Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-06-07
New York and Brooklyn at
Last United by the East
River Bridge.
The Great Structure Formally
fOpened to the Public.
The Imposing Ceremonies Witnessed
by Vast Crowds o. Spec
tators.

the use OF the people last week. Amid
the booming of cannon. the shrill
whistling of q thousand steamers, and
the plaudits of great masses of citizens,
the Brooklyn bridge was formally pre-
scented to the cities Of New York aud
Brooklyn. The president of the Uni
ted States and officers of his cabinet,
the governor Of the state of New York
and staff, senators and representatives
from many states and territories, and
the mayors Of both cities were approx
ing witnesses of the ceremony.
HISTORY OF THE STRUCTURE.
The bridge whose completion was
celebrated, is from 81 mechanical and
engineering point of view one of the
great achievements of the century. It
dwarfs everything else of the kind in
the world. It has taken a long time to
build, but it has been built for the ages
to come. It's towers will stand for all
time, like the pyramids, as the mOnu-
ments of the engineering genius Of the
nineteenth century.
The chief benefit that is expected to
accrue to both cities from this gigantic
undertaking may be summed up in
the statement that it is estimated the
bridge will practically move 100000 Of
the people of Brooklyn as much nearer
to New York as one can travel In a
| quarter Of an hour. This estimate
leaves out of consideration the deten-
tons on the ferry due to ice and logs.
The larger the city the more conven-
lent, quick and safe must be the means
of communication in it, if it is to com
pete with other large center8 of popu-
lation, and the effect of the Brooklyn
bridge in bringing nearer together two
great centers OF population, must at
once be benefcially felt in both cities.
About the close Of the war and q
year or two after it the country ex-
| perienced two or three unusually
severe winters. There were days when
| people might about as well attempt an
Arctic journey as brave the East river
ice ia s. ferry boat. The newspapers
were filled with reports of ice gorges
and of ferry boats held in midstream
for two or three hours. All the Brook
lynites and many New Workers began
to clamor for bridge, and all agreed
that lie bridge must be built at once.
The idea that was in everybody's
thought took practical shape in the
minds of two foremost citizens of
Brooklyn, William G. Kingsley and
Henry G. Murphy. Mr.. Kingsley took
the first action, and has been virtually
at the head Of the enterprise from the
start. Mr.. Murphy was president Of
the company from the beginning until
his death, last year. In 1866 Mr.. King
sley matured the bridge project in his
mind, settled it's terminl, hired an
engineer to draw a plan and make
estimates, paid him out of his own
pocket, and then called his moneyed
| friends about him. The original idea
was to make the enterprise largely a
business investment Of private capital,
and it was not until 1877 that the
bridge was made d public work, and
the original subscriptions that had
paid for years of planning and of toll
we're paid back to the subscribers.
Although it was in 1866 that Mr..
Kingsley submitted his plans to his
friends, it was not until April 16, 1867,
that tie legislature Incorporated the
New York Bridge company, empow eT-
ing it to construct and maintain per-
| manent bridge over the East river,
1 and authorizing the two cities to sub
scribe to the capital stock. The COM
pany had flexible capital of SIS 000,-
600, and among the private subscrib-
ers were Messrs Kingsley, Murphy,
John I. Huffman. S. B. Chittenden.
Smith Ely, Jr., Henry G. Stebbins, and
Andrew II. Green. The next month
John A. Roebling, who had success
fully b;1ilt the two largest-span bridges
in existence, at Niagara and Cinciu-
natl, was appointed chief engineer. He
was four months in preparing there
port which he submitted Sept. /, 1867.
He commended suspension bridge
with 1000 feet span, and substantially
outlined the present structure, and set
forth its probabilities His project
was novel and daring. 1t contemplated
q length of span that was so per cent,
greater than any heretofore attempted.
1t presented SO important an interest
and so large Investment that the direc-
tors deemed it advisable to obtain an
Endorsement from other members of
the profession. Accordingly in May.
1863 report was presented to the
beard by Horatio Allen, B. 81. Latrobe,
W. J. McAlpine, James P. Klrkwood,
and other eminent engineers, vino
after careful examination, substan-
TALLY.
APPROVED OF THE PLANS
in general and detail. In the same
month commission of three govern
ment engineers was appointed, IN COM
pliance with an act Of congress, to re-
port with regard to the bridge being
an obstruction to navigation. These
gentlemen likewise Endorsed the scheme
in the main, bat recommended an Ia
crease of five feet for the clear head
way under the central span.
Arrangements were at once made to
begin work, and on Jan. 3, 1870, the
ground was broken by tearing out the
north slip of Fulton ferry to prepare
for the foundation of the Brooklyn
tower. From that day until the pies
ent time the work has been constantly
in progress, although at times parts of