Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-06-06
BRIDGE BUILDING.
Work in Md-Air That Calls for Extra
ordinary Courage and Goodness.

entitled The Bridge-Builder.
AS | went time and again TO the
great East river bridge (the new one
whose huge steel towers were draw
ing to full height in the last months
of the century, found myself under
a growing impression that here at last
was a business with not only danger
in it, but fear of danger. Divers and
steeple-climbers | had seen who pro-
nounced their work perfectly safe
Though l knew better, and balloon
lists of the same mind about perils Of
the air; there were none, trey declar-
ed, although | had list of deaths to
prove the contrary And SO on with
others. But here on the bridge were
men who showed by little things (and
sometimes admitted) that they were
afraid of the black-ribbed monster.
And it seemed to me that these were
men with the best kind of grit in
them, for although they were afraid
of the bridge, they were not afraid of
their fear, and they stuck to their job
week after week, month after month,
facing the same old peril until-well--
came upon this fear of the bridge
the very first time l sought leave to
go upon the unfinished structure. 1t
was in little shanty of an Office on
the Brooklyn side, where, after some
talk, suggested to an assistant en-
gineer, bent over his plans, that
would like to take a picture or two
from the top of the tower That SEEM
ed a simple enough thing.
Think you can keep your head up
there?" said he, with sharp look.
1 told him | had climbed to a
steeple-top.
Yes. But you were dashed fast
then in a swing, and had rope to hold
on to. Here you've got to climb up by
yourself without anything to hold on
to, and it's twice as high as the aver
age steeple. The saddles are three
hundred and forty feet above the
river"
"Saddles?" queried.
That's what we call 'em. They're
beds of steel on top of the towers for
the cables to rest on-nice little beds
weighing thirty-six tons each"
"Oh!" said l. How do you get
them up?"
Swing 'em up with steam-derricks
and cables. Guess you wouldn't care
for that job, hanging out on one O.
those booms by your eye-lashes." He
smiled.
Perhaps not" admitted. But I'd
like to watch it."
He said l must see somebody with
more authority and turned to his
plans. He was busy.
you don't feel in danger yourself,
do you," | persisted, when you 90
up?"
Don't, eh?' he answered. well, /
nearly got cut in two the other day by
a plate-washer. 1t fell over a hundred
feet, and went two inches slam into
piece of timber l was standing on"
Then he explained what havoc small
piece of iron-some stray bolt or ham,
mer can work after long drop.
THE plate-washer," said he,
weighed only two pounds and half
when il began TO fall; but it weighed
as much as you do when it struck
and you're fair size"
is that true?-I mean, statement
based on calculation" said |, cor is it
a joker"
Its based on the laws of gravita-
.ion," he answered, "and it's no joke
for the man who gets hit. Say, why
don't you go down in the yard and
ook around a little?"
| told him l would, and presently
went down into the yard, a noisy, con-
,using place, where the wind was
1umming through forest of scaffold-
ng that held the bare black roadway
skeleton a hundred feet overhead. II |
vas long street of iron resting on a |
ong street of wood, with timber and |
steel built up in KS on KS, the whole !
Using in an easy slant to yonder grim |
over that doomed heavy and ugly !
against the sky, huge bow-legged H, |
With the upper half stretched to a |
great length. and each leg piled up
With more black KS held by two
enormous ones between. 1t looked |
or all the world as if it had come |
'eady made in a box and had been |
ointed together like childrens blocks. |
which is about the truth, for this
yreat bridge was finished on paper. |
hen in all its parts, before ever a
,eam of it saw the East River. AS |
lTew near its feet (Which could take
| row Of houses between heel and
oe) had the illusion, due to bigness
md height, that the whole tower was
ocking towards me under the hurry.
ng clouds; and at first | did not see
he workmen swarming over it. they
we're so tiny.
But they were making noise enough
hese workmen. with their striking
nd hoisting and shouting. There
vas the ring of hammers the chunk.
hunk of engines. the hiss of steam
he mellow sound of planks falling on
'lanks, and the angry clash of metal
'resenty, far up the sides of the
over, | made out painters dangling
N scafolding or crawling out on GRID.
RS busy with scrapers and brushes.
IND higher still l saw the glow of red
ot iron' where the riveters were
gOrEinP And at tbo $780, /