Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-04-19

where the ladder descended | found
crude wooden walk intended. / think,
for vehicles, occupying the outside of
the bridge. As understand, the out
side places for wagons, the two spaces
next within the street cars, and the
middle walk for pedestrians, while the
cable railroad goes over the top of ey-
erything in the middle.
| A large number of men were at work
on the bridge after | left the viaducts
and struck that portion truly suspended;
\ yet from below it looked as if nobody
was there. Some of these men were
keeping charcoal fires alive to heat
bolts red-hot; others were carrying the
bolts to blacksmiths, and the black
smiths were driving, while the assist
ants were supporting the blows. A
multitude of men were painting the
iron portion; and all of this bridge, ex-
cept the temporary planking and the
wooden ties for the railroad, is of either
| iron or steel, iron being used in enor-
nous girders in the approaches and to
span the streets. There was also lit
tie army of carpenters at work at tenn
porary things. The bridge has been
painted in the modern taste. with olive
parapets, varegated with red or black.
When | finally came to one of the
great towers it seemed even loftiei and
grander when | was within il than it
looked from the ferry-boats on the
river. There are two magnificent gothic
arches in each tower, and the stone
shaft between them has to support two
mn Ill o. Al
huge arch of what seemed to be solid
stone and look up at the lofty keystone,
made me dizzy, yet eflectually destroyed
the last lingering impression that there
might be something unsafe about the
support. The towers looked rs if they
were almost eternal.
To look at the boats of all descriptions
passing underneath was to feel at once
timld and to have an exaggerated sense
of distinctness. Every object on their
decks, every function of life, the NOV
ing of cat or dog, the long stride of
the width apart of the feet of the man
at the tiller, seemed very curious,
while there was yet q propensity not to
look. The big steam ferry boats, which
always seemed so still before, were now
seen to rock as If they were on high
sea. The movement of the top of n
mast as it rolled with the vessel SEEM
ed TO describe an arc of remarkable
length. Large schooners went under
meath, and their masts yet seemed to
be nowhere near. Another world was
exposed from the center of the bridge.
The prominent objects which | had
been familiar with in the two cities were
hardly visible on account of the dis
lance; while the large sugar refineries,
manufactures and institutions | hardly
knew of arose prodigiously. Yet SO
broad, solid and substantial was the
work that he who kept his eyes off the
water below him felt as secure there
as if he had been in the middle of some
turnpike.
| observed with what diligence and
forethought the telegraph people had
stretched their cables of different kinds
and telephone entasements amid the
open iron work of the floors. where
they seemed to be portion of the
structure itself The trains of cars are
all built, am told, which are to be run
on the cable railroad. The Brooklyn APP
proach, noticed as | came near New
York, was of a different design from
that in the main city. The New York
parapets are more elaborate, but not
so graceful and delicate in design.
Although this bridge has cost some
thing like Sl4,000,000, it shows very
much of that money, particularly
when one considers that in the two
cities something like three-quarters of
mile of the most valuable property to
the width Of eighty to 100 feet had to be
bought outright for approaches.
After / came out of the western
tower and entered into New York pro-
per felt somehow that / must have
crossed the Atlantic ocean, so peculiar
were the sensations of having arisen
out of city / had visited hundreds of
times, and gone through the air like
bird and come down in New York with
out touching a boat of any kind The
magnificent height of the buildings in
New York struck me at once as com
pared with the plain edilices of Brook
lyn. | seemed like one who had come
down ravine and suddenly found him
self surrounded by tall mountains. As
i looked up at such edifices as the Tri-
bune building, the Morse building, the
Kelley building, all of which seemed to
stand guard around the bridge, | OBJ
served that two of the most conspicuous
sentries upon this royal pathway were
the new Office of Police Gazette and
tremendous building where they publish
the Seaside Libraries, that have done
so much to spoil good cooks and house
keepers and destroy any native liter
allure.
Although | went over this bridge in
March weather, | did not perceive that
the air was at all strong, and it occurr-
ed to me that it would make one of the
most beautiful promenades in the world
for persons wanting good air, good
sunlight, and freshening, variegated
scenes. From that height the river be-
low becomes as blue and soft as Italian
mountains, and every change in it's sur
face made by river craft is some de-
llcious variation of the tint, while the
forms of boats, the sails, the flags, the
infinite variety of forms attending the
river craft here give the mind a real
holiday