The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-06-04
CABLE MAKING IN THE SKY.
THE PERM fvEyT UTRES ron THE mo
SUSPENSION BRTDGE.
The Process or Fixing them In riacc-Popu-
lar Misrepresentation Corrected Time
Required for Stretching he 1000 wires.

The Process or Fixing them In rincc-Popu-
lar Misrepresentation Corrected limo
Required for Stretching the -, 900 Wires.
Every man about the Brooklyn bridge
was hard at work on Saturday and almost too
busy to talk. The engineers have hopes Of
good weather for cable making. and everything
IL being moved hrsky to get underway tho
work which has been delayed on account of tho
vast amount Of preparation. Tho yard Of tho
Brooklyn anchorage is fun " posts. connected
10y scantling. on which coils Of wire that havs
been oiled nre hanging to dry. In the shed that
covers the anchorage are thirty-two immense
drums capable Of holding 10000 feet of wire
each. The wire. as II tOmcs from the factory.
is in coils. containing a I ut 900 feet. A each
coil is oiled il il drawn the top of the anchors
age and plnccd on a Hat Il, um which moves hor-
izontally. From this drum the coil is wound
with grcat caro- over "a wheel four feet in
diameter. moving about u horizontal axis. This
wheel and its carriage are placed in position be-
fore ono " the great drums. II il then neccs-
snry to fa-ton the end Of the wire to that
already on the drum. 4 workman steps up with
double wise, in which he puts the two ends
Of wire which have been previously threaded.
and Joins them 10y n hollow nut OF crucibo
steel two Inches long and AN eighth " an inch
thick. The inside Of the nut IL threaded in
opiwst" dirr'uyns, 70 conform To the thr,a i5
on the ends Of the WIRE The nut IL then
lhSbucl III u manu- Nl~'. by Wlirn II II screwed
up rs to bring the two ends of the wire al
most together. by aid Of this contrivancc tho
JOINT il given ninpty-siN per cent. of tho
strength Of tAc wire. When the fastener steps
To another drum n man, with "a box OF chcni-
Gals and acids. cleans the Joint. Then another,
Wth pot Oi melted enc, gives the Joint "a bath.
in which some chloride Of ammonia has been
thrown 10 destroy the dross. Another man,
with a tool, runs the zine we'll on 10 the wire to
gHlNHuiI" II thoroughly. Next a man with
pan Of iins"rd oil and piece Of sleeps skin
ruS dripping with oil, SEXES the wire where Ii
nfI t4afI Ina il. tlg
grasp. while the other wurkm"n carefully wind
II from the small reel To- the large drum. Much
caro- il taken, both at the ia. tory and at tha
bridge. 10 wind the wire on straight. There i5
enough wiz" ON each drum for seventeen trips
across tn" river The end of the wire il
river, thirty-lvc hundred feet. by the "trav-
cll"r rope. II is pissed around an iron shoe
al the opposite anchorage. then sent back to
ltrOuklyn, whore 1t pa~-,S about another shoe.
Each wire Is carefully adjusted to u guide wire
10y mon who stand ON the foot bridges.
Although the popular impression is that the
cablr II 20 bc of twisted strands oi wire tho
contrary il true. The wires are kept parallel,
ana Is soon III 1873 wires are sent across tho
river. thcy VIII Toe tied with temporary wrap
pings, These Will make one of the nineteen
strands. Of which one cable II made. There
arr -uspcnding pendulum rods from one OF the
wires To- prevent the changing oi the wires ~
they pass TO ana fro and are famed by the
wind.
There are now four wires in position on each
Of the downstream cables. Tn ISL. are, the first
wires thpt nave bccn put M that viii enter
tv-ilv" mon are g. he pat g. work this morning
~ carly az they can 'r 90 Kin thu % tive work
of -trat hing the wires. n Wll take about TWO
years 10 carry arro~- the 2i.ulu wires.