Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-05-25

o'clock the Presitent drove to Mayor Lows
house escorted BY . mounted squad Of
police, and vent thence to the e. s. steamer
Minnesota, which conveyed him to the foot
of 23d street. New York, whence he drove
to the Fifth Avenue Hotel. He retired carly
fatieued by the lsbors of the day.
The Bridge.
The public sees two enormous stone tow
ers from which hangs a bridge, whose two
end. stretch, one into New York, the other
into Brooklyn By the aid of caissons-huge
wooden diving bell. sunk so feet below the
surface Of the waters and resting on the bed
rock-were laid the solid walls of masonry.
Each caisson top measured l72 feet by l02
feet, and % feet thick. of Georgia pine, we'll
bolted. The calssons in place. the erection
If the towers and the approaches WAS steadily
prshed. The towers are each 216s feet high
and the roadway is lis feet above high water
mark. At the top Of the towers are large
movable iron plates called saddles, uDon
which rest the huge cables, l6 inches thick.
which sustain the weight Of the bridge. The
cables extend hack on each side to the enor-
nous anchorages-great masses of masonary
in which are embedded the huge anchor
plates and the iron links to which the cables
are attached. BY this system the tremen-
dous pull Of the cables does not come upon
the towers themselves. which stand merely
as supports. and the cables, exerting merely
downward pressure, will help hold the tow
ers in place. The total weight which the
cables are called upon to bear is about 80, 900
tons. One Of the most interesting parts of
the work was the stretching of the wire The
bridge, as every one knows, is held BY cables
-four hinge punches of wire laid parallel
and bound together with an unbroken wrap
ping also of wire. Each wire is an eighth of
an inch thick and there are 5000 of them in
each cable. The first wire was carried across
in June. 1877. and the wire work was finished
in October, 1878.
Dates OF interest and siatistice connected
with the bridge are as follows:
First estimates and plans made by John
A. Roetling at Mr.. W. c. Kingley's request
in 1865
Act of incorporation passed in New York
Senate April Is. 1867.
Bridge transferred to the two cities June
5, 1874.
3, 1870.
Fire in Brooklyn caisson December 2,
1870.
Brooklyn caisson filled and finished March
IL. 1871.
New York caisson finished May. 1872.
Brooklyn tower finished, May, 1875.
New York tower finished July, 1876.
First wire run over the river August IA,
1876.
First man over the river August %. 1876
Foot bridge finished February Z. 1877.
Length of New York approach. 1924 feet.
Length of Brooklyn approach 81 feet.
Weight of anchorages, about 60 900 tons
each.
Weight of anchor plates. % tons each.
Size of towers at high-w water mark, 40 by
50 feet.
Size of towers at top, 1876 by SO.
Height of towers above high water, 27l
feet inches.
Cubic yards of masonry in New York
tower, 46 945.
Cubic yards of masonry in Brooklyn tower,
3S.2l4.
1t Myth of main span, tower to tower, 1895
feet 6 inches.
Height of main span in middle of river,
1856 feet 6 inches.
Length of each cable, 1918 feet.
Total length of wire, 1900 miles.
Length of wrapping wire, 243 miles.
Weight OF four cables, 1858 tons.
Strength of each cable, l2.2O0 tons.
Greatest load that can come on one cable,
5000 tons
Total length of boidge, $3.50 feet.
Weight of the whole suspended structure,
6740 tons.