pontoons were now laid in quietness to the city; and about three miles below General Franklin laid his pontoons without opposition.
Pontoons were brought up and laid, and so the remainder of the infantry and the cavalry corps crossed pleasantly.
The approaches to the pontoonshad been so trodden by the myriad feet of men and beasts, and cut by the heavy wheels of laden wagons and artillery, that we found the roads almost bottomless.
We know that hispontoons at Falling Waters have been totally destroyed by our cavalry and by the high water, and that the only ford available is at Williamsport, and hence we welcome the falling floods.
Twice already had Belgian artillery destroyed the enemy's work, and not even a professional soldier could guess that the guns of the defence were only awaiting a better light to smash the pontoons a third time.
Events on the Belgian side of the river were not so marked; but even Irene could make out the precise moment when the defenders' fire slackened, and the line of pontoons began to reach out again toward the farther shore.
Thus he was left on guard, as it were, and saw the pontoons once more demolished.
Three arches of a fine stone bridge had been destroyed, evidently by the retreating Belgians; but pontoons were in position to take its place.
Instead of waiting for thepontoons to be laid, the Twelfth forded the stream, which was deep and swift; but the men held their cartridge-boxes over their heads, and thus kept their powder dry.
The movement was made with great rapidity, and Burnside only failed of seizing the place because the pontoons were not there at the time appointed.
Deprived of its supports, the near end of the line of pontoons had already yielded to the drag of the current and was beginning to pass down-stream.
I mean directly in front of us, because it might get us in trouble if we ran smack into one of those pontoons out here in the middle of the river.
The firing had mostly stopped by now, only that big gun sent another shell over, and succeeded in cutting another third of the pontoons loose, to be carried down-stream in a state approaching chaos.
Just on the down-river side the boys could catch glimpses of many who seemed to be pushing other pontoons out, by holding on to the part of the bridge already finished.
Several times he sighted other pontoons and floating planks, but as they did not happen to be in the direct way of the motorboat he had not given the warning whistle to cause Jack to stop.
Indeed, the chances were the craft must bump up against one of the pontoons and could get no further.
On the 2d and 3d of September my division crossed on the bridge in safety, though we were delayed somewhat because of its giving way once where the pontoons joined the trestles.
During the morning the horses and pontoons and waggons were disembarked, and the R.
They build pontoons over the Aisne at night and camp here by day.
When we make up our minds to dip down and wet the pontoons in some body of water, fresh or salt, I'll let you handle the boat again; though I imagine I could do the thing without much splash if I was put to it.
Wouldn't it be fine if we could on'y drop daown, an' try aour pontoons on that sheet o' water.
The river was swelling rapidly; the pontoons could even now with difficulty be held together.
Pontoons were arriving and there were many indications that we must soon leave our comfortable quarters.
Pontoons and batteries of artillery formed long lines behind the little ridge which runs parallel with the river, and the infantry marched and countermarched to get in right positions.
By morning, the roads were so softened by the rain, that horses could not haul artillery or pontoons into position.
At length the engineers drew the pontoons to the edge of the river, the Seventy-seventh being detailed to assist in unloading.
The whole Vermont brigade was detailed to drag the pontoons and guns to the river.
Five lines of pontoons were thrown across the Susquehanna in two days, and very early on the morning of October 14th, the crossing of troops began.
It seems that, on this memorable night, the brother and sister discovered a great force of Germans building pontoons about a mile below the wrecked Lambertville bridge.
Thousands of those that escaped from the fire area and tried to cross back on the pontoons were caught and destroyed, a-midstream, by fire floods that roared down the oil-spread Susquehanna.
After that rascal Sanborn tried to blow a hole in the pontoons that made her float and sink her.
Her planes were riddled with bullets and her pontoons covered with green seaweed, but the framework was as solid and the braces as taut as the day we put her together.
Our men were compelled to lay their pontoons across the river in a pitiless rain of bullets from the Rebel sharpshooters.
He could not move an army with that beautiful symmetry which McClellan displayed; but his pontoons were always up, and his ammunition trains were never missing.
At dusk two pontoons were launched, and at 7-25 p.
The 122nd Field Company with itspontoons had moved forward in readiness.
The pontoons of the 150th Field Company were hidden slightly further north.
The destruction of bridges and pontoons allotted to the Engineers of the 36th Division was carried through without hitch.
It was found, however, that the river was here actually over a hundred feet wide, considerably more than was anticipated from the information in our possession, and that two pontoons in halves would not reach across.
Should Longstreet move his whole force across the Little Tennessee, an effort should be made to cut his pontoons on that stream, even if it sacrificed half the cavalry of the Ohio army.
This delay, however, could not be avoided, on account of the necessity of opening communications with Aquia Creek, and also of procuring pontoons with which to cross the river.
The work of laying the pontoons was soon pushed rapidly forward, and late in the afternoon the bridges were completed.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "pontoons" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
