Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 10.

[p. 47] been superseded by stone causeways projecting from the opposite banks of the river, of the respective lengths of one hundred and eighty-eight and six hundred and fifty feet, connected by a length of timber structure seven hundred and thirty-three feet long. A quarter mile higher up has been erected a modern bridge. A picture of the old bridge is preserved by the bridge commissioners' seal.

At New Ross, County Wexford, the Barrow river, after the destruction of an old bridge in 1634, was crossed by a ferry until the fame of Cox as a bridge builder reached the town, when a company was incorporated by act of Parliament and £ 11,200 raised by shares and a bridge of American oak constructed by Cox. Its length was five hundred and eight feet and its breadth forty feet; it had a drawbridge and connected New Ross with Rosshercon.

While in Ireland, Mr. Cox's family resided in Medford, and we find him taxed for real estate there in 1793-4-5. We extract the following item from the Columbian Centinel of 15 January, 1794:—

14 January a son of Mr. Cox, the celebrated architect, in viewing a wild panther which a show man had in his possession in Medford was suddenly seized by the voracious animal and his head and face torn in a shocking manner so that his death would be a consolation to his desponding relatives. The strength of the animal was so great that five persons could hardly disengage his claws.

Two of the sons of Mr. Cox were in Ireland with their father, Lemuel and William Cox. The latter married, in 1794, Catherine Hugone, in Dublin. A letter written by him in 1794 to the editor of the Columbian Centinel is still preserved in print.