|
RAILS ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI, HISTORY OF THE ST. LOUIS BRIDGE
|
Jackson, Univ. Illinois Press, 312p, HD.
|
James B. Eads--who was not even a trained engineer--proposed a radical arch bridge longer than any in existence using steel, a material thought unsuitable for long-span bridges by virtually every engineer in America and Europe. Robert W. Jackson takes a fresh look at this monumental project, dispelling the myths, filling in the gaps left by earlier scholarship, and detailing how Eads tenaciously overcame the many obstacles he faced to realize his unique vision.
A tale of grand dreams, shady politics, daring engineering experiments, greed, ambition, and westward expansion, this is the first book-length history since 1881 to document the planning, financing, and construction of the first bridge across the Mississippi River at St. Louis, a national engineering landmark com-pleted in 1874 that is now known as the Eads Bridge.
Reviewed in: NRHS Bulletin Vol. 71, Summer 2006, NRHS, page 39.
|
All Contents and Images © MMVII Railpub.com
|
