Brooklyn Bridge Essay

The Brooklyn Bridge

Over the East River in New York City stands the Brooklyn Bridge, connecting the Brooklyn and Manhattan boroughs. From end to end, the bridge spans 6,016 feet and weighs a heavy 14,680 tons. Ever since construction on the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, the bridge has offered a safe route with scenic views to tens of thousands of tourists and commuters who have traveled it via train, car, pushcart, and bicycle. The history behind the Brooklyn Bridge is definitely intriguing as well as important because many fatalities occurred in the construction process, including one which occurred before construction on the bridge even started. Also, a lot of workers, time and money were used in building the bridge. In addition,

After Roebling’s success in bridging the Niagara Gorge using a web truss for stabilization, New York legislators granted Roebling permission to construct the world’s first steel suspension bridge, which would connect Manhattan and Brooklyn. Unfortunately, however, Roebling did not get to see his idea come to fruition. While taking final compass readings, some of Roebling's toes were smashed by a boat, leading to his contracting tetanus, from which he died three weeks later. After John Augustus Roebling's death, his son, Washington A. Roebling, who had collaborated with his father on many projects and had helped design the Brooklyn Bridge, took the project into his own hands, becoming “Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge”.

The

For example, a blast of compressed air ruined a caisson, which slowed the process of building the bridge. Construction was also delayed by a weeks-long fire in one of the caissons. In addition, a cable became detached from its anchorage and fell into the East River, and there was a fraud involving a steel-wire contractor that required tons of cable to be