When the Brooklyn Bridge opened in for traffic the first time in May of 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, half again as large as the next largest bridge, as well as the first steel-wire suspension bridge. It was also, for a while anyway, (by virtue of its towers) the tallest structure in the world. The Brooklyn Bridge it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by crossing the East River. At the time of its completion, the bridge was the only land-based way to travel between the two boroughs. The construction took eleven years.
Design and construction was originally the work of John Roebling and his son Washington Roebling. But the father injured his foot early in the start of the project, and was unable to continue working on it. He eventually died of tetanus. Washington Roebling took over for his father, and was entirely responsible for it once construction finally began in 1870. But not long after the major construction started, Washington suffered decompression illness (it wasn't even recognized as an ailment at the time, and several of the workers working on the underwater pylons were affected). He was largely incapacitated, and unable to work on the site, and soon, was completely unable to leave his bed. For the last eleven years of the bridge's construction, Washington's spouse Emily Warren Roebling was principal in terms of the design, engineering and mathematic calculations needed to complete the bridge's construction.
The following are all pictures of the bridge; it's still remarkable.
Credit: Irving Underhill; August 11, 1913. Gelatin silver print.
I think that the bridge in the distance is the Manhattan Bridge.
In the undated image below, you can see the towers of the bridge proper, and the approach to the bridge, including railroad and street car tracks.
Image credit: June, 2009 Tiago Fioreze.
