The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-05-09

The day for the opening Of the
bridge is now definitely i
liked for May 24th, when appropri-
,te ceremonies will be held and the
structure will be formally present
I'd by the trustees to the Mayors of
the two cities. At present the open |
trusses at the sides of the roadway |
are being closed up by a narrow !
lattice work. which will effectually |
prevent any one falling through,
either accidentally or on purpose. |
Posts are being erected on either
side of the foot bridge for the cleo
trio light; the railroad stations at
each end are being pushed, and
things generally are in an advanced
state of completion. A correspond
ent of a contemporary, who crossed
the bridge for the first time, one
day last week, says: 1t is consider
ably more than one mile long, from
the top of the hill where the station
is being built in Brooklyn, to Chat
ham street. The large station in
Brooklyn is to be used by the steam
drum cars for waiting rooms, etc,
and a smaller building of that kind
is being framed at the New York
end. | am afraid that foot passen-
gers are not going to have the most
perfect view Of the river if they pass
through the middle of the bridge,
which understand to be their ave-
nue., leaving the sides to vehicles.
The cars, understand, are to run
on the second floor of the bridge. L
was admitted at gate, and put on
an asphaltum walk in the middle OF
the Brooklyn approach, along which
| went 900 feet or more, and then
climbed down a ladder, or crude
steps, to the northern flooring, in
which a crack occurred here and
there, showing the frightful chasm
below, one glimpse of which was
enough to make man finch. The
flooring on this side was of planks,
but the parapets being up there was
no danger.
When / reached the east tower,
the magnificent character of the
arch there seemed to show more
wonderfully than from the surface
of the river below. 1t is a fact that
on top of each of the towers two
houses can be built, of 20 feet front
and 123 feet depth. Any man who
owns a house and lot in the full
depth of New York can look out OF
his back window on his yard and
his neighbors, and consider that
both of them do not cover as much
space by another half building lot
as the top of these bridge towers.
The east river assumes a beauty Of
color and extent from the bridge
that one could hardly imagine;
nearly the whole river, from Cover
nor's Island to Blackwell's Island,
lies under the eye, and it seems to
be the principal thing in the New
York landscape, and those buildings
which border it, especially up to-
ward Williamsburg, rise enormous
ly from their great bulk, In general,
sugar refineries. New York itself
seems, from the Brooklyn end of the
bridge, like q town on a hill which
rises to certain profile or parapet,
and beyond that is smoke and
vagueness. The four great cables,
that droop as modestly from their
towers as four whitewashed Bologna
sausages, do not attract much re-
mark, since the rushing objects be-
meath the long line of barges, the
white sails of coasters, many sorts
of steamboats, and lighters, all won
derfully exposed to notice, since
their decks and upper works are,
for the first time, fully visible to
every spectator, turn the eye to 9th
err things. None of Roebling's
bridges seems lighter than this, the
imposing nature of the towns and
the breadth of the bridge making
one almost forget that it is the
cables which are doing the work.
The bridge is as solid as a turnpike
road in the middle of the country;
it neither rattles nor trembles, and
however nervous one is stepping
over it at first, he soon feels secure
and feasts his eyes on the ever
opening panoramas. Though l
crossed in rather raw March day,
/ hardly observed the wind. The
bridge was full of carpenters, paint
ers, bolt drivers, and | understand
that the rolling stock for the cable
railroad is finished.