‘The Suspension Bridge at Nashville’

From the Sept. 16, 1850, Daily Evening Reporter

Our illustration to-day is a correct view of the new Suspension Bridge across the Cumberland, at Nashville. This undertaking was commenced by the contractors, Messrs. Fields & Co., in April, 1849, under the immediate direction of Captain Field and despite of two cholera seasons and three overflows, the structure was completed last month.

The new bridge has a span of 539 feet. The towers on the west, or city side of the bridge, are 33 feet high from the level of the bridge, and on the east side are 2 piers, 90 f. high on which are built the towers 39 f. high. The bridge is suspended by 8 cables 4 inches in diameter, of 400 strands each, of No. 10 wire, firmly anchored in masonry. The anchors, which are of wrought iron bars, are capable of resisting a pressure of 30,000 tons, and the wires will sustain a weight of 1600 lbs. to each strand, or twenty-three thousand tons in the whole—allowing for vibration, it will be perfectly safe to put half that weight on the bridge, or eleven thousand five hundred tons, which never can be accumulated on the space at any time.

There is in addition to the main bridge, a continuation on the east side of 124 feet suspended from the cables between the towers and the anchorage, making the entire length of the bridge 663 feet. The carriage way is 20 feet wide, and there is a foot way at either side 4 feet wide; outside of each foot way is a trussed rail firmly bolted through each beam of the bridge, which conduces much to keep the bridge free from that vibration common in such structures. It is elevated 62 feet above the highest rise of water known in the Cumberland—is 110 feet above the present stage and 45 feet higher than the old bridge.

It was first crossed by a wagon on the 27th of June last, and the “feat,” as it was at that time called, was witnessed by a large number of citizens. Since that time, wagons heavy laden, drawn by 4 and 6 horses, are continually crossing and re-crossing. A drove of 110 mules crossed it last week on the run, and the noble structure did not hardly shake. Their aggregate weight was about one million four hundred pounds.

The enterprising contractors have lately concluded a contract to build a wire suspension bridge for the Louisville and Frankfort Rail Road Co. The applicability of suspension bridge to rail roads we believe has long been denied, and we may consider this an experiment, but if Captain Fields is as fortunate there as he has been in Nashville, he will have accomplished much. That he is possessed of experience as a Bridge Builder, the structure just finished amply proves, and we congratulate the Board of Directors of the Rail Road in having secured his valuable services.

(Tennessee State Library and Archives)

Editor’s note: This article appeared in the September 2016 issue of The Nashville Retrospect, along with stories about public school integration in 1958 and the cholera epidemic of 1866.