The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-05-03
Crossing BROOKLYN Bridge.

STOSS1nS DrOOhlyn DFAUSO.
Broadway Lounger in New York Tribune.
I crossed over the Brooklyn bridge for
the first time on Tuesday last; it is con-
siderably more than mile long, from
the top of the hill where the station is
being built in Brooklyn, to Chatham
street. The large station in Br ooklyn is
to be used by the steam-drum cars for
waiting-rooms, etc., and smaller build
ing of that kind is being framed at the
New York end. am afraid that foot
passengers are not going to have the
most perfect view Of the river if they
pass through the middle o fthe bridge,
which l understand to be their avenue,
leaving the sides to vehicles. The cars.
understand, are to run on the second
floor of tile bridge. l was admitted at
gate, and put on an asphaltum walk in
the middle of the Brooklyn approach,
along which went for a thousand feet
or more, and then climbed down lad
der 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 I 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 fact that on the top of each Of the
towers two houses can be built, of ~
feet front and 1913 feet depth. Any man
who owns house and lot of the full
depth in New York can look out of his
back window on his yard and his neigh
bors, 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
beauty of color and extent from the
bridge that one could hardly imagine;
nearly the whole river, from Governors
Island, lies under the eye, and it seems
York landscape and those buildings
which border it especially up towards
Williamsburg, rise enormously from
their great bulk, in general sugar REIN
cries. New York itself seems, from the
Brooklyn end of the bridge, like town
on hill which rises to certain pro-
file or parapet, and beyond that
is smoke and vagueness. The four great
cables, that droop as modestly from
their towers as four whitewashed b.
logna sausages, do not attract much re-
mark, since the rushing object beneath,
the long line of barges, the white sails
of coasters. many sorts of steamboats, and
fighters, all wonderfully exposed to no.
tice, since their decks and upper works
are, for the first time, fully visible to
every spectator; turn the eye to other
things. None of Roebling's bridges
seems lighter than this, the imposing
nature Of the towers and the breadth of
the bridge making one almost forget that
it is the cables which are doingthe work:
The bridge is as solid as turnpike road
in the middle of the country; it neither
rattles nor trembles, and however .nerv-
Gus one is stepping over it at first, he
soon feels secure and feasts his eyes on
the ever-opening panoramas. Though |
crossed in a rather raw March day, I
hardly observed the wind. The bridge
was full of carpenters. painters, bolt
drivers, end understand that the roll
ing stock for the cable railroad is fin
ished.