The Newtown bee., 1879-07-23
over It was long and weary repast, once that the novelty passed away
The East River Bridge.


 The bridge now in process of construc- tion connecting the cities of New York and Brooklyn will have the longest sin gle span of any bridge in the world. The main span will be 1895 feet six inches, and the land spans 93O feet each.
 The bridge was designed in 1867 by John A. Roebling, but he died in 1869, before any work on it had begun, and it has been built entirely under the guid ance of Washington A. Roebling, the present chief engineer.
 The bridge extends from the junction of Sands and Fulton street. in Brooklyn, to Chatham street, in New York-a total length of 5,9S6 feet, the Brooklyn ap- prOach being 97l feet, the suspended part 3,4554 feet, and the New fork ap proach 1,5O24 feet.
 The approaches will consist of a se- rics of brick and gr. mite arches, which, when finished, will be ornaments to the two cities. It has taken nine years to complete the towers and anchorages, construct the cables, and get everything ready for the suspension of the floor.
 Preparing the foundations for the tow CTS was one of the most difficult parts of the work. Huge timber caissons, each l79 feet long, l02 feet wide, and twenty five feet high, containing over l,60O000 feet of timber, were sunk below the bed ofthe river until they rested on rock or on an equally firm statum. On the Brooklyn side this was reached ut depth of forty-tive feet below high water; but it was necessary to go seventy eight feet below high water on the New York side. The pneumatic method of sinking caissOns is not new, but the operations here surpassed by their immensity everything of this kind that had ever been done before. The tower are 27S feet high. The anchorages are I29 feet by ll9 feet at the base. ll7 feet by 1O4 feet at the top, and eighty-nine feet high
 The total quantity of granite and lime stone in the towers and anchorages is l45,0 ,000 cubic yards, and it required the continuous work for four years of over twenty quarries in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York to furnish the necessary supply. In the summer of 1876 the masonry was completed.
 On the 29th ofMay, 1877, the first wire for the cable was stretched across the river. There are four cables, each con- sisting Ot nineteen strands, each strand, containing 280 galvanized cast steel wires, No. s guage. These cables are fifteen and three-quarter inches in diameter For wrapping the cables galvanized an- neal2d iron wire was used. March l. 1879, the four cables were completed, JuSU IWtItS one IuOlllIlS dlLtE IIty were commenced.
 The platform of the bridge, which is five feet wider than Broadway, is sus- tained by the iron crOss-beams, and stiff ened by six longitudinal trusses. It is divided into five parts, two outer parts intended for nOrse-cars and general yehi- cle traffic, two intermediate divisions intended to accOmodate the rapid tyansit passenger cars, and a central promenade, a little above the level of the main floor. and intended for pedestrians. The stitlening trusses will be iron, six in number, the two outer ones nine and half feet high, the other four sixteen feet in height. The total weight of the bridge will be $500 tons. It is proposed to move the cars on this bridge by means Of wire ropes and stationary engines. This method is considered as preferable to that of locomotives on account of the steep grade of the bridge.
 It is estimated that the bridge, when completed, will have cost $l3. 5O0,O00, of which S9,5OO, GOO will be spent on the bridge itself, and $4O0O, ,0O0 in acquiring the necessary real estate. It is hoped that in 1881 tine bridge will be opened to the public.-i5cieaatjtic Anaerjcan.