The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-12
OUR SUSPENSION BRIDGE.
FOUR YEARS YET TO ELdPsE ERE
ITCAN BE COMPLETED.
what the winters Work l. to below the
Great Cables are to he Made-Two Years
Allowed Tor their Construction Deaths.

Between the tall imposing towers Of
m ssive masonry that stand sentinel on each
side OF the Eas. river, where the great bridge IL
TO DO thrown across. now stretch a series OF |
wires and cables which, at their dizzy height, |
seem almost like the cossamer threads OF |
SPIDERS web outlined against the sky. Criti-
cay scrutinzing them. one Is enabled To per
ceive that some Of them are little thicker |
than others. for they are OF various sizes, from
single telegraph wires no to cables two and ave
eishths inches In diameter. but there Ia little In
their appearance, to the Inexperienced eve In
dcative of the grand results to be achieved bv
their aid. One Of the large cables mentioned
for the foot bridge, was stretched across about
a fortnight since. as was also another, ~ inches
IN diameter, which l. intended to be one Of the
series Of cradle" supports. Yesterday the
second foot-brdge caole was started over the
gigantic span. A workman, sitting In the
swinging "chair," or rope sling. pendant from
one OF the cables already In place, busted with
some Of the small but important details Of the
work, appeared, as no dingled over the centre
OF the stream. SC rec larger than a boy ten years
old, and melted feeling Of admiration
in all who beheld him, for his cool,
wei-trained nerve In this connection
II may be remarked that great care
has been taken in the selection Of the men en-
ployed on this work witch has been, and will
necessarily continue to be-. extraordinarily peril-
Gus and hard. Thanks TO care In this respect,
and In the direction " the several DEPARTMENTS
Of construction, the percentage OF loss ~ life
has been considerably less than Is ordinarily ex-
pccted on engineering works Of the character
and magnitude Of this. Daring the seven years
in which the bridge has been building the
deaths among the wurkmen have averaged a
nttle less than two per anna or these =
mai rity b We resul ed from the imprudence OF
the men Themselves, either In unnecessary ex-
posure after their sxhuusting work in the
Z CaissOus. or iruA ct - IN moving anout
where they were II hlc to fitil fails. The
caisson work was the worst. In that they had
/ to labor IN "A pressure Of three ana a htlt at
mospheres To a dcpth % veuty-eight teet On
J the New YORK side. IN two nni \ nail utmns-
/ pncres to deuth ~ fortt-four and haif feet
/ on tue Brooklyn side. There, OF course, they
wsre pra tic .lly sui jectcl 20 the exciting CON
] ditirus OF n excess If oxygen ln the air they
hreatued. and wnen thew returned . the outer
/ arr reaction and depression we're tueyitan e.
them, AMI they we're advised o. r. st and refresh
/ themselves thoroughly after each tour ~ duty
/ however. scorned these PRECAUTIONS. aud have
/ consequently passed into history on ths pages oil
/ the mprtuary reports WIKI the entry, Died.
/ Two workmeu stumbled aud plunged duwn
from the awful height Of the TOW ers to be
great eetri'k fell. crushing their lives out ~ a
| single blow. Another was seized with an Ell.
/ leutic nc "hen at The top ~ TALL derrick ana
tell di-t nee u thirty feet % the stone top Il
tue Brookpn tower. aud VS. killed instantly.
But accidents Ike these seem Inevitable pa the
/ progress II such w TX. and those VIII suffer by
them are but the soldiers whose f,te 10 }, t. ftll
| 30 the uevcr-enling battle between man ana the
/ sui Tor - and inexorinie laws OF ia ure.
/. may 90 confidently assumed that not one
person IA a uunIrtd has any itnuite Idea 81
/ mace ana swung IA plire, or what part those
/ nln 40 a nd otnefs nf their KIM rr. H. near mn
tnAt great " Drk. IL IA ~ ne .us ri-y to- con-
vcy this iieh Nith0ut the aid 4 diA grams, Nut
YER. - tne following description may serve 10
sltv "a Least ala APPROXIMATION 10 L..
Etcl of The four great ctoles viii, when com
| fistcd. be fifteen Inches In diameter ara will
| consist f nineteen ~ 'ands. L icn strand Will
contain So wires 50 hat the tJtaI nlHoer IN
each ean.o VIA ue v'1@'. " pvilt OF lac. each
len-t $ Of 40 or loo feet each being attached
together. inis attachment Wa found to he q
matter u very consideraOle dinic Iity, owing 10
demo, OF steel wire (of which the c biss are 20 D.,
COMPOSED 10 snap wherever II Is nickel. The
end was achieved, however, Ia - very ingenious
! manner. Oy making yering on le screws on
me ends Of tn wire and fastening each two
etds together uy CELLAR, Ia whlcu - cut a fe-
male screw risnt aud IN at ne ,pposiie ends.
hose attach eats viii be made ~ tie wire il
/ beng wound uDon ,he huge diuui. eisnt feet
ln diaiu -ier on uoth sides q tho river. End cs-
travelling cAtler will carry tte wire ac~o--. both
/ ways at once 80 that four wires o.. ~, e,ri,
J cable, will he street he'd stimuli tne .u..v A
guide wire OF known tension viii nr., be
-tre-ened for tch strand. ihen the numerous
4 cable wires " ~, one by one, he paid out g. ex
acuy tue same tension.
De rex .iatioa oi thi- will be done entirely ny
men In the o" cradles I1e,e cradles" are
Simply light bridges built ot oak aud ron ten
/ Sion rod, each fodr feet wide anu eiguty-uve
I feet long. which VIII be lepend,d .rr0.s me
line II tae tridge from me stout cables. one u
winch Is nov IA ace. Inefn viii be i've o.
these tur-e OF whicn Will Je stationed on the
+ greAf central span, and one on e4en Of the Az
proacnes' lac taaieains or reiaxine u each
wire vii be governed " signals irlm the men
/ o. ne or dies, and every WE. soon - 10 Is
rex lated, VIA be- nrmiy bound by ia-hiucs t0
those previously laid, anti al are In pace Tor a
strand, thus nvcessitat NJ eating nd rel shing
OF TIE temporary bindings Sii times f1r eacn
-tr ihd. 0r -1Sie separate wires m the tour
cables Eich wlrr, vii. Of course, be led tlrOusA
Toe t'n anfl'r liuAs WAich are O. constitute IT,
permanent fastening VA the anchorage pi,r
he strands Will apTead ouI iron tue end of
econ cauie Ike I'm, 20 tnat the "uile'
iert anu EIGHT inches square. All ini, how
ever, 10 TO uc when tue bridge is Flashed. en-
Closed ia s.lid masOury. aud ali That nlI be
visible Wal De tie smooth rOInd cltle. fifteen
inches Through. spriuglnE seemingly from tue
face Of he anchorage pier. From where The
str ms JOIN N tue caule to where they BASS
turo4sn tue Inks. viii pe TWENTY-FIVE ieet. II
VIII he Understood from the description tnu,
10 toZetner. without any twist. aul thtt the
wires "a them are also laii paril ., ana yer
lrctly straight. la tuls position tucy are in-
tented L. perm iheh.l re lain, 20 tYai tuer- is
uuiuluE oil Tue system % Construction a. the
U ullary WHO c,ole IN TINS formation aeNond
tne material ~ "nlch theN are ~ tle. 10 VIII be
necc-. trt, however, 20 ftst-n nruiY t0grtnrr
the - wires ll eacn cable. A. go tni-. t~u
p'NrIHl IA i'hhes VIII he enpluted. one 10
'nef al the nise oun4ie VI strands. aud grp
tnen together - one would gr 50 "a maud
lub "t VINO" rods, tho other u serve, or.
s.'etNtlg less ttcnuicilly, TO wrlp arn md
Inis u.h.b compressed mass a single gAyan-
lked steel wire. some WuAt les. ia Lisirter tgan
those empiolc1 ava the cAule. Iu out Two
places VIII TINS serving Ue lcft "a. lnuse
are where tue cables ,a,. over tue enur.u,,ti.
On ln- tops ~ tue iwcr-. We're 10 necessary to
continue tni, serving here IL comb A ,ti'fia.s
be done but tie ta-k 4 twice raising the uine
hundred ms weight 81 each cable a. admit Of
IT, Mud Ue stuprndo4s ana Iot te,,lI ~
T. B H Il. r mII faN HN 4 Hf. Ht