This Day in History

 

On this day in 1883, after 14 years of construction, the Brooklyn Bridge was opened to the public.

Designed by John Roebling, it was the largest suspension bridge built at the time.

He was born in Germany in 1806, and was a pioneer in the design of steel suspension bridges.  After immigrating to Pennsylvania at the age of 25, he eventually found work as a civil engineer and established a successful wire-cable factory.

His major technological breakthrough was a web truss added to either side of the roadway which greatly stabilized the structure.  Before Brooklyn, he bridged the Niagara Gorge and the Ohio River.

Roebling was not able to see his work completed.  Before construction began, he was taking a few final compass readings of the East River when a boat smashed his toes.  Three weeks later he died of tetanus.  His son Washington had assisted in the design and took over as Chief Engineer.

He was among more than 100 workers who suffered from compression sickness, or "the bends."  Although his health improved, he remained partially paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Within 24 hours of opening, more than 250,000 people walked across the promenade, which Roebling designed solely for the enjoyment of pedestrians.

We didn't walk it, but I got to see the bridge (with the Manhattan Bridge behind it) from around the Wall Street area of NYC.

History