Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-05-08
BRIDGE BUILDING.
Work In Mid-AIr that Calls for Cour-
age and Goodness.

Work In Mid-Air that Calls for Cour-
age and Goodness.
As went time and again to the great
East River Bridge (the new one whose
huge steel towers were drawing to full
height in the last months OF the century,
found myself under growing impress
sion that here at last was business with
not only danger in 1t, but fear OF danger.
Divers and steeple-climbers ] had seen
who pronounced their work perfectly
safe (thougi. knew better), ard balloon
lists OF the same mind about perils OF the
air; there were none, they declared, al
though / 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
sdmitted) 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 stuck TO their
lob week after week, month after month
facing the same old peril until-well-
came upon this fear of the bridge the
very first time sought leave to go upon
little shanty of an Office on the Brooklyn
side, where, after some talk, suggested
to an assistant engineer, bent over his
plans, that would like to take picture
or two from the top of the tower. That
seemed simple enough thing.
"Think you can keep your head up
there7" said he, with sharp look.
told him had climbed to steeple-
top.
a swing, and had a 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 average 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 thir-
ty-six tons EACH"
"Oh!" said 1. Chow do you get them
up?n
''Swing 'em up with steam-d erricks and
cables. Guess you wouldn't care for that
lob, hanging out on one o. those booms
by your elias hes."' He smiled.
"Perhaps not" L admitted. "But ia
like to watch it,
He said l must see somebody with more
authority, and turned to bis plans. He
was busy.
"You don't feel in danger yourself, do
you," persisted, "when you go upt"
Don't, eh? he answered. "Well, l
nearly got cut in two the other day by a
plate washer. 1t fell over a hundred
| feet, and went within two inches slam
| into piece of timber | was standing on"
Then he explained what havoc small
piece of iron-some stray bolt or hammer
can work after long drop.
"The plate washer" said he, "weig he'd
| only two pounds and half when 1t
| began to fall; but it weighed as much
| as you do when it strickland your fair
| size"
lis that true?-I mean, a statement
| based on calculation" said l, "or is 1t a
| joker"
.sIt's based on the laws of gravitation,"
he answered, "and it's no joke for the
man who gets hit. Say, why don't you
| go down in the yard and look around a
| little?"
| told him would, and presently went
| down into the yard, noisy, confusing
place, where the wind was humming
through a forest of scaffolding that held
the bare, black, roadway skeleton hum
| bred feet overhead. 1t was long street
of iron, resting on long street OF wood,
with timber and steel built up in KS on
| KS, the whole rising in an easy slant to
yonder grim tower that doomed heavy
! and ugly against the sky, a huge bow
legged II, with the upper half stretched
| to great length, and each leg piled up
with more black KS held by two enor-
nous ones between. 1t looked for all the
| world as il it had come ready made in a
box and had been jointed together like
| children's blocks, which is about the
| truth, for this great bridge was finished
on paper, then in all its parts, before
ever beam of it saw the East river. AS
| drew near its feet (Which could take a
row OF houses between heel and toe) l
had the Illusion, due to bigness and
height, that the whole tower was rocking
towards me under the hurrying clouds
and at first | did not see the workmen
| swarming over IL they we're 50 tiny.
But they were making noise enough,
| these workmen, with their striking and
hosting and shouting. There were the
ring of hammers, tue chunk chunk OF
engines, the hiss OF steam, the mellow
sound of panks falling on pianks, and
the angry clash of metal. Presently, far
uo.the sides of the tower, / made out
painters dangling on scsffoiding or crawl.
| ing out on girders, busy with scrapers
aud brushes. And higher still L saw tie
glow of red hot iron, where the rlveters
were working. And at the very top
watched black dots of men swing out
over the gulf on the monster derrick
booms, or haul on the guiding lines.
| And from time to time the signal bell
| would send its impatient call TO the
throttle man below, six strokes, four
strokes, one stroke, telling him what to
do with his engine, and to do 1t quick
| Cleueland Mofet, in st. Nicholas.
Advice about Letter Writing.