“Any person who has sentiments, cannot cross this bridge in continuation, the grandeur and beauty compels him to stop and glance at it for a while,” a quote by architect Chandra Bhushan. The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in New York City as well as worldwide; many would agree that it is a beautiful sight. The Brooklyn Bridge connects Brooklyn to Manhattan; it opened in 1883, being the longest steel-wire suspension bridge at the time. John Augustus Roebling initially designed the bridge, after an accident, which resulted Roebling’s death, it was continued by his son Washington Roebling. This death was then followed by a series of more tragic accidents. Whether the Brooklyn Bridge lured people to attempt daredevil stunts or prove scientific ideas, its history is rich with interesting stories that have resulted in deaths.
On May 24, 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was opened after being under construction for 13 years. Although people were excited for a better way of traveling, many believed the bridge would collapse because it was the first structure of its kind in that area. In order to show that the bridge was safe and ease people’s minds, legendary showman P.T Barnum offered to walk his circus elephants across the bridge. Authorities turned down Barnum’s offer. On May 30, 1883 just a few days after the opening of the bridge, a stampede occurred on the bridge because of rumors that the bridge was about to collapse. Thousands of people were running in fear and trampling one another. As a result 12 people were reported dead. On May 17, 1884 he was allowed to lead his elephants weighing approximately 42 tons across the bridge and proved to everyone its safety.
Over the years the Brooklyn Bridge has become famous for people jumping off of it. Robert Odlum, a swimming instructor was one of the first to attempt this. On May 19, 1885 he gathered an audience at the bridge and jumped. Although Odlum survived the fall, a few hours later he was reported dead due to internal bleeding. Paul Boyton states the reasons for his actions in a letter to Odlum’s mother, “This feat will give me tame and a reputation that will survive me plenty of engagements, and thus enable me to help my mother and myself, as I would wish to do and, as I have not been able to do for a couple of years. Don’t try and turn me from the only chance I see left for me to make a name and a fortune.”He wanted the fame of being the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and actually survive this. He also wanted to be able to support both himself and mother financially. Odlum thought his jump would bring these two important things to his life. After Odlum many others continued to jump off the bridge. Larry Donovan was the first to succefully jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and survive the jump. Donovan wanted to prove it was possible to survive the fall and began to receive a lot of fame after his jump. In 2013, a 29-year old man tried to commit suicide by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. After landing near the bridges western stanchion he was then saved by rescued divers. The man is yet another to survive the fall and walk away without a scratch.
As mentioned before, the first historical death ever relating to the Brooklyn Bridge occurred before the construction of the bridge was even finished, when the architect died. Ever since then more and more tragedies have occurred. The P.T. Barnum story shows how the public reacts in a time of panic due to trust insecurities with new technology/architecture. The Bridge was the first experienced by those people, and in their minds they did not know whether to trust the stability of the structure, which in turn led to the horrible stampede. The Brooklyn Bridge also has one of the most notorious histories for bridge jumpers, probably because of its location in New York City. Robert Odlum’s jump was to gain fame; he may have been the first to jump off the bridge but certainly not the last. Steve Brodie, who jumped in 1886, was the most notable jumper, although he survived. Every decade there are more stories of people who attempt to jump off this bridge in order to gain fame or to commit suicide.
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the world’s most famous bridges located in the world’s busiest city, bringing lots of attention to it. Since its construction accidents that lead to death have taken place decade after decade due to people’s curiosity and wanting to experiment with defying death. Although it is a beautiful sight, its history containing tragic accidents is not exactly what someone would label as “beautiful.”
Citations:
CBS. “Brookiyn Bridge – Creating Grandeur.” CBSForum.com. CBS Team, 2 May 2003. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
Prentzas, G. S. The Brooklyn Bridge. New York: Chelsea House, 2009. Print.
“Odlum’s Fatal Leap.” The New York Times. 7 June 1885. Nytimes. Web. Nov. 2013.
Mark Morales. “Distraught man, 29, survives jump off Brooklyn Bridge and is rushed to Bellevue Hospital” New York Daily News. 4 Sept. 2013. Web. Nov. 2013
