The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-05-31
UNITING GREAT CITIES.
Opening Of the SusrensfOm Bridge
Orer East River.
The Greatest Structure Of tho Kind in
tho World.

Inc ConpIcflOn OF the Erent kuSIcn4ioH
bridge over the Eat river, between New
York and Brooklyn, has been lookedforward
to with great deal Of interest oil over tho
country, and the formal ceremonies Of open
ing the structure to the public traffic were
Witnessed by nm immense throng. Tho
building Of bridge TO connect the two cities
waA iirst suggested BY Thomas McIslrath, Vt
tho New York Tribune, nearly half century
Ago but IL wss not seriously entertain 4,
however, and nothing Mas done ton
In January, 1857, Mr. john A lsHeb-
ling, . brooklyn engineer, acted on ~
tho slae OF popular iseiiag sugae to tho
construction II . sue. enson br dc, " cost
highwatsf mark. that should be asailnblo
both for vehic - nnd pedcstriuna. and -
on which trlins shou d run from shore ~
shore 81 shofs ntervalA This may be u y
10 have been tAs first definite pfupo.i 20.
same gentleman Il. .ted III. views in
tho eolumns of the Arehiteets,. an, ns-
chartts journal. He then - imatsd tho
ctst at eicO1,0N, I'd thc a..nan
revenue ds.sasle n ,. irsm !. -. s,ss - =
the cars, ut eLr0On 81 ,s.rs lnors
elapsed, and then Mr. William \: kingsleya
OF Brooklyn, who hal taken up tna plOlccS
warmly, and Who was tecpnued W honry
G. Murph, tsincs decensod) and Con4rcfe-
man William T. Robins, n, began " work
ssalously for the nccomp isamcnt OF wIas
many CUnsideie an imp sable design. =
bul wns introduced into Congress, EN-.
BOW oring conn any that had been furmed
10 build tho bridge, and Il passed IN March
lSsA
The work was connmen cd under the
auspices OF the COMPANY, which, Ike others.
was at irst privat coipusation hut as "
progressed it became evident that it's cost
would largely excte.i the estimate. ahiec-
tons were also raised 70 . .ch an nnaes ~ .., -
ing being in the hands Of tho company IhC
result Mns that In 1870 bill Wna passed. oy
Che Legislature of this state. authorizing tho
cities Of New York and ~ ooklyn 70 buy oue
She stock, the former 10 the extent oI oae-
thnd and tho later 70 that OF Two thirds
This arrangement Was cared into eject,
and Board OF Tru tees WIS appointed ny
the Mayors Of the two c,t ties under whose d.
rcction the work has been car. led OUT !,
Opera ions were commenced on Jan y
ls,s. 10 that tho work has gane On Tor
ncailv thirteen years and Ave month. Ia0
approaches to the tr,dge are not - com:
rlcte, hut they are soon to ~ Inc ta,ai
length of tile bridge Is 5.asa fcet. the span
between tho two columns beng i,5as tees .
inches lone.
the great structure are a.s feet above hi .
water, aud their foundations 20 down on
tho BROOKLYN AMI New York sides respect
ivelv u aud - feet The cica, height of tho
bridge above high water In the center Is l.0
] feet tho grade of the roadway ID III feet IN
/ luu, and the width .. the BRUCE u feeG. No
less than ll,ai miles OF wire were used ior
/ llc cables, each single wise beng a,a,s fceS
long. These cables, which alc four In NUM-
/ bcr, weigh aaSsis tons.
The ceremonies attending the opening of
the great bridge were under the d rcction
/ OF the BROOKLYN authorizes and were II an
imposing character. Business was generally
a sb,a u ass4 i psfssns
\ the occasion with their presence, and tho
parasiny II the crack local military regi-
/ ments aided eclat to the annir Ten
james Jour,lan was Marshal OF the day Az
night there was pyrctcchntc display on
the bridge, and the pubic buildings OF the
two cities were illuminated
The cumpietion Of this grand structure
ma, Ia au,uhcr decided advance In tho con-
e,ruction of this class OF bridges, as TINS y
the largest Of la kind In tho world and
] nrrbahly In all material respects the moss
notable one, Il certainly is tie most re-
markahle one in TIL country, IN = faru to
the length Of span and the amount OK matte
rial used In It's construction
Al the time cf il construction tho sne-
pension hr.dye built by Reenling =. NagaI,s
was regarded, with respect 10 Its single
span, its elevation above the water, and
the daring involved in It's construction.
a. an additional wonder Of the world
TAswas in lsAs: and, however great may
have been its prominence at that date y
has since become 50 dwarfed by greater
constructions that it is now scarcely
noi,,eah,e In 1850 tho bridge At TIN
c,nnai WAS completed with : spar
of l.oT fcct, or nearly 20 feet NOR
than tho Niagara hlidgc, and Y g once sup
nlau.c,l the latter as u work Of art, IN tht
matter OF magnitnde Then Roebling bull
the upper bridge III Niagara, with span .
j, M iect. some sca icot moro than the mrs
Niagara, md then tho Cincinnati structar'
fcll back to second place And now Noeo
hnv has once more cxcellcd himself BY oon
s,rurtiny q bridge. with . slngso span @
l.,sN feet, nearly double that OF his mrs
. work, and third larger than the Stncinnas
, effort .
There il no suspension bridge In Europ
, that is at All comparable - any o. thees
! unlcss Il b. to the tfst ono built ny koeu
lmr At NIAGARA There Is ono at Fnbour
In Switzerland, which has span of so fcc'
I some M more than the Niagara span; an
/ there are three or four bridges OF the Kin
IN England witch have spans OF bctwcs
I 6vV and Ia feet