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Part 2 26 TheStructuralEngineer Professional guidance April 2015 The Brooklyn Bridge: tragedy overcome (part 2)

Sean Brady concludes the story of the Brooklyn Bridge, detailing how Emily Roebling defi ed the odds to see the project to completion.

People’s Day It became known as the People’s Day. From early morning on 24 May 1883 crowds began to descend on New York and Brooklyn1. Over 50 000 people arrived into the city by train, with a similar number arriving by boat. By

noon all the hotels had sold out. It was a clear, ISTOCK sunny day and the East River was thronged with boats waiting for the spectacle that was Emily was simply representing her husband, Figure 1 NBrooklyn Bridge as it stands today about to unfold. Shops sold pictures of John who couldn’t attend because of illness, all and Washington Roebling, buildings were changed when Congressman Abram S. draped in red, white, and blue banners, and Hewitt took to the podium and publically Emily visited her brother and attended a fl ags fl ew along Fifth Avenue and Broadway. proclaimed Emily’s role in what had been military ball. There she met a shy young At 12:40pm, Chester A. Arthur, the 21st one of the most signifi cant engineering engineer, Washington Roebling. The President of the USA, walked out of the Fifth achievements ever undertaken. attraction between them was immediate. Avenue Hotel and the waiting crowd went To many it was a revelation, but to Over the course of the war they would wild1. The President, along with New York those intimately involved in the bridge’s correspond regularly, and in 1865 they Governor, Grover Cleveland, Congressman construction, there was little surprise in the married. Henry Slocum, and New York Mayor, Franklin praise being aff orded to Emily. To them, her Both their lives would be changed Edson, began the procession along Fifth contribution had been staggering, and all dramatically when Washington’s father, John Avenue to 14th Street. The ‘Dandy’ Seventh the more remarkable given the barriers to Roebling, was appointed chief engineer for Regiment and its band led the way, crowds women taking such an active role in society, the Brooklyn Bridge. Tragically, he would were immense, and the procession turned especially in the male-dominated profession die as a result of injuries sustained in a onto Broadway. As they approached the New of engineering. freak accident, leaving Washington, then York side of the newly completed Brooklyn only 32 years old, as chief engineer with the Bridge (Figure 1), the President was greeted Prelude responsibility for fi nishing the bridge. Emily by William Kingsley, a wealthy contractor. Emily Warren was born in the village of Cold rekindled her interest in mathematics, but For 14 years, the residents of New York Spring in upstate New York in 18432. She this time extended her studies to learn about and Brooklyn had watched the bridge take was the 11th of 12 children, and although strength of materials, stress analysis, cable shape above the city’s skyline, and when the they were not wealthy by Hudson River construction, and calculation of catenary President took his fi rst step onto its span, the standards, they were a distinguished family. curves3. She was of the view that knowledge guns of nearby Fort Hamilton and the Navy She attended Georgetown Visitation Convent of such subjects would be of assistance to Yard erupted in celebration. in Washington D.C., with her studies including her husband – quite an understatement given While thousands of people would spend algebra, geometry, astronomy, chemistry what was to transpire. the afternoon and evening walking this and geology2. She became an expert engineering marvel, the formalities continued horsewoman – a pursuit she continued into Tragedy with over three hours of speeches being her adult life, despite it being viewed as The shock of seeing her husband carried delivered to an invited crowd of 6000 ‘inappropriate’ for the 19th century lady. But into their Brooklyn home after his second guests. Among the guests was Emily Emily paid little heed to the limitations society and more severe attack of the bends in Warren Roebling, wife of the chief engineer imposed on her. 1872 would have been horrifying. He had (Figure 2). While it may have looked like With the under way, presided over the sinking of the New York

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and Brooklyn caissons, and had successfully Trenton house, almost 100km from New I would succumb, but I had a strong tower defeated the fi re that threatened the York – distance from the bridge appeared to to lean upon, my wife, a woman of infi nite structural integrity of the Brooklyn tower, somewhat alleviate his pain. tack and wisest counsel”1. The information suff ering his fi rst attack of the bends in that Emily naturally absorbed through this the process. Over a period of 221 days, he Progress process augmented her previous study – had managed the construction of the New Work was now beginning on the Brooklyn she was fast becoming an authority on the York caisson to depths never previously anchorage. It was constructed from granite bridge. attempted, but what should have been a and contained four anchor plates, one per By 1876, both towers and anchorages were time for celebration turned to tragedy when cable, each weighing more than 21t4. In 1875 completed. Focus turned to stringing the Washington was again taken ill1. He was in work began on the New York anchorage, with cables across the East River. On 14 August terrible pain and doctors did not expect him old tenements and warehouses torn down to 1876, a 1in. thick wire was spooled out from to survive the night. He was given days to live. make way for it. Construction of the towers behind a boat beside the Brooklyn tower. The Emily, now 29 years old, applied herself to continued. Washington worked diligently from free end was pulled up over the tower and nursing him, and the future of the bridge hung his bedroom, fi nalising detail after detail. He the boat crossed the river to the New York in the balance. was relentless, achieving all this while never side, with the wire being allowed to sink to He survived the night, and the following visiting the site; instead writing letters to his the riverbed. The wire was then taken up over day, and then appeared to rally. Soon, he assistant engineers. His ability to identify the New York tower. A cannon was sounded was back on site, supervising the pouring of potential future problems and resolve them to halt river traffi c, and the watching crowds the concrete into the New York caisson. The before they became serious was legendary. cheered as the wire was hoisted up to break timber and metal caisson that had provided Years later, Emily would praise the assistant the surface of the water until it hung in the air a working space during construction would engineers, saying the bridge would never between the two towers. A second wire was now become a permanent part of the have been completed without them. Some added that day to make a continuous traveller structure. The weight of the limestone and had worked with the Roebling family for rope that could be driven by an engine. granite tower would bear onto the caisson’s years. The chief mechanic, Farrington, had Finally, the two towers were linked. It was 6.7m thick timber roof, which in turn would worked with Washington’s father on the a moment of triumph. On 25 August – as bear on its concrete-fi lled interior4. This Cincinnati and Niagara bridges, being the with the Niagara Bridge and the Cincinnati timber roof, one of the bridge’s critical load fi rst to cross both rivers, hanging from the Bridge – Farrington would swing across the paths, was buried so deep in the East River, initial suspension wires put in place. river on a plank of wood secured to this thin below the level of water and sea worms, that While Emily had been Washington’s nurse wire, watched by thousands (Figure 3). Then Washington’s father, John, was of the view since his illness struck – she was the only 60 years of age, he wore his Sunday best, that it would last forever1. person he could bear near him – her role waved his hat to the enthusiastic crowd, and Washington’s recovery was, however, slowly began to change. Washington was afterwards, in his typically unfazed manner, short-lived. He relapsed, suff ering from convinced he was going blind, so to preserve said “the ride gave me a magnifi cent view, fatigue, depression, irritability, stomach his eyesight, he stopped reading and writing, and such pleasing sensations as probably I trouble, pain and loss of feeling in his legs. In and Emily became his secretary. He dictated shall never experience again”1. his bedroom, despite the pain, he continued all his correspondence to her. She would With this wire in place, the spinning of to work on the bridge1. The summer of 1872 then read it back to him so he could make the bridge cables could proceed. Workers turned to autumn, and by December 1872 the revisions. By his own admission, he had come stood on special platforms as a continuous Brooklyn tower was 42m above the river, with to rely utterly on his wife: “At fi rst I thought reel of wire was fed over one tower, across the New York tower catching up. the river, over the second tower, through the By this stage Washington had been absent anchorage, only to repeat its journey in the from both the site and the Trustees for some Figure 2 opposite direction. Each of the four cables SEmily Roebling time, and Emily faced her fi rst challenge in a would be 400mm in diameter. Each would be role that would grow over the next 10 years. comprised of 5434 wires, and the total length She travelled to New York and met Henry C. of wire in each cable would be an incredible Murphy, president of the New York Bridge 5600km1. Company. Despite her husband’s illness and The Roeblings moved back to their house absence, she convinced Murphy to leave in Brooklyn in 1877, and Washington, still too him in the position of chief engineer. Murphy ill to visit the site, monitored construction agreed on the condition that everything from his bedroom window using a telescope. proceeded to go to plan with the bridge. It was fi ve years since he had been stricken As winter turned to spring, doctors told with the bends, and Emily was fast becoming Emily there was little chance of her husband recognised as the public face of the chief recovering. It was only a matter of time engineer. She made daily trips to the site, before he died. He needed a break from delivering her husband’s instructions and the project, and in an attempt to revive him bringing back the issues from the assistant they visited a spa in Wiesbaden, Germany. engineers that required attention. Soon she They planned to stay for two months, but began resolving the issues herself. While she ended up staying six. Washington showed admired the engineers’ loyalty, they were no improvement. The sea journey back to equally in awe of her technical knowledge the USA was torture for him. It was now late and ability2. 1873, and although they had bought a house There are many stories illustrating her

in Brooklyn, they would move back into their ALAMY mastery of the technical detail. When offi cials

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Part 2 28 TheStructuralEngineer Professional guidance April 2015 Brooklyn Bridge

or contactors visited the Roebling house to discuss issues with doing so in a grasshopper gig with a retractable hood. Then in her late Washington, they usually met Emily, who resolved their concerns. 30s, she would take with her a white rooster, a symbol of victory. Many became convinced she was indeed the chief engineer. In And the bridge was not the end of her achievements. She went on some cases, contractors marked their correspondence to her, not to study law and travelled widely, even attending the coronation of Washington. When bids for the steel and ironwork were released, Tsar Nicholas II in Russia. She died at the age of 59, from what was the design called for unusually shaped members. Many perspective believed to be cancer. Ironically, Washington, who had been given bidders approached Emily for clarifi cation – clarifi cation she, not weeks to live in 1872, defi ed the doctors. He even remarried, before Washington, provided. In 1879, Farrington gave a number of public dying aged 89, having outlived Emily by 23 years. lectures on the bridge’s construction – one had over 2000 attendees. He was praised, but it was widely believed the lectures were written Legacy by Emily. The American Society of Civil Engineers records her as the And while there was much speculation as to the extent of Emily’s fi rst woman to ever address the society, more than 23 years before involvement in the bridge, and disbelief that such an engineering a woman, Nora Stanton Barney Blatch, would be admitted as a junior marvel could be the work of a woman, David McCullough, in his book member in 1906, and more than 44 years before Elsie Eaves would The Great Bridge, adeptly summaries her contribution1: be admitted as a full member in 19273. (The Institution of Structural “In truth, she had by then a thorough grasp of the engineering Engineers’ fi rst female associate-member was Florence Mary Taylor involved. She had a quick and retentive mind, a natural gift for in 1926 and the fi rst female Chartered Member was Mary Thompson- mathematics and had been a diligent student long before her husband Irvine in 1947.) was incapacitated.” When a delegation of Trustees visited the bridge for a tour of Emily worked hard to hide the extent of her contribution – primarily construction in 1881, upon climbing to deck level of the Brooklyn to protect her husband. So while thousands of Brooklyn and New York tower, they were surprised to be greeted by residents marvelled at their new bridge, it Emily. She explained the technical aspects was only fi tting that when Congressman Figure 3 of construction to them as they crossed Farrington Hewitt took to the podium, he began his crossing bridge a narrow timber walkway between the by wire tribute to Emily with the words: “One towers. Some of the Trustees decided not name, however, which may fi nd no place to make the return journey back across the in the offi cial records, cannot be passed bridge, instead taking the ferry. They were over here in silence.” He described how, in unnerved by the height. Emily appeared ancient times, when a great structure was unperturbed. completed, a goddess was chosen to care and protect for it, as with Athena and the Triumph Acropolis, before declaring2: Given such events, it is unsurprising that “With this bridge will ever be coupled questions began to arise regarding Emily’s the thought of one, through the subtle role. Newspapers asked why the chief alembic of whose brain, and by whose engineer was never seen in public. Was facile fi ngers, communication was he ill or dead? Was Emily acting as chief maintained between the directing power engineer? Apparently, the press took of its construction, and the obedient the view that because the chief engineer agencies of its execution. It is thus trusted his wife with technical matters, he an everlasting monument to the self- was clearly losing his mind. sacrifi cing devotion of a woman, and of ALAMY While much of the speculation was her capacity for the higher education negative, formidable champions came out in Emily’s defence. from which she has been too long disbarred. The name of Mrs Emily The assistant engineers idolised her, and at a dinner for alumni Warren Roebling will thus be inseparably associated with all that of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – her husband’s alma mater – is admirable in human nature, and with all that is wonderful in the Rossiter W. Raymond, an engineer, told those before him what many constructive world of art.” of them already knew. He began by declaring that, essentially, behind every good man was a good woman. He then summarised the feeling Sean Brady is the managing director of Brady Heywood in the room, commencing with a statement that vividly illustrates (www.bradyheywood.com.au), based in Brisbane, Australia. The fi rm the level of sexism Emily battled, but culminating in a backhanded provides forensic and investigative structural engineering services and compliment that illustrates the stature of Emily’s reputation2: specialises in determining the cause of engineering failure and non- “Gentlemen, I know that the name of a woman should not be lightly performance. spoken in a public place... but I believe you will acquit me of a lack of Follow on Twitter @BradyHeywood decency or irreverence when I utter what this moment half articulates upon all your lips, the name of Mrs Washington Roebling.” REFERENCES: But the challenges were far from over. Inferior wire was supplied by 1) McCullough D. G. (2001) The great bridge: the epic story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, New York, USA: Simon & Schuster the wire manufacturer and had been woven into its cables before the discovery was made. The collapse of the Tay Bridge in 1879 raised 2) Weigold M. E. (1984) Silent builder: Emily Warren Roebling and the Brooklyn questions as to whether it was folly to continue construction of such Bridge, New York, USA: Associated Faculty Press an ambitious bridge. Both Washington and Emily would stare down attempts to remove him as chief engineer. (There was a vote and 3) American Society of Civil Engineers (2015) Roebling, Emily Warren [Online] the Trustees agreed to leave him in the role by a narrow vote of 10 to Available at: http://cms.asce.org/People-and-Projects/People/Bios/Roebling,- Emily-Warren/ (Accessed: March 2015) seven.) Finally, in April 1883, the bridge was fi nished, and preparations began for its offi cial opening the following month. Rightly, prior to this 4) Cadbury D. (2004) Seven wonders of the industrial world, London, UK: opening ceremony, Emily would be the fi rst to drive across the bridge, HarperCollins Publishers

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