Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-06-27
FROM NEW YORK,


The Great East River Bridge-SOme of the
About New York.
Editorial Correspondence
NEW YORK, June "a, 1872.
One of the greatest engineering acnleVe-
ments of modern times is the building OF
the great bridge over East river to connect
BROOKLYN and New York. Though not
half completed, speak of it as an achieve
ment, for the work has progressed far
enough TO demonstrate that the difficulties
unprecedented can be overcome. The prin-
cinal obstacle anticipated was to secure for
fine immense piers solid foundations. These
piers are immense piles of masonry built
on the banks of the river and as they must
bear the principle strain of the
great bridge, are being constructed
as strong as possible. The pier on
the BROOKLYN side is nearly finished.
1t will be over one hundred feet above the
water and is about fifty feet by twenty
five In thickness. A firm foundation was
secured for it without much trouble. The
New York pier is proving far more eXpen-
sive and difficult of construction. Its
foundation is about seventy-eight feet be-
low high water mark and rests on an inn
mense caisSOn weighing seven thousand
tuns. This caisson is built of wood. Its
sides are twenty-three feet think. The in
with concrete to support the roof and sides
aud hold it in place while the pier is being
built upon it. 1t was tOWed in position by
six tug boats and sunk by putting upon it
LAYERS of stone and a pressure of tifty-three
thousand tuns. Workmen are now down
in the inside of this immense structure
laying the concrete and securing it in its
proper place. Air is forced down into
the room by pumps and the men are
relieved every two hours. Many of
them have suffered intense pain from
working in this air. Roebling, the engi-
neer in charge of the work, says this cais-
son will last for fifteen years. In the mean
time more permanent foundation will be
laid. The bridge will be two hundred feet
above the river, and it will be the longest
and strongest bridge ever built. 1t has al
ready cost over two millions Of dollars.
THE THIEVES AT WORK.
In the above facts your readers have the
data from which they can form some idea
of this immense piece of Engineering work.
The achievement is a grand one. But of
course such fine field for thieves as an
enterprise of this magnitude offers, can not
be neglected by this rapacious breed. They
have their fingers in the bridge treasury
and are bleeding it freely. The World
charges and has strong grounds for its spe-
cifications, that the Brooklyn Ring are
swindling the bridge company out Of thou
sands ofdollars According to the World
one of the leaders in this ring is a princi-
pal owner in the Brooklyn Eagle, one of
the leading democratic papers in the Unit
et States and Just now one of the most
Jealous journals in the Greeley reform C?)
movement.
When [ see the Brooklyn Ring that
controls and plumbers that Democratic city
fastening its clutches upon this bridge
cOmpany's treasury when | think of the
millions stolen by the Tammany Ring of
New York, in the construction of the City
Hall and when / see the Government
postoffice rapidly rearing its magnificent
proportions opposite the AstOr House, not
a dollar Of the money appropriated for its
construction misapprOpriated and not
days time wasted, | am led to wonder that
people of sense can not see and appreciate
that the difference in the cases cited grows
out of the fact that in Brooklyn and New
York the plundereTs are upheld and pro-
tected by Democratic officials. while in the
government work, the honesty and eff
cheney of President Grants administra-
ton protects the public treasury. The
Treasury Department under Mr.. Mullett,
expends annually millions of dollars in
erecting public buildings at various points
IN the country, but so far, even after
searching investigation upon charges
Of the heavy appropriations has been stO-
len.
The Tammany and Brooklyn thieves are
of course active Greeley refOrmers, while
the honest Treasury architect and his as
sociates are maligned as part and parcel of
Grants corrupt Ring"
The New York pOstoffice building is
progressing rapidly. The second story is
nearly completed. It will be the finest
b,,iJJipC, Of Tho M tho AZ
the beauty and grandeur of the structure
become more apparent, thousands stop .on
Broadway every day to admire.
NEW YORK ITEMS.
The heat has been intense in New York
for several days. One soda water vender
disposed of thirteen thousand five hundred
glasses, ice cold, last Saturday.
Excursions are the mania, and all the
accessible groves within thirty miles of the
city are in use every day.
New Workers are fleeing to the country
or to Europe. By the fourth of July all
the summer resorts Will be crowded.
About fifteen steamers leave this port every
week for Europe and all go out crowded.
State rooms in some of the steamers are
spoken for weeks ahead. Over fourteen
thousand passengers were landed in New
York in May from Liverpool alone.
| see a New York fashion journal says
that of all the fashionable thousands of
ladies that visited the Jerome Pork Races,
not one wore dolly Warden" Ladies
assure me that this style of dresses has
been 5idicuJed out of fashion by the press.
The tradesmen are Disguised, and Stewart
is selling everything of the dolly Var
DEM pattern at ruinously low prices The
fashionable lady readers of the CHRONICLE
can act accordingly. A. J. r.
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