The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1883-05-18
NEW - \ y YORK I IS GREA 4 BRIDGE.

Sreat STRUCTURE winch 10 to Unite
New York and Br ooklyn-Its Cost.
Dimensions, Etc.
At last day has been determined up.
on for the formal opening Of the East
River bridge connecting the city's of
New York and BROOKLYN. The action
by the subcommittee naming Thursday,
May "a, will be ratified, and the arrange
ments for the simple programme decid-
Ell upon will be carried out. Invitations
will be extended to the president and
vice president and ex-president of the
United States, to the Cabinet officers,
the members of both houses of congress,
the governor, Lieutenant governor and
ex-governors Of New York, to the gov
errors OF all the States and Territories
in the Union, to the mayor and ex-may-
or of New York city and Brooklyn, and
to the leading officials of both cities.
Invitations will also be extended to the
representatives of foreign powers in the
country, to distinguished foreigners, to
distinguished citizens and to representa-.
parts Of the Union. These
only, together with those to whom
passes may be issued, will have admis-
sion to the bridge on that day. The
programme provides for the assembling
of the invited guests in the main build
ing at the entrance to the nridge on the
Brooklyn side at o'clock p. m. At
3 o'clock the bridge will be formally pre-
scented to the mayors of New York and
Brooklyn by President Kingsley, of the
Bridge Committee. Mayor Edison and
Low will, it is presumed, make ap-
propriate responses. This will be fol-
lowed by an Grafton by the Rev. DR..
Storrs on behalf of Brooklyn, and an
other by the Hon. William NJ. Evarts
on behalf of the city Of New York. The
across the bridge to the New York side,
and this will close the former exercises,
though it is probable that in the even
ing the festivities ola banquet, usual to
such occasions, will take place; but'this
is part not known in the programme.
The Brooklyn Suspension bridge is
one Of the greatest triumphs ofengineer-
ing skill. Conceived in the minds of a
few capitalists Of Brooklyn and New
York in the closing year of the war, and
stimulated by the success of the great
bridge over the Ohio river between Gin
cinnati and Covlngton, completed in
1867. the engineer of the latter enterprise
the late Join A. Roebling, was consult
ed, and he pronounced in favor of the
scheme. estimating its cost at $6.675, 600.
A company waa thereupon formed and
incorporated with capital of s., 600, 90 },
the charter also providing that the two
cities might take the property at any
stage of its progress by paying 50 1-2 per
cent. more than its cost and guarantee
ing that the bridge should be free. The
provision was, in fact, carried into eff
feet upon the completion of the founda-
tons of the two towers. the city of Brook
lyn assuming G6 % per cent. of its cost,
and the city Of New York 80 1-3 per cent.
John A. Roebling was appointed engi-
neer, and work on the foundation of the
main tower was begun on
the Brooklyn side on the I'd
pleted June Is, 1875. The caisson for
the New York tower, us by lO2 feet.
was begun December IL, 1871. The
depth Of the foundation of the Brooklyn
tower from higb-water mark was As feet;
that of the New York tower 70 feet.
During this portion of the work, eighty
six cases of what was known as caisson
fever occurred, three of which proved
fatal. Engineer Roebling died from in
juries received, before the first stone
of the foundation was laid, and was sue
ceeded by his son, Washington A. Roeb-
ling, who in 1871. was stricken down
with caisson fever, but continued to d.
rect the work from his sick room. The
fret wire was run across the rriver from
towe' to tower May Goth 1877. In the
first estimate of the cost of the bridge,
the item of land necessarily to be pur-
chased was not taken into the account;
including this, to the amount of $500,
600, the original estimate of the cost was
about $40 100000, and it was thought
that the work would be completed in
five years time. On May oath, the day
eff the formal opening, it will be. just six
teen years since the work of pre-
pairing the plans first began, and
thirteen years and nearly four months
the bridge to the present time has been
over SIS, $780, 900. The following dimen-
sions of the various parts of the bridge
will be of interest:
Length of river span, 1886 feet six
inches.
Length of each span, $50 feet.
feet.
Length of New York approach, 1, 562
feet six inches.
Total To-! length Of bridge, 5,o8e feet.
Width of bridge, IS feet.
Number of cables, four.
Diameter Of each cable, Is 3-4 inches.
Length of each single wire in cables,
1878 feet six inches.
Ultimate strength of each cable, 1900
tons.
Weight of wire, IL feet per pound.
Each cable contains 5,296 parallel mot
twisted) galvanized stee!, oil-coated
wires, closely wrapped to a solid cylin-
der Is 3-4 inches III diameter.
Size of towers at high-water line, 40
x59 feet.
Size of towers at roof course, 136x53
feet.
Total height of towers above high wa
ter 278 feet.
Clear height of bridge in center of
river span above high water, at 80 de-
grees F., 1876 feet.
Height of floor at towers above high
water, l19 feet 3 inches.
feet.
New York tower contains 46, 945 cubic
yards masonry.
New York caisson weighs 1000 tons.
Weight of concrete filling, 5000 tons.
Size OF anchorages at base, l29xl19
feet.
Size of anchorages at top, 117xl04
feet.
Height of anchorages, SO feet front,
IS feet rear.
Weight of each anchor plate, % tons.
Weight of suspended central span,