Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge

Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge
Hand-colored lithograph of the Suspension Bridge as seen from the American side; the bridge's architecture, the distant Niagara Falls, and the Maid of the Mist below the bridge are visible.
Coordinates	43°6′33″N 79°3′30″W / 43.10917°N 79.05833°W / 43.10917; -79.05833
Carries	Trains and carriages
Crosses	Niagara River
Locale	Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario
Official name	International Suspension Bridge (United States) Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge (Canada)
Maintained by	Niagara Falls International Bridge Company (United States) Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company (Canada)
Characteristics
Design	Suspension bridge
Material	Wood, limestone, cast iron, and wrought iron (gradually replaced with steel)
Longest span	825 feet (251 m)
Load limit	450 short tons (410 t; 400 long tons)
Clearance below	250 ft (76 m)
History
Designer	Charles Ellet Jr. (1847–1848) John A. Roebling (1851–1855) Leffert L. Buck (1877–1886)
Opened	August 1, 1848 (temporary bridge) March 18, 1855 (railway)
Closed	1896, dismantled by August 27, 1897, replaced by the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge
Statistics
Daily traffic	45 trains per day (1860)
Toll	25 cents per person, 50 cents per horse-carriage, 50 cents per carriage passenger (1873)
Location

The Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge stood from 1855 to 1897 across the Niagara River and was the world's first working railway suspension bridge. It spanned 825 feet (251 m) and stood 2.5 miles (4.0 km) downstream of Niagara Falls, where it connected Niagara Falls, Ontario to Niagara Falls, New York. Trains used the upper of its two decks, while pedestrians and carriages used the lower. The bridge was the idea of Canadian politicians, and it was built by an American company and a Canadian company. It was most commonly called the Suspension Bridge, although other names included Niagara Railway Suspension Bridge, Niagara Suspension Bridge, and its official American name of the International Suspension Bridge.

The bridge was part of Canadian politician William Hamilton Merritt's vision to promote trade within his country and with its neighbor the United States. Many argued that a suspension bridge could not support the safe passage of trains, including bridge builders. Nonetheless, the bridge companies hired Charles Ellet Jr., who laid a line by a kite across the 800-foot (240 m) chasm and built a temporary suspension bridge in 1848. Ellet left the project after a financial dispute with the bridge companies, who hired John Augustus Roebling to complete the project. By 1854, his bridge was nearly complete, and the lower deck was opened for pedestrian and carriage travel. On March 18, 1855, a fully laden passenger train officially opened the completed bridge.

The Suspension Bridge was a border crossing between Canada and the United States, and it played significant roles in the histories of the Niagara region and the two countries. Three railway lines crossed over the bridge, connecting cities on both sides of the border. The Great Western Railway, New York Central Railroad, and New York and Erie Rail Road differed in track gauge; the bridge used a triple gauge system to conserve space, overlapping two tracks on top of each other and using a rail of each to form the third track. The railroads brought a large influx of trade and tourists into the region around the Niagara Falls. In the time leading to the American Civil War, the Underground Railroad helped slaves in the United States escape across the Suspension Bridge to freedom in Canada. After the war, the bridge became a symbol of inspiration to Americans, encouraging them to rebuild their country and pushing them to quickly industrialize their nation.

The bridge's success proved that a railway suspension bridge could be safe and operational. Its wooden structures began to decay and were replaced with stronger steel and iron versions by 1886. In 1897 the bridge was replaced by the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge and the suspension bridge was dismantled.