Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-03-28

'Gath" In the Cincinnati ENQUIRER.

|
est Suspension Bridge in the World
"Gath" In the Cincinnati Enquirer.
To-day I went over the Brooklyn bridge.
which is not to be opened for about two months.
and is just passable for an adventurer I am
not sure that the figures about this bridge
which possess are exactly correct, but they are
the elder Roebling's, who designed 1t. It Is a
suspension bridge. the span between the towers
being 600 feet, or nearly third Of mile. The
approaches to the New York bridge supported
by the cables are $40 feet long EACH but beyond
the anchorages there are huge causeways above
the two cities Of about 800 feet long on the
New York side, and about $50 feet On the Brook
Ign side. The whole bridge, therefore, as
walked it to-day-going In at the gate In Brook
Ign. which is rather on the top of HILL to the
gate where came out opposite the City Hall
park. New Y0rk-was {, 654 feet, or cOnsidera-
bly, more than one mile.
No suspension bridge in the world bears any
proportion to this East River bridge, either In
length, weight, cost or general character and
appearance. 1t is gigantic monument, or rather
two such monuments, connected by stupen-
d0us net, and approached by tremendous via
ducts. The approaches, especially on the New
York SIDE are magnificent, being made of gran
tie and brick, the parapets in hewn granite cut
in great sizes, and the galleries hewn out of the
solid stone
The principal problems before the bridge
builder were to get his piers down into deep
water and to raise the money out of two jeal-
Gus and rather corrupt cities to carry on the
work. Great Golfer dams had to be made and
caissOls sunk, not only through the water but
through the quicksand and other deposits on
the bottom to bed rock. l think that these two
| huge towers. which now seem to be connected
with the shore, but were not so originally, stand
something like eighty feet under the level of the
tide, while they rise above it about 27O feet
The towers, therefore. are something like $50
feet high from where they begin under the river
to where they end, higher in the air than al
most any steeple shot-toWer, flagstaff or other
object in either city.
Each tower, as it stands up and down stream,
Is 1874 feet long at the bottom by Sc feet wide
This is a prodigious mass of masonry. The GU
bical quantity of stone In the two towers Is said
to be nearly 63, 600 cubic yards The towers are
not built solid, but hollow. and at their summit
$50 feet above their foundations, they are 100
feet wide by 40 feet thick. You could, therefore,
raise On the summit Of each OF these towers two
houses side by side each 20 feet wide and ex-
mense towers run four cables. 1t is said that
the cables, with the bridge they suspend and all
the people. railroad trains fully loaded, teams
&c, will weigh A. 5S tons, or in the neighbor-
hood of TO- 100000 pounds. In short, an army
of Is 600 soldiers. ready for battle, would weigh
about as much as these bridge towers have to
sustain in their extremity.
The New York bridge floor is almost eighty
neer said Of this bridge when he designed it, six
teen years ago: at will not only be the greatest
bridge In existence, but it will be the great en-
gineering work OF this continent and of the age
Its most conspicuous features, the great towers,
will serve as landmarks to the adjoining cities
and they will be entitled to be ranked as ma
| tional monuments. As great work Of art and
a successful specimen Of advanced bridge engi-
neering, this structure will forever testify to the
energy, enterprise and wealth of that commu-
re m no hriI
floor is said to be 11S feet above high water
There may have been some changes in these
figures, but think not much. 1t is also hard to
put into popular description the technical de-
scriptiOn of engineers.
In order to get on the bridge had to walk
up steep hill from the East river to 4th or 5th
street, and turning in there at the top of the
hill l came to huge ornamental iron house,
the skeleton Of which is just up and which
seemed 20 me to be something like 100 feet
long, and is to be, suppose. the depot of the
railroad company crossing the bridge. A much
| smaller depot is on the New York side. and not
SO far advanced. These cars are to cross on
second story of the bridge. 80 as to be above
and out Of the way, and that elevated railroad
portion Is but partly finished. gave a pass at
the gate. and was instructed to keep In the
middle of the bridge on an asphaltum walk. till
| / should come to a ladder, and this was d.
rected to descend, and then take haf-nnished
board walk on the right and look out for holes
The first hole to which came before got on
the bridge proper at all gave me view Of peo-
pie and wagons 80 far down below me that
saw comparatively little Of the bridge for some
time, being engaged in looking for more holes
| Although the ascent seems very gentle 1t is
like any reformation In life, however slight. If
| continued long enough it carries the man to q
pretty high altitude. In very few steps the
| town, whose level l had left, began to sink
down, and very soon It's highest roofs were far
| below me. AS l approached the river what
seemed to be long and broad wharyes I found to
"a nf and or
res. had walked, it seemed to me- third of
mile before discovered the cables at ALL they
dropping below the bridge In order to get the
proper dip to scale the towers. At the place
where the ladder descended | found q crude
wooden walk, intended, think, for vehicles.
occupying the ontside Of the bridge. AS I'M
derstard. the outside places for wagons the
two spaces next within for street cars and the
miiiile walk for pedestrians, while the cable
railroad goes over the top OF everything in the
middle.
large number Of men were at work on the
bridge after left the viaducts and struck that
portion truly suspended: yet from below It had
looked as if nobody was there. Some of these
men we're keeping charcoal Ares alive to heat
bolts red-hOt; Others were carrying the bolts to
blacksmitls. and the blacksmiths were driving
while their assistants were supporting the blows.
| A multitude Of men were painting the iron nor
ton; and all Of this bridge, except the tenn
porary plankng and the wooden ties for the
railroad, is of either iron or steel, iron being
used In enormous girders In the approaches and
| to span the streets. There was also little
army Of carpenters at work at temporary
things. The bridge has been painted in the
modern taste. with olive parapets, variegated
with red or black
When finally came to one of the great tow
ers it seemed even loftier ard grander when l
was within it than it looked from the ferry boats
| on the river. There are two magnificent Gothic
arches in each tower and the stone shaft be-
tween them has to support two more cables To
stand within that 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 some
thing unsafe about the support. The towers
looked as if they were almost eternal The cable
which so gracefully streamed out above seemed
| merely links Of sausage strung between the
houses of friendly Dutchmen. Indeed, the iron
pendants from the cable seemed so slight and
indifferent to their responsibility that looked
at them In some wonder. Near the towers. of
course, these rods. which presume to be also
made OF wire, were very long, and seemed to
have the height of very tall tree or Flagstaff;
then they gradually shortened as the bridge
floor rose to the CENTER and the cables descended
until one could examine the entire peDdant from