The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-05-05
The Great East River Bridge.

From the Ne,o York Sun
1.-The bnilding of the iron superstructure
at the New York end of the Brooklyn
bridge, said Engineer c. G. Martin, "has
led many to suppose that the foot passen-
gers and carriages and trucks are to pass
all the way over at lower level than the
cars But such is not the fact. tits true
that at the entrance from Chatham street
the car tracks are above, but there is Il
gradual rise of the main roadway from the
street to the towers and between the tow
ers the foot promenade is about level with
the tops of the cars The promenade is in
the centre, but it affords a clear view over
the tops of the cars and over the double
roadway on each side. 1t is fifteen feet
seven inches wide"
The original plan was to bring the cars,
vehicles and passengers out on the same
level. It was changed to the present plan,
so that the switching of the cars at the ter
minus should not interfere with foot pas
sengers or vehicles. Those who wish to
ride in the cars will have to mount to the
railroad depot, bat the foot passengers will
enter upon the bridge at the street level,
and ascend at grade of b feet in 100
feet The cars will run on either side Of
the promenade and next to it. The two
roadways for carriages and trucks will be
outside Of the car tracks, and, for the most
part, will be on a level with them.
The total width of the bridge is eighty
five feet There is room for train of cars
and two lines of vehicles to pass on each
side of the foot promenade. The view from
the cars will not be so good as that from
either the foot promenade or the roadway.
Those in carriages will have an opportunity
to look over the railing, which is seven feet
four iuches high The edges of the foot
promenade will be about thirty-fve feet
from the side of the bridge. The space
under the promenade will be used for tele-
graph and telephone wires. 1t is estimated
that the time occupied by the cars in pass
ing from end to end of the bridge will be
four minutes The following information
about the bridge is authentic:
Construction commenced January 3,
1870; size of New York caisson, 172x102
feet; size of Brooklyn caisson, 169x102
feet; timber and iron in caisson; 5,253 Gu
bic yards; concrete in well-holes, chambers,
ETC., 5,669 cubic feet; weight Of New York
caisson, about 1000 tons; weight of con-
crete filling, 5000 tons; New York tower
contains 46,945 cubic yards masonry
Brooklyn tower contains 3S ,2l4 cubic yards
masonry; length of river span, ,595 feet
inches; length Of each land span, 930
feet, 1850 feet length of Brooklyn ap
proach, 971 feet; length of New Yolk ap-
proach, 1862 feet 6 inches; total length of
bridge, $3.50 feet; width Of bridge, So feet,
number of cables, 4; diameter Of each cable
154 inches; first wire was run out May %,
/ 1877; cable making really commenced June
II, 1877; length of each single wire in ca
bles 1879 feet; length Of wire in four ca
bles, exclusive of wrapping wire, l4,36l
miles; weight of four cables, inclusive of
wrapping wire, 1898! tons; ultimate
strength of each cable. 12,200 tons; weight
of wire, nearly / feet per pound; each Ca
bic contains 1926 parallel, not twisted,
galvanized steel oil-coated wires, closely
wrapped to a solid cylinder 153 inches in
diameter; depth of tower foundation below
high water, Brooklyn, 45 feet; depth OF
tower foundation below high water, New
York, IS feet; size of towers at high water
line, 140x59 feet; size of towers at roof
course, 136x53 feet; total height of towers
above high water, 278 feet; clear height Of
bridge in centre of river span above high
water at 80 degrees F., 135 feet; height of
floor at towers above high water, 119 feet
3 inches; grade of roadway, 81 feet in 100
feet; height of towers above roadway, 159
feet; size of anchorages at base, 129x119
feet size of anchorages at top, 117x104
feet height of anchorages, SO feet front,
85 feet rear; weight of each anchor plate,
% tons; engineer, Colonel W, A. Roebling,