The Life of John A. Loughlin

The first suspension bridge he saw in his life was during his college days. During a trip to the Bavarian town of Bamberg, a suspension bridge with four iron chains that dispersed the load left an indelible impression on him. In 1826, John took the structural principles of this small bridge as a topic and wrote it into his graduation thesis at the Imperial Academy of Technology in Berlin. His preference for suspension bridges eventually led to the creation of New York's iconic Brooklyn Bridge. However, no matter how you look at it, Germany (or Prussia) in the 1830s was not a paradise for young engineers to display their ambitions. The social unrest and the constraints of bureaucracy made John, who had just stepped out of school, feel that his future was uncertain. It is worth mentioning that his final decision to immigrate to the United States was largely influenced by Hegel. While studying in Berlin, John often listened with great enthusiasm to the lectures of this German philosophy master. In view of the political climate in Prussia at the time, Hegel actively advocated that ambitious young people in Germany break away from the shackles of feudal autocracy and go to the vast New World to start their own businesses. In 1831, John Roebling immigrated to the United States under Hegel's inspiration. He was only 25 years old at that time. He was pale and thin. Except for the 3,000 yuan he carried with him and the bridge technology he learned in Germany, he had almost nothing. The next year, he was hired by the Sandy Beaver Company, the largest tunnel construction company in the United States at the time. John's expertise soon brought him wealth. In 1837, he founded the first steel rope production plant in the United States in New Jersey. Needless to say, this also laid a solid material foundation for his future commitment to building suspension bridges. John would certainly rather focus on bridge design than being an entrepreneur. In less than ten years, railroad bridges he designed or participated in the design have spread across 11 states in the United States. He encountered unexpected resistance when building a suspension bridge between New York's Manhattan Peninsula and Brooklyn. Opposing authorities argued that a suspension bridge with such a long span would not be able to withstand the force of the wind and would be impossible to build. The Roeblings (whose eldest son, Washington—Roebling had graduated from the Department of Architectural Engineering in New York and became his father's right-hand assistant), defied all odds and began a protracted process of testing and demonstration. The project was ultimately approved by the New York City government. In 1883, John Roebling, a creative engineer, ambitiously planned to design this majestic bridge. The father and son conceived a plan to build the bridge and thought about how to overcome various difficulties and obstacles. They managed to convince bankers to invest in the project, and then, with unquenchable passion and energy, they organized engineering teams to begin construction. However, only a few months after the construction of the bridge began, a catastrophic accident occurred at the construction site. John Roebling died in the accident. Washington suffered severe brain damage and was unable to speak or walk. Everyone thought the project would be ruined because only the Roeblings knew how to build the bridge. However, although Washington-Roebling lost the ability to move and speak, his thinking was as sharp as ever. One day, while lying on the hospital bed, he suddenly thought of a code that could communicate with others. The only thing he could move was a finger, so he used that finger to tap his wife's arm, and in this coded way she conveyed his designs and intentions to the engineers who were still building the bridge. For 13 years, Washington gave orders with one finger until the majestic Brooklyn Bridge was finally completed. On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was officially opened for use. For 120 years, the bridge has withstood the strong crosswinds of the East River and the constant flow of vehicles day and night, and continues to play the role of an artery connecting New York's two major urban areas.