This is a real life story of
engineer John Roebling building
the Brooklyn Bridge in New York,
USA back in 1870. The bridge
was completed in 1883, after 13
years.
In 1883, a creative engineer
named John Roebling was
inspired by an idea to build a
spectacular bridge connecting
New York with the Long Island.
However bridge building experts
throughout the world thought
that this was an impossible feat
and told Roebling to forget the
idea. It just could not be done. It
was not practical. It had never
been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the
vision he had in his mind of this
bridge. He thought about it all
the time and he knew deep in his
heart that it could be done. He
just had to share the dream with
someone else. After much
discussion and persuasion he
managed to convince his son
Washington, an up and coming
engineer, that the bridge in fact
could be built.
Working together for the first
time, the father and son
developed concepts of how it
could be accomplished and how
the obstacles could be overcome.
With great excitement and
inspiration, and the headiness of
a wild challenge before them,
they hired their crew and began
to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but
when it was only a few months
underway a tragic accident on
the site took the life of John
Roebling. Washington was also
injured and left with a certain
amount of brain damage, which
resulted in him not being able to
talk or walk.
“We told them so.” “Crazy men
and their crazy dreams.” “It’s
foolish to chase wild visions.”
Everyone had a negative
comment to make and felt that
the project should be scrapped
since the Roeblings were the
only ones who knew how the
bridge could be built.
In spite of his handicap
Washington was never
discouraged and still had a
burning desire to complete the
bridge and his mind was still as
sharp as ever. He tried to inspire
and pass on his enthusiasm to
some of his friends, but they
were too daunted by the task.
As he lay on his bed in his
hospital room, with the sunlight
streaming through the windows,
a gentle breeze blew the flimsy
white curtains apart and he was
able to see the sky and the tops
of the trees outside for just a
moment.
It seemed that there was a
message for him not to give up.
Suddenly an idea hit him. All he
could do was move one finger
and he decided to make the best
use of it. By moving this, he
slowly developed a code of
communication with his wife.
He touched his wife’s arm with
that finger, indicating to her that
he wanted her to call the
engineers again. Then he used
the same method of tapping her
arm to tell the engineers what to
do. It seemed foolish but the
project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped
out his instructions with his
finger on his wife’s arm, until the
bridge was finally completed.
Today the spectacular Brooklyn
Bridge stands in all its glory as a
tribute to the triumph of one
man’s indomitable spirit and his
determination not to be defeated
by circumstances. It is also a
tribute to the engineers and their
team work, and to their faith in a
man who was considered mad
by half the world. It stands too
as a tangible monument to the
love and devotion of his wife
who for 13 long years patiently
decoded the messages of her
husband and told the engineers
what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best
examples of a never-say-die
attitude that overcomes a
terrible physical handicap and
achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in
our day-to-day life, our hurdles
seem very small in comparison
to what many others have to
face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows
us that dreams that seem
impossible can be realised with
determination and persistence,
no matter what the odds are.