The Suspension Bridge

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air, suspended from thick cables. Only two towers are needed to hold up the cables, and they can be placed far apart to keep the river open for boat traffic. Finally in 1867 The New York Bridge Company made John A. Roebling engineer. In just three months he produced all drawings, cross sections, location plans, preliminary surveys, estimated cost, took sounding, and wrote his proposal. In June of 1869 John finished the design for the bridge. He and Washington climbed out onto the end of a pier to determine the exact location of the Bridge. He was so intent on what he was doing that he ignored the whistle of an aproaching ferry. Washington shouted a warning but his father couldn�t move fast enough. The boat slammed into the pier, John�s injury became badly infected and he died of lock jaw, a month later.
John�s sudden death was a shock to everyone. Now Washington and his father�s dream was in danger, and he was the only one who could keep it alive. Although he was young and ...

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binoculars from his bedroom window. Work continued, thanks to Washington�s wife Emily (Warren) Roebling. She carried his instructions to the men on the bridge and brought him progress reports. She talked with him about the work and became involved in making important decisions. In many ways she took over for him. It would have been especially hard for Emily. At that time, women never worked on construction projects. She won respect of all the workers. They realized how important she was to the building of the bridge.

The construction of the towers was very different. Every day thousands of people watched in amazement from ferries and docks as three tall cranes, powered by ...

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