Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-10-08
NEW YORK.

Approaching NrW York from the ocean,
the first objects distinctly seen from Is yes
sells deck are the mighty granite tower oI
the Brooklyn Bridge, standing like silent
scntinels upon either shore of Eust River
aud from any point Of observation over.
looking the Two cities, they are prs-emi-
nently conspicuous.
Al the present time nearly 100, 1000, OOO
persons annually pass between New York
and Brooklyn upon the numerous ferries.
During certain seasons Of the year fogs de-
lay and ice prevents the passage Of the
boats-hence the bridge-tne most stupen.
dous piece Of engineering ofi,s kind in the
world. It was designed by Robelng, who
also planned the suspension bridges at
Niagara and Cincinnati
The supporting tower on the BROOKLYN
side is just north NJ the Fulton Ferry
house; the New York tower is near the foot
OF Roosevelt street. The bridge may be
divided into five parts; the central span
across the ryer from tower % tower 1885
feet long; span on each side from the
tower TO anchorage, $40 feet long; and the
approach from the terminus 10 the anchor
age on each side. The whole length Of
the bridge wIil be 1886 fect-sOmething
over mile aud quarter Il will be IS
feet wide including promenade Of 13
leeet, this width will be only between the
two anchOrages, from thence to the term.
mus it will be 100 feet wide. 1t is intend
ed to accommodate TWO railroad tracks and
four wagon tracks.
1t is intended to propel the cars accross
the bridge by mems Of an endless wire
rope, TO be driven by a stationary engine
situated under the arch near Main aud
Prospect streets in Brooklyn. This mode
OF propulsion is in use ~ San Francisco.
and is meeting with marked success. Ii is
expected that the transit Of the entire
bridge will be made IN four minutes.
From high water mark to the floor Of
the bridge in the centre will be 1856 feet in
summer and 1877 in winter. so that general
navigation will not be inpedcd. Even at
that height it has been found to interfere
with some vessels, and in order to pass un.
der the cables they must lower their top
Inasts,
This spring il was charged that the en-
gineer had not complied with the terms Of
the act OF Congress, authorizing the bridg-
ing Of East River, and that the cables
would not swing clear l3j feet above mean
high tide. A commission was appointed
by Congress to ascertain by actual survey,
the fact Of the matter, and found no viola
ton Of the terms.
The central and two side spans will he
from four cables Of steel wire, each 1G
inches in diameter, Each cable is com.
posed of between 5000 and G,0OO wires,
and every wire was thrown across the river
singly. These wires, more than 20, 600 in
all, were regulated as to tension, and
placed singly, aud, Notwithstanding the
four enormous cables into which they have
been bound, have span Of nearly 3. 400
feet from anchorage to anchorage, the
total variation from exact level that the
Government Commission found in the four
cables is only quarter Of an inch. These
cables have detection of12S feet between
the towers.
Each tower sets immediately upon cal
son sunk t. the rocks beneath the uYer,
the brooklyn side is IA feet, and on the
New York side, FROM 50 to 02 feet below
the surface Of the water. The towers
erected upon these foundations are 1872
feet in length by SO feet in width at the
water line, below the upper cornice at the
top these dimensions are reduced, by sion
ed offsets at intervals, to 100 feet by 10,
The total height above high water Of each
tower is 2iS feet. At the anchOrages, each
OF the four cables after passing over the
towers, enters the anchor walls at an eleya-
tion of nearly so feet above high water,
aud pass through the solid masonry, a dis
tauce of 90 feet, at which point connec-
tion. is formed with the anchor chains,
Each anchorage contains about $4,000
cubic yards of masonry. The spans from
the anchorage to the towers will be sus-
pended TO the cables, and carried over the
roofs Of the houses underneath, The
Brooklyn terminus, at Sands st, is dS feet
above high waleri that at Chatham ST.,
New York, is o. feet above high water
mark.
The work on the approaches to the
are of massive masonry. That on
the Brooklyn side is nearly completed In
the New York approach the arches are
to William st. From Chatham
st. to the center of the bridge, the iuelina-
nation will be 315 to the 100 feet of road
way, from thence-to Sands st. in Brook.
lyn, the inclination will be g. feet 10 the
The New York approach is succession
Of magnificent arches, nearly every arch
covers about the space occupied by an or
binary three story house of 25x100 feet in
These spaces are mortised
for beams that may be inserted by the
lessees of the warehouses, the spaces under
the arches being intended for warehouse
purposes. These warehouses viii be abso-
Iutely fire proof, the walls being six feet
thick, laid in cement. On the New York
side there will be over 20, and on the
Brooklyn side, II Of them,
Many historic buildings have been des-
trOyed upon the New York side to make
way for the approaches. A good work
has been done in clearing out this portion
Of the swamp, as it is called, for nearly
every building back of Chatham st. had
gained notoriety by reason of some MUIR
der or other dark crime committed therin,
many newspaper offices have disappeared
and only the Ne,rs remains on the path,
his too, to disappear in a few days, it hav-
ing been ppTchRsed for $l16000
The original cost Of the bridge was to be
$4,000, 900. Ithas already cost $14, 100000
and the end is not yet, The builders pro-
pose to open the bridge for travel July 4th