The Brooklyn Bridge, this famous suspension bridge that spans the East River in New York City from Brooklyn to Manhattan, was constructed a few years after the Civil War, 1869-1883. It was immediately recognized as a brilliant feat of 19th century engineering. With its 1,595 foot long span the Brooklyn Bridge for seven years was the longest in the world. It was also the first in which steel was used for cable wires, and where explosives were used inside pneumatic caissons.
Most notable today was the foresight of its builder, John Augustus Roebling, that the bridge had two decks permitting various kinds of traffic, such as trains, carriages, and pedestrians. This novelty was and still is a distinct feature of the Brooklyn Bridge. The words of its constructor, John A. Roebling, that the addition of a pedestrian promenade above the roadway "in a crowded commercial city will be of incalculable value" certainly has turned out to be true.
The Brooklyn Bridge was built in the face of immense technical difficulties and numerous setbacks from unforeseen problems and serious accidents. Early on Chief Engineer John A. Roebling himself died as a result of an accident, and his son, Washington Roebling, became the new chief engineer. In 1872 he also suffered a crippling accident: he suffered from a severe attack of the infamous and then ill understood ‘caisson disease (known as ‘the bends’) during the founding of the Manhattan side pier. More devastating setbacks followed when first a blast of compressed air wrecked one of the pneumatic caissons and then, when a severe and long smoldering fire ruined another. Subsequent delays involved a cable that parted from its anchorage on the Manhattan side and crashed into the East River, perhaps because of frauds perpetrated by one of the steel-wire contractors. This fraud necessitated the replacement of tons of cable.
Solve a murder, save her mother, and stop the apocalypse? No problem. She has a foul-mouthed troll on her side. For Austin homicide detective Leira Berens, happy is running down bad guys and solving crimes. And she’s damn good at it. Which is why when the Light Elf prince is murdered, the king breaks a centuries old treaty and crosses between worlds to seek her help. Wait a min...
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