Emily Warren Roebling, Field Engineer
Program: Construction Management / Estimating
Emily Warren Roebling, Field Engineer
1843–1903 · Brooklyn. When the chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, her husband Washington Roebling, was disabled by caisson disease, the work went through her.
The work. She carried his instructions to the site, answered engineers' and officials' questions, handled correspondence, and learned stress analysis, cable construction and the mathematics of catenary curves.
The defence. When officials moved to replace Washington, she argued for his continuation, and the work stayed in the family's hands.
May 24, 1883. She was the first person to cross the finished bridge by carriage, carrying a rooster as a symbol of victory.
The trade. Construction management: information, schedules, people and technical judgement, all at once.
Hall of Makers · a historical maker until local oral histories are recorded. Scan for the full story.
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