What was the main problem with building the Brooklyn Bridge?
Building the Brooklyn Bridge was a very dangerous endeavor. Workers had to excavate deep down into the riverbed in order to achieve a solid foundation for the bridge. To do this they pinned down massive wooden boxes called caissons to the river’s floor using enormous granite blocks.
What materials used to build the Brooklyn Bridge?
The Brooklyn Bridge is a roadway that connected Manhattan and Brooklyn before they became greater New York. It is made out of steel and granite and timber because they are strong stable building materials. The timber was only used for the caissons. The granite was used in caissons, anchorages, and the towers while the steel was used for the web ...
What makes the Brooklyn Bridge unique?
Throughout the Brooklyn Bridge history it's held world records as the longest suspension bridge in the world as well as the largest structure in the Western Hemisphere. Numerous historical events both joyful and sad have taken place on it.
Is Brooklyn Bridge is an important landmark?
Since its opening in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge has been an essential landmark of New York City. It is considered one of the most important engineering achievements of the 19th century. The story of how the Brooklyn Bridge was built is interesting, yet tragic in some ways.
Is the Brooklyn Bridge made of steel?
The Brooklyn Bridge looms majestically over New York City's East River, linking the two boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Since 1883, its granite towers and steel cables have offered a safe and scenic passage to millions of commuters and tourists, trains and bicycles, pushcarts and cars.
Is the Brooklyn Bridge made of iron?
Once the towers were completed by 1876, work began on the steel cables. The handful of suspension bridges that had been constructed up to that point used wire ropes made from iron. But the Brooklyn Bridge employed steel, which was much stronger in tension and eventually became the standard for bridges.
What metal was used for the Brooklyn Bridge?
Iron was used for the main building material while crucible-cast steel made it stronger. The durability of the Brooklyn Bridge is truly a testament to the power of steel.
Is the Brooklyn Bridge made of wood?
The Brooklyn Bridge, spanning nearly a mile and weighing over 29,400 tons, is suspended on two great limestone and granite towers. Each tower rises more than 320 degrees from the bed of the river and rests directly on a caisson constructed entirely of heart pine.
Why is the Brooklyn Bridge so strong?
Perhaps the greatest innovation dictated by John Roebling was the use of steel in the construction of the bridge. Earlier suspension bridges had been built of iron, but steel would make the Brooklyn Bridge much stronger.
Why was steel used for the Brooklyn Bridge?
With a total cable length of 32,500 kilometers, the cable amazingly used over 6.8 million pounds (2300 tonnes) of steel wires. The cables were galvanized to ensure that the rain and salty water of the East River protected the bridge from rusting. The decision to use hot-dip galvanized steel was extremely smart.
How long will Brooklyn Bridge last?
Clean the steel regularly to get the highly corrosive salt and bird dung off it and coat it with paint. As one of the greatest bridge engineers of the 20th century, Blair Birdsall said, "The Brooklyn Bridge will last for 1,000 years if we are smart enough to maintain it properly."
How strong is the Brooklyn Bridge?
The Strength of the City The bridge's cables are a testament to that strength. There are over 14,000 miles of wire in the Brooklyn Bridge. You'll find 19 strands in each cable, and 278 wires in each strand. Altogether, they can hold the combined total of 21,000,000 pounds.
How much steel is in the Brooklyn Bridge?
The four steel cables, which could each hold 11,200 tons, connect the anchorages with the Manhattan and Brooklyn towers, where the cables pass over saddles within the towers. Each main cable, which has a diameter of 15¾ inches, is comprised of 19 strands containing a total of 5,434 steel wires.
What are 5 facts about the Brooklyn Bridge?
Brooklyn Bridge FactsThe Bridge Was Built Thanks to Generous Bribes. ... It Wasn't Always Called the Brooklyn Bridge. ... Roebling Never Saw His Completed Vision. ... Bad Luck for the Roeblings. ... The Brooklyn Bridge and Female Power. ... The Bridge Doubled as a Wine Cooler. ... Fallout Shelter. ... The Old George Washington House.More items...
How did they build the Brooklyn Bridge underwater?
As the stone towers were built on top of the caissons, the men beneath, dubbed "sand hogs," kept digging ever deeper. Eventually, they reached solid bedrock, the digging stopped, and the caissons were filled with concrete, thus becoming the foundation for the bridge. Today the Brooklyn caisson sits 44 feet below water.
How old is the Brooklyn Bridge now?
153Brooklyn Bridge / Age (c. 1869-1883)
What bridge is made of iron?
The Iron Bridge is a cast iron arch bridge that crosses the River Severn in Shropshire, England. Opened in 1781, it was the first major bridge in the world to be made of cast iron....The Iron BridgeFabrication byAbraham Darby IIIConstruction startNovember 1777Construction endJuly 1779Opened1 January 178128 more rows
Where was the steel made for the Brooklyn Bridge?
Pittsburgh steelAccording to the Library of Congress Web site (www.americaslibrary.gov), "Pittsburgh steel was used to build some of the most important structures of the modern age: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Panama Canal locks, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Oakland Bay Bridge and the United Nations.
What are 5 facts about the Brooklyn Bridge?
Brooklyn Bridge FactsThe Bridge Was Built Thanks to Generous Bribes. ... It Wasn't Always Called the Brooklyn Bridge. ... Roebling Never Saw His Completed Vision. ... Bad Luck for the Roeblings. ... The Brooklyn Bridge and Female Power. ... The Bridge Doubled as a Wine Cooler. ... Fallout Shelter. ... The Old George Washington House.More items...
How long will Brooklyn Bridge last?
Clean the steel regularly to get the highly corrosive salt and bird dung off it and coat it with paint. As one of the greatest bridge engineers of the 20th century, Blair Birdsall said, "The Brooklyn Bridge will last for 1,000 years if we are smart enough to maintain it properly."
When was the Brooklyn Bridge built?
Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge began on January 2, 1870. The first work entailed the construction of two caissons, upon which the suspension towers would be built. The Brooklyn side's caisson was built at the Webb & Bell shipyard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and was launched into the river on March 19, 1870.
Who designed the Brooklyn Bridge?
Engineers presented various designs, such as chain or link bridges, though these were never built because of the difficulties of constructing a high enough fixed-span bridge across the extremely busy East River. There were also proposals for tunnels under the East River, but these were considered prohibitively expensive. The current Brooklyn Bridge was conceived by German immigrant John Augustus Roebling in 1852. He had previously designed and constructed shorter suspension bridges, such as Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, and the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky.
What caused the swaying of the bridge in 2003?
During the 2003 blackouts, many crossing the bridge reported a swaying motion. The higher-than-usual pedestrian load caused this swaying, which was amplified by the tendency of pedestrians to synchronize their footfalls with a sway. Several engineers expressed concern about how this would affect the bridge, although others noted that the bridge did withstand the event and that the redundancies in its design—the inclusion of the three support systems (suspension system, diagonal stay system, and stiffening truss)—make it "probably the best secured bridge against such movements going out of control". In designing the bridge, John Roebling had stated that the bridge would sag but not fall, even if one of these structural systems were to fail altogether.
Why are the Brooklyn banks closed?
In the mid-2010s, the Brooklyn Banks were closed to the public because the area was being used as a storage site during the bridge's renovation. The skateboarding community has attempted to save the banks on multiple occasions; after the city destroyed the smaller banks in the 2000s, the city government agreed to keep the larger banks for skateboarding. When the NYCDOT removed the bricks from the banks in 2020, skateboarders started an online petition.
How long is the bridge between the two towers?
The main span between the two suspension towers is 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m) long and 85 feet (26 m) wide. The bridge "elongates and contracts between the extremes of temperature from 14 to 16 inches". Navigational clearance is 127 ft (38.7 m) above mean high water (MHW). A 1909 Engineering Magazine article said that, at the center of the span, the height above MHW could fluctuate by more than 9 feet (2.7 m) due to temperature and traffic loads, while more rigid spans had a lower maximum deflection.
How many tons of trusses are there on the Brooklyn Bridge?
The trusses allow the Brooklyn Bridge to hold a total load of 18,700 short tons (16,700 long tons), a design consideration from when it originally carried heavier elevated trains. These trusses are held up by suspender ropes, which hang downward from each of the four main cables.
What color was the Brooklyn Bridge painted?
The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), which maintains the bridge, says that its original paint scheme was "Brooklyn Bridge Tan" and "Silver", although a writer for The New York Post states that it was originally entirely " Rawlins Red ".
When was the Brooklyn Bridge built?
On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River 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. Emily Roebling was given the first ride over the completed bridge, with a rooster, a symbol of victory, in her lap. Within 24 hours, more than 150,000 people walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, using a broad promenade above the roadway that John Roebling designed solely for the enjoyment of pedestrians.
What was the name of the bridge that Roebling built?
Using this model, Roebling successfully bridged the Niagara Gorge at Niagara Falls, New York, and the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1867, on the basis of these achievements, New York legislators approved Roebling’s plan for a suspension bridge over the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn. It would be the very first steel suspension ...
What was Roebling's design for the Niagara Gorge?
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 addressed these problems by combining structural elements from previous bridge designs—including cable arrays and stiffening trusses. Using this model, Roebling successfully bridged the Niagara Gorge at Niagara Falls, New York, and the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio.
How many people walked across the Brooklyn Bridge?
Within 24 hours, more than 150,000 people walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, using a broad promenade above the roadway that John Roebling designed solely for the enjoyment of pedestrians. With its unprecedented length and two stately towers, the Brooklyn Bridge was dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world.”.
How did the Caissons bridge work?
To achieve a solid foundation for the bridge, workers excavated the riverbed in massive wooden boxes called caissons. These airtight chambers were pinned to the river’s floor by enormous granite blocks; pressurized air was pumped in to keep water and debris out.
When did Brooklyn merge with New York City?
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.
Who was the first person to ride the Brooklyn Bridge?
Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland. Emily Roebling was given the first ride over the completed bridge, with a rooster, a symbol of victory, in her lap.
How long did it take to build the Brooklyn Bridge?
Of all the engineering advances in the 1800s, the Brooklyn Bridge stands out as perhaps the most famous and most remarkable. It took more than a decade to build, cost the life of its designer, and was constantly criticized by skeptics who predicted the entire structure was going to collapse into New York's East River.
When did Roebling build the Brooklyn Bridge?
Roebling began dreaming of spanning the East River between New York and Brooklyn (which were then two separate cities) as early as 1857 when he drew designs for enormous towers that would hold the bridge's cables.
When did the Great Bridge open?
When it opened on May 24, 1883, the world took notice and the entire U.S. celebrated. The great bridge, with its majestic stone towers and graceful steel cables, isn't just a beautiful New York City landmark. It's also a very dependable route for many thousands of daily commuters.
Who sold the wire rope to the bridge?
In one famous case, a manufacturer of wire rope sold inferior material to the bridge company. The shady contractor, J. Lloyd Haigh, escaped prosecution. But the bad wire he sold is still in the bridge, as it couldn’t be removed once it was worked into the cables. Washington Roebling compensated for its presence, ensuring the inferior material wouldn’t affect the strength of the bridge.
Who built the suspension bridge?
John Roebling, an immigrant from Germany, did not invent the suspension bridge, but his work building bridges in America made him the most prominent bridge builder in the U.S. in the mid-1800s. His bridges over the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh (completed in 1860) and over the Ohio River at Cincinnati (completed 1867) were considered remarkable achievements.
Why was the idea of bridging the East River impossible?
But the idea was thought to be impossible because of the width of the waterway, which, despite its name, wasn’t really a river. The East River is actually a saltwater estuary, prone to turbulence and tidal conditions.
What material was used to build the Brooklyn Bridge?
Roebling is credited with the genius idea of using twisted steel to build the bridge. Iron was used for the main building material while crucible-cast steel made it stronger. The durability of the Brooklyn Bridge is truly a testament to the power of steel. As structural steel suppliers, we know this to be true. Steel is the best material for construction projects because of its performance.
What is the Brooklyn Bridge?
The Brooklyn Bridge: The World’s First Steel Suspension Bridge. Structural steel is one of the most widely used materials in construction. We see it everywhere — from stadium bleachers to skyscrapers towering over downtown squares. There’s a reason steel makes for great construction material. The strength to weight ratio makes it ...
What are some interesting facts about the Brooklyn Bridge?
25 Interesting Facts about Brooklyn Bridge. 1. The basis for the meme of selling the Brooklyn Bridge to some out-of-town rube has its basis in fact . George C. Parker, a con man who lived from 1860 to 1936, was known for swindling people by selling the Brooklyn Bridge and other property he didn’t own.
Why did the Brooklyn Bridge get built?
An engineer named John Augustus Roebling conceived of the idea of a bridge across the East River to make an easier commute for the working class to travel between Brooklyn and Manhattan. The tactics he used to get the project built included making a big payoff to William “Boss” Tweed to the tune of $65,000 in bribes for Tweed’s political cronies. [3]
Why did they build vaults under the Brooklyn Bridge?
14. Engineers decided to build vaults under the bridge for storing wine at a continuous cool temperature. The granite vaults, cooled by the East River, were 50 feet tall. A. Smith & Company paid $500 per month to rent the vaults on the Brooklyn side while Luyties Brothers, a liquor distributor, paid an astronomical $5,000 per month for the Manhattan-side vaults. [3]
How many cars does the Brooklyn Bridge carry?
The Brooklyn Bridge handles more traffic than the original engineers envisioned, carrying more than 100,000 cars and 4,000 pedestrians each day. That’s quite an increase from the 21 elephants that P.T. Barnum used to showcase the bridge’s stability. [4] 20.
Why did Roebling pay so much for the bridge?
7. Although the bridge was Roebling’s project, he paid a high price because he didn’t live long enough to see his dream come true. In 1869, Roebling crushed his foot in an accident with a ferry, and he later died of tetanus contracted from the injury. [3]
When was the Brooklyn Bridge christened?
At its dedication in 1883, it was christened as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge. Due to the demands of Brooklyn residents, the name was shortened to the Brooklyn Bridge in 1915. [3] 10. You’ve probably heard about canaries testing the oxygen levels in mines, but imagine for a moment using a rooster to test the bridge.
How long is the Brooklyn Bridge?
Reaching 1,595 feet with its main span, the total length of the bridge was 5,985 feet.
When was the Brooklyn Bridge built?
A blueprint for construction of the Brooklyn Bridge detailing the section of caisson intended for part of the foundation of piers, circa February 1870. To construct foundations for the bridge towers, engineers sank a pair of watertight wood-and-steel chambers, called caissons, face down into the East River.
Who designed the Brooklyn Bridge?
German born civil engineer and designer of the Brooklyn Bridge John A. Roebling, circa 1866. Kean Collection/Getty Images. Months before construction even began, the bridge project claimed its first victim—its visionary designer.
How many people died in the 1883 Brooklyn Bridge stampede?
“Within a few minutes there were piles of crushed and bleeding pieces of humanity at the foot of each flight of stairs and the panic-stricken crowd was trampling them to death,” reported the New York Tribune. Twelve people died as a result of the May 31, 1883, stampede on the Brooklyn Bridge.
How long did it take to build the Brooklyn Bridge?
But, as that day’s edition of the Brooklyn Eagle pronounced, “to every human undertaking there seems of necessity to be a dark side.” In the case of the Brooklyn Bridge it was the lives lost during its 14-year construction.
How high were the two bridge towers?
Working at dizzying heights to construct the two bridge towers more than 275 feet above water, several laborers plummeted to their deaths while others were killed by falling stones and granite blocks.
Who was the first assistant engineer on the Brooklyn Bridge?
As first assistant engineer C.C. Martin told the Brooklyn Eagle, “Had we thought so many would have been injured we would have kept a list, but we never imagined any one would be hurt, or that the bridge would have occupied so long a time in building,”
How many people died in the Great Bridge?
In his book The Great Bridge, author David McCullough writes that the construction took the lives of 21 men, most of them immigrants. In his account to the Brooklyn Eagle, Martin detailed the accidental deaths of 27 workers, although master mechanic E.F. Farrington estimated the number could be as high as 40.
Overview
The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It was also the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its opening, with a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m) and a deck 127 ft (38.…
Description
The Brooklyn Bridge, an early example of a steel-wire suspension bridge, uses a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge design, with both vertical and diagonal suspender cables. Its stone towers are neo-Gothic, with characteristic pointed arches. The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), which maintains the bridge, says that its original paint scheme was "Brooklyn Bridge …
History
Proposals for a bridge between the then-separate cities of Brooklyn and New York had been suggested as early as 1800. At the time, the only travel between the two cities was by a number of ferry lines. Engineers presented various designs, such as chain or link bridges, though these were never built because of the difficulties of constructing a high enough fixed-span bridge across the extr…
Usage
Horse-drawn carriages have been allowed to use the Brooklyn Bridge's roadways since its opening. Originally, each of the two roadways carried two lanes of a different direction of traffic. The lanes were relatively narrow at only 8 feet (2.4 m) wide. In 1922, motor vehicles were banned from the bridge, while horse-drawn carriages were restricted from the Manhattan Bridge. Thereafter, …
Notable events
There have been several notable jumpers from the Brooklyn Bridge. The first person was Robert Emmet Odlum, brother of women's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith, on May 19, 1885. He struck the water at an angle and died shortly afterwards from internal injuries. Steve Brodie supposedly dropped from underneath the bridge in July 1886 and was briefly arrested for it, though there is some doubt about whether he actually jumped. Larry Donovan made a slightly hig…
Impact
At the time of construction, contemporaries marveled at what technology was capable of, and the bridge became a symbol of the era's optimism. John Perry Barlow wrote in the late 20th century of the "literal and genuinely religious leap of faith" embodied in the bridge's construction, saying that the "Brooklyn Bridge required of its builders faith in their ability to control technology".
See also
• Brooklyn Bridge Park
• Brooklyn Bridge trolleys
External links
• Brooklyn Bridge – New York City Department of Transportation
• Brooklyn Bridge at Structurae
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NY-18, "Brooklyn Bridge", 77 photos, 8 color transparencies, 1 measured drawing, 8 data pages, 9 photo caption pages
Achievements
Background
- In 1867, on the basis of these achievements, New York legislators approved Roeblings plan for a suspension bridge over the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn. It would be the very first steel suspension bridge, boasting the longest span in the world: 1,600 feet from tower to tower.
Death
- 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. 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 Bro…
Construction
- To achieve a solid foundation for the bridge, workers excavated the riverbed in massive wooden boxes called caissons. These airtight chambers were pinned to the rivers floor by enormous granite blocks; pressurized air was pumped in to keep water and debris out.
Safety
- Underwater, the workers in the caisson were uncomfortablethe hot, dense air gave them blinding headaches, itchy skin, bloody noses and slowed heartbeatsbut relatively safe. The journey to and from the depths of the East River, however, could be deadly. To get down into the caissons, the sandhogs rode in small iron containers called airlocks. As the airlock descended into the river, it …
Symptoms
- This often caused a constellation of painful symptoms known as caisson disease or the bends: excruciating joint pain, paralysis, convulsions, numbness, speech impediments and, in some cases, death. More than 100 workers suffered from the disease, including Washington Roebling himself, who remained partially paralyzed for the rest of his life. He was forced to watch with a t…
Prevention
- By the early 20th century, scientists had figured out that if the airlocks traveled to the rivers surface more gradually, slowing the workers decompression, the bends could be prevented altogether. In 1909, New Yorks legislature passed the nations first caisson-safety laws to protect sandhogs digging railway tunnels under the Hudson and East rivers.
Significance
- With its unprecedented length and two stately towers, the Brooklyn Bridge was dubbed the eighth wonder of the world. For several years after its construction, it remained the tallest structure in the Western hemisphere. 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 Brookl…