The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge

This book profiles the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the engineers and their personalities, the corruption and bribery of the times and the overall culture of the late 1800's. As always, David McCullough writes with a literary style that is enjoyable but also educational. This book is a history lesson combined with the pleasure of understanding the mindset and life of those who lived before us and is a great testimony to human ingenuity. Pros: - David McCullough's writing style: His sentences are lucidly crafted so that such a distinct image in your mind is created as a result.He has to gift to blend technical information of the bridge with poetic grace that is both a pleasure to the reader as well as an education. - Understanding of the prevailing culture of corruption and bribery of politicians and executives during this era: The building of the Brooklyn Bridge wasn't built without its trace of bribery and corruption amongst the board overseeing its creation, and, as a result, causes the reader to view the bridge from a different perspective other than that of a sheer feat of human ingenuity. - True insight into the personalities of all the characters involved in the building of the bridge: Colonel Roebling wasn't only known for being the Chief Engineer of The Great Bridge; he was also a courageous and decorated Civil War Veteran participating in multiple key battles. - Provides inspiration for those of a mechanical aptitude, or for anyone who realizes modern industry wasn't magically created, but was created by the hard work and intelligence and bravery of mankind: Understanding what is required to erect a bridge of this magnitude will shock and awe the average reader who has no prior knowledge of engineering. Cons: - Technical details of bridge engineering require extra attention and focus for understanding: For those with a background not related to engineering, the technical details of how the bridge was built is difficult to understand and requires constant referencing the dictionary to comprehend what the author is trying to convey to the reader. - At times, the non-technical descriptions of the magnificence of the bridge is verbose and repetitive

The Great Bridger by David McCullough For me this is a rare read. It is over 800 pages. Fortunately, the last 20% are appendices which I did not studiously read nor look over. This story begins with the early years of suspension bridges in the United States as they prepared the way for the building of the Great Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge. This is about building of the bridge, the people who built the bridge and convincing the communities to undertake this endeavor. At the time of its completion in 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world, (1595ft). Its center span rose 127 feet above mean high tide to facilitate the passing of sailing ships. In 1883 its towers were the tallest structures in New York. (272 feet above the water. McCoullough gives us backgrounds on all the key participants in building the bridge and in opposing the bridge. Yes, the building of the bridge was a roaring controversy from its conception throughout its construction. (There was a significant cost overrun.) McCoullough also gives us insight into the politics of New York City, Albany and even the U. S. These were the years of the Tammany Hall Gang, and nothing got done in New York without some level of participation of the leadership at Tammany Hall. In spite of accusations of corruption surrounding the financing of the bridge a post construction review of the bridge reported that there were no misspent funds. The third focus of the book is on the actual construction of the bridge. To give you some idea of the challenges faced by the engineers and the workers. The first step in the construction is creating firm foundations 70 feet below the water. This was done by creating a large watertight box (called a caisson) the size of several basketball courts that is then forced down by clearing away boulders and other debris until it sits on ground firm enough to support the bridge. As the box descends below 30 feet the interior air pressure increases to dangerous levels causing what was called ‘caisson disease’, or as we now know it, the bends. This had debilitating effects on the work men and on Washington Roebling the Supervising Engineer, who joined the laborers working in the caisson. The Brooklyn Bridge was a marvel upon completion and remains an iconic marvel to the day. McCoullough book breathe life into the stones and steel of this iconic structure. This book has moved walking to the center of the bridge is to the top of my bucket list.

Like so many things in life I came across David McCullough's work by good fortune, in that, I was doing post-graduate history research and saw his book entitled 'The Wright Brothers.' Since then my library now includes five of his other excellent fact-based books, all of which have been highly interesting, well researched and equally well-written. 'The Great Bridge' is no exception. It tells the story of why and how this incredible piece of engineering came into being, largely due to the intellect and dedication of the Roebling family, although they were not alone, since many others such as Brooklyn politicians, entrepreneurs, high-end engineers and a couple of swindlers and last but certainly not least, an extraordinary lady by the name of Emily, who together came to design and then supervise the construction of what at the time was the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting Brooklyn with Manhattan, New York. With the exception of the eye bars which had to be forged, all other major parts of the bridge were of a relatively new material , which engineers referred to as steel. Whilst the Brooklyn Bridge spanning the East River is nowadays dwarfed by other taller and perhaps more eye-catching structures on Manhattan Island, the Brooklyn Bridge continues to attract locals and visitors from around the world who not only enjoy the incredible views but in most cases are aware that this is still something very special, some have said the Eighth Wonder of the World but that might just be a slight exaggeration nowadays. Nevertheless, the story David McCullough tells keeps one's attention drawn to the narrative and in this writers case resulted in quite a bit of additional research. By the way, some of the wire used to make the main cables was sub-standard, although this fact was discovered at a point where it proved non-consequential. Enjoy the read. I'm just about to read one of his other books. Now let's see, will it be '1776,' 'The Johnstown Flood' or 'The Pioneers?' A good read is priceless.

El libro es muy interesante. Se centra en los aspectos históricos más que en los estructurales. La historia es tan interesante que engancha desde el principio. Very interesting. Focused on historical facts rather than in structural issues.

I'm from Montreal, Québec. I go to New York 2 or 3 times a year, every year since 1984. I've crossed the Brooklyn Bridge 3 times on foot, one time by bus. I've watch the Great Bridge from Pier 17. Although I've always admire this beautiful piece of engineering, and especially the wonderous view it provides to the Manhattan skyline, I never dream it's story would be so rich. The Roeblings, John and especially Washington A, truly are American Heroes. After being hit very hard by the "caisson disorder", Chief Engineer Washington Roebling continued his work in dismal physical conditions. This is a succes story against all odds; against sickness, against corruption, against bureaucracy, againts conservatisims, most of all against political agendas. Even though I wasn't able to quite understand all the technical explanations on how the Great Bridge was built, it doesn't matter much to me. The human side of the story is quite interesting to say the least. It will definitly make me walk the Great Bridge one more time and this time, I'll fully appreciate it.

To read absolutely for those interested in NYC and history in general. Anyone around the world knows this bridge but very few know about its construction.