Plans for a crossing between the city of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan dated back to the 1800s but no course of action was ever taken because of the problems created by the East River. Not technically a river, but rather a turbulent tidal strait which, in the words of David McCullough, “represented one of the busiest stretches of navigable salt water anywhere on earth.”
In 1865 the owner of a wire-rope company and famous bridge designer, John Roebling, proposed a design for a suspension bridge over the East River. He worked out every single detail and thought his design should be entitled “the bridge to be ranked as a great work of art and a national monument.”
Obviously not a humble man, he did have significant experience with suspension spans along the Delaware, Niagara and Ohio Rivers. Despite his grandiose plans, the city governments of Brooklyn and New York were not impressed. Roebling approached Brooklyn businessman, William C. Kingsley, who was the publisher of the popular newspaper, “The Brooklyn Eagle.” His political connections made the construction of the bridge a popular cause and soon a bill was enacted into the New York legislature that enabled a private company to build a bridge between the two cities.
Work on the Brooklyn and Manhattan foundations, which would take three years to complete, began on January 3, 1870. The working conditions were deplorable as men toiled in dangerous subterranean caissons (large airtight cylinders) which were the cause of numerous fires, explosions and Caisson’s disease (caused by changes in air pressure that affect nitrogen levels in the bloodstream). Twenty men died during the bridge’s construction and Roebling was himself paralyzed. The younger Roebling, with the assistance of his wife, Emily, directed the construction of the bridge from his Brooklyn residence.
Roebling was innovative and for the construction of the bridge’s four cables, used steel, which he called “the metal of the future.” At this time, steel was a component for railroads, but it had never been used for bridges. He designed the bridge to have a load capacity of 18,700 tons and planned to run two elevated railroad tracks which were to connect to elevated railroad systems in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. The bridge opened to the public on May 23, 1883, when President Chester Arthur and Governor Grover Cleveland officially dedicated it. Emily Roebling was given the first ride over the bridge carrying a rooster in her lap, which was a symbol of victory.
After more than 120 years the Brooklyn Bridge still has the 44th longest main span among the world’s suspension bridges.
Have YOU ever seen this incredible bridge or driven across it?