Inspiration And Perspiration Behind The Brooklyn Bridge

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Augustus Roebling who was German immigrant and who had previously designed and constructed shorter suspension bridges (such as Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, Waco Suspension Bridge in Waco, Texas, and the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge in Cincinnati, Ohio) was inspired by an idea to build a magnificent bridge that would link New York to the Long Island. But bridge building experts all around the world at the time thought this was an impossible crazy feat and told Roebling to forget the idea claiming that it could not be done on the basis that it was not practical since it had never been done before.

Roebling could not give up his idea of building the bridge just yet. He thought about it day after day and knew deep in his heart that it could be built, he felt the burning desire to share the dream with someone else and after much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son, Washington an upcoming engineer that the bridge was possible to build.

Working together for the first time, the father and son trio developed concepts and models of how it would be accomplished and how the obstacles would be overcome. With great anxiety, excitement and inspiration within them, they hired their crew and began to build their magnificent bridge.

While conducting surveys for the bridge project, Roebling sustained a crush injury to his foot when a ferry pinned it against a piling. After amputation of his crushed toes he developed a tetanus infection which left him incapacitated and soon resulted in his death but not long after he had placed his 32-year-old son Washington Roebling in charge of the project.

Washington Roebling also suffered a paralyzing injury as a result of decompression sickness shortly after the beginning of construction on January 3, 1870. This condition, first called “caisson disease” by the project physician Andrew Smith, afflicted many of the workers working within the caissons (A caisson is a retaining watertight structure used to work on the foundations of a bridge pier or for the construction of a concrete dam or for the repair of ships.).

Everyone was on Washington’s back claiming he had brought all this onto himself and his family. “We told him and his father the idea was risky and impossible but no, they just had to go ahead!”

After Roebling’s debilitating condition left him unable to physically supervise the construction firsthand, his wife Emily Warren Roebling stepped in and provided the critical written link between her husband and the engineers on site, who still believed in Washington’s vision. Under her husband’s guidance, Emily was able to study higher mathematics, the calculations of catenary curves, and the strengths of materials, bridge specifications and the intricacies of cable construction. She spent the next 11 (though some claim it’s 13) years assisting Washington Roebling helping to supervise the bridge’s construction by acting as a link between him and his loyal workers.(It’s claimed by some Washington was able to communicate with his wife by tapping on her arm as he was paralyzed head down)

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of two men’s indomitable spirit and one man’s determination not to be defeated by circumstances but be motivated by them to achieve his goals. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by most people in the world. The Brooklyn’s bridge total length is 5,989 feet (1825 m) and Width is 85 feet (26 m) .It also stands as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Despite some bits of the information being uncertain across the board, some things are clear:

• No matter how much you dream about something, it will always remain a dream unless you wake up and act upon it.
• There will always be opposition in whatever you do; every action has an opposite and equal reaction so make sure you improvise
• If you want to go fast walk alone but if you want to go far walk with someone (Anon)
• Nobody will believe in you unless you believe in yourself (Liberace)
• The man who follows a crowd will never be followed by a crowd (R.S. Donnell)
• “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more wisely.(anon)
• And most importantly, life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are. (Bernice Johnson Reagon)
• So remember that Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another (Walter Elliott), next time you feel like giving up.
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