The Brooklyn Bridge

Those were the words proudly displayed in a shop window in New York on May 24, 1883 - the day the Brooklyn Bridge was officially unveiled to the public. It was an event that would see a procession across the Bridge led by the President himself, Chester A. Arthur to be followed by a display involving 14 tons of fireworks. Yes, New Yorkers were certainly proud of their new bridge.

Today, there are bigger and more spectacular bridges around the world but back then the bridge was unique indeed. It was the biggest suspension bridge in the world being more than a mile in length. It's main span, supported by steel cables - at 1,595 feet - was one and a half times longer than any previously used. It was also the first time steel had been used for the suspension cables. It's two granite towers were the largest structures made in America up to that time. Of course, the men who worked on this structure for 14 years had none of the labor and time saving tools that modern bridge builders have at their disposal. They had to use horse and cart, hammer and chisel and steam power. The job was finally completed with these primitive tools, despite the fact that it was 9 years behind schedule. The estimated cost had been $7.5 million, but the actual cost rose to more than double that amount. During the construction 20 lives were lost in on-site accidents.

Perhaps the worst job on the entire Bridge production was the tower foundation. Workers would be housed in caissons - underwater boxlike structures - where they would dig the foundations. Increasingly, however, these workers would complain of pains in their joints, dizziness and vomiting. The lower the depth at which the men worked, the worse the effect. Eventually several men died from what came to be known as Caisson's Disease.

In 1983 a massive Centennial celebration was enjoyed by the city of New York. Over 2 million people were gathered on both sides of the East river, enjoying a sound and light dramatization of the history of the Bridge before a massive $200,000 fireworks display were released into the sky.

In 1986 a major revamp of the Bridge was announced. The 1,088 vertical suspender cables and 400 diagonal stays were replaced. This was prompted, perhaps, by the fact that two of the cables had snapped in 1981, killing a pedestrian. The renovations to the bridge were estimated at 153 million dollars and were intended to take the Bridge through it's second century.

And so, today, the Brooklyn Bridge stands as an unmistakable New York landmark, serving as an invaluable roadway link for some 150,000 travellers every day. The Bridge has been a feature of stage, screen and even musicals. Yes, the Brooklyn Bridge has certainly made its mark on history.