New York by sunlight and gaslight : a work descriptive of the great American metropolis ; its high and low life; its splendors and miseries; its virtu . s will be united under a single cor-porate government. The intercourse between themis constant and steadily increasing. iVbout eightymillions of people annually cross the East River, andfor many years the ferries have been utterly inade-quate to the demand upon them. The boats arealways crowded, and when the river is filled withice or shrouded in fog, the passage between the twocities is more dangerous than a voyage across theAtlantic. The nec
New York by sunlight and gaslight : a work descriptive of the great American metropolis ; its high and low life; its splendors and miseries; its virtu . s will be united under a single cor-porate government. The intercourse between themis constant and steadily increasing. iVbout eightymillions of people annually cross the East River, andfor many years the ferries have been utterly inade-quate to the demand upon them. The boats arealways crowded, and when the river is filled withice or shrouded in fog, the passage between the twocities is more dangerous than a voyage across theAtlantic. The necessity for providing a better, safer, andmore regular communication between the two citiesled a number of capitalists, some years ago, to con-ceive the plan of bridging the East River at a conven-ient point, and after much discussion a company wasformed for that purpose. A charter was obtainedfrom the Legislature of the State, and the necessarycapital subscribed, the cities of New York and Brook-lyn each assuming a certain proportion of the cost ofthe undertaking. It was determined that the struct-ure should be a suspension bridge, and work was t. » DESCRIPTION OF THE FRIDGE. 539 begun upon it in 1871. The bridge is swung from twomassive towers of granite, each of which rests upon acaisson sunk to the soHd rock, which, on the NewYork side, is from 82 to 92, and on the Brooklyn side45 feet below the surface of the water. The towerserected upon this foundation are 136 feet in length by56 feet in width at the water-line, and rise to a heightof 238 feet above the river at high water. Theygradually diminish in size as they ascend, until at thecornice they are i 20 feet in length by 40 feet in width,,They are constructed of massive masonry, are piercedwith two archways each, and rise high above the twincities, forming the most conspicuous objects in anyview of them from the East or North Rivers. TheNew York tower is located on the river shore nearthe foot of Roosevelt street, and th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidnewyorkbysun, bookyear1882
