COLUMBIA LIBRARIES OFFSITE AVERY FINE ARTS RESTRICTED 1111 AR01401629 r Tim riff •^HE>CELEBipFI8N< OP THE -McQPENING:* OP THE Dew Ybrk *> B^eeKLYN Bridge. i m?w mm ».4^W2$3»HEg ■ ■ m izx Htbrtfi SEYMOUR DURST ~t ' ~Fort nieiiw ^Im/lercfe-m, oj> Je 2A. Brooklyn, May 22, 1883. > It is desired that the following gentlemen meet in the Common Council Chamber, at 12 M., the 24th inst. for the purpose of going to the Bridge under escort: The Comptroller and Auditor, the Board of Alder- men, the Brooklyn Members of the Bridge Trustees, the Heads of Departments and their Deputies, the Park Commissioners, the Board of Education, the Board 17 of Assessors, the Board of Elections, the Judiciary, the County Officials, the Board of Supervisors, the Mem- bers of Congress, the United States Officials, Brooklyn Members of the Legislature, the ex-Mayors, ex-Comp- trollers, the ex- Auditors of the city ; the Society of Old Brooklynites, the Memorial Committee of the Grand Army of the Eepnblic, Major-General Com- manding Military Division of the Atlantic, and Staff; the Commodore Commanding the Naval Station of the port of New York, and Staff ; Officers of the United States Army and Navy, Brigadier-Generals of the Sec- ond Division, and their Staffs. SETH LOW, Mayor. Theo. D. Djmon, John McOarty, Owen E. Hough- ton, Louis C. Behman, J. P. Ormsbee, Committee of Common Council. And the following programme for the Bridge and City celebrations, was determined upon by the Bridge Trustees and City Authorities: Assembly of Fifth United States Artillery and Ma- tines at their respective barracks, about 9.30 A. M. 18 Assembly of Twenty- third Regiment, National Guard, at the Armory, Clermont avenue, this city, at 10.45 A. M. Assembly of Third Gatling Battery, National Guard, at Armory of Fourteenth Regiment, North Portland avenue, this city, at 1 p. M. Assembly of the Seventh Regiment, at their Armory, Sixty-sixth street and Fourth avenue, New York, at 10 A. M. Assembly in the Common Council Chamber, tbis city, at 12 m., as follows : The Comptroller and Auditor, Mayor Low and Board of Aldermen, Brooklyn Mem- bers of the Bridge Trustees, Heads of Departments and their Deputies, Park Commissioners, Board of Ed- ucation, Board of Assessors, Board of Elections, Judi- ciary, County Officials, Board of Supervisors, Members of Congress, United States Officials, Brooklyn Members of the Legislature, ex-Mayors, ex-Comptrollers and ex- Auditors of the City, Society of Old Brooklynites, Mem- orial Committee of the Grand Army of the Republic, Major-General Hancock, Commanding Military Divi- sion of the Atlantic, and Staff; Officers of the United States Army and Navy, Brigadier-Generals Christen- 19 sen and Brownell, of the Second Division, and their Staffs. Twenty-third Kegiment, United States Artillery and Marines escort the above named to Sands street sta- tion building, this city, to be there at 12.45. Assembly at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York, at 11.30, as follows : President of the United States and Cabinet, Governor Cleveland and Staff, Mayor Edson and Common Council of New York, and other Officials ; Major-General Alexander Shaler and Briga- dier-Generals of the First Division and their respective staffs and others. Seventh Regiment escort the above named to the Chatham street approach, to be there at one o'clock. On arrival of guests from New York at the New York tower, at 1.30, a salute will be fired from the forts and ships of war. On their arrival at the Brooklyn tower, a salute will be fired by the Third Gatling Battery from Fort Greene. Commencement of exercises at Sands street station building, at 2 p. m. Reception at the residence of Colonel Washington A. Roebling, 110 Columbia Heights, this city, after the opening ceremony until 7 r. m. 20 Dinner to the President of the United States, Gov- ernor Cleveland and other distinguished persons at the residence of Mayor Low, corner of Columbia Heights and Pierrepont street, at about six p. m. Display of fire-works from the Bridge towers and river span, from 8 to 9 P. M. Reception by the city of Brooklyn to the President and Governor, at the Academy of Music, from 9.30 to 10.30 p. m. To say that Brooklyn awoke in a frenzy on the morning of the 24th, may possibly mildly describe its condition, and the bewildering confusion and bustle raged until long after midnight. The streets were jam- med with a multitude that was astonishing even to our own citizens, and a thousand strangers were seen where one familiar face appeared. But notwithstand- ing the crowding and hustling, the innumerable vehi- cles, the recklessness and wild enjoyment that reigned supreme, not a casualty worthy to be called such, was reported, and the day passed without an unhappy re- membrance. At noon, the City authorities and their invited guests assembled in the Common Council Chamber. Vener- able forms appeared amid the throng. Many who had 21 been Mayors, or Aldermen, or who had held other offices in the City Government in years long gone by were with us. To them it was an occasion full of thought- ful interest. Some had been born in Brooklyn before it even reached the dignity of an incorporated village. Many remembered it as a city with only a few thou- sands of population, and insulated from the outside world. And now they were present at the ceremony by which their beloved city, teeming with a people six hundred thousand strong, was to be wedded, indisso- lubly, let us hope, to the Empire City, by a highway through the air. When properly arranged in Hue, the procession de- scended the steps of the City Hall to find awaiting it as an escort the Twenty-third Eegiment commanded by Colonel Rodney C. Ward ; down Remsen street to Henry street, along the latter to Middagh street, thence through Fulton street to Sands street, to the Bridge entrance, the procession tramped to the lively music of the splendid band, and headed by the Twenty-third in all its glory of new uniforms and martial bearing. Arrived at the Bridge — glorious moment — we real- ized that at last the Bridge was finished, that the wire and the stone and the wood, so long hung in various 22 shapes, above, beside and across the river, had at last been cunningly woven together into substance, and, dry shod, the river might be crossed by our people who waited and wearied so long for this grand con- summation. Here the line separated, and the Mayor, Aldermen, and Trustees, preceded by the regiment and the Unit- ed States Marine Corps from the Navy Yard, advanced upon the Bridge as far as the Brooklyn tower, there to receive the President and his Cabinet, the Gover- nor and his Staff, and the New York City authorities. The scene from the platform about the towers was superb, the day and temperature perfect. The wait- ing, though long, was not, and could not be tedious. Never before was there, and probably never again will there be such a, sight. Description by our pen would be a failure ; others have happily written it, and in thousands of households the printed accounts of it will be carefully preserved to be handed down to Brooklyn's posterity. At last the roar of the cannon and the shouts of the multitude, and the shrieking of the steam ves- sels announced the President, the Governor, and oilier distinguished personages. Accompanied by them and 23 by General James Jourdan, the Marshal of the day, they were received by our Authorities, and betweeu the presented arms of the Marine Corps and the Tweu- ty-third Regiment, proceeded down the Brooklyn side of the Bridge to the depot where the opeuing ex- ercises were to take place. The thousands of people who had been admitted to the roadways of the Bridge, and the hundreds who formed the escort from New York, followed in dense masses, and the building was soon thronged and packed to its utmost capacity. Here according to the programme made up by the Trustees, the ceremonies appropriate to the delivery of the Bridge to the two cities were duly perform- ed. As they were not a part of the Municipal cel- ebration, and moreover, as the account of them has been compiled and published under the authority of the Trustees, your Committee have deemed them in general not necessary to be detailed in this report. We, however, present the address delivered by the Mayor of our city on the acceptance of the Bridge on the part of Brooklyn, as properly belonging to our report. 24 Address of Mayor Low. Gentlemen of the Trustees: With profound satisfaction, on behalf of the City of Brooklyn, I accept the completed Bridge. Fourteen times the earth has made its great march through the heavens since the work began. The vicissitudes of fourteen years have tried the courage and faith of engineers and of people. At last we all rejoice in the signal triumph. The beautiful and stately structure fulfills the fondest hope. It will be a source of pleasure to-day to every citizen that no other name is associated with the end than that which has directed the work from the beginning — the name of Roebling. With all my heart I give to him who bears it now the City's acknowledgment and thanks. Fourteen years ago a city of 400,000 people on this side the river heard of a projected suspension bridge with incredulity. The span was so long, the height so great, and the enterprise likely to be so costly, that 25 few thought of it as something begun in earnest. The irresistible demands of Commerce enforced these hard conditions. But Science said, " It is possible ; " and Courage said, "It shall be!" To-day a city of 600,000 people welcomes with en- thusiasm the wonderful creation of genius. Graceful, and yet majestic, it clings to the land like a thing that has taken root. Beautiful as a vision of fairy- land, it salutes our sight. The impression it makes upon the visitor is one of astonishment, an astonish- ment that grows with every visit. No one who has been upon it can ever forget it. This great structure cannot be confined to the limits of local pride. The glory of it belongs to the race. Not one shall see it and not feel prouder to be a man. And yet it is distinctly an American triumph. American genius designed it ; American skill built it, and American workshops made it. About 1837, the Screw Dock across the river, then known as the Hydrostatic Lifting Dock, was built. In order to con- struct it the Americans of that day were obliged to have the cylinders cast in England. What a stride 26 from 1837 to 1883, from the Hydrostatic Dock to the New York and Brooklyn Bridge. And so this Bridge is a wonder of science. But in no less degree is it a triumph of faith. I speak not now of the courage of those who projected it. Except for the faith which removes mountains, yonder river conld not have been spanned by this Bridge. It is true that the material which has gone into it has been paid for, the labor which has been spent upon it has received its hire. But the money which did these things was not the money of those who own the Bridge. The money was lent to them on the faith that these two great cities would redeem their bond. So have the Alps been tunneled in our day, and the ancient prophecy been fulfilled, that faith should remove mountains. We justify this faith in us as we pay for the Bridge by redeeming the bond. In the course of the constr action of the Bridge a number of lives have been lost. Does it not some- times seem as though every work of enduring value, in the material as in the moral word, must needs be purchased at the cost of human life ? Let us recall with kindness at this hour, the work of those who lab- ored here faithfully unto the death, no less than of 2? that great ariny of men who have wrought year in and year out, to execute the great design. Let us give our meed of praise to-day to the humblest workman who has here done his duty well, no less than to the great engineer who told him what to do. The importance of this Bridge in its far-reaching effects at once entices and baffles the imagination. At either end of the Bridge lies a great city — cities full of vigorous life. The activities and the energies of each flow over into the other. The electric current has conveyed, unchecked, between the two, the inter- changing thoughts, but the rapid river has ever bidden halt to the foot of man. It is as though the popula- tion of these cities had been brought down to the river side, year after year, there to be taught patience; and as though in this Bridge, after these many years, patience had had her perfect work. The ardent mer- chant, the busy lawyer, the impatient traveler, all, without distinction and without exception, at the river, have been told to wait. No one can compute the loss of time ensuing daily from delays at the ferries to the multitudes crossing the stream. And time is not only money, it is opportunity. Brooklyn becomes available henceforth as a place of residence to thousands, to 28 whom the ability to reach their places of business with- out interruption from fog- and ice is of paramount im- portance. To all Brooklyn's present citizens a distinct boon is given. The certainty of communication with New York afforded by the Bridge is the fundamental benefit it confers. Incident to this is the opportunity it gives for rapid communication. As the water of the lakes found the salt sea when the Erie Canal was opened, so surely will quick com- munication seek and find this noble Bridge ; and as the ships have carried hither and thither the products of the mighty West, so shall diverging railroads trans- port the people swiftly to their homes in the hospit- able city of Brooklyn. The Erie Canal is a waterway through the land connecting the great West with the older East. This Bridge is a landway over the water, connecting two cities bearing to each other relations in some respects similar. It is the function of such works to bless " both him that gives and him that takes." The development of the West has not belittled, but lias enlarged New York, and Brooklyn will grow by reason of this Bridge, not at New York's expense, but to her permanent advantage. 29 The Brooklyn of 1900 can hardly be guessed at from the city of to-day. The hand of time is a mighty hand. To those who are privileged to live in sight of this noble structure, every line of it should be eloquent with inspiration. Courage, enterprise, skill, faith, endurance— these are the qualities which have made the great Bridge, and these are qualities which will make our city great and our people great. God grant they never may be lacking in our midst. Gentlemen of the Trustees, in accepting the bridge at your hands, I thank you warmly in Brooklyn's name for your manifold and arduous labors. 30 If the city in the daylight was gorgeous with its parades, displays of flags and thronging multitudes, it was no less so when the sun had set. The public buildings belonging to the city, the Police Station houses, Fire Engine houses, School houses, the City Hall and Municipal Building, the United States Court House, the Post Office, and thousands of private dwellings were brilliantly illuminated ; thousands of sky-rockets and other pyrotechnics flashed and sparkled in the darkness, and the whole water front was lighted up with the wonderful fire-works on the Bridge and on the hundreds of vessels that crowded the river. When, and even before, these displays had faded away, the crowds in the streets were pressing towards the Academy of Music in hopes of taking part in the reception tendered to the President and the Governor. This reception had been designed, and was carried out in a truly democratic spirit. All were invited to take part, and the only limit was that of time and numbers, 31 The Academy had been grandly prepared for the occasion, under the supervision of Mr. J. H. White- house, the chief designer of the eminent firm of Tiffany & Co., of New York city. To Mr. Whitehouse are due the thanks of the citizens of Brooklyn for his invaluable and gratuitous services in so elegantly arranging the decorations on this occasion, so import- ant and so unusual to Brooklyn. At the appointed hour, 9.20 o'clock p. m., President Arthur and Governor Cleveland, with the Cabinet of the President and the Staff of the Governor, with the Mayor and other city officials, having taking up their position, the doors of the academy were thrown open. For one hour a constant throng passed across the floor, the mechanic and the man of wealth, the work girl and her mistress, indiscriminately and without prejudice, paid their respects to the chief magistrates of the Nation and the State. 32 During the reception, Conterno's Old Guard Band and Orchestra rendered the following musical selec- tions : 1. National Air, " Hail Columbia." By band and orchestra. 2. Overture, " La Muette de Portici." Auber By orchestra. 3 Grand March, "Inauguration of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge," Conterno By band 4 Grand Selection, "Carmen," Bizet By orchestra. 5. Aria, " II Trovatore," Verdi By band. 6. Selection, " The Merry War," Strauss By orchestra. 7. March, " The State of New York," Conterno By band. 8. Fantasia, "Martha," - Flotow By orchestra. 9. Selection, " American Airs," Conterno By band. 10. Concert Polka, "The Kemble," - G. E. Conterno By orchestra. 11. Waltz, "Artist Life," Strauss By band. 12. Wedding March, "Midsummer Night's Dream," - - Mendehsohn By band and orchestra. Director of Music and Conductor, - - - Sig. Luciano Conterno A ssistant, Herr W. E. Boleschka With the closing of this reception, ended the cele- bration of the Bridge Opening. 33 We desire to call the attention of your Board to the good order which marked this reception, and to the general absence through the day of acts of criminals or disorderly persons. This in the greater part was due to the efficiency of our Police force. In recogni- tion of its good work the Mayor properly sent the following commimication to the Commissioner of Police. Mayor's Office, ) Brooklyn, N. Y., May 25, 1883. General James Jourdan, Commissioner of Police and Excise : Sir— It is gratifying to realize this morning that Brooklyn's great Bridge celebration has passed without accident to dim the rejoicing and without incident tending to mar its festivities. It is no doubt due greatly to the loyal and holiday spirit of the people themselves that our crowded thoroughfares were the scenes of good natured enjoy- ment, but whenever there are great gatherings of peo- ple and large numbers to be dealt with, the preval- ence of good order depends largely upon the wise arrangements made to insure the carrying out of the programme without interruption, 34 I desire to congratulate you upon the admirable arrangements made in this instance, and through you to thank the Police force for the courteous and efficient service rendered by them. The Police arrangements at the entrance of the bridge and at the Academy were all that could be desired, and to this the smoothness with which everything passed off bears ample testi- mony. I particularly wish to acknowledge the services of the mounted squad in the evening, and to thank them for their prompt attention to every duty. Eespectfully, SETH LOW, Mayor. 35 Your Committee herewith append an account of the expenditure of the appropriation voted by your Board, or rather of the sum of $4,647,30, leaving an unexpended balance of $352,70. No liability was incurred nor bill paid until first approved by the Mayor, and your Committee feel that it is incumbent on it to report that all the dis- bursements have been judicious and economical. During the time immediately preceding the day of celebration, the Mayor caused to be published and distributed a small pamphlet as a souvenir of the occasion. Although much of it may seem as a tale oft told, your Committee beg leave to incorporate a portion of it in this report, as it seems proper that it should in some manner appear upon the records of this Common Council. 36 Bridge Statistics. Construction commenced January 3, 1870. Size of New York Caisson, 172 x 102 feet. " Brooklyn " 168x102 " Timber and iron in Caisson, 5,253 cubic yards. Concrete in well hole, chambers, etc , 5,669 cubic feet. Weight of New York Caisson, about 7,000 tons. " concrete filling, 8,000 tons. New York Tower contains 46,945 cubic yards of masonry. Brooklyn " " 38,214 " " Length of river span, 1,595 feet 6 inches. " each land span, 930 feet, 1,860 feet. " Brooklyn approach^ 971 feet. New York " 1,562 feet 6 inches. Total length of Bridge, 5,989 feet. Width of Bridge, 85 feet. Number of cables, 4. Diameter of each cable, 15f inches. First wire was run out May 29, 1877. Cable making really commenced June 11, 1877. Length of each single wire in cables, 3,579 feet. wire in 4 cables, exclusive of wrapping wire, 14,361 miles. Weight of 4 cables, inclusive of wrapping wire, 3,588£ tons. Ultimate strength of each cable, 12,200 tons. Weight of wire (nearly), 11 feet per lb. Each cable contains 5,296 parallel, not twisted, galvanized steel oil- coated wires, closely wrapped to a solid cylinder, 15| inches in diameter. Depth of tower foundation below high water, Brooklyn, 45 feet. New York, 78 feet. Size of towers at high water line, 140 x 59 feet. 11 " roof course, 136 x 58 feet. Total heigbl of towers above high water, 278 feel 37 Clear height of Bridge in centre of river span above high water, at 90° F., 135 feet. Height of floor at towers above high water, 119 feet 3 inches. Grade of roadway, 3£ feet in 100 feet. Height of towers above roadway, 159 feet. Size of anchorages at base, 129 x 119 feet, top, 117x104 feet. Weight of anchorages, 89 feet front, 85 feet rear. Weight of each anchor plate, 23 tons. Cost of Bridge, $15,000,000. Mayor of Brooklyn, Mayor of New York, SETH LOW, FRANKLIN EDSON Chief Engineer, WASHINGTON A. ROEBL1NG, Assistant Engineers, C. C. Martin, Francis Collingwood, Col. William H. Paine, Geo W. McNulty, S. R Phobasco, Wiliielm Hildenbrand Master Mechanic, E. F. Farrington. Brooklyn Trustees, 1883 Aaron Brinkerhoff, Comptroller, William C. Kingsley, William Marshall, Henry W. Slocum, James S. T. Stranaiian, Alfred C. Barnes, Alden S. Swan, Otto Witte, James Howell, New York Trustees, Allan Campbell, Comptroller, John T. Agnew, John G. Davis, J. Adriance Bush, Henry Clausen, Thomas C. Clarke, CnARLES McDonald, H. K. Tiicrber, Jenkins Van Schaick. 38 CO oo CO CM < cc PQ UJ ,-J UJ w o Q SS PQ E- co CC O S oc © © © © © © © © © © c=> o 5 © © © ©© ©Ci ©© to©© © *o Eh ?> 1C 4C © © © COt- iO© CO©© © CO 55 lO i> 1> © to W «iH C5 © © CO © P » T— 1 l-H CO HrH CO © O -< ¥? 'oo 1 9. p 1 > • • • > 'd • ^j S3 • • o f ' • ° a, • • ^ p ! ' s • -^ O . . § o I '.J3 o • O'So : * p ; ^i C3 Cm CJ r o3 ; !5° '33 >4 a f- c =4- : * c or 'e c • p • o • k— 1 • .' d . o :©^ ills p© . CO bo© p«©- +j C_ X • O *i • © "7$ . "^ 4) ^- o . 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Respectfully submitted, THEO. D. DIMON, Chairman, john Mccarty, owen e. houghton, john p. ormsbee, louis c. behmann, Committee. Dated, December 24, 1883, City Hall, Brooklyn, N. Y. ii i /• I Wm.