Before and after the 1900's New York City was considered the "center of everything": finance, population, construction and good manufacturing (Roebling, 35). Among many other things, all had been formed in New York City. The Brooklyn Bridge was part of that New York. The Brooklyn Bridge is one of New Yorks most famous landmarks. This bridge took a lot of hard work and effort from many different people. John Roebling went to great lengths to build this bridge. From 1870 to 1883, the bridge was a pioneering example of steel-wire support cables which gave the illusion of a spider web. The elegant high arches of the stone towers, the graceful swoop of the main cables, and the pattern created by the suspender cables and diagonal stays made the bridge very lovely. Roebling wanted to accommodate to all when building this bridge. He made it so that people can walk, ride their bikes, and at the time horse and buggies can cross the bridge as well .
The mid-1800s, steam powered ferries connected Manhattan and Brooklyn. Steam was a major convenience; the people of that day were used to oars and sails to power boats. These faster, more reliable ferries helped Brooklyn grow. Brooklyn began to become more popular, businesses as well have New York City workers found homes there. Brooklyn's population steadily increased. .
Early in the century the population was 8,000, and it jumped to 300,000 in 1865. The ferries went up and down the East River all day long, carrying more than 40 million passengers a year. Crossing the great river by ferry also had a down side. Delays were common around the winter. Fog, ice and storms could delay getting across by half a day or even more. Sometimes the river contained so much ice that it could only be crossed on foot. Moreover, the ferries were crowded, and traffic on the river was worse each year. Accidents were bound to happen. In 1868, two ferries collided, killing a little boy and injuring many.