Why destroy Laketown's bridge?

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

while the city was crowded and cramped not allowing him to land, it was big enough for him to manuever around - or perhaps small enough enabling him to walk over the structures

Do you know how strong Smaug is?

My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!

Even if this is an exaggeration, he could easily take down buildings with his arms and tail. This would be easy for him. He just walks around, smashing down buildings and killing all people in his way.

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

Closer combat means his eyes are closer to attackers and how does he protect those?

He had eye-caps like snakes. If Melkor designed a killing machine based on a reptile, wouldn't he have given it the best weapons protection reptiles had to offer? In fact, wouldn't he have give it the best weapons and protection any animal has to offer (And beyond)?

And as for your question of how they broke down the bridges?

What about Motte and bailey castles ages ago (around 1066+). They could get rid of that bridge immediately. (examples here, here, here, here and here
Or they could end it with a drawbridge, like here and here

[The Sixth Wizard]

If this design of a methane-holding bladder in the head is feasible, it would possibly provide two uses: not simply to produce fire, but also to act as ballast, allowing the dragon to fly by his own internal 'hot air balloon'. So the dragon would be forced to employ a balancing act as it were: too much fire production would hinder his flight capabilities, thus necessitating some sort of ground assault.

Let's forget about this methane-bladder theory, please. Dragon's fire, at least in Tolkien, is created through the physical form of the dragon's inner fea, the fire spirit that has been corrupted by Morgoth. Adding in actual bodily elements, while quite interesting, is much too complicated for this thread methinks. I think we should keep it simple for now.

Sorry to completely snub you Bêth...

[Sauron the White]

from eonwe

Do you know how strong Smaug is?

Wiseguy answer #1- if you have stats as to his ablities to lift weights please provide them.
Wiseguy answer #2 - no and neither do you, its all speculation and conjecture

Actual answer to your question: You seem to accept the premise that Smaug needs to land in Laketown at all. Again, there is no evidence that Smaug intended to land in Laketown or needed to land in Laketown. Tearning down a bridge to thwart a flying creature who is attacking you in the air is nonsensical no matter how many people want to talk about land invasions.

And yet again I refer you and others to the actual drawing that JRRT made of Laketown where it clearly shows wide dockside areas that are much wider than the bridge. If Smaug had intended to land in the town, he clearly had ample space to do so. The fact is this: he did not chose to do so.

He had eye-caps like snakes. If Melkor designed a killing machine based on a reptile, wouldn't he have given it the best weapons protection reptiles had to offer? In fact, wouldn't he have give it the best weapons and protection any animal has to offer (And beyond)?

You give this information as if it were holy writ that has been approved by decades of scientific investigation. Melkor himself spent long years trying to breed dragons and failed continually to get the ones that he wanted to get. They were imperfect. How do you know that Smaug was such a perfect fighting machine with the protections you ascribe to him? Again, its all speculation and conjecture. You do not KNOW what his eyes were any more than I do. I am speculating that he had his eyes open to see what was going on. Those eyes are targets for someone on the ground close to them.

They could get rid of that bridge immediately. (examples here, here, here, here and here
Or they could end it with a drawbridge, like here and here

Thank you for those pictures. Sadly, none of them are the bridge that Tolkien himself drew and is pictured in this thread. The bridge Tolkien drew is different and more substantial with thick pillars supporting it along its span. It is not a drawbridge, or a suspension bridge and there is no mention of it being rigged for easy destruction. Just the opposite. Tolkine's own illustration - which conveniently some here want to dismiss because it supports my argument - shows a substantial structure built on many thick pillars. There is nothing to quickly "cut".

[Eönwë]

Sauron the White, I am sure that there is something about Glaurung's which suggests this, and when I have more time I'll try to find the quote for you.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by The Sixth Wizard

Let's forget about this methane-bladder theory, please. Dragon's fire, at least in Tolkien, is created through the physical form of the dragon's inner fea, the fire spirit that has been corrupted by Morgoth. Adding in actual bodily elements, while quite interesting, is much too complicated for this thread methinks. I think we should keep it simple for now.

Sorry to completely snub you Bêth...

Oh, not a snub at all, no need to apologize, Sixth Wiz.

Your comment simply demonstrates your relative newbie-ness, as someone who, having joined in April 2006, likely has not had the pleasure of recognizing how some of us olde timers like to posit hypotheses. I refer you of course to one of the most speculative of threads, started April 10, 2005 (heavens! but three years old, almost still smelling of that new car smell!), alatar's "Snow Angels" thread , wherein Lalwende reports her extensive experiments with custard. It is possible methane had a passing mention there too. I believe it was Mister Underhill and Sharkey who contributed mightily to instigating this particular form of speculation--their thread certainly would not have any lingering new car smell. I bet Esty could provide a link to that thread.

Do continue of course with your own speculations. I suppose we could posit that Gandalf had no need for a staff to focus his fireworks, but simply preferred not to be mistaken for a mouthy dragon.