John Roebling was one of the greatest civil engineers of the nineteenth century; his genius still survives in bridges and aqueducts that span the rivers of America. He gave us the Eighth Wonder of the World—the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge. It cost him his life and nearly killed his son. But Washington Roebling, stricken while working in an underwater caisson and in ill health for years, fulfilled his father's dream.

A German emigrant, young John Roebling founded a farm colony in Pennsylvania. But he wanted to raise bridges, not crops, and felt that his technical education was being wasted. His chance came when a storm severely damaged the Allegheny River Acqueduct at Pittsburgh.  From its ruins John built the first suspension bridge in history. But his climb to fame was slow and perilous—his plan to use wire rope for bridges was too revolutionary; he was plagued by petty politics and greedy business interests.

Meanwhile, his son Washington had become a distinguished engineer and the two met a fantastic challenge—spanning the East River between Brooklyn and New York. John Roebling, surveying the tower location, died in an accident. Despite overwhelming opposition young Washington carried on. But the bridge seemed jinxed through strikes, fires and the dreaded disease of "the bends" which overtook workers and paralyzed him from the waist down. Doctors despaired of his life and he lost the power of speech. But Washington was determined that nothing must stop construction, and he managed to make his wife understand his directions which she relayed to engineers. Slowly, incredibly, through his indomitable will, the great bridge rose as an enduring monument to his father.

The Roeblings' story is not only an inspiring page in scientific history, but it is also incomparable adventure.

From the book