Essay On Brooklyn Bridge

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Brooklyn Bridge
By: Joey Birchard & Gavin Maschmeyer

The Brooklyn Bridge, which connects New York City to Brooklyn, was considered the “eighth wonder of the world” when it opened on May 24, 1883. At the time it was believed to be impossible to build a bridge large enough to span the extensive width of the East River as well as to withstand the turbulent water conditions. However a safer, easier method of transportation between Manhattan and Brooklyn was needed if New York City was going to continue to grow. Thus, in 1867 the New York State legislature chartered The New York Bridge Company to build a bridge across the East River.
Mr. John Roebling who had built numerous smaller suspension bridges was commissioned to design the new bridge. Mr. Roebling knew he needed an innovate design to deal with the unique challenges of this project. So he designed the first suspension bridge that used steel cables instead of iron, had an open truss deck structure, and it was the first bridge to use caissons to anchor the structure. This creative design represented the new industrial age an...

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