Happy ending to a difficult pregnancy!
Construction began in 1869, after years of debate and proposals for alternatives, especially in terms of subterranean tunnels. It took 14 difficult years to build the Brooklyn Bridge. John Roebling, the engineer who had conceived the project, died of tetanus following an unfortunate accident soon after construction started. A major fire in the foundation work under the water set back the schedule by a long way. Washington Roebling, who inherited the engineering business of his father, was bed-ridden for much of the construction phase, because he arose to the surface too quickly from one of the foundation beds under the water. Workers died because a contractor supplied inferior grade material in a bid to cut corners. There were other deaths because 19th century safety practices were poor and to some extent, due to rank bad luck. Though some 30 people lost their lives in making the Brooklyn Bridge, and though immigrant labor had to work in sub-human and risky conditions for negligible pay, the engineering involved some bold initiatives and pioneering methods worthy of much technical credit. Dynamite was used for the first time to dig foundations for the bridge as quickly as possible. Steel replaced iron for the first time, as cable ropes. The 135 foot mid-span height, designed to allow passage for the tallest ships of the time, was to become the standard for other bridges that followed. The design incorporated the latest technology of that age to withstand challenging winds, and to provide passage to pedestrians, horses, carriages and the heaviest trains built in the 19th century. The interdependence between Brooklyn and Manhattan has roots as deep as transition of both areas from agriculture to modern urban centers of industry, commerce and residence as well. It was but natural that immense pressure would mount for an adequate and speedy link between the 2 giants. The moody tides of the East River and the volume of traffic that has always used it everyday would be difficult obstacles even today: they seemed factitious and almost insurmountable 150 years ago. The Brooklyn Bridge, for all the controversy and tragedy that it provoked before it was ready for use, greeted the 20th century as a powerful symbol of American enterprise and power, and remains so at least in token manner to this day. Our generation and the ones to come will remain in debt to the Roebling family, their compatriots and the unsung heroes who labored to give the plans on paper concrete shape.
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Almost 150 thousand vehicles use the Brooklyn Bridge everyday. Its distinctive design and massive proportions are as much a wonder for onlookers as its real utility. It is difficult to think of modern New York without the Brooklyn Bridge. It is difficult to imagine the enormous stresses the concept of the bridge and its construction actually caused, as one takes in today’s scene of its worth to the community. Like the birth of a genius child to a lady of weak constitution and poor mental health, the pain and effort of waiting for birth and delivery have been worthwhile!