The Texas Historian, Volume 60, Number 2, November 1999 Page: 2
16 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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"The components of the Waco Suspension
Bridge were iron suspension cables, load-
bearing brick towers and anchor houses,
wood trusses, and decking. The bridge con-
struction required an astonishing 2,700,000
bricks and cost approximately $141,000."sion cables to carry loads across the
span. The roadway is attached to the
suspension cable by steel support
cables of differing lengths. The cable
is anchored at opposing ends and
uses a tower to elevate the cable to the
necessary height.zo0 The towers used
on the Waco Suspension Bridge were
brick masonry consisting of soft clay
from the Brazos that was hardened
and cemented together using a lime
mortar.21 These towers were a prob-
lem for the Waco Suspension Bridge.
Finding a location for the tower on
the west bank was an easy task; how-
ever, the location for the east tower
was a scavenger hunt since they could
not find a solid foundation. They
solved this problem by placing log
platforms on both of the banks.
The towers were then built on top
of the platforms. As the weight
increased, the platforms began to
sink and workers continued to add
bricks and weight. This process con-
tinued until the towers sank to a solid
foundation.zz2
Suspension bridges also required
the suspension cables to be anchored
or else the roadway, when in place,
would sag as well.23 In order to ac-
complish this, engineers set up moor-
ings on both sides of the river; moor-
ings were formed by burying the sus-
pension cables deep underground and
sealing them in large masses of con-
crete. The placing of the towers and
moorings were the first two steps in
the construction of a suspensionbridge.24
The next step in producing a sus-
pension bridge was the placement of
the suspension cables.zs Roebling,
who provided these iron cables, de-
veloped a unique system to prevent
them from rusting. Roebling initially
wrapped the cable tightly with soft
wire, and then painted the wires after
the installation to seal out moisture.26
Lateral trusses, normally made of steel,
were then added to stiffen the road-
way in order to maintain its horizon-
tal shape even when varying loads
moved along the roadway.27 The
cables on the Waco bridge were
hoisted into place by local contractor
George Dutton.28 The components of
the Waco Suspension Bridge were iron
suspension cables, load-bearing brick
towers and anchor houses, wood
trusses, and decking.29 The bridge
construction required an astonishing
2,700,000 bricks30 and cost approxi-
mately $141,000.
The bridge opened on January 7,
1870, less then two years after con-
struction began.31 Waco celebrated
the event with a parade, and many
came from long distances to view the
magnificent bridge.32 The designer's
original plan called for the bridge to
operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
all year round.33
Because this was the only bridge
across the Brazos, it naturally drew a
large amount of traffic.34 Immigrants
detoured from their desired course in
order to catch a glimpse of the newbridge.3s Many benefited from this
traffic, but none as much as the men
who operated the bridge. These men
included the toll keepers and the night
watchmen.36 Business people and
other citizens also benefited from the
bridge traffic.37 Peter McClelland built
an elegant 103-room hotel for the
"traveling public" at the corner of
Fourth Street and Austin Avenue.38
The city alone received about $25,000
annually from the tolls which they
used for improvements and projects
in the city.39
Costs for crossing the Waco bridge
varied for different purposes.
McLennan County citizens were able
to cross for only two or three cents;
other individuals had to pay five
cents.40 For cattle herders and pio-
neers, it was another story. For each
cart, carriage, wagon, or any vehicle
drawn by more than two horses or
other animals, it was twenty cents for
each wheel and an additional five
cents for each animal.41 Few people
were able to cross the Brazos for free.42
These select individuals included post-
men, all religious leaders, and all lev-
els of law enforcement officers.43
Two years after the bridge was
opened, citizens began to rebel against
paying tolls. They looked for ways to
avoid the bridge. When the water
level was low, citizens, business ve-
hicles, and cattle drivers bypassed the
bridge and crossed the Brazos by other
means.44 Some of the citizens even
resorted to swimming across the river2 / TEXAS HISTORIAN
Y,
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Texas State Historical Association. The Texas Historian, Volume 60, Number 2, November 1999, periodical, November 1999; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391579/m1/4/: accessed July 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Texas State Historical Association.