《徐霞客游记·滇游日记十八》
当时在塔盘作工的有一百多人，但峰头没有水，马鞍岭东峰很高处有水，因中间的坳地而不能流到西峰，于是在坳地中竖起数排木柱，在木柱上架桥接水。木柱有四丈多高，树木剖开挖空为沟，横接在松柱末端。从前听说天河上的鹊桥，是为了渡过水，如今此桥反而是让水渡过来，也许这更加奇妙啊。
昔闻霄汉鹊桥，以渡水也，今反为水渡，抑更奇矣。大觉则抑之地中以倒射，此则浮之空中使交通，皆所谓颠倒造化也。
There were at that time over hundreds of people working at the tower site, but there was no water in the peak, while there was water at the east peak of Ma'an Ridge though it could not flow to the west peak because of the pass in the middle. Therefore, several rows of wooden pillars were erected, across which aqueducts were placed to carry water. The wooden pillars were more than four zhang high, and trees were split and hollowed for use as conduits, laid horizontally over the tips of the wooden pillars. In the past I heard that the magpie bridge on the Silver River was to cross water, whereas now this bridge was actually to get water across — perhaps this was more miraculous.