> What could that bridge be made of ?
> A single slender arch of fifty feet
> that has stood unmaintained for over
> a thousand years?
The bridge of Khazad-dum is INSIDE a mountain and would not be subject to the
weathering of the elements. It would be vulnerable to geologic forces,
but I suspect that the Dwarves chose a geologically stable area for their great
mansions. Plus, as others have pointed out, Roman bridges and stoneworks
have withstood the elements for thousands of years.
> CHALLENGE
> As the Dwarves hollowed out these
> truly vast works extending for miles
> under three mountains, what did they
> do with the tailings?
Why do you think the spirit of Caradhras is so ticked off at the Dwarves?
You'd be angry, too, if a bunch of Dwarves dumped stone all over your
slopes.
Seriously, I think they used them for building roads, aqueducts, and other
infrastructure in the area. They probably also traded quarried stone with
the Noldor of Eregion, who lived outside the West door of Moria.
Celebrimbor's people would have appreciated a convenient source of building
material. The excess would have been dumped in unobtrusive places -- I
have a feeling that the Dwarves wouldn't have wanted to spoil the looks of
their
mansions.
With caffeine, all things are possible.
The pity of Bilbo could screw up the fate of many.
