The building of the New York Brooklyn Bridge is a poignant and romantic story. The bridge was designed by John Roebling, an immigrant from Germany. His son Washington was an engineer in the American Civil War, who distinguished himself in many fierce battles, and rose through the ranks from private soldier to Lieutenant Colonel. At a Regimental Ball, Washington met Emily Warren, the young sister of his Commanding General. The couple fell in love and were married in 1865. After demobilisation, Washington joined his father to work as an assistant on the construction of a new suspension bridge at Cincinnati.
In 1867, he and Emily were treated to a delayed honeymoon; a fact-finding mission to Europe. The visit was partly for pleasure, to the great delight of Emily, for whom the highlight must have been the birth of their first child, in Germany. For Washington, however, the main purpose was to gain information for the forthcoming construction of “The Great Bridge” over the East River from New York to Brooklyn.
During their stay in Britain, they came to Sheffield, and Washington visited the Neepsend works of J H Andrew, who is reported to have crossed the Atlantic no less than 60 times to sell steel to the Americans. Washington must have been impressed by what he saw there, because Andrews Toledo eventually became the supplier of the high quality crucible steel used for the bridge hangers.
John Roebling's plans for the bridge were finally approved on 21st June 1869, but only a week later, tragedy struck.
John and Washington were working together, setting out the position of the Brooklyn Tower. John was standing on the ferry slip when a ferry boat docked, and the impact forced a timber against his right foot, crushing his toes. At first the accident was not considered serious, but within a fortnight, tetanus set in, and after a period of great suffering, John died from lockjaw on 22nd July, 1869. Young Washington was therefore left in sole charge of construction.
The bridge work began with the sinking of gigantic caissons to drive the foundations to depths of 45 feet on the Brooklyn side, and 78 feet on the New York side. This was innovative engineering work, difficult and dangerous, and the Brooklyn excavation was plagued, first by a massive blow-out of pressure, and then by a serious fire inside the timber caisson.
During this period, Washington Roebling worked for long hours inside the pressurised caissons, and in the winter of 1872, he was struck down by caisson disease, "the bends”. From that time onwards, he could only observe the progress of the bridge from his house in Brooklyn Heights, and his wife Emily took over the day-to-day direction of the works on his behalf. Although she had no formal engineering training, she relayed Washington’s instructions to the site, wrote his letters and liaised with the Bridge Trustees, the press and numerous politicians. Eventually, she defended him from jealous attempts to replace him as chief engineer. When the bridge was officially opened, on 24th May 1883, she was rewarded by an invitation to ride across it, in a triumphal carriage procession, to meet a party headed by the President of the United States.
Around the middle of the 19th Century, American industry relied heavily on Sheffield steel makers; both in direct imports of metal and manufactured goods, and in the expertise of Sheffield craftsmen who went to work and to instruct there. The New Brooklyn Bridge at Sheffield is designed to commemorate this heritage, and especially the mutually beneficial relationship between Sheffield and Brooklyn.
The Upper Don Partnership was formed some years ago to promote a walk and cycleway upstream from the City Centre, linking with both the Five Weirs Walk and the Pennine Trail. The need for a bridge crossing at Kelham Island was identified at an early stage by the Council's representatives, and two members, architect Mat Tatlow and engineer Alan Wood, joined to propose a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge. This would cross over from Kelham Island to Brooklyn Works, thus named in 1839 because of its involvement with the American city. It was discovered that a one-tenth scale model of the original would fit the new location perfectly in every respect, and provide a breathtaking vista at a site composed largely of listed buildings and structures, and steeped in Sheffield's industrial history. The scheme received full planning permission in January 2002.
Tragically, Mat Tatlow was diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly afterwards, and passed away in August 2002. Mat had been an inspiration to everyone, and his illness and death set back progress for a considerable period. However, the Partnership was re-launched at the end of the year, to continue the work he had helped to conceive.The Partnership has now been incorporated as a Limited Company, and has become a Charitable Trust. The Upper Don Walk Trust is dedicated towards improvement of the Don, all the way from the City Centre to Oughtibridge. However, the flagship project is undoubtedly the New Brooklyn Bridge, which we believe will excite interest and attract visitors from all over the world, and provide a powerful catalyst for future development of the Walk.
Kelham Island Brewery have brewed a special beer Brooklyn Porter to celebrate the links with Brooklyn Borough
copyright Upper Don Walk Trust
