He was a hoaxster and a huckster, and the personification of what the Gay 90's Bowery was all about. But no matter what the legend says, Steve Brodie did not jump off the Brooklyn Bridge.
Steve Brodie was born in New York City on Christmas Day 1861. Not getting much of a school education, Brodie became a newsboy and then a bootblack, who eventually earned his living on the Manhattan side of the newly-constructed Brooklyn Bridge, which connected downtown Manhattan and the southern end of Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, was originally designed by German immigrant John Augustus Roebling. It took 13 years to build, but Roebling did not live to see its completion. During the initial phase of construction, Roebling had his toes crushed, and after his foot was amputated, a tetanus infection caused his death. The project was completed by his son Washington Roebling, who, after he too suffered a debilitating injury during the construction phase, was helped by his wife Emily, who was basically the liaison between her bed-ridden husband and the construction crew on site.
When finished, the Brooklyn Bridge has a span of 1,595.5 feet, which at its grand opening, made it 50% longer than any other suspension bridge in the world. The bridge is 78 feet, six inches below water level, and 276 feet, six inches above water level. On the first day it opened, 150,300 people crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, along with 1800 horse drawn vehicles.
On May 30, 1883, one week after the bridge opened, a rumor spread that the bridge was about to collapse. People panicked, which led to a stampede in both directions. At least 12 people were killed and others were not accounted for. After this tragic incident, people were afraid to cross the bridge. So P.T. Barnum, of circus fame, removed all doubts, when on May 17, 1884, as a promotion for his circus, Barnum marched 21 elephants across the Brooklyn Bridge.
The first lunatic who tried to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge did not fare very well. In late May of 1884, right after PT Barnum's successful stunt, swimming instructor Robert Emmet Odlum, who was, oddly enough, the brother of woman's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith, took a flying leap from the Brooklyn Bridge and went splat into the water. When Odlum's body floated to the surface, he was indeed quite dead.
Steve Brodie was a man down on his luck. After betting on inferior horses at the racetrack, Brodie decided to make a winner out of himself. But Brodie was no fool. He knew what had happened to Odlum and he took all precautions to make sure he didn't suffer the same fate.
On June 23, 1886, at approximately 2 p.m., Brodie stood at the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge. According to the New York Times article the following day, which was re-printed by the Knickerbocker Village Blog, edited by David Bellel, Brodie had made a $200 bet, to clear up his race track losses. The bet was that he would be brave enough to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge.
Brodie kissed his wife goodbye. She replied, "Good bye Steve and take care of yourself. And may you be successful and scoop us dose $200, so that we kin have a good time."
Ushna Shah Telling The Incident After When I... by shoxee1
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6561048
Steve Brodie was born in New York City on Christmas Day 1861. Not getting much of a school education, Brodie became a newsboy and then a bootblack, who eventually earned his living on the Manhattan side of the newly-constructed Brooklyn Bridge, which connected downtown Manhattan and the southern end of Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, was originally designed by German immigrant John Augustus Roebling. It took 13 years to build, but Roebling did not live to see its completion. During the initial phase of construction, Roebling had his toes crushed, and after his foot was amputated, a tetanus infection caused his death. The project was completed by his son Washington Roebling, who, after he too suffered a debilitating injury during the construction phase, was helped by his wife Emily, who was basically the liaison between her bed-ridden husband and the construction crew on site.
When finished, the Brooklyn Bridge has a span of 1,595.5 feet, which at its grand opening, made it 50% longer than any other suspension bridge in the world. The bridge is 78 feet, six inches below water level, and 276 feet, six inches above water level. On the first day it opened, 150,300 people crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, along with 1800 horse drawn vehicles.
On May 30, 1883, one week after the bridge opened, a rumor spread that the bridge was about to collapse. People panicked, which led to a stampede in both directions. At least 12 people were killed and others were not accounted for. After this tragic incident, people were afraid to cross the bridge. So P.T. Barnum, of circus fame, removed all doubts, when on May 17, 1884, as a promotion for his circus, Barnum marched 21 elephants across the Brooklyn Bridge.
The first lunatic who tried to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge did not fare very well. In late May of 1884, right after PT Barnum's successful stunt, swimming instructor Robert Emmet Odlum, who was, oddly enough, the brother of woman's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith, took a flying leap from the Brooklyn Bridge and went splat into the water. When Odlum's body floated to the surface, he was indeed quite dead.
Steve Brodie was a man down on his luck. After betting on inferior horses at the racetrack, Brodie decided to make a winner out of himself. But Brodie was no fool. He knew what had happened to Odlum and he took all precautions to make sure he didn't suffer the same fate.
On June 23, 1886, at approximately 2 p.m., Brodie stood at the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge. According to the New York Times article the following day, which was re-printed by the Knickerbocker Village Blog, edited by David Bellel, Brodie had made a $200 bet, to clear up his race track losses. The bet was that he would be brave enough to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge.
Brodie kissed his wife goodbye. She replied, "Good bye Steve and take care of yourself. And may you be successful and scoop us dose $200, so that we kin have a good time."
Ushna Shah Telling The Incident After When I... by shoxee1
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6561048
