The famous Brooklyn Bridge, built nearly a century ago, was designed by John Augustus Roebling. It was the first bridge to connect Manhattan with Long Island, and its designer was a many-sided genius, learned in philosophy, in mathematics, a musician, a linguist and the owner of a magnificent library. The bridge was twice as long as any in existence in the world at the time. When it was opened on May 24, 1883, a panic developed among the thousands who had come to see the ceremonies and 12 people were either crushed to death or killed falling off the bridge.
The Manhattan Bridge, opened in 1909, famous for its four great round balls atop each of the four massive steel uprights that tower high on either the Manhattan and the Brooklyn sides of the span. Its curiously ornate decorative features make it a reflection of the famed Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The third bridge your Circle Line yacht will pass under going up the swift East River is that known as the Williamsburg. Its span is 1,600 feet long, and it was built in 1903. It is five feet longer than the Brooklyn Bridge and 130 feet longer than the Manhattan Bridge. All three of these great East River bridges have served their community well and are strikingly beautiful pieces of architecture.