His bridges have been wonders of the world. But they were solidly constructed although they have been kind of venturesome. He was the most famous bridge constructor of America in the 19th century, but when Johann August Roebling entered America, he thought of anything else but constructing bridges and streets. He wanted to become a farmer, wanted to live a simple life.
He was born on June 12, 1806, in Muehlhausen, which is in Thuringia. He studied philosophy and mathematics and became an engineer, although he hated to be an engineer. Between 1827 and 1831 he worked as an assistant at the construction of military-streets for Prussia. But he wasn’t lucky at that time. He often thought of the famous philosopher Hegel, whose lectures he has heard in Berlin. When there joined several academics in Muehlhausen for founding a society for emigration, he joined this society.
Johann August Roebling and his brother traveled in 1831 to the USA for finding some piece of land by order of the emigration-society of Muehlhausen, which wanted to found a colony there. He chooses an area in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. There should come into being a settlement where all inhabitants should live after the rules of humanity and brotherhood as a germ cell for a better world. These idealists failed pitiably, because they didn’t know anything about agriculture.
Roebling recognized that he would never become a good farmer, so he decided to work in his learned profession as an engineer and began to experiment with wire ropes. At that time suspension bridges with chains were known, but these chains couldn’t carry very big weights. Suspension bridges over 60 meter length seemed to be impossible. Already in 1822 there has been a successful try substituting these chains by wire ropes in Genf. But Roebling should be the one who made this system perfect.
He began in a small workshop in Saxonburg in 1840, where he produced the first wire ropes. At the same time he designed constructions for suspension bridges and became famous in 1846, when he constructed a suspension bridge over the Monongahela-River near Pittsburgh (picture). This bridge was 500 meters long and was only hold by 8 wire ropes. Because he became famous, Roebling constructed bridges over the Hudson and over the Delaware. Between 1852 and 1855 he constructed a suspension bridge over the Niagara-River directly underneath the waterfalls. This bridge cost 400,000 Dollars. The bridge was 266 meters long and had two stories. Pedestrians could cross the foaming river on the upper story in about 80 meter height. The whole bridge was only hold by 4 wire ropes. On the upper story trains could cross the river. This bridge became worth seeing. It was removed after 42 years not because the construction was bad, but because the trains had become much heavier. Near Cincinnati Roebling built a bridge over the Ohio which was only hold by two ropes and was 350 meters long. In 1842 Roebling’s plant for wire ropes moved to Trenton, New Jersey. Within two years his plant grew to a powerful company, which produced more than 2000 tons of wire ropes every year.
Roebling's plant in Trenton
He died before his biggest bridge was finished: In 1859 Roebling began with the plans for the East-River-Bridge which connects Brooklyn and New York. He planned for 10 years. He fought against authorities and banks, which didn’t believe in his plan. In 1867 he founded the New York Bridge Company which should finance this project. Two years later Roebling began with the construction. He was injured by a falling stud and died on June 20, 1869, at the age of 63.
His son Washington Roebling finished the project. It was one of the most gigantic efforts of the 19th century. The powerful steel cables were laced on the spot in dizzy height above the East River. A lot of severe accidents happened. But on May 24, 1883 the new bridge was inducted. The bridge was 2500 meters long, 30 meters wide and 4 wire ropes carried 48,800 tons weight.
The bridge is much better known under the name Brooklyn-Bridge. Last year the German mail published a new stamp with the Brookly-Bridge on it because of the 100. birthday of Roebling.
And let me finish this post with a wonderful picture of the Brooklyn-Bridge at night!
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Source: Kügler, Dietmar; Die Deutschen in Amerika, Stuttgart, 1983
Pictures: Public domain
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