1883 : Brooklyn Bridge opens
After 14 years and 27 deaths while being constructed, the Brooklyn
Bridge over the East River is opened, connecting the great cities of
New York and Brooklyn for the first time in history. Thousands of
residents of Brooklyn and Manhattan Island turned out to witness the
dedication ceremony, which was presided over by President Chester A.
Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland. Designed by the late
John A. Roebling, the Brooklyn Bridge was the largest suspension
bridge ever built to that date.
John Roebling, born in Germany in 1806, was a great pioneer in the
design of steel suspension bridges. He studied industrial engineering
in Berlin and at the age of 25 immigrated to western Pennsylvania,
where he attempted, unsuccessfully, to make his living as a farmer. He
later moved to the state capital in Harrisburg, where he found work as
a civil engineer. He promoted the use of wire cable and established a
successful wire-cable factory.
Meanwhile, he earned a reputation as a designer of suspension bridges,
which at the time were widely used but known to fail under strong
winds or heavy loads. Roebling is credited with a major breakthrough
in suspension-bridge technology: a web truss added to either side of
the bridge roadway that greatly stabilized the structure. Using this
model, Roebling successfully bridged the Niagara Gorge at Niagara
Falls, New York, and the Ohio River at Cincinnati, Ohio. On the basis
of these achievements, New York State accepted Roebling's design for a
bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan--with a span of 1,595
feet--and appointed him chief engineer. It was to be the world's first
steel suspension bridge.
Just before construction began in 1869, Roebling was fatally injured
while taking a few final compass readings across the East River. A
boat smashed the toes on one of his feet, and three weeks later he
died of tetanus. He was the first of more than two dozen people who
would die building his bridge. His 32-year-old son, Washington A.
Roebling, took over as chief engineer. Roebling had worked with his
father on several bridges and had helped design the Brooklyn Bridge.
The two granite foundations of the Brooklyn Bridge were built in
timber caissons, or watertight chambers, sunk to depths of 44 feet on
the Brooklyn side and 78 feet on the New York side. Compressed air
pressurized the caissons, allowing underwater construction. At that
time, little was known of the risks of working under such conditions,
and more than a hundred workers suffered from cases of compression
sickness. Compression sickness, or the "bends," is caused by the
appearance of nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream that result from
rapid decompression. Several died, and Washington Roebling himself
became bedridden from the condition in 1872. Other workers died as a
result of more conventional construction accidents, such as collapses
and a fire.
Roebling continued to direct construction operations from his home,
and his wife, Emily, carried his instructions to the workers. In 1877,
Washington and Emily moved into a home with a view of the bridge.
Roebling's health gradually improved, but he remained partially
paralyzed for the rest of his life. On May 24, 1883, Emily Roebling
was given the first ride over the completed bridge, with a rooster, a
symbol of victory, in her lap. Within 24 hours, an estimated 250,000
people walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, using a broad promenade
above the roadway that John Roebling designed solely for the enjoyment
of pedestrians.
The Brooklyn Bridge, with its unprecedented length and two stately
towers, was dubbed the "eighth wonder of the world." The connection it
provided between the massive population centers of Brooklyn and
Manhattan changed the course of New York City forever. In 1898, the
city of Brooklyn formally merged with New York City, Staten Island,
and a few farm towns, forming Greater New York.
history.com/tdih.do
1543 : Copernicus dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5030
After 14 years and 27 deaths while being constructed, the Brooklyn
Bridge over the East River is opened, connecting the great cities of
New York and Brooklyn for the first time in history. Thousands of
residents of Brooklyn and Manhattan Island turned out to witness the
dedication ceremony, which was presided over by President Chester A.
Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland. Designed by the late
John A. Roebling, the Brooklyn Bridge was the largest suspension
bridge ever built to that date.
John Roebling, born in Germany in 1806, was a great pioneer in the
design of steel suspension bridges. He studied industrial engineering
in Berlin and at the age of 25 immigrated to western Pennsylvania,
where he attempted, unsuccessfully, to make his living as a farmer. He
later moved to the state capital in Harrisburg, where he found work as
a civil engineer. He promoted the use of wire cable and established a
successful wire-cable factory.
Meanwhile, he earned a reputation as a designer of suspension bridges,
which at the time were widely used but known to fail under strong
winds or heavy loads. Roebling is credited with a major breakthrough
in suspension-bridge technology: a web truss added to either side of
the bridge roadway that greatly stabilized the structure. Using this
model, Roebling successfully bridged the Niagara Gorge at Niagara
Falls, New York, and the Ohio River at Cincinnati, Ohio. On the basis
of these achievements, New York State accepted Roebling's design for a
bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan--with a span of 1,595
feet--and appointed him chief engineer. It was to be the world's first
steel suspension bridge.
Just before construction began in 1869, Roebling was fatally injured
while taking a few final compass readings across the East River. A
boat smashed the toes on one of his feet, and three weeks later he
died of tetanus. He was the first of more than two dozen people who
would die building his bridge. His 32-year-old son, Washington A.
Roebling, took over as chief engineer. Roebling had worked with his
father on several bridges and had helped design the Brooklyn Bridge.
The two granite foundations of the Brooklyn Bridge were built in
timber caissons, or watertight chambers, sunk to depths of 44 feet on
the Brooklyn side and 78 feet on the New York side. Compressed air
pressurized the caissons, allowing underwater construction. At that
time, little was known of the risks of working under such conditions,
and more than a hundred workers suffered from cases of compression
sickness. Compression sickness, or the "bends," is caused by the
appearance of nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream that result from
rapid decompression. Several died, and Washington Roebling himself
became bedridden from the condition in 1872. Other workers died as a
result of more conventional construction accidents, such as collapses
and a fire.
Roebling continued to direct construction operations from his home,
and his wife, Emily, carried his instructions to the workers. In 1877,
Washington and Emily moved into a home with a view of the bridge.
Roebling's health gradually improved, but he remained partially
paralyzed for the rest of his life. On May 24, 1883, Emily Roebling
was given the first ride over the completed bridge, with a rooster, a
symbol of victory, in her lap. Within 24 hours, an estimated 250,000
people walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, using a broad promenade
above the roadway that John Roebling designed solely for the enjoyment
of pedestrians.
The Brooklyn Bridge, with its unprecedented length and two stately
towers, was dubbed the "eighth wonder of the world." The connection it
provided between the massive population centers of Brooklyn and
Manhattan changed the course of New York City forever. In 1898, the
city of Brooklyn formally merged with New York City, Staten Island,
and a few farm towns, forming Greater New York.
history.com/tdih.do
1543 : Copernicus dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5030
1844 : What hath God wrought?
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5031
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