Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America

by Henry Petroski

64. “You all know about”: quoted in a letter to Engineering News, Oct. 10, 1907, p. 391.

  65. Two Eiffel Towers: Engineering, May 3, 1889, p. 501.

  66. formal opening: Cox, in Paxton, ed., p. 90.

  67. “Aberdeen to New York”: Mackay (1990b), p. 112.

  68. Channel tunnel: see, e.g., Hunt; cf. Engineering, Oct. 30, 1868, pp. 389–92.

  69. “given reasonable care”: Grant, in Paxton, ed., p. 91.

  70. trans-Siberian Railway: see NYT, Aug. 15, 1994, p. A4.

  71. bridge connecting Siberia: see, e.g., G. T. Pope.

  72. Joseph Strauss: Golden, p. 5.

  73. Tung-Yen Lin: see G. T. Pope; cf. ENR, June 7, 1962, pp. 53–54; ENR, July 25, 1994, pp. 38–40.

  74. Kinzua Viaduct: Jackson, p. 145.

  75. “the first authoritative specifications”: ENR, Aug. 28, 1919, p. 443.

  76. Ashtabula Bridge: Jacobs and Neville, p. 56; see also Macdonald.

  77. exact cause of the failure: Jacobs and Neville, p. 57; see also Macdonald.

  78. “not only alarmed”: Cooper (1889), p. 21.

  79. He documented: ibid., p. 25.

  80. “worked out independently”: ibid., p. 27.

  81. “the first paper”: ibid., p. 22; see Cooper (1878).

  82. “must provide for”: Cooper (1889), p. 51.

  83. “the American system”: ibid., p. 49.

  84. absent from British practice: ibid., p. 51.

  85. “If an engineer”: quoted in ibid., p. 50.

  86. commission of five: EN, Sept. 6, 1894, p. 187.

  87. “cantaliver”: see EN, Dec. 27, 1894, p. 534.

  88. “the first practical solution”: Cooper (1889), p. 21.

  89. Edward Wellman Serrell: Spanning Niagara, pp. 23, 25.

  90. Quebec Bridge Company: Royal Commission, pp. 12–15.

  91. Cooper preferred the cantilever: ibid., pp. 16–17.

  92. pace of design work: ibid., p. 37.

  93. “employ a competent”: ibid., p. 42.

  94. “This puts me”: ibid., p. 43.

  95. “provided the efficiency”: ibid., p. 46.

  96. “de facto, chief engineer”: ibid., p. 75.

  97. hypercritical: ibid., pp. 50–52; cf. EN, Oct. 31, 1907, p. 474.

  98. “a technical man”: Royal Commission, p. 50.

  99. rejecting the proposed procedure: ibid., p. 79.

  100. Over the next three weeks: ibid., pp. 79–85.

  101. “it looked like a serious matter”: ibid., p. 88.

  102. “a grinding sound”: NYT, Aug. 30, 1907, p. 1.

  103. “for not having visited”: NYT, Aug. 31, 1907, p. 1.

  104. qualified earlier reports: NYT, Sept. 1, 1907, p. 1.

  105. “the Nestor”: EN, Oct. 31, 1907, p. 473.

  106. “The Canadian Commission”: ibid.

  107. “I should have been glad”: ibid., p. 474.

  108. “maintain a judicial attitude”: ibid., p. 469.

  109. “vigorous language”: NYT, Nov. 21, 1907, p. 4.

  110. “These errors of judgment”: Royal Commission, p. 9.

  111. “Why, if you condemn”: EN, Oct. 3, 1907, p. 364.

  112. “Mr. Cooper states”: Royal Commission, pp. 49–50.

  113. “The Quebec Bridge collapse”: EN, Oct. 3, 1907, p. 365.

  114. “commonplace in appearance”: Scientific American, Feb. 12, 1910, p. 148.

  115. “for the sake of”: Royal Commission, p. 56.

  116. “Twice the hopes”: ENR, Nov. 27, 1917, p. 579.

  117. “the entire responsibility”: quoted by Lindenthal in ENR, Nov. 16, 1911, p. 583.

  118. a lengthy tract: EN, Nov. 16, 1911, pp. 581–86; Nov. 23, 1911, pp. 613–19.

  119. “the most important”: EN, Nov. 16, 1911, p. 599.

  120. “If five or more”: ibid., p. 583.

  121. “Causes of the Disaster”: ibid., p. 582.

  122. “While the Quebec Bridge Co.”: ibid.

  123. “foresaw”: NYT, Aug. 25, 1919, p. 11.

  124. “consulting work”: ENR, Aug. 28, 1919, p. 443.

  125. memoir of Cooper: see “Memoir.”

  126. His total assets: NYT, March 25, 1919.

  Chapter 4. Lindenthal

  1. “the Nestor”: EN, Dec. 21, 1916, p. 1188.

  2. “dean” of American bridge engineers: ENR, Aug. 8, 1935, p. 208.

  3. Lindenthal was born: see “Memoir”; see also Buckley, p. 40.

  4. “educated at”: DAB, suppl. 1, pp. 498–99; National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, vol. XVI, p. 117.

  5. The issue of Lindenthal’s education: see Buckley, pp. 56–57.

  6. According to a memoir: “Memoir,” p. 1790.

  7. “received practical training”: ibid.

  8. “was put to work”: Buckley, p. 56.

  9. “to start a life”: quoted in ibid.

  10. “incline plane and railroad”: National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, vol. XVI, p. 117.

  11. “stood a little over six feet”: Buckley, p. 57.

  12. “Lindenthal was neither”: ibid., p. 56.

  13. After the Centennial Exhibition: BDACE, vol. I; Smith et al., p. 244.

  14. Monongahela River: Scientific American, Sept. 22, 1883.

  15. Lewis Wernwag: see Nelson, pp. 59–60.

  16. “an American engineering superlative”: see Nelson.

  17. “the most stunning”: Jackson, p. 321.

  18. “in the course of time”: Scientific American, Sept. 22, 1883, p. 180.

  19. riverboat captains could arrange: Gangewere, p. 29.

  20. “would not be subject to”: Schodek, p. 129.

  21. “the triumph of architectural skill”: Scientific American, Sept. 22, 1883, p. 180.

  22. Smithfield Street Bridge carried: Lindenthal (1883); Jackson, pp. 151–52; Schodek, pp. 129–31; Billington (1983), pp. 123–24.

  24. portal motif: see Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, p. 129.

  25. “new bridge at Pittsburg”: Scientific American, Sept. 22, 1883, p. 180.

  26. “from an excellent photograph”: ibid.

  27. “practicability of a railroad bridge”: TASCE, vol. 97 (1933), p. 422.

  28. “There was keen competition”: ibid.

  29. “given thought”: ibid., p. 423.

  30. “annoyance and even danger”: Lindenthal (1887), [p. 1].

  31. Arthur Mellen Wellington: BDACE, vol. II.

  32. with Calvert Vaux: D. McCullough (1972), p. 146.

  33. “1874–78”: quoted in EN, May 23, 1895, p. 337.

  34. “great work”: ibid.

  35. “It would be well”: quoted in Engineering Education, July-Aug. 1990, p. 524.

  36. “the influence of his energy”: EN, May 23, 1895, p. 338.

  37. “devoted his leisure”: ibid.

  38. “from a man”: EN, July 9, 1887, p. 24.

  39. “Are the proposed tunnels”: quoted in ibid.

  40. “not as a publication”: Lindenthal (1887), copyright page.

  41. “Prof. Lindenthal”: NYT, Jan. 5, 1888, p. 5.

  42. “public move”: EN, Nov. 12, 1887, p. 348.

  43. “wagon-ways”: EN, Nov. 19, 1887, p. 359.

  44. Fort Lee: NYT, Jan. 27, 1888, p. 8; Jan. 28, 1888, p. 3.

  45. “certainly not so formidable”: EN, Jan. 7, 1888, p. 1.

  46. A profile diagram: EN, Jan. 14, 1888, p. 22.

  47. “protect them absolutely”: ibid., p. 30.

  48. “the most prominent feature”: EN, Jan. 28, 1888, p. 57.

  49. “the first definite description”: ibid., p. 62.

  50. “architectural excellence”: EN, Feb. 4, 1888, p. 78.

  51. “The graceful suspension”: ibid., pp. 78–79.

  52. “It is certainly true”: ibid., p. 79.

  53. four types of bridges: EN, March 3, 1888, pp. 153–54.

  54. “cantilever fever”: April 7, 1888, p. 270.

  55. “as t
hey were then”: EN, March 3, 1888, p. 154.

  56. so committed to the suspension concept: ibid., p. 155; cf. EN, March 24, 1888, p. 226.

  57. New-York and New-Jersey Bridge Company: Ammann (1933b), p. 5.

  58. opposition on the New York side: NYT, Feb. 5, 1888, p. 3.

  59. Early in 1888: EN, April 14, 1888, p. 283.

  60. “It plainly contemplates”: ibid., p. 294.

  61. Henry Flad: NYT, July 3, 1888, p. 4.

  62. “we shall have a bridge”: NYT, Dec. 25, 1888, p. 4.

  63. “much-talked-of bridge”: The American Architect and Building News, Dec. 8, 1888, p. 267.

  64. critical appraisal by Max Am Emde: The Engineer, vol. 67 (1889), p. 411.

  65. “Ignorance of it”: EN, July 20, 1889, p. 58.

  66. “the bridge is not intended”: ibid., p. 59.

  67. “If English and Scotch railways”: EN, March 8, 1890, p. 228.

  68. “take hold of the project”: NYT, Oct. 12, 1889, p. 1.

  69. American Association for the Advancement of Science: EN, Nov. 9, 1889, pp. 435–37; Nov. 16, 1889, pp. 464–65; Nov. 23, 1889, pp. 486–87.

  70. “Zoölogists tell us”: EN, Nov. 9, 1889, p. 436.

  71. “If well maintained”: EN, Nov. 23, 1889, p. 487.

  72. “Man is more destructive”: ibid.

  73. “Like half a rainbow”: ibid.

  74. In the early spring: EN, April 5, 1890, p. 313; July 5, 1890, pp. 12–13.

  75. “a few hackfuls”: EN, Jan. 2, 1892, p. 15.

  76. two bridge companies: see EN, March 16, 1893, p. 258.

  77. “The North River Bridge Co.”: EN, Jan. 2, 1892, p. 15.

  78. location of the bridge: cf. Billington (1977), table 1.

  79. “near Desbrosses St.”: TASCE, vol. 97 (1933), p. 423.

  80. “somewhere between Seventieth and Eightieth”: NYT, Feb. 5, 1888, p. 3.

  81. “at about Sixtieth St.”: NYT, March 24, 1888, p. 5.

  82. “between 10th and 181st Sts.”: EN, April 14, 1888, p. 283.

  83. “between Washington Heights and Spuyten Duyvil”: NYT, July 3, 1888, p. 4.

  84. “at Fourteenth-Street”: NYT, July 7, 1888, p. 5.

  85. “at Fort Washington”: ibid.

  86. “at any point”: NYT, Oct. 16, 1888, p. 3.

  87. “near 13th St.”: EN, April 6, 1889, p. 299.

  88. “about Forty-second St.”: EN, May 10, 1890, p. 434.

  89. “to recommend”: see EN, Sept. 6, 1894, p. 187.

  90. Bouscaren: BDACE, vol. I.

  91. Burr: ibid.

  92. Morison: ibid.; E. E. Morison.

  93. Charles Walker Raymond: see “Memoir.”

  94. “of the unanimous opinion”: EN, Sept. 6, 1894, p. 187.

  95. in favor of a suspension bridge: ibid., p. 192.

  96. “the maximum length”: EN, Nov. 22, 1894, p. 423.

  97. “for information”: EN, Dec. 6, 1894, p. 465.

  98. “one of the most valuable”: EN, Nov. 22, 1894, p. 428; cf. EN, Nov. 1, 1894, p. 364.

  99. “attract a traffic”: EN, Nov. 22, 1894, p. 428.

  100. Consolidated: EN, Dec. 13, 1894, p. 479.

  101. secretary of war: EN, Dec. 20, 1894, p. 503.

  102. Traffic on Brooklyn Bridge: see, e.g., EN, Nov. 19, 1887, p. 359.

  103. Niagara Gorge Bridge: EN, Dec. 27, 1894, p. 534.

  104. “To Mr. Roebling”: ibid.

  105. “engineers are only now”: ibid.

  106. first prize: EN, June 28, 1894, p. 546.

  107. “One design”: ibid., p. 547.

  108. “there is no knowing”: EN, Dec. 27, 1894, p. 534.

  109. “immense rigid trusses”: EN, June 6, 1895, p. 361.

  110. Charles MacDonald: Shanor, pp. 139–40.

  111. “unless something were done”: EN, July 11, 1895, p. 25.

  112. a cornerstone: Shanor, p. 141.

  113. a tunnel: EN, Feb. 13, 1896, p. 97.

  114. “to appreciate the fact”: EN, Nov. 25, 1897, p. 346; cf. Dec. 9, 1897, p. 378.

  115. Hudson Tunnel Railroad Company: EN, June 16, 1892, p. 609.

  116. John Fowler: EN, Sept. 15, 1892, p. 245.

  117. British money: EN, June 16, 1892, p. 609.

  118. calls for additional bridges: NYT, May 2, 1883, p. 5; May 14, 1887, p. 8.

  119. Frederick Uhlmann: EN, Jan. 30, 1886.

  120. Leffert Lefferts Buck: see “Memoir.”

  121. plans for the Williamsburg Bridge: EN, July 30, 1896, p. 76.

  122. “utterly opposed”: EN, Aug. 20, 1896, p. 126.

  123. final price tag: see, e.g., D. McCullough (1972), pp. 506, 509.

  124. “judgment, skill”: EN, Jan. 27, 1898, p. 60.

  125. “ignorance of the true value”: ibid., p. 60.

  126. “An engineer may not”: EN, March 3, 1898, p. 144.

  127. “Roughly speaking”: EN, Dec. 17, 1903, p. 535.

  128. “the heaviest suspension bridge”: Hungerford, p. 26.

  129. “So far as engineering science”: ibid., pp. 26–27.

  130. “slipping to Brooklyn”: NYT, Sept. 2, 1906, p. 1.

  131. Two additional supports: NYT, Nov. 10, 1909.

  132. additional steel: EN, May 14, 1914, p. 1082.

  133. “Mr. Buck designed”: NYT, June 9, 1911, p. 7.

  134. “perfect condition”: ENR, Dec. 8, 1921, p. 939.

  135. Engineering News-Record: see ENR, April 5, 1917; cf. McGraw; Mehren; C. W. Baker.

  136. “Such bridges”: ENR, Dec. 8, 1921, p. 924.

  137. “dragged woefully”: Hungerford, p. 117.

  138. Lindenthal deducted: ibid., p. 118.

  139. The Roebling firm: NYT, Sept. 7, 1905, p. 7.

  140. excluded by New York politics: see D. McCullough (1972), p. 374.

  141. R. S. Buck: EN, Feb. 19, 1903, p. 183; see also TASCE, vol. 40 (1898), p. 160.

  142. first semiannual report: EN, Aug. 21, 1902, p. 124.

  143. The new plans: EN, Feb. 19, 1903, p. 184.

  144. board of five engineers: ibid.

  145. “small suspension bridges”: EN, March 12, 1903, p. 229.

  146. “one of the most experienced”: ibid., p. 234.

  147. “they are to be preferred”: ibid., p. 243.

  148. The final report: EN, July 2, 1903, p. 24.

  149. “even more disappointing”: EN, July 9, 1903, p. 38.

  150. “a chain-bridge”: EN, July 23, 1903, p. 79.

  151. The debate over the Manhattan Bridge: see, e.g., EN, July 30, 1903, p. 102; Aug. 6, 1903, p. 124; Aug. 13, 1903, p. 144.

  152. editorial stance: EN, Aug. 13, 1903, p. 142.

  153. “no greater than”: EN, Oct. 1, 1903, p. 296.

  154. “yet much to learn”: EN, Oct. 29, 1903, p. 392.

  155. “the best way”: EN, Dec. 31, 1903, p. 590.

  156. “personal spite”: NYT, Dec. 9, 1905, p. 15; cf. p. 8.

  157. still advocating a chain: NYT, March 31, 1906, p. 8.

  158. Mayor McClellan: NYT, June 16, 1908, p. 5.

  159. formally opened: EN, Jan. 6, 1910, p. 27; see also NYT, Dec. 12, 1908, p. 1.

  160. “to watch the construction”: NYT, April 12, 1909, p. 5.

  161. Ralph Modjeski: see Durand; Current Biography, 1940; DAB, suppl. 2; “Memoir.”

  162. “The première tragedienne”: “Memoir” of Modjeski, p. 1624.

  163. “someday he would build”: Modjeska, pp. 245–46.

  164. student with Ignace Paderewski: Durand, p. 246.

  165. “as an honor conferred”: Civil Engineering, March 1931, p. 568; see also Civil Engineering, April 1931, p. 667.

  166. “When I was four”: Journal of the Western Society of Engineers, vol. 36, no. 2 (April 1931), p. 73; see also Durand, p. 255.

  168. “father of bridge building”: “Memoir” of Modjeski, p. 1624.

  169. “It is that”: Journal of the Western Society of Engineers, vol. 36, no. 2 (April 1931), P. 7
9.

  170. “prolonged applause”: ibid., p. 72.

  171. His posing: Government Board of Engineers.

  172. Delaware River Bridge: Carswell, pp. 37, 39.

  173. “a clean bill of health”: NYT, Sept. 14, 1909; see also ENR, Oct. 14, 1909, pp. 401–9.

  174. The Manhattan Bridge: see, e.g., Billington (1983), p. 136.

  175. Lindenthal actually raised: ENR, April 27, 1911, p. 517.

  176. “scheme was rescued”: NYT, July 23, 1880, p. 2.

  177. “by enormous passenger elevators”: NYT, March 16, 1887, p. 5.

  178. legality of running railroad tracks: NYT, Nov. 8, 1889, p. 3.

  179. only one pier: Reier, p. 44.

  180. The new location: EN, Nov. 29, 1894, pp. 439, 448.

  181. Supreme Court: EN, Nov. 21, 1895, p. 350.

  182. In his first report: EN, Aug. 21, 1902, p. 125.

  183. Lindenthal’s specifications: EN, Sept. 3, 1903, p. 206.

  184. “largest cantilever bridge”: NYT, July 4, 1905, p. 3; see also July 8, 1905, p. 14.

  185. “and so weakened”: NYT, Sept. 22, 1906, p. 6.

  186. Work gangs: NYT, Feb. 14, 1908, p. 1.

  187. dynamite was found: NYT, March 9, 1908, p. 11.

  188. “seemed to be defying”: NYT, March 13, 1908, p. 4.

  189. Two independent consultants: Burr and Boller & Hodge, p. 3.

  190. Burr did recommend: ibid., p. 26.

  191. “must not be opened”: NYT, July 30, 1908, p. 12.

  192. fearless pedestrians: NYT, Aug. 18, 1908, p. 7.

  193. Rudyard Kipling: see “The Bridge-Builders,” in Kipling.

  194. “birds in large flocks”: NYT, Dec. 10, 1908, p. 3.

  195. “architects and structural engineers”: NYT, Dec. 27, 1908, pt. 5, p. 4.

  196. “unpleasantly suggestive”: NYT, Sept. 6, 1908, pt. 3, p. 4.

  197. Miss Elinor Dolbert: NYT, Jan. 6, 1909, p. 3.

  198. perhaps Wilbur Wright: NYT, Feb. 1, 1909, p. 1.

  199. “veracious press agent”: NYT, Feb. 4, 1909, p. 6.

  200. Questions of safety: see, e.g., NYT, March 31, 1909, p. 2.

  201. “Dr. Rainey”: NYT, May 13, 1909, p. 1.

  202. “new bridge ablaze”: NYT, June 13, 1909, p. 1.

  203. Hell Gate: EN, May 30, 1907, p. 583.

  204. Henry F. Hornbostel: Buckley, pp. 44, 48.

  205. refused to submit new plans: NYT, March 29, 1904, p. 10.

  206. “a pair of immense pylons”: EN, May 30, 1907, p. 583.

  207. “in Westchester County”: Ammann (1918), p. 1000.

  208. leaning toward a scheme: ibid., p. 860.

  209. three comparative designs: ibid., p. 865.