The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-02-07
Top of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Before we set off across the river, stor
for little quiet enjoyment of the mar.
velous picture spread out beneath ou,
view this pleasant summer afternoon. II
you have ever doubted the correctness Of
the bird's-eye view Of cities and the like, sc
common in the print shops, here at least is
an assurance that such things are possible
Brooklyn lies displayed at our teet, with
Its fringe OF warehouses, docks. and slips
perpendicularly under US. How differ.
ent is the comparative newness of the
sister city, and how marked a contrast
offered by its bushy greenery marking
out the streets like colored lines on plan,
as compared with the densely packed,
dark, imposing mass of architecture ove1
the river!
The bay, sparkling silver and golden in
the sunlight, and dotted with its many is
lands, is visible clear beyond the Mar
rows and down to Sandy Hook. Far
eastward we can almost pick out the sand
hills OF Rockaway and Concy Island, with
the blue sea-line beyond, and to the west,
under the sinking sun, the picture is
framed in with the purple of the High
lands, Neversink, and the Jersey hills.
Look at that 1erry-boat Just starting
from the Fulton-s street slip, packed with
heads Gall We can see), and notice the odd
effect OF the dots ofwhitc faces turned up
to watch us, interesting as we are not by
our individuality, but by our position.
We can fancy them repeating Pope's
hines on the fly in amber:
Not that the thing itselfis rich or rare
The wonder is, how the ID it got thcre!"
AS for ourselves, proud of our momen-
tary elevation, and drunk with the keen,
sweet, salt air, and the gorgeous prospect,
one is reminded of the man who, on the
ladder ready to be hanged, when mad
bull caused dire confusion in the crowd
below, said, in thoughtless cxultation to
his companion rogue: "How lucky it is
we're up here?'
And now down the steep slope of the
river span, digging our heels we'll into
the Stats, and checking our momentum by
the side ropes till we stand where few
years ago no mortal ever expected to
stand--two hundred feet over the channel
of the East Rive, with all its varied traffic
flowing beneath us. Hurry Just here
H<AIS ~ SC1 PAuiAU OFc1 Iut DIlStOl as Sic
sails majestically up stream, and enjoy
the small vanity Of doing what no one but
the shipbuilders ever did before-look
squarcly down her smoke stack into her
fire-box
. Notice her exquisite, fsll-like lines
seen thus in plan, and the way in which
the narrow hull is marked off from the
guards by the timber work of the cabins
Phew! what a racket Bristol, Massa-
chusetts, Stonington boats, all as they pass
under the bridge salute US with a whistle,
while ferry boats, tugs, and all the small
fry, salute them, till the whole air is
vocal with one great treble of demenic
howl and screech, set off by the deep bass
hum Of toll and traffic, the grand diapason
of labor supplied by the two great cities.
AS noble steamers pass on up the river,
notice the beautiful, divergent lines of
waves from their paddles like double
tail of comet. You remember the same
effect, only more distant, feathery, and
fairylike, as we looked down in the
early morning from the Rigi-top on the
dark polished surface of the Lake of the
Four Cantons.