DOCSLIB.ORG

The Storied Past of the Brooklyn Bridge

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Storied Past of the Brooklyn Bridge Discuss & Recall The Storied Past of the Brooklyn Bridge Among the most iconic structures in the United States, the Brooklyn Bridge, which links the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, serves as both a majestic sight and a vital passage over the East River. But the story of the bridge’s construction in the late 1800s is even more compelling than the inspiring structure itself. This discussion activity features the storied past of the Brooklyn Bridge, lists of surprising and fast facts, and some Trivia Q & A. Preparation & How-To’s • Read the informational portions of the activity and use the Discussion Starters to help get a conversation going. • Print the pictures to share or display them on the TV screen. • Check out the Additional Activities section for more information to bring to the activity. • Set the mood for this activity by playing Frank Sinatra’s “The Brooklyn Bridge” from the movie It Happened in Brooklyn (1947). The Storied Past of the Brooklyn Bridge Introduction Songs celebrate it. Photographs and paintings immortalize it. Poetry romanticizes it. And a woman who never held a degree in architecture or engineering saved it when the death of the chief engineer and the subsequent debilitating illness of his replacement put the entire project in jeopardy. It was 1855 when the bridge was first proposed, but by then, plans for crossing the river to connect Brooklyn and Manhattan had been discussed for half a century. Manhattan had a population that doubled that of Brooklyn in the early 1800s, and city planners sought a way to relieve overcrowding while promoting development in Brooklyn. Bringing a vision for the bridge to fruition would be a daunting task, fraught with peril and tainted by corrupt politicians. But today, it stands as one of the most extraordinary architectural feats of its time and an enduring American landmark. The Brooklyn Bridge, with its stately gothic towers and thick, steel cables spanning 1,600 feet between them, is a striking vision. It is perhaps the most recognizable feature of the New York City skyline—a gateway to that “shining city,” as novelist Thomas Wolfe once described it. The structure is so integral an element of the cityscape, it’s hard to imagine that it almost didn’t happen. Construction of the bridge began in 1869. Its completion required 14 years and the survival of some near-fatal challenges along the way. ©ActivityConnection.com – The Storied Past of the Brooklyn Bridge – Page 1 of 6 A Stumbling Start The bridge’s story begins with a fatality before construction even commenced. The visionary German-born engineer who’d designed it, John Augustus Roebling, was a great pioneer in the design of steel suspension bridges and had touted his proposed project as the “greatest bridge in existence.” But during a final site survey at the location of a bridge tower, a docking boat delivered a crushing injury to his foot. The injury led to amputation and then tetanus. He died within a month. His son, Washington A. Roebling, a civil engineer, had married three years earlier and had taken his bride to Europe, where he’d engaged in further study of bridge construction. His focus of study was caissons, the watertight structures filled with compressed air, allowing underwater excavation. When his father died, Washington Roebling took over as chief engineer on the bridge project, but his tenure in this post was destined for ill fate as well. In 1870, when a fire broke out in one of the bridge’s caissons, he personally supervised firefighting efforts, entering and exiting the pressurized chambers repeatedly. It resulted in decompression sickness that left him partially paralyzed, blind, deaf, mute, and bedridden with ongoing secondary complications. His recovery was uncertain, and the bridge project was suddenly endangered. Emily Warren Roebling to the Rescue Five years earlier, Washington Roebling had wed Emily Warren, an intelligent young woman who was keenly interested in higher education and frustrated by the cultural norms of her time that hindered such pursuits by women. She enlisted her older brother in a persuasion campaign to convince her parents to send her to college, and with his help, they acquiesced. She enrolled in the prestigious Georgetown Academy of the Visitation in Washington, D.C., where she studied a wide variety of subjects including French, history, algebra, astronomy, housekeeping, and needlework. However, it was not the level of education afforded to men like her husband and father-in-law. Yet, while she had little formal training in architecture or engineering, fate would later grant her an opportunity to command a leadership role in the completion of a suspension bridge. As her husband lay struggling to recover from his illness, Emily Roebling became his eyes, his ears, and his voice. Through her, the chief engineer was able to realize his vision while physically incapacitated. She began with carrying out secretarial functions, taking notes at his bedside and getting them into the hands of assistant engineers at the construction site. From there, she relayed information back to her husband and kept communications going between the chief engineer and the site team. She also negotiated supply contracts, resolved disputes among competing contractors, and fulfilled the role of liaison to the board of trustees. Emily Roebling emerged from this process with a highly developed flair for diplomacy, as she deftly defended her husband’s role as chief engineer when politicians endeavored to remove him. In the final years of the bridge’s construction, Washington Roebling watched through the window at his bedside in Brooklyn Heights. Through binoculars and a telescope, he looked on as the bridge took shape and grew. He didn’t need a magnifying aid, though, to proudly watch his wife grow into the role of surrogate chief engineer. After 14 years, the Brooklyn Bridge was complete. The first person to cross it was Emily Roebling. She rode across in a carriage cradling a rooster in her arms to symbolize victory. The bridge opened officially on May 24, 1883, to triumphant fanfare, complete with cannon fire and bursting fireworks for the attending crowds. ©ActivityConnection.com – The Storied Past of the Brooklyn Bridge – Page 2 of 6 In remarks during the opening ceremonies, U.S. Congressman Abram Stevens Hewitt said, “The name of Emily Warren Roebling will… be inseparably associated with all that is admirable in human nature and all that is wonderful in the constructive world of art,” adding that the Brooklyn Bridge would be “an everlasting monument to the sacrificing devotion of a woman and of her capacity for that higher education from which she has been too long disbarred.” Emily Roebling spent the years following the bridge project in devotion to several women’s causes and wrote an award-winning essay entitled “A Wife’s Disabilities.” The essay took aim at the many laws of that time that discriminated against and marginalized women. She went on to travel widely and finally fulfilled her dream of pursuing a more serious higher education. In 1899, she received a law certificate from New York University. Discussion Starters • Have you seen or crossed the Brooklyn Bridge? • Do you agree that it is worthy of being the most photographed place in the U.S.? • Were you aware that the chief engineer’s wife spent more than a decade overseeing the completion of the bridge? Does this surprise you? • Do you have any favorite bridges? Where on your list does the Brooklyn Bridge rank? • Are you aware of the many perils faced during the construction of this bridge? Setbacks and Stories of Peril “To every human undertaking, there seems of necessity to be a dark side.” ~ Brooklyn Eagle, May 24,1883 On the very day the bridge officially opened, this Brooklyn newspaper published a reminder of the high price paid by many laborers to deliver safe passage across the East River. Here are some of the setbacks and sacrifices suffered during the bridge’s construction. John A. Roebling was the first casualty of the Brooklyn Bridge project, but there were many to follow. Accounts of the death toll during construction vary, with at least 21 killed and estimates as high as 40. The first fatalities occurred on October 23, 1871, after the collapse of a pair of derricks used to haul granite blocks to the top of the bridge tower on the Brooklyn side. Four men were killed—one of them from a fall while attempting to leap to safety. While Washington Roebling survived his decompression illness, three other bridge workers did not. Roebling went into the caissons to battle a fire, but workers called “sandhogs” toiled in them daily with shovels and even dynamite to excavate the riverbed for foundation construction. As they dug deeper, many began to develop alarming symptoms upon resurfacing, including slurred speech, vomiting, muscular paralysis, chills, agonizing joint pain, and stomach cramps. In the spring of 1872, three immigrant workers died after developing these symptoms. It was not known at the time, but this “caisson disease” was caused by bubbling nitrogen in the bloodstream brought on by rapid decreases in atmospheric pressure when resurfacing too quickly. Due to this rash of caisson-related deaths, Washington Roebling suspended digging for the Manhattan tower and made the decision to stop short of reaching bedrock, fearing it could lead to 100 more fatalities. ©ActivityConnection.com – The Storied Past of the Brooklyn Bridge – Page 3 of 6 In addition, multiple men fell to their deaths during the construction of the two bridge towers. Working at dizzying heights of more than 275 feet above the river’s surface, several laborers experienced mishaps that sent them plummeting to their demise.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • WASHINGTON BRIDGE, Over the Harlem River from West 18Lst Street, Borough of Manhattan, to University Avenue, Borough of the Bronx
    Landmarks Preservation Commission September 14, 1982, Designation List 159 LP-1222 WASHINGTON BRIDGE, over the Harlem River from West 18lst Street, Borough of Manhattan, to University Avenue, Borough of the Bronx. Built 1886-89; com­ petition designs by Charles C. Schneider and Wilhelm Hildenbrand modified by Union Bridge Company, William J. McAlpine, Theodore Cooper, and DeLemos & Cordes; chief engineer William R. Hutton; consulting architect Edward H. Kendall. Landmark Site: Manhattan Tax Map Block 2106, Lot 1 in part; Block 2149, Lot 525 in part, consisting of those parts of these ldta upon which the structure and approaches of the bridge rest. The Bronx Tax Map Block 2538, Lot 32 in part; Block 2880, Lots 1 & 250 both in part; Block 2884, Lots 2, 5 & 9 all in part, con­ sisting of those parts of these lots upon which the structure and approaches of the bridge rest. Boundaries: The Washington Bridge Landmark is encompassed by a line running southward parallel with the eastern curb line of Amsterdam Avenue; a line running eastward which is the extension of the southern curb line of West 181st Street to the point where it crosses Undercliff Avenue; a line running northward parallel with the eastern curb line of Undercliff Avenue; a line running westward from Undercliff Avenue which intersects with the extension of the northern curb lin~ of West 181st Street, to_t~~ point of beginning. On November 18, 1980, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation as a Landmark of the Washington Bridge and the pro­ posed designation of the related Landmark Site (Item No 8.).
    [Show full text]
  • Bridges and Applications Bridges and Applications Bridges and Applications Arch Bridges
    10/23/2014 Bridges and Applications Bridges and Applications • Bridges are used to span across distances that are difficult to otherwise pass through. • Rivers • Deep gorges • Other roadways Bridges and Applications Arch Bridges • There are four basic types of bridges – Arch – Beam – Suspension – Cable‐stayed • Each type has different design and is therefore better suited to different applications 1 10/23/2014 Arch Bridges Arch Bridges • Instead of pushing straight down, the weight of an arch bridge is carried outward along the curve of the arch to the supports at each end. Abutments, carry • These supports, called the abutments, carry the load the load and keep the ends of the bridge from spreading outward. and keep the ends of the bridge from spreading outward Arch Bridges Arch Bridges • When supporting its own weight and the • Today, materials like steel and pre‐stressed weight of crossing traffic, every part of the concrete have made it possible to build longer arch is under compression. and more elegant arches. • For this reason, arch bridges must be made of materials that are strong under compression. New River Gorge, – Rock West Virginia. – Concrete 2 10/23/2014 Arch Bridges Arch Bridges • Usually arch bridges employ vertical supports • Typically, arch bridges span between 200 and called spandrels to distribute the weight of 800 feet. the roadway to the arch below. Arch Bridges One of the most revolutionary arch bridges in recent years is the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge in Franklin, Tennessee, which was opened to traffic in 1994. It's the first American arch bridge to be constructed from segments of precast concrete, a highly economical material.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Suspension Bridge.Pdf
    Grades 60 minutes 3–5, 6–8 Human Suspension Bridge Create a bridge with your body. Instructions Materials Students create a suspension bridge with their bodies and PER CLASS: experience the forces that make a suspension bridge work. Two pieces of sturdy, wide rope, each 10–12 feet 1 Introduce the activity by showing different examples of Photographs of various suspension bridges suspension bridges, if available. (optional) 2 Next, demonstrate the force of tension. Let students know they will be making contact via their arms and get whatever consent is needed. Ask students to pair up and stand facing their partner. Have each team member grasp the other’s forearms. Both students lean back. Their arms should stretch out between them. Go around to several pairs and lean gently on top of their arms to test their structure. Explain that when you lean on them you are pushing down and causing their arms to stretch, or be put into tension. Find more activities at: www.DiscoverE.org 3 Now demonstrate the force of compression: Have partners press the palms of their hands together and lean toward one another, making an arch with their bodies. Go around to each pair and push on top of the arch. Explain that when you push down you cause them to push together, or to be put into compression. 4 To build the human bridge, select 16 students. Arrange students like so: • Two pairs of taller students—the “towers”—stand across from each other and hold the ropes (the cable) on their shoulders. • Four students act as anchors.
    [Show full text]
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park Sample Location Guide
    BSL CLASSROOM LOCATION GUIDE BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK A BIT OF HISTORY FIRST! In 1642, the first ferry landing opened on the land that is now Brooklyn Bridge Park's Empire Fulton Ferry section. As the 18th century came to a close, additional ferry services were added to this waterfront community, including docking points for the "Catherine Street Ferry" and the first steamboat ferry landing that was created by Robert Fulton, which eventually became known as the Fulton Ferry Landing. The community continued to grow into the 19th century as Brooklyn Heights developed into a residential neighborhood, eventually becoming one of America's first suburbs. In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was opened. Brooklyn Bridge Park is an 85-acre (34 ha) park on the Brooklyn side of the East River in New York City, next to the Brooklyn Bridge. From north to south, the park includes the preexisting Empire–Fulton Ferry and Main Street Parks; the historic Fulton Ferry Landing; and Piers 1–6, which contain various playgrounds and residential developments. The park also includes Empire Stores and the Tobacco Warehouse, two 19th-century structures, and is a part of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, a series of parks and bike paths around Brooklyn Today, Brooklyn Bridge Park is a world-class waterfront park with rolling hills, riverfront promenades, lush gardens, and spectacular city views. 1 Page Brooklyn School of Languages, LLC 16 Court Street, 34th Floor Brooklyn, NY 11241 USA Email:[email protected] www.brooklynschooloflanguages.comwww.facebook.com/pages/brooklyn-school-of-languages.com
    [Show full text]
  • BQE in Context: Report from AIANY BQE Task Force | July 2019 1 BQE in Context: Report from AIANY BQE Task Force
    BQE in Context: Report from AIANY BQE Task Force | July 2019 1 BQE in Context: Report from AIANY BQE Task Force Introduction................................................................................................................................... 2 Background of BQE Project....................................................................................................... 3 AIANY Workshop I – BQE Planning Goals............................................................................ 4 AIANY Workshop II – Evaluation of BQE Options............................................................... 5 Workshop Takeaways.................................................................................................................. 6 Appendix: AIANY Workshop II Summaries Sub-group A: Atlantic Avenue / Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill................................ 10 Sub-group B: Brooklyn Heights / Promenade.............................................................. 15 Sub-group C: DUMBO / Bridge Ramps......................................................................... 17 Sub-group D: Larger City / Region / BQE Corridor................................................... 19 BQE Report Credits...................................................................................................................... 26 Early in 2019, members of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter's (AIANY) Planning & Urban Design and Transportation & Infrastructure committees formed an ad hoc task force to examine issues and opportunities
    [Show full text]
  • EDUCATION MATERIALS TEACHER GUIDE Dear Teachers
    TM EDUCATION MATERIALS TEACHER GUIDE Dear Teachers, Top of the RockTM at Rockefeller Center is an exciting destination for New York City students. Located on the 67th, 69th, and 70th floors of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the Top of the Rock Observation Deck reopened to the public in November 2005 after being closed for nearly 20 years. It provides a unique educational opportunity in the heart of New York City. To support the vital work of teachers and to encourage inquiry and exploration among students, Tishman Speyer is proud to present Top of the Rock Education Materials. In the Teacher Guide, you will find discussion questions, a suggested reading list, and detailed plans to help you make the most of your visit. The Student Activities section includes trip sheets and student sheets with activities that will enhance your students’ learning experiences at the Observation Deck. These materials are correlated to local, state, and national curriculum standards in Grades 3 through 8, but can be adapted to suit the needs of younger and older students with various aptitudes. We hope that you find these education materials to be useful resources as you explore one of the most dazzling places in all of New York City. Enjoy the trip! Sincerely, General Manager Top of the Rock Observation Deck 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York NY 101 12 T: 212 698-2000 877 NYC-ROCK ( 877 692-7625) F: 212 332-6550 www.topoftherocknyc.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Teacher Guide Before Your Visit . Page 1 During Your Visit . Page 2 After Your Visit . Page 6 Suggested Reading List .
    [Show full text]
  • Polydron-Bridges-Work-Cards.Pdf
    Getting Started You will need: A Polydron Bridges Set ❑ This activity introduces you to the parts in the set and explains what each of them does. A variety of traditional Polydron and Frameworks pieces are used in each of the activities. However, they are coloured to produce more realistic effects. For example, the traditional squares are black and used to represent the road on the bridge deck. Plinth ❑ On the right you can see the plinth or bridge base. All of the bridges use one or two of these. They give each bridge a firm base and allow special parts to be connected easily. Notice the two holes in the top on the plinth. These holes are for long struts. These can be seen in place below. ❑ The second picture shows the plinth with two right-angled triangles and a rectangle connected. All three of these parts clip into the plinth. Struts ❑ There are three different lengths of strut in the set. There are 80mm short struts that are used with the pulleys with lugs to carry cables. These are shown on the left. The lugs fit into long struts. On the Drawbridge 110mm short struts are used with ordinary pulleys and a winding handle. ❑ Long struts are also used to support the cable assembly of the Suspension Bridge and the Cable Stay Bridge. This idea can be seen in the picture on the right. ❑ Long struts are also used to connect the two sections of the Drawbridge. ® ©Bob Ansell Special Rectangles ❑ Special rectangles can be used in a variety of ways.
    [Show full text]
  • City Guide to Sacred Spaces
    NYC Sacred Space International / Tour Sacred Spaces City Guide to Sacred Spaces – New York, NY: Manhattan and Brooklyn © Sacred Space International City Guide to Sacred Spaces in New York City CITY GUIDE TO SACRED SPACES NEW YORK, NY Key Map 2 Table of Sacred New York: Introduction to finding sacred spaces in New York 3 Individual Sacred Space Descriptions: Contents Map A 4 [NYC 01] Islamic Cultural Center of New York (ICCNY) 5 [NYC 02] Bethesda Fountain in Central Park 8 [NYC 03] Central Synagogue 11 [NYC 04] St. Peter’s Church 14 [NYC 05] St. Malachy’s – The Actor’s Chapel 17 Map B 20 [NYC 06] Brotherhood Synagogue 21 [NYC 07] East End Temple 24 [NYC 08] Grace Church 27 [NYC 09] African Burial Ground National Monument 30 [NYC 10] Brooklyn Bridge 32 Map C 35 [NYC 11] St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church 38 [NYC 12] Fort Greene Park & Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument 41 [NYC 13] Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church 44 [NYC 14] St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral 47 Bibliography and Acknowledgments 48 Credits 49 A B © Sacred Space International C City Guide to Sacred Spaces in New York City 2 CITY GUIDE TO SACRED SPACES NEW YORK, NY Sacred New York INTRODUCTION TO FINDING SACRED SPACES IN THE CITY In this densely populated city, we found a rich diversity of sacred space, which gave us a sense of quiet and otherworldliness. Our real problem was how to pare down our list. After a long process, we narrowed our field to the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn and focused on less traveled and possibly under-appreciated sites.
    [Show full text]
  • Truss Bridges
    2009 Bridges and Structures Outline • Introduction of Project Organizers and Program o Overall Concept of the half day o Images of Bridges in NH, ME and MA that are examples of the 5 Bridge Designs Beam Bridge Arch Bridge Truss Bridge Suspension Bridge Cable-Stayed Bridge o Images of existing bridges other students / groups have done • Call off participants 1 through 5 o Creating 5 Groups (1 Group for each Bridge Design which creates 4 individuals per Bridge Design.) If more than 20 individuals, then count 1 thru 7 or 8 to create two or three more groups. There will then be 2 of the same bridge types for some of the 5 Bridge Designs. • Package of information for Groups o Groups to review material (Bridge to be wide enough to accept bricks) o Groups to discuss their Bridge o Groups to draw out their Bridge Design o Groups to divide into two sub-groups Cutting Assembly • Presentation of Bridges by Groups (short narrative as to-) o Type of Bridge o Design solution • Test of Weight that each bridge can handle o Groups document their thoughts on their Bridge • Awards / Overview of how and why bridges worked / did not work Materials: Balsa Wood Package for each Bridge Type Group 3’ long sticks maximum String / rope, Glue (Sobo,) Exacto knives, packing tape Other: Bricks or other items for weight Scale for measuring weight units Camera to document before, during and after bridge testing Two sawhorses for bridge weight test American Institute of Architects New Hampshire Chapter Schedule • Introduction of Team Members and Program: 10 minutes o Overall Concept of the Day: 10 minutes o Images of Bridges in NH, ME and MA that are examples of the 5 Bridge Designs 4 minutes Beam Bridge Arch Bridge Truss Bridge Suspension Bridge Cable-Stayed Bridge o Images of existing bridges other students / groups have done 4 minutes • Call off participants 1 through 5 8 minutes o Creating 5 Groups (1 Group for each Bridge Design which creates 4 individuals per Bridge Design.) If more than 20 individuals, then count 1 thru 7 or 8 to create two or three more groups.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Interview with Princeton University Professor David Billington For
    Interview with Princeton University Professor David Billington for Program Three: “Bridging New York” Note: This transcript is from a videotaped interview for the “Bridging New York” segment of “Great Projects.” It has been edited lightly for readability. David Billington (DB): It’s a curious fact that at least the three leading bridge designers in our tradition in America were immigrants from German-speaking countries: Roebling, John Roebling then, in 1831, Gustav Lindenthal, who came over in 1875, and Othmar Ammann in 1904. And a major reason for that, I think, is their educational system. The fact that, at least in Roebling’s case and in Ammann’s case, they were trained in the very best engineering schools at the time. Those schools also, particularly in Ammann’s case, emphasized strongly the study of completed structures rather than just merely the tools of analysis, as so often happens in engineering schools. And so when, during Ammann’s education his head was filled with images of all kinds of structures and, therefore, he came with a strong urge to design large-scale works. So did Roebling. DB: What they found when they came to this country, these immigrant engineers, in fact in a way what drew them to the country in the first place was the wide expanse of the country which meant the wide or the great possibilities in building. And in the sense of New York City, for example, this river, the Hudson River, which was an extraordinarily wide river close to a major city. So that this was a great challenge.
    [Show full text]
  • Primer for the Inspection and Strength Evaluation of Suspension Bridge Cables
    Primer for the Inspection and Strength Evaluation of Suspension Bridge Cables Publication No. FHWA-IF-11-045 May 2012 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Notice This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for use of the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Quality Assurance Statement The Federal Highway Administration provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement. Primer for the Inspection and Strength Evaluation of Suspension Bridge Cables Publication No. FHWA-IF-11-045 May 2012 Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. FHWA-IF-11-045 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Primer for the Inspection and Strength Evaluation of Suspension Bridge May 2012 Cables 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Brandon W. Chavel, Ph.D., P.E., and Brian J. Leshko, P.E. 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. HDR Engineering, Inc. 11 Stanwix Street, Suite 800 11. Contract or Grant No. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Office of Bridge Technology Technical Report Federal Highway Administration September 2007 – May 2012 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • • • • Before Bridges in New York City Existed, People Relied on The
    Before bridges in New York City existed, people A force occurs when two materials in a bridge relied on the waterways to get around and interact with each other. The cables in a suspen- transport goods. The Brooklyn Bridge was the sion bridge experience pulling, or tension, be- first steel-wire suspension bridge to be built in cause they are being pulled down toward the the world. A suspension bridge is a bridge that is anchorage at either end of the bridge, as well as held up by cables and usually suspended over being stretched as they hold the deck up. The water. towers in the bridge are being pushed down into the ground by gravity and the heavy main cable, A suspension bridge has several key structures. thus experiencing compression (see diagrams The underground foundations of the Brooklyn attached). Bridge are called caissons. The caissons were large, air–filled containers that were pushed During your class’ park visit, students will explore deep under the East River. By working in the the history of the bridge, be challenged to build caissons, engineers were able to dig all the way a model suspension bridge, and take a walking down to the earth’s solid bedrock. Towers were tour of the bridge. To prepare for your program, then built up from the caissons. The towers hold students can begin to understand why bridges up the cables, which in return, hold up the deck, are important, what they look like, and the sim- or roadway. ple physics behind building stable bridges. Literacy in Historical/Social Studies Reading Informational Text Speaking and Listening Literacy in Technical Sub- 3.
    [Show full text]