"East River Bridge Plan of one Tower" [Brooklyn
Bridge]
By John A. Roebling, 1867
Ink on tracing linen
48" x 28 1/2 "
National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the Office
of the Chief of Engineers
Tunnels and Bridges for New York
German-born John A. Roebling and his son, Washington
A. Roebling, designed and built the famous Brooklyn Bridge connecting
the cities of New York and Brooklyn. The remarkable design used Roebling's
patented system of steel wire cable construction. When it was completed
in 1883, the 1,595-foot main span was the longest suspension bridge in
the world. Its graceful limestone and granite towers took 5 years to build
and were designed with two large openings for the roadway. When John Roebling
died of tetanus, the result of an on-site injury, his son became chief
engineer of the project. The younger Roebling supervised construction
of the foundation, spending long hours in the pneumatic caissons at the
bottom of the river. This new method of underwater construction used air
pressure to keep the work site dry while the bridge foundation was being
built. After one 12-hour session, Roebling was brought to the surface
unconscious, suffering from "the bends." Although his health was permanently
damaged and he was never able to return to the site, he continued to direct
the work from his nearby home by using a telescope.