New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-20
The Towers of the Brooklyn Bridge
Together.

wharf. A cannon was fired as signal tor
vessels not to cross the lines during the
raising of the cables. More than 5000 per-
sons watched the raising of the cable. The
passed under the wire, and it was greeted
vociferously. The stringing of the prelimin-
airy rope is the way by which all the wires
that 20 to make up the great cable will be
carried over the tower. Another rope was
stretched across between the towers be-
fore the days work was done. Both ropes
were spliced together, and were run from
the drums at each anchorage, thus forming
an endless rope. This rope will bear q
strain of fourteen an ene-half tons. At
tached to it, at distances of about forty-five
feet, there will be pulleys with hooks fast
ened beneath. The carrier rope is one and
one. half inches in diameter. Through the
hooks rope one and sevenseights inches in
diameter is to be carried. The end will be
fastened to the working rope, and thus it
will be dragged over the towers and across
the river to the anchorage on the New York
side, where it is to be made fast
In all there will be ten temporary cables
put up. Four of these are to be two and
fiye-eighths inches in diameter, and these
are to support the cradles. There is to be
a foot bridge forty-eight feet long and four
wide, with hand rail about four feet high,
all made of stout oak and bOlted together.
That will be called cradle At both ends
there are to be two posts connected by
pieces at the top which will support pulleys
for the carrying of the wire for the great
cables.
At $50 A. M. the bells of the tug sounded
to start, the lashings we're cast CT and the
tug scow slowly swung around. Mr.. E. +.
Harrington, the master mechanic, took
charge of the stern of the boat, while Mr..
G. w. McNulty, of the engineer corps,
superintended the three men who unwound
the rope. With lever and a frlcrum on
the top, rope was secured on the rim of
the drum, and in this way its action was
kept under perfect control. The tide was
running out, aud as the boat pulled out
into the river the current carried them
down the stream. In the channel the
water is about sixty five feet deep. At the
Brooklyn tower it is seventeen feet,
and at the New York tower it is about
thirty five feet. When two thirds of the
way across the boats were forced to come
to a stand still, to allow the English bark
August LETTER to pass up the river. At
9:35 A. NJ. the bulkhead of the New York
tower was reached, and about 1470 feet of
the cable had been paid out into the river.
The next thing was to get the cable over
the New York tower. A rope was passed
from the hosting engine in the yard over
the tower, and it hung on the outer face
at the lower end of the great pile of ma
sonry. 1t was made fast to the wire
cable. Mr.. Harrington climbed to the top
of the tower, and signiied "All ready;
60 ahead" and the hosting engine
was started. As the wire left the wharf q
cannon was fired. Within five minutes the
end of the wire was at the top of the tower,
and within five minutes more the slack of
the cable had been hoisted in and reeled on
the big drum in the yard. There was q
long delay about the raising of the cable
from the water, because of the many pass
ing vessels. At ll:35 the gun was again
fred, and several thousand persons on the
piers and ships saw the ca BILE rise from the
water and link New York with Brook
lyn. Later the ends were taken to the
New York anchorage, and the last sec.
ton was in position. There was great
cheering, and many thousands few min.
utes afterward wondrously gazed upon the
wires.
Mr.. Thomas Douglass, superintendent of
the work, has been ill tor some time. He
said that he would contentedly
die were he permitted to see the stretching
across of the first wire. While Assistant
Engineers Harrington and Martin were on
the tower, and when the wire had been put
in position, they received a telegram say
ing that Mr.. Douglass had just died.
Harry Leslie, the 'Hero Of Niagara"
says that it is his intention to walk on the
wire from New York to Brooklyn, and that
he will carry the first mail on his back from
city to city.-Neac York Sun.