Brooklyn Bridge Research Paper
The Brooklyn Bridge After the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883, it was known as the longest bridge in the world during that time period. The bridge is also defined as the first bridge to have been built with steel wires. In addition, The Brooklyn Bridge is included among the most elegant inventions of humankind and the best architectural achievement of its period. The history of the Brooklyn Bridge is a classic written by the strength and forfeit of two brilliant engineers, John A. Roebling and son Washington Roebling.
The Brooklyn Bridge was designed by John A. Roebling in 1869, and was finished in 1883. In 1855, John Roebling, who was an owner of a wire-rope company and a well known bridge designer, proposed a postponement of …show more content…
the Brooklyn Bridge after he became irritated by the “Atlantic Avenue Fulton Street Ferry”. A ferry which transportation that transported passengers between Brooklyn and Manhattan. According to an article titled ‘Brooklyn Bridge History”, written by John S. Babbitt, John A. Roebling was a born in Germany in 1806, during the middle of the revolution and transformation. After feeling unhappy with farming in Germany, he moved to the United States in search of a better life. However, before migrating to the U.S., John Roebling received his degree in engineering at the Civil engineering Royal polytechnic institute of Berlin in 1826. Taking that into consideration, his shift from a farmer to a leading big suspension bridge builder was not a surprise to people of his time. John A. Roebling illustrated each elements of the bridge; Starting with the bridge gigantic stone towers to its four steel wires.
Although the idea of a suspension bridge over the East River was inspired by John A.
Roebling impatience with the Ferry; the idea of a bridge was also due to the concern of crossing between the borough of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan during the early 1800’s. During the planning of the East River crossing, which is where the Brooklyn Bridge is located, the population of Brooklyn was about 400,000 residents which was consider rural instead of urban. However, New York City which only consisted of Manhattan contained two times as much resident than Brooklyn. That being considered, the construction of the bridge was viewed as resolutions to minimize the population in Manhattan at the same time encourage development in Brooklyn. Meaning, when the bridge is complete, it would allow people and merchandises to travel across the East River swiftly, in spite of weather …show more content…
conditions. Before John A.
Roebling could transform his design into reality, he had to meet with the governments of New York and Brooklyn. He met with several officials prior to building the bridge. He met with William C. Kingsley who was then a Brooklyn business man, and had a political association. Due to Kingsley‘s enthusiasm about the project, he included the support of Henry Murphy who was then the senator and former of New York State. Next, Henry Murphy sent a bill to the New York State Legislature that would permit a private corporation to construct a bridge that would attach Manhattan and Brooklyn. In 1867, taking into account that Brooklyn was going to gain the most from the bridge, it provided $ 3 million, while the city of New York offered $1.5
million. Couple of year later in June 1869, the New York City commission and the Army Corps of Engineers permitted John A. Roebling’s plan for the bridge. In late June, while exploring locations for the (Brooklyn Tower) one of the tower that would be across the river on the Brooklyn side. Roebling’s foot was compressed on a dock by a ferry that was coming in. Due to the severity of the injury, John Roebling died of tetanus. After John A. Roebling’s death, his son Washington Roebling took over as head engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn bridge construction started on January 3 1870 and was opened to traffic on May 24, 1883. Between 1873 and 1877, the young Washington led his workers to raise the two towers on each end on the bridge. The 276ft neo-Gothic granite towers, which included two arched gateways, were put up to accomplish three things. To resist strong winds, offer support for rail lines, and support the weights of four massive cables. The towers of the bridge are supported by foundations built from under water caisson excavations. The engineers applied extensive use of steel cables, and the bridge’s main span is 1,595 feet, 6 inches in length. The length of the side spans are 930feet in length. The spans were to be detained between the towers by four enormous cables, the two external and the other two close to the middle of the bridge floor. Each cable wires wee about 15 inches in diameter and they were to hang over the river in what engineers refer to as “catenary curve”. Then, each cable was to connect with the river span and the middle of the span. The distance or length from one anchorage to the other is 3,455feet and 6 inches. In addition, the overall length of the bridge and its approaches exceeded to 6,016 feet. The thickness of the bridge is 85feet and contains six traffic lanes. The bridge also holds 4 cables, each of the four enormous cables are about 3,578 feet, 6 inches long, with the diameter of 15. 75. Each of the four cables contains 5,434 wires each. The total length of each of the wires that makes up the cable, are 14,060 in distance. The heights of both towers are 276 feet and 6 inches in high water, and the overall granite in the towers exceeds 85,159 cubic yards. The total weight of the Brooklyn Bridge is 14,680 tons and the total cost of the original construction was $15,100,000.
Farrington McCullough who was a master mechanic during the construction of the bridge testifies that the towers dwarf everything in sight. In this article McCullough also testified to the various conditions that he and other workers experienced during the construction of the bridge. The following quote is by Farrington McCullough one of the master mechanics: “Inside the caisson everything wore an unreal, weird appearance. There was a confused sensation in the head, like “the rush of many waters.” The pulse was at first accelerated, then sometimes fell below the normal rate. The voice sounded faint unnatural, and it became a great effort to speak. What with the flaming lights, the deep shadows, the confusing noise of hammers, drills and chains, the half-naked forms flitting about, if of a poetic temperament, get a realizing sense of Dante’s inferno. One thing to me was noticeable – time passed quickly in the caisson.”
Yet, the conditions of the process were depressing. According to an article titled “Brooklyn Bridge Historic Review”, majority of the people who worked on the Brooklyn Bridge were immigrant workers. Many of them worked in the foundations and were being paid $2.25 per day to labor in dangerous conditions. Most of the areas lacked electricity, telephones, as well as other convinces. Fires and explosions in the underwater chamber contained diseases. In addition, the changes in air pressure affected the workers nitrogen level in the bloodstream. The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge took the lives of twenty men and at the end had Washington Roebling paralyzed. Yet, after his injury his wife Emily was able to lead the construction of the ridge from their Brooklyn home. She was able to take on the role of her husband because she also studied high level math and bridge engineering. With her knowledge in engineering, she made daily visit to the bridge to supervise Washington’s engineering staffs and builders.
John A. Roebling, the designer and proposer of the Brooklyn Bridge is distinctive among bridge builders. He became a unique bridge builder because none of his constructions had gone out of service or blown in the wind like other builders. The Brooklyn Bridge was the longest bridge in the whole world at its completion. After the bridge was completed, it was ranked one of the greatest innovations of humankind. The Brooklyn Bridge was the first to be built with the use of steel wire. The bridge was designed by John A. Roebling, and after his death his son Washington Roebling led team of brilliant engineers who helped him make his father’s dream a reality.
The Brooklyn Bridge was designed by John A. Roebling in 1869, and was finished in 1883. In 1855, John Roebling, who was an owner of a wire-rope company and a well known bridge designer, proposed a postponement of …show more content…
the Brooklyn Bridge after he became irritated by the “Atlantic Avenue Fulton Street Ferry”. A ferry which transportation that transported passengers between Brooklyn and Manhattan. According to an article titled ‘Brooklyn Bridge History”, written by John S. Babbitt, John A. Roebling was a born in Germany in 1806, during the middle of the revolution and transformation. After feeling unhappy with farming in Germany, he moved to the United States in search of a better life. However, before migrating to the U.S., John Roebling received his degree in engineering at the Civil engineering Royal polytechnic institute of Berlin in 1826. Taking that into consideration, his shift from a farmer to a leading big suspension bridge builder was not a surprise to people of his time. John A. Roebling illustrated each elements of the bridge; Starting with the bridge gigantic stone towers to its four steel wires.
Although the idea of a suspension bridge over the East River was inspired by John A.
Roebling impatience with the Ferry; the idea of a bridge was also due to the concern of crossing between the borough of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan during the early 1800’s. During the planning of the East River crossing, which is where the Brooklyn Bridge is located, the population of Brooklyn was about 400,000 residents which was consider rural instead of urban. However, New York City which only consisted of Manhattan contained two times as much resident than Brooklyn. That being considered, the construction of the bridge was viewed as resolutions to minimize the population in Manhattan at the same time encourage development in Brooklyn. Meaning, when the bridge is complete, it would allow people and merchandises to travel across the East River swiftly, in spite of weather …show more content…
conditions. Before John A.
Roebling could transform his design into reality, he had to meet with the governments of New York and Brooklyn. He met with several officials prior to building the bridge. He met with William C. Kingsley who was then a Brooklyn business man, and had a political association. Due to Kingsley‘s enthusiasm about the project, he included the support of Henry Murphy who was then the senator and former of New York State. Next, Henry Murphy sent a bill to the New York State Legislature that would permit a private corporation to construct a bridge that would attach Manhattan and Brooklyn. In 1867, taking into account that Brooklyn was going to gain the most from the bridge, it provided $ 3 million, while the city of New York offered $1.5
million. Couple of year later in June 1869, the New York City commission and the Army Corps of Engineers permitted John A. Roebling’s plan for the bridge. In late June, while exploring locations for the (Brooklyn Tower) one of the tower that would be across the river on the Brooklyn side. Roebling’s foot was compressed on a dock by a ferry that was coming in. Due to the severity of the injury, John Roebling died of tetanus. After John A. Roebling’s death, his son Washington Roebling took over as head engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn bridge construction started on January 3 1870 and was opened to traffic on May 24, 1883. Between 1873 and 1877, the young Washington led his workers to raise the two towers on each end on the bridge. The 276ft neo-Gothic granite towers, which included two arched gateways, were put up to accomplish three things. To resist strong winds, offer support for rail lines, and support the weights of four massive cables. The towers of the bridge are supported by foundations built from under water caisson excavations. The engineers applied extensive use of steel cables, and the bridge’s main span is 1,595 feet, 6 inches in length. The length of the side spans are 930feet in length. The spans were to be detained between the towers by four enormous cables, the two external and the other two close to the middle of the bridge floor. Each cable wires wee about 15 inches in diameter and they were to hang over the river in what engineers refer to as “catenary curve”. Then, each cable was to connect with the river span and the middle of the span. The distance or length from one anchorage to the other is 3,455feet and 6 inches. In addition, the overall length of the bridge and its approaches exceeded to 6,016 feet. The thickness of the bridge is 85feet and contains six traffic lanes. The bridge also holds 4 cables, each of the four enormous cables are about 3,578 feet, 6 inches long, with the diameter of 15. 75. Each of the four cables contains 5,434 wires each. The total length of each of the wires that makes up the cable, are 14,060 in distance. The heights of both towers are 276 feet and 6 inches in high water, and the overall granite in the towers exceeds 85,159 cubic yards. The total weight of the Brooklyn Bridge is 14,680 tons and the total cost of the original construction was $15,100,000.
Farrington McCullough who was a master mechanic during the construction of the bridge testifies that the towers dwarf everything in sight. In this article McCullough also testified to the various conditions that he and other workers experienced during the construction of the bridge. The following quote is by Farrington McCullough one of the master mechanics: “Inside the caisson everything wore an unreal, weird appearance. There was a confused sensation in the head, like “the rush of many waters.” The pulse was at first accelerated, then sometimes fell below the normal rate. The voice sounded faint unnatural, and it became a great effort to speak. What with the flaming lights, the deep shadows, the confusing noise of hammers, drills and chains, the half-naked forms flitting about, if of a poetic temperament, get a realizing sense of Dante’s inferno. One thing to me was noticeable – time passed quickly in the caisson.”
Yet, the conditions of the process were depressing. According to an article titled “Brooklyn Bridge Historic Review”, majority of the people who worked on the Brooklyn Bridge were immigrant workers. Many of them worked in the foundations and were being paid $2.25 per day to labor in dangerous conditions. Most of the areas lacked electricity, telephones, as well as other convinces. Fires and explosions in the underwater chamber contained diseases. In addition, the changes in air pressure affected the workers nitrogen level in the bloodstream. The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge took the lives of twenty men and at the end had Washington Roebling paralyzed. Yet, after his injury his wife Emily was able to lead the construction of the ridge from their Brooklyn home. She was able to take on the role of her husband because she also studied high level math and bridge engineering. With her knowledge in engineering, she made daily visit to the bridge to supervise Washington’s engineering staffs and builders.
John A. Roebling, the designer and proposer of the Brooklyn Bridge is distinctive among bridge builders. He became a unique bridge builder because none of his constructions had gone out of service or blown in the wind like other builders. The Brooklyn Bridge was the longest bridge in the whole world at its completion. After the bridge was completed, it was ranked one of the greatest innovations of humankind. The Brooklyn Bridge was the first to be built with the use of steel wire. The bridge was designed by John A. Roebling, and after his death his son Washington Roebling led team of brilliant engineers who helped him make his father’s dream a reality.