Washington Augustus Roebling

Early Life & Education[edit]

Washington Augustus Roebling was born in Saxonburg, PA in 1837. His father, German-born civil engineer John Augustus Roebling, was a well-known bridge engineer. Around the time of his son’s birth, John began experimenting with wire rope as an alternative to hemp rope. These wrought iron cables would later make it possible to construct durable suspension bridges, such as the Brooklyn Bridge. Washington followed in his father’s footsteps to become a civil engineer. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1857.

Civil War[edit]

Washington Roebling’s career was interrupted by the Civil War in 1861. He was assigned to construct a 1200-foot suspension bridge spanning the Rappahannock River. Among his other duties in the Union was to go up in a hot air balloon each morning to spy on Confederate troops. In 1863, Roebling spotted enemy troops headed towards Gettysburg. During the bloody battle, he assisted in defending a key point. His military efforts during the war earned him the rank of colonel.

Brooklyn Bridge[edit]

The Brooklyn Bridge project was originally assigned to Washington’s father, John. John’s design for the 1595-foot bridge was accepted in 1857, and construction began under his direction. While on the jobsite, John sustained an injury in which his toes were crushed. The medical treatment he was given, called hydrotherapy, gave him tetanus, and ultimately led to his death in 1869.

Following John’s death, Washington took his place as chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. An experimental method was used to construct the foundation of the bridge. This involved the use of watertight chambers and required men to work in compressed air caissons, which was not fully understood at the time. Working under these pressurized conditions, workers were often afflicted with “the bends”, which is more formally known today as decompression sickness. Roebling spent quite a bit of time on the jobsite and under the compressed air conditions, which took a significant toll on his health. He had a severe case of decompression sickness after a fire broke out in one of the caissons, prompting him to spend several days fighting it. He recovered from this ailment, but another crisis 2 years later led to him suffering from decompression sickness again, which nearly killed him. The bridge was completed in 1883 spanning the East River to connect Manhattan to Brooklyn.

Late Life[edit]

Largely due to the toll decompression sickness took on his health, the Brooklyn Bridge was the last major project Roebling undertook. He lived to be 89 years old and passed away on July 21, 1926 in Trenton, NJ.