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Prior
Issue (Archive)
There have been many ways of getting from one side to the other of the Reversing Falls. One of the methods involved a Suspension Bridge. Begun in 1851, the bridge was a visual symbol of the progress of Saint John replacing small boats and ferries which transported people, goods and animals across the river or harbour. The engineering principle of a suspension bridge is that of having two points of suspension high enough so that a floor may be hung from chains or ropes suspended between them.
The Suspension Bridge over the Reversing Falls was 623 feet in length and 23 feet wide. The four towers were of granite filled with limestone and cement. The height from the base was almost 52 feet, each measuring 15 feet at the base and 6 feet at the top. The ten wire cables, five on each side were stretched across the tops of the towers on a roller and saddle arrangement which allowed for expansion and contraction in extremes of weather. The cables were carried back from the towers and anchored in rock. The method used to test the bridge is rather interesting. Thirty wagons of stone weighing more than two tons each were distributed along the bridge in a double line. When it showed no signs of weakness, three double teams loaded with three tons apiece were paraded between the thirty wagons. When it still stood firm, it was pronounced safe for public use. All traffic wishing to cross the St. John River had to go by ferry across St. John Harbour or across the river above the Falls. The bridge was a tremendous asset and the people didn’t object at first to the high toll charges, which were: 3 pence for a foot passenger, one shilling and 3 pence for a horse and rider, 2 shillings for a one horse carriage with passenger, 4 pence a head was charged for cattle, but sheep, calves and pigs crossed for a half-penny. By 1875, the provincial Government was persuaded to purchase the bridge for $65,000 and eliminate the charges.
An interesting and almost disastrous event occurred on the Suspension Bridge on March 1, 1858. It was a stormy night and the stage coach from Fredericton was crossing the bridge to Saint John when the horses suddenly stopped and refused to move on. The driver got down to investigate the reason for their stopping, when a sudden flash of lightning revealed a gaping hole where the high wind had torn up a large section of planking on the floor. Had it not been for the horses’ sixth sense, the stagecoach and its passengers would have dropped into the falls below. |
The New Brunswick Legislature authorized William K. Reynolds to construct the bridge. He hired Edward W. Serrell as engineer for this project. The Reversing Falls bridge was only one of the accomplishments of Mr. Serrell. He was the engineer for the suspension bridge built over the Niagara River, the Hoosac Tunnel which ran between Albany and Boston and he was the one who drew the first blueprints for the Panama Canal. 
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