Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge commenced with an unexpected incident. In late June 1869, John Augustus Roebling, renowned for his expertise in designing and constructing wire rope suspension bridges, was surveying the site for his latest project in Lower Manhattan. Tragically, an approaching ferry collided with some wooden pilings, crushing Roebling's foot. Despite efforts to save him, he succumbed to tetanus three weeks later. Consequently, the role of chief engineer fell to his eldest son, Washington Roebling, who had been deeply involved in his father's previous projects, including the construction of a significant bridge spanning the Ohio River in Cincinnati and the design of the forthcoming Brooklyn Bridge.
Three years later, with construction progressing swiftly on what was poised to become the world's longest suspension bridge, and notably the first to utilize steel wires, Washington Roebling himself fell victim to "caisson disease," now recognized as decompression sickness or "the bends." As the chief engineer found himself bedridden in his home in Brooklyn Heights, his wife, Emily Warren Roebling, assumed a pivotal role and guided the completion of one of the most remarkable architectural feats of the 19th century.
Their union began against the backdrop of wartime. Washington Roebling encountered Emily Warren at a ball in early 1864, where her elder brother, General G.K. Warren, served as Washington's commanding officer during the Civil War. Instantly smitten, they married in January 1865 in Emily's hometown of Cold Spring, New York. By 1867, when they embarked on a journey to Europe, Emily was expecting their first child. During their travels, their only child, John A. Roebling II, was born.
At the time, Washington's father was engrossed in drafting designs for the highly anticipated East River Bridge project. He dispatched his son across the Atlantic to delve into the intricacies of caissons—immense underwater structures filled with compressed air that were revolutionizing the construction of suspension bridges across various global locales, from London to Prague.
As preparations for the new bridge project commenced, Washington and Emily Roebling relocated to a residence in Brooklyn Heights, situated just south of the planned bridge construction site. However, following John Roebling's unexpected passing in the summer of 1869, Emily's 32-year-old husband assumed the role of chief engineer for the project.
Building a suspension bridge spanning the 6,000-foot expanse of the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan entailed significant risk. "This was a structure the likes of which had never been made before," remarks Erica Wagner, author of "Chief Engineer" (2017), a biography of Washington Roebling. "Everything about it was unprecedented. Everything about it was radical."
Workers initiated the construction process by clearing away the bedrock with shovels and dynamite, preparing the site for the installation of the two massive wooden caissons, each weighing several tons. Above the water's surface, enormous blocks of stone were hoisted up to the summits of the bridge towers using iron ropes, a task fraught with danger as the ropes occasionally snapped, leading to injuries and fatalities. Nonetheless, as Wagner notes, it was the utilization of caissons that constituted "by far the most risky and most untried part of building the Brooklyn Bridge"—and also the most crucial.
Contrary to being a mere desk engineer, Washington Roebling dedicated as much, if not more, time inside the caissons as his workers. In the spring of 1872, he endured his most severe bout yet of what was then referred to as "caisson disease." During this period, little was known about the repercussions of surfacing too rapidly after diving, which could lead to the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream, resulting in the agonizing symptoms now recognized as "the bends" or decompression sickness.
"The atmosphere in the caissons was so peculiar and distressing that the prevailing belief at the time was that the atmosphere inside was responsible for the illness, rather than the act of emerging from the caissons," Wagner elucidates.
Washington's battle with the bends resulted in impaired vision and hearing, as well as partial paralysis. Despite these challenges, his mental faculties remained intact, and he persisted in overseeing the bridge's construction from his residence in Brooklyn, with invaluable assistance from his wife.
As noted by historian David McCullough in "The Great Bridge," Emily assumed dual roles as both nurse and private secretary, assuming responsibility for drafting all her husband's correspondence and maintaining his notebooks. Additionally, she meticulously reviewed construction plans, visited the construction site, and liaised with contractors and bridge officials.
McCullough encapsulated Emily's indispensable role, stating: "She was quite literally his eyes, his legs, his good right arm." Despite facing false rumors that questioned Washington's mental capacity due to Emily's growing independence, she staunchly defended her husband and successfully prevented his replacement as chief engineer toward the conclusion of the bridge's construction.
Washington consistently acknowledged his wife's pivotal contributions to the bridge. He reflected later, "I thought I would succumb, but I had a strong tower to lean upon, my wife, a woman of infinite tact and wisest counsel."
Ultimately, as McCullough chronicled, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge incurred a cost of approximately $15 million, surpassing John Roebling's initial estimate by more than double. Tragically, the endeavor claimed the lives of some 20 men in addition to John himself. On the eve of its grand opening on May 24, 1883, Emily Roebling was bestowed the honor of driving the first carriage across the newly completed Brooklyn Bridge.
An article published in the New York Times at the time recounted an anecdote about Emily's interaction with contractors vying to supply the steel and iron work for the bridge: "Their astonishment was profound when Mrs. Roebling joined them and, with her engineering expertise, assisted them in refining their designs and resolving challenges that had perplexed them for weeks."
Emily Roebling's unconventional accomplishments extended beyond her involvement in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1899, at the age of 55, she graduated with distinction from the Woman's Law Class of New York University. Additionally, she authored a prize-winning article in the Albany Law Journal advocating for increased equality for women within marriage. However, just four years later, she succumbed to stomach cancer at the Roeblings' residence in Trenton, New Jersey.
Wagner refrains from labeling Emily Roebling as "the first woman field engineer," a designation attributed to her by some sources. "Insisting that she must have been an engineer imposes a paradigm of masculine achievement and categorization upon her," Wagner explains. "This fails to acknowledge the reality that, as a woman living in the 19th century, she had to navigate within the constraints imposed by her society."
Whether designated as an engineer or not, Emily's impact on one of the world's most renowned architectural landmarks is indisputable. As Wagner asserts, "It's entirely plausible to suggest that the bridge may not have been finished without her."