The Eads Bridge

“It is indeed a structure of perfection and beauty, unsurpassable, and I never tire of it,” Walt Whitman said about the famous Eads bridge in 1882. It was named for the engineer who designed and built it, James Buchanan Eads. He was famous for building ironclad gunboats for the Union during the Civil War. The Eads Bridge was the first bridge across the Mississippi in St. Louis. It was a significant engineering feat; the largest bridge built then and the very first steel bridge. Completed in 1874, it is the oldest bridge on the Mississippi River. It was the first large-span bridge over the Mississippi River to be built and served as a crossing point for motorists and railroad operations. The famous St. Louis bridge represents an essential link between the east and west of the United States. It was especially significant following its construction as the nation expanded westward. After it was finished, it gave Missouri a chance to grow and compete with Chicago. When it was first built, it was only for railroad operations. Eads was inspired by the Koblenz Bridge in Germany.

Eads’ design called for three steel arches supported by masonry abutments and piers. For stability, supports extend all the way to the bedrock.

The original design placed the rail deck below the arches and included architectural accents.

It is constructed of limestone masonry. While convalescing in Europe in 1869, Eads discovered the plenum pneumatic method by excavating in caissons. He brought it to Saint Louis to use on the remaining abutments and piers.

Air Lock

Derricks and Pontoons for the East Pier

Plan View of Derricks and Pontoons

Eads’ caissons became a popular tourist attraction for Saint Louis society. By this time, the competing bridge companies had settled their differences and merged. The east abutment was built beginning on November 3, 1871, and reached bedrock in April 1871; masonry to bedrock: 197 ft. The east abutment had an elevator and a floating hospital to treat workers with Caisson Disease.

East Pier and Cassion

A thin steel envelope bound the six steel staves into a twelve-foot rib. Each end of the ribs was cut at a slight angle to make an arch.

Assembled Ribs Showing Couplings and Braces

Road Deck Support

Then, Henry Flad, the assistant engineer, came up with a way to build the upper part of the bridge without putting falseworks into the river.

Together with Secretary of War Belknap, people in boats tried to stop the arches from being built. Eads appealed to his friend, President Grant, who ordered Belknap to drop the case. Eads developed a double-threaded coupling to close the west span. Flad tried to close the arches by filling them with ice, but he had to use Eads’ coupling to get the job done.

Closing the East Span — September 1873

Closing the East and Center

Spans –

December 1873

Building the Road and Rail Decks –

Spring 1874

Decks were finished on April 15, 1874, but Keystone refused to open the bridge before it received a payment bonus. On May 24, the city opened the sidewalks to pedestrians. On June 3, the road deck was opened to vehicles. The grand-opening ceremony was a part of the July 4th festivities.

Saint Louis -1874

Though the bridge never lived up to its expectations, coordination was never made to connect significant rail lines to the bridge.

Saint Louis -1890

Eads Bridge — 1993 (note approach on east bank)

The bridge went bankrupt within a year and was sold in December 1878 for $2 million. Saint Louis’ light rail system began to use rail decks and attached tunnels in 1993.

The bridge survived numerous floods.

Saint Louis — 1993

Still, the bridge continued to fall into disrepair and neglect.

Deterioration of

Abutment Masonry

Rusting Toll Booth

Saint Louis lobbied for support, and the bridge is now a protected national landmark. The $25 million restoration project began in the late 1990s. During the July 4th celebrations in 2003, the bridge reopened to both people and cars.

Reopening Celebration

“Must we admit that because a thing never has been done, it never can be?” -James B. Eads.

OTHER PICS I FOUND, AND THEY ARE TOO GOOD TO BE DISCARDED 🥹(they can most probably be used in the starting because there are none in the start) ~plims~🥹

A woman on the frozen Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri in 1905

Credits: Srishti

References:

Dorsey, Florence. Road to the Sea. Rinehart & Company: New York, 1947. Kirby, Richard S., et al. Engineering in History. McGraw-Hill: New York, 1956. Miller, Howard S. and Quinta Scott. The Eads Bridge. Missouri Historical Society: Saint Louis, 1999. Moser, Diane K. and Ray Spangeburg. The Story of America’s Bridges. Fact on File: New York, 1991. Williams, J. W., Jr. “James B. Ead s and his St. Louis Bridge.” Civil Engineering Oct., 1977: 102–106. www.builtstlouis.net www.4dw.net/rainman2000/Flood/Flood.html www.loc.gov www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eads/index.html www.quintascott.com/EadsBridge.html www.slfp.com/F airSTL2003.htm