The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-05-30
The Big Bridge.

suspeusion bridge at Wheeling. va
which was then deemed the eighth womb
or OF the world. 1t WAS a single span lOIU
feet long. aud 30 d~elicately swung that
one man could shake it in the centre. Yet
so strong that procession OF elephants
passed over il. IN fact tie heavier the
weight. the ste, der it swung and when
i blew down every body "a" the MS
take Of not weighing il more securely.
The Wheeling Bridge. however. was
4 baby compared with the BROOKLYN
which asst week was opened TO tie
public. The latter j 5,9s9 feet long
nrarly four miles! The central span.
between the towers. J. l.5352 feet ion9-
the longest suspension span IN the
world, though not the longest bridge.
Ii YOU have never seen the picture 81
the bridge you can get an idea OF 1t tins
way. Imagine two tall towers. OF large
blocks Of granite arising out OF the wa
ter on ZACH side of the river. These
towers are both 20 feet tall. That i
pretty high. Over the tops OF these
towers. are stretched tour great cables OF
wire. four miles in length, and fastened
at each end by great piles OF stone and
iron weighing 10000 pounds. Each
n Of the BIZ cable is composed OF o.
500 steel wires, larger than telegraph
wire. These are all wound aud twisted
until they make a rope IL inches thick.
From these four big ropes hang thousands
of smaller ropes which hold the road
bed. or passage way of the bridge. The
roadway Is 50 feet wide, aud l35 feet
above the level of the water 50 that the
largest ships can pass under 1t. The
The bridge is strong enough TO hold
l., % tons, but OF course no such weight
can ever 20 upon 1t.
The roadway consists OF five parallel
streets width vi 10 feet, separated BY
SIX vertical lines ot trusting, the outside
parapets being eight feet high. The
outside avenues devoted 10 vehicles, are
10 feet wide, wnle the central pedestrian
sly is l5le feet wife aud elevated II
feet above tie Others. The cars are
moved by a stationary engine and al
endless rope of steel wire.
Altogether, no less han 600 men have
aeen employed in the work. Since the
death of Mr.. John \. Eoebling, who
was killed In 1869, more than twenty
men have been fatally huIt, AMI several
more have died iron Il e caisson disease,
caused by working IL The compressed air
Of the caissons.
II OPENING
As sc anticipated last week, the open
ing cer; monies We're a big thing"
There were more than a million specta
tators many miles of troops tens OF
thousands of ships; aud wonderful en-
thusiasm. The New York papers give
10. 20 and 80 columns of small type de
s~criplions. Six ships of war, and the
forts OF the harbor Numbered s~alules.
At night the bridge was lit up by electric
lamps, and a grand display Of fireworks.
Ali the houses, and shipping, were lilu>
minated and the glare was visible 20
miles away.
THE ILLUMINATIONS.
1t took fourteen tons Of material to
make the blazing sea of rainbows which
swirled aud surged at night above the
two great towers OF granite and hearly
ten thousand separate pieces scared into
the brilliant vortex. The East River
was crowded with excursion boats, and
IN. ir twink ing iigh,s were 50 close to-
eether that New York and BrookIyn
seemed II be one continuous city. The
wharves were packed with sight seers aud
the streets In the vicinity Of the river
were impossible. Thousands and thou
sands of sensible persons sat upon roof
tops.
A boquet of beautiful rockets was fred
from the middle of the main span by
Miss Laura G. Detwiiier, the daughter Of
the supervising pyrotechniSt, precisely al
eight o'clock. A moment later and a
volcano OF glowing colors shot up into
the sky from the tops OF the towers,
while the iron mortars In the SOUL road
way began to throw bombs which burst
and filled the air with variegated stars
and meteors. Fountains of gold and
silver rain played into the shining arena
and flights of rockets rushed upward.
Fiery serpents wriggled to and fro, azure
ast eroids twink ed as they tiosted with
the wind. and the roaring and thunder
ing of the mortars shook the bridge con
tinualiy. Chaotic forms, but as if with
trailing robes, glided out Of the fierce
circles. Suddenly it seemed as if "a
thousand s~unrises and sunsets were com
mingled and the sky was lit up with a
food Of golden aud emerald ram, through
which ruby start and silver banner,
dropped. Wave. of light rippled from
the towers and carmlne shells burst
through them.
The fountains of stars which constantly
played on the towers forced red to the
eft, blue to the right and white straight
up. The particles ascended a hundred
aud fifty ieet AID came down in clouds of
silver rain two hundred feet In circum-
terence. The shell fountains projected
eighteen shells into the air. which ex-
p,oded at height of two hundred feet
and scattered showers Of colored stars.
meteors and serpents. Sometimes the
,hree streams would form a double arch.
through which millions Of gay ribbons
appeared to be woven, AUG again the
scene resembled the burning of a grea,
city or the bombardment of a fortress,
Below all this iivid scene Law the river.
With its thousands of lights. Bells tolled
and strains of music were waited upward.
But the army Of men on the bridge made
no pause. Professor Detw iiIer stood on
the promenade and with electrical kew.
rang bells which called alternately for
rockets and shells. An ex- officer of the
British navy ran to and fro along the line
Of mortar, and lit the fuses with a port
fle. The colored lights which burned
~ Oh SIleS ..St COIL .Laaaur