sevenman-madewondersinUS..docVIP

Against the citys gleaming spires, Above the ships that ply the stream,A bridge of haunting beauty stands, Fulfillment of an artists dream.? That poem is about our first man-made wonder – the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.? It extends more than four hundred eighty meters over the East River to connect the areas of Brooklyn and Manhattan.? A famous bridge builder David B. Steinman wrote the poem.? But he did not build the Brooklyn Bridge. It was the dream of another man, John A. Roebling.? He was a member of the design team and became chief engineer of the building project in eighteen sixty-seven.? Sadly, he became sick and died before work even started.? He had an accident when visiting the area where the bridge was to be built.? Building began in eighteen seventy. It was very dangerous.? Few records were kept on such events.? But, historians say between twenty and thirty men died as a result of the building project.? Some died from falling off the bridge or from being struck by equipment.? Others died or were injured from working in the structures called caissons.? These lay deep below the surface of the Earth.? The workers would get a pressure sickness called the bends. John Roeblings son, Washington, was severely disabled by the bends. He had been named chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge project soon after his father died. Washington Roebling continued the work from his home after he was disabled. The Brooklyn Bridge opened on May twenty-fourth, eighteen eighty-three. At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world.? It is still a beautiful structure.? The bridge has tens of thousands of suspension wires that spread many meters across and up and down to towers on each side.? From a distance the many wires look like the stringed musical instrument called the harp.? The center of the Brooklyn Bridge rises almost forty meters above the East River.? It is one of the most famous and beloved New York City landmarks. 1. Where is the bridge l