Bulkeley Bridge Construction: Abutments and Temporary Iron Bridge, Hartford
PhotographerPhotographed by
Unknown
Date1906
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver print on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (overall height x width): 6 5/16 x 8 1/4in. (16 x 21cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Object number1967.96.6
DescriptionView looking west towards the Hartford skyline. The steeples of Christ Church and the Fourth Congregational Church are visible. Freight cars are on railroad tracks of the Connecticut Valley Railroad on the embankment. Laundry hangs from clotheslines in back of residential buildings. Five stone abutments, complete to the point of the springing of the arches, are in the river. One arch is partially framed with wooden ribs used for centering the spans. Cranes loom overhead. A barge appears to have a steam engine on it. Wooden pilings in the river between the abutments form the base for additional arches. A large bucket, a coil of rope, numbered granite blocks, and bags (of cement?) are on the nearest abutment. The temporary iron bridge is immediately to the right. Ladders connect the bridge to the construction site.
NotesSubject Note: After the temporary wooden bridge replacing the Hartford covered bridge was swept away by freshets in 1895 and 1896, a new temporary iron bridge was constructed by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company. The temporary iron bridge was begun May 4, 1896 and opened for travel on June 12, 1896. The Bulkeley Bridge has concrete foundations. From the foundation to the springing line of the arches, it is built of Leete's Island granite. The remainder of the structure is built of Stony Creek granite. Both the Leete's Island quarry and the Stony Creek quarry are in Branford. Construction of the new stone arch Bulkeley Bridge by McMullin, Weand & McDermott began early in 1904 and continued until the December 1907 when the bridge opened to trolley traffic and the general public.Status
Not on view
