The Bridge That Took Its Toll

The bridge stands on two stone towers, with long cables strung between them. People walk on a path above the cars. Finished in eighteen eighty-three, it was the longest bridge of its kind.

Building the towers meant working underwater in wooden boxes filled with air. Workers dug by lantern light. Coming up too fast made many sick. More than a hundred workers got sick this way.

One sick worker was the main engineer. He could not walk well after that, and watched from a window with a telescope. His wife carried his orders to the workers.

A year later, people feared the bridge would fall. A showman walked twenty-one elephants across it to prove it was strong. Polly watched calmly as the last one crossed.