Sharalee Lewis
Emily Roebling: The Silent Builder of the Brooklyn Bridge

22 x 30

Watercolor on Paper

To say that Emily Roebling was an intelligent woman would be an understatement.  Without her, it is likely that the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the seven manmade wonders in the industrial world would never have been completed.

John Roebling, Emily’s father in law, designed and won the bid for the building of the bridge but died of tetanus before the construction could commence.

His 32 year old son, Washington Roebling and Emily’s husband, was given the job to complete the building but early in the project developed an illness from decompression while supervising footing and substructure, deep underground. The illness was later dubbed “caisson’s disease” due to how it was so common for men to suffer it while working on the bridge.   Washington was left so ill that he was unable to physically supervise the construction first hand and it was Emily who became the general contractor of the Brooklyn Bridge with no formal training.

 



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Sharalee Lewis
Emily Roebling:
The Silent Builder
of the Brooklyn Bridge


22 x 30

Watercolor on Paper

To say that Emily Roebling was an intelligent woman would be an understatement.  Without her, it is likely that the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the seven manmade wonders in the industrial world would never have been completed.

John Roebling, Emily’s father in law, designed and won the bid for the building of the bridge but died of tetanus before the construction could commence.

His 32 year old son, Washington Roebling and Emily’s husband, was given the job to complete the building but early in the project developed an illness from decompression while supervising footing and substructure, deep underground. The illness was later dubbed “caisson’s disease” due to how it was so common for men to suffer it while working on the bridge.   Washington was left so ill that he was unable to physically supervise the construction first hand and it was Emily who became the general contractor of the Brooklyn Bridge with no formal training.