Talk:Brooklyn Bridge

An event mentioned in this article is a May 30 selected anniversary.

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I'm moving this here unless someone can provide a citation for it, or until I can verify that it's false.

"One source, possibly apocryphal, claims that the bridge's architect became disabled and communicated in code to give instructions on the bridge's completion." Vicki Rosenzweig

Nothing apocryphal about it at all, quite a wonderful, albeit tragic, story. The bridge was designed by Augustus Roebling. His son, Washington succeeded him, but was stricken with caisson disease (bends, due to working in compressed air with the sand hogs) and was unable to talk or move. His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, trained herself in engineering so she could communicate his wishes to the builders. Roebling was unable to leave his home and watched the construction via binoculars. Not sure about the code, but he was rendered speechless by the disease. Ortolan88

Yes, I thought that fact was pretty well known. here's one reference http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njwomenshistory/period_3/emilyroebling.htm David dePaoli

John A Roebling Suspension Bridge

This is the only place I can find which equates the Brooklyn Bridge and the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, which I thought was in Cincinnati. Can you tell me a source for the statement: "(The Brooklyn Bridge) was renamed the John A Roebling Suspension Bridge in July 1983."?

This question is prompted by my intention to write an article about the bridge in Cincinnati.

Thanks,

Rdikeman 18:49, Apr 6, 2004 (UTC)

It's false. It would never have happened in New York, since 2.5 million people in Brooklyn would be up in arms. I think whoever wrote that is confusing it with this [1] (http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/suspension.html). -- Decumanus | Talk 18:54, 6 Apr 2004 (UTC)

anonymous may 1 2004

Some years ago I read several books about the brooklyn bridge and believe one remark in the article is not quite right.

It is correct to say that Washington Roebling added the diagonal stays. He then claimed that even if all four suspension cables were to fail the bridge would still not fall, though it might sag in the middle. However, it can not be said that, "Roebling solved the problem that collapsed the

Tacoma Narrows Bridge (in 1940)
by designing a bridge truss system that was six times as strong as he thought it needed to be".

That implies that without the stays the bridge would be in danger. Engineers believe that they are unnecessary,though they are such an identifiyng feature of the bridge. Later bridges did not incorporate them into the design.

It is ironic that a few years ago one of those stays snapped and killed a tourist walking on the bridge.

Also I believe that the comment about the bridge being 'six times as strong as it needed to be' was made by John Roebling to his son during the original design and had nothing to do with the diagonal stays.

History of Brooklyn El connections

This is an offshoot of User:SPUI/NYC Subway timeline to figure out the history of the Brooklyn side of the bridge and its connections to Template:BRT elevated lines.

In 1904, the bridge connections were in place. The Fulton Street Line went to Fulton Ferry, with a stub end branching south of Sands Street end ending at the Main Street-Prospect Street intersection. The Myrtle Avenue Line had a connection under the bridge along High Street to the Fulton Street Line, with the merges away from the river. A station was on this connection just west of the bridge; the bridge station was at High and Sands Streets. After that connection, the Myrtle Avenue Line continued along Adams Street, merging with the old Main Line at York Street towards Fulton Ferry. An alternate route (maybe the other direction) went over Sands and Washington Streets. The former had a station on the old Main Line at Washington and York Streets (just before the latter merged); the latter on Washington Street just north of Sands Street. By 1914, the old Main Line was gone; the configuration at the end of the Myrtle Avenue Line is unclear.

• September 24, 1883: The New York and Brooklyn Bridge Railway starts operations. [NYT 9-25-1883]
• May 13, 1885: The old Main Line opens from York & Washington to Gates Avenue. [NYT 5-14-1885]
• November 11, 1885: The old Main Line opens from York & Washington to Fulton Ferry. "At the same time the promenade connecting the York and Washington streets station with the bridge was thrown open to the public." [NYT 11-12-1885]
• December 14, 1885: A new (?) pedestrian connection between the Brooklyn Bridge station and Sands & Washington station opens. [NYT 12-15-1885]
• April 10, 1888: The Union Elevated Railroad (Myrtle Avenue Line) opens from City Hall (Adams Street) to the old Main Line. [NYT 4-10-1888]
• December 24, 1891: The State Board of Railroad Commissioners approves the application of the Brooklyn Elevated Railroad to remove the old Main Line along Park and Grand Avenues, due to the merger with the parallel Union Elevated. [NYT 12-25-1891]
• September 29, 1895: The new Brooklyn terminal on the Brooklyn Bridge opens. Myrtle Avenue Line trains are no longer run to the "old station". "All passengers who use the elevated railroad in upper Myrtle Avenue, will have to change cars, as the Fulton Ferry trains will not connect with the bridge, as formerly." The new station on the Myrtle Avenue Line is at High Street and Washington Street, above the bridge. The Fulton Street Line "enters by way of Fulton Street, and a railroad platform, directly above and in the middle of the two bridge platforms, conducts their passengers to the bridge cars." [NYT 9-29-1895] The old entrance to the bridge terminal was on Sands Street. [NYT 10-1-1895] The new terminal was at High Street. [NYT 9-30-1895]
• June 28, 1898: The connection between the Myrtle Avenue Line and the Brooklyn Bridge opens. [NYT 6-29-1898]

With opens?

The bridge is featured in SimCity 3000 as the bridge but with opens, and in SimCity 4: Rush Hour as the "Medium Suspension" bridge type for avenues and highways.'

With opens - need a SimCity 3000 expert for this. Needs correction. Leonard G. 01:35, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)