Building the Brooklyn bridge
SANTINI GOVINDAN
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What is the story behind the spectacular Bridge?
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ROEBLING'S DREAM: The Brooklyn Bridge.
Tourists to New York marvel at the beautiful, single span, 1600 feet long Brooklyn Bridge, which connects Manhattan to Brooklyn. But few people know the inspiring story behind it. John Roebling, a Prussian engineer who migrated to the U.S. in 1831, designed the bridge. It was his dream to build a great bridge over the East River, connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. He drew up an amazing and revolutionary design for the bridge. The bridge would have two 300 feet tall towers, dominating the skyline. The towers would have sunken foundations supported by two thick steel cables that would be spun in place, strand by strand, across the river.
His plan was approved, but three days before construction was due to begin in July 1869, his foot was badly crushed and within two weeks, he died of tetanus.
John's son, Washington immediately took over but luck was not with him either. He designed special revolutionary pneumatic `caissons', to sink foundations into the riverbed. The caissons were enormous, airtight, wooden mining chambers, filled with compressed air. Granite blocks were laid on top of them, to push them down the mineshafts. Inside the caissons, labourers dug away. Washington supervised the work in the caissons, but soon was struck by decompression sickness. The illness totally disabled him and he was no longer able to come to work.
By this time, the construction of the bridge had become highly controversial. Most people considered it both politically and financially ruinous.
Emily steps in
Washington's wife Emily stepped in. She developed a code of communication with him. She placed his bed by a window where he could see the Bridge coming up. She carefully read everything she could about building bridges, and studied the detailed blueprints of the bridge. On May 4, 1883, President Chester A. Arthur presided over a grand celebration as the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge was opened. Emily Roebling was the first person to cross the bridge.
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