The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-06-01
THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE.
The Longest Suspension Bridge Ever
Constructed.

The completion of the great suspension
bridge over the East river, between New
York and Brooklyn, has been looked forward
TO with great deal of interest all over the
country, and the formal ceremonies Of open
ing the structure 10 the public traffic were
witnessed by an immense throng. The
building of a bridge TO connect the two cities
was first suggested by Thomas McElrath, OF
the New York Tribune, nearly half y century
ago but 1t was not seriously entertained,
however, and nothing was done then
In January, 1857, Mr. John A. Roeb-
Ling, Brooklyn engineer, acted on by
the sac OF popular fee.ing sugs ested the
construction of y sus Iension bridge, 10 cost
81 OJ,VOO, with roadway .OJ 1cet above
highwater mark, that should be available
both for vehic es and pedestrians, and on
on which trains shou run from shore 70
shore a. shor0 intervals This may be aid
To have been The nrst definite prOposlCl1n
made. Three years later, in April, 1850, the
SINE gentleman t ted his views In
the columns Of the ArchitectS' and Ne
chdnics Journal He then O. mated the
cs5 ut s4,0oJ,01J, aid the annual
rev nue. deivable from a scent
toll, which should include the fare over in
the cars, ut Sl,Vt0OJO. SIX years more
elapsed, and then Mr. William c. Kingsley,
OF Brooklyn, who had taken up the project
warmly, and who was seconded by Henry
C. Murphy Since deceased) and Congress
man William f. Robinson, began to work
zealously for the accomp ishment of what
many considered an impossible design.
biIl was Introduced into Congress, en-
pow ering a comp any that had been formed
10 build The bridge, and IL passed in March,
1864
The work was commenced under the
auspices OF the company, which, like others,
was at hrst a privat5 corporation. But as 1t
progressed IL became evident that its cost
would largely exceed the estimate. Obiec-
tons were also raised to sch an undertail-
ing cling n the hands Of the company. The
result was that in 1875 a bill was passed by
the Legislature of this State, authorizing the
cities of New York and Brooklyn 10 buy out
the took, the former 10 the extent OF one
third and the la ter Go that OF two-thlrdS
This arrangement was CARED into erect,
and Board of Trustees was appointed by
the Mayors of the two C. ties, under whose di-
rection the work has been carried out
Operations were commenced on jan 8,
1870, 80 that the work mas gone on for
nearly thirteen years and five months. The
approaches TO the bridge are not ct COM
pleUe, but they are soon to be. The total
length OF the bridge is 8 $3.50 feet, the span
between the two columns being $50 feet b
inches long.
The SUBMITS of the towers that support
the great structure are 2'o feet above hie n
W ,
the Brooklyn and New York sides respect
ivelv 40 and IS feet The clear height OF the
bridge above high water In the center is l35
feet, the grade OF the roadway Is ~ feet in
1UU, and the width o. the bridge IS feet. No
less than 4SOl miles OF wire were used Tor
tie cables, each single wire being 3,5'9 feet
long. Thee cables, which are four In num-
Der, weigh 3, 5SS16 tons.
The ceremonies attending the opening Of
the great bridge were under the direction
of the Brooklyn authorities, and were OF an
imposing character. Business was generally
suspended In both ci les President Arthur
ana his Cabinet Ministers and large num-
Der Of other dis inguished persons graced
the occasion with their presence, and the
parading Of the crack local military regi-
ments added eclaJ TO the al air. Gen
James Jourdan was Marshal or the day. At
night there was pyrotechnic display on
the bridge, and the public buildings or the
two cities were illuminated
The completion OF this grand structure
marks another decided advance in the con-
struction of this class of bridges as this Is
the largest of lis kind in the world and
probably in all material respects the most
notable one. 1t certainly is the most re-
markable one in this country, in regard to
the length of span and the amount OF mate
rial used in its construction.
At the time Of its construction the sus-
pension bridge built by Roebling at Niagara
was regarded, with respect to its single
span its elevation above the water, and
the daring involved in its construction,
as an additional wonder of the world
This was in 1855; and, however great may
have been it's prominence at that date, 1t
has since become SO dwarfed by greater
constructions that it is now scarcely
noticeable In 1850 the bridge ut Gin
cinnati was completed with span
of l.C57 feet, or nearly zoo feet more
than the Niagara bridge, and it Mt once sup
planted the latter as work of art, in the
matter Of magnitude. Then Roebling built
the upper bridge at Niagara, with a span OF
!. $50 ieet, some 40J feet more than the first
Niagara and then the Cincinnati structure
fell back TO second place. And now Roeb-
ling has once more excelled himself by con.
structing a bridge, with single span Of
1,G00 feet, nearly double that of his first
work, and a third larger than the Cincinnati
effort.
There is no suspension bridge in Europe
that is at ali comparable TO any OF these,
unless it be to the trst one built by Roeb-
ling at Niagara There is one Mt Fribourg
in Switzerland, which has span Of $40 feet,
some 30 more than the Niagara span; and
there are three or four bridges of the kind
in England which have spans of between