Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-23
The EAST RIVER BRIDGE.
Facts and Figures About the
Great Iron Link Between
New York and Brook
lyn.
lyn.
A Marvel Of Engineering Skill

"GAth" in tie Cincinnati Enquirer.
went over the Brooklyn bridge to
day, which lie not to be opened 10
about two months, and Ia just psssabI
for an adventurer. 1t is q suspension
bridge, the span between the tower
being LOGO feet, or nearly o third c
a mile. The span between the tower
at Cincinnati Is 1,057 feet, 30 that tn
New York span is about one.thir'
Longer. The approaches to- the New
York bridge supported by the cable
are $40 feet long each, but beyont
the anchorages there are huge cause
ways above the two cities OF abou'
300 feet long on the New York side
and about $50 feet on the Brooklyn
side. The whole bridge, therefore, a
1 walked it to-day-going In at TIT
gate In Brooklyn, which is rather OF
the top of a hill, to the gate where
came u opposite the City Hall park
New York--was 1904 feet, or con
siderably more than n mile. Thu
gives you a pretty good idea of the
bridge. Some of the largest bridges
lnthe world are only q mile, like that al
Columbia over the Susquehanna river.
No suspension bridge In the world
bears an proportion to this East river
bridge, either In length, weight, cost,
or general character and appearance.
It is q gigantic monument, or rather
two such monuments, connected by q
%stupendous net, and approached by
tremendous viaducts. The approaches,
especially on the New York side, are
magnificent, being made of granite
and brick, the psrapets In hewn granite
cut in great sizss, and the gallaries
hewn out Of the solid stone. The full
length of the Cincinnati. bridge from
where 1t enters in Covlpgton to where
you leave it In Cincinnati Is put d1wn
by Mr.. Roebling as Q 1862 feet.
The principal problems before the
bridge builder were to get his piers
down In this deep water, and to raise
the money out of two jealous and
rather corrupt cities to carry on the
work. Great Golfer dams had to be
made and caissons sunk, not only
through the water, but through the
uuicksand and other deposits on the
bottom to he'd rock. I think thai
these two huge towers, which now
seem to be connected with the shore
but were not 30 originally, stant
something like eighty feet under CHI
level of the tide, while they rise abov
1t about 27O feet. The towers, there
fore, are something like $50 feet hig'
from where they begin under tn
river to where they end, higher in tn
air than almost any steeple, she
tower, flag staff, or other object
either city. Take either Of thes
towers and set them beside the Wast
iugton monument, which Is to be owe
500 feet high, and they would b
seven.tenths Of its height, and q gret
deal more effective In breadth.
Each tower, as 1t stands up m
down stream, Ia 1874 feet a. the Boz
tom, by &c feet wide. This is
prodigious mass of masonry. III
oubical quantity of stone In the tw
towers L. said to be nearly SO, 600 cub
yards. The towers are not bull
solid, but hollow, and at their sun
y mit. 40 soet above their foundation
thick. .1' You fau could .oSi Il sossy g,
the summit Of each or theS6 towe
two houses aide by side, each twent
feet wide and extending backward 1.
feet. Over these immense towers ~
four cables, essentially the same
appearance and construction as tho
} at Cincinnati. 1t il said that Il
cables, with the bridge they suSper
and all the people, railroad trail
fully loaded, teams, etc., will well
4,753 tons, or In the n~eighborhood
10, 600, OOO pounds, or the weight
nearly 100,0 600 men Of 100 poun
apiece. In short an army Of 1850
soldiers, ready for battle, would wei
about as much as these bridge towt
have to sustain In their extremity.
The New York bridge flooris aim,
eighty feet wide. divided Into e
spaces. The bridge floor Is said to
118 feet above high water. In orc
to get on the bridge I had to walk
q steep hill from the East river
Fourth or Fifth street, and turning
there at the top of the hill I came
, o huge ornamental iron house,
skeleton OF which 10 just up, {
and which seemed to me to be SOL
thing like 100 feet long. and Is to
suppose, the depot Of the railrv
company crossing the bridge. A m
smaller uepot IL on the New Y
70 side, and not 10 far advanced. TT
70 cars are to cross on the second 81
of the bridge, 10 a. to be above
y. out of the way, and that elevated l
road portion IL but partly finished.
Althoughthe ascent seems very s
tie, 1t IL like any reformation In
however slight, II 1t IL continued
enough 1t carries . man to . very I
altitude. In Q very few steps
town, whose level I had left, be
= to sink down, and very soon Its hi
est roofs are far below me. Al I
NM preached the river, what seemed
'u be long and broad whArves I fount
ri be the pebbled roofs Of warehouses
" factories. I had walked, 1t SCENE
=, me, q third of q mile before / dis,
DE cred the cables at all, they dropE
below the bridge In order to get
~ proper dip to scale the towers.
y the place where the ladder de.cen
l found o crude wooden walk, inten
1 think, for vehicles, occupying
n outside of the bridge. As / un,
stand, the outside places are
wagons, the two spaces next wit
for street cars, and the middle "
for pedestrians, while the cable I
road goes over the top of everytt
in the middle.
When i finally came to one of
IN great towers 1t seemed even loftier
grauder when / was within 1t tina
looked from the ferry-boats on
river. There are two magnifs
Gothic arches In each tower. and