Would You like to Buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

Brooklyn was settled in 1636 by Dutch Farmers. Boats were the first transportation to Manhattan, beginning soon afterwards with row boat ferries, in 1642, and numerous other ferry services from 1835 on, including South Ferry, Broadway, Ferry, Wall Street Ferry, and more as the city of Brooklyn grew and prospered.

As Brooklyn grew, they needed a bridge to Manhattan.
The building of a bridge was first considered in 1857, and the bill for construction was passed by New York State in 1866. President Grant approved the bridge plan in 1869, and work began in 1870. The Brooklyn Bridge finally opened in 1883.

The long and dangerous construction process.
The building of such a long suspension bridge was a major undertaking, under the direction of John Augustus Roebling and Wilhelm Hildebrand. Roebling invented the strong wire rope from strands of cast steel wires, which were spun on the site. Roebling died during the construction process, and his son and assistant, Washington A. Roebling, took over.

The building of the caissons was dangerous work. There was an explosion, a caisson fire, and between 20-30 deaths among the workers. Washington Roebling was a hands-on supervisor, and as a result he became a victim of the Caisson disease, or the bends, from the use of compressed air in the underwater work, as there was little known of this effect in those days. The severely disabled Roebling continued to supervise the building from his apartment, and his wife was the go between from him to the men in charge.

The con artists who set the standard for salesmanship.
The Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was built. Naturally such an impressive structure attracted a great deal of attention, both honest and dishonest.

According to the Museum of Hoaxes, the bridge became the subject of scams as soon as it was built, and was said to have been "sold" many times. While they can't be sure exactly, the man usually given credit for beginning this scam was George c. Parker, who claimed to have sold the Brooklyn Bridge twice a week for years. Immigrants who just arrived with little understanding of American public policy were sold the bridge and told that as owners, they could put up barricades and charge a toll to all who crossed. The police on patrol explained otherwise.

In a New York Times article, novelist Gabriel Cohen explains how the idea became part of the culture. "...The idea of selling it has become the ultimate example of the power of persuasion. A good salesman could sell it, a great swindler would sell it, and the perfect sucker would fall for the scam."

Cohen also quotes Will Rogers. "When it comes to victims and victimizers, perhaps the humorist Will Rogers deserves the last word. 'They may call me a rube and a hick,' he said. 'But I'd a lot rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the man who sold it.' "

Eventually, the immigration people actually started to print out warnings to new immigrants, explaining to them that public buildings and bridges could not be privately owned, bought or sold. Mr. Parker, with his forged documents, also managed to sell the Metropolitan Museum, the Statue of Liberty, and Grant's Tomb among other icons.

As the expression goes, "If you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you!"

A Landmark tourist attraction.
The Brooklyn Bridge is a National Historic Landmark and a New York City Landmark. It has carried carriages, streetcars, automobiles, bikes and pedestrians. Tourists can take a walking tour across the bridge.

Sources: The Museum of Hoaxes, Gabriel Cohen in the New York Times, and personal experience.