Eads Bridge in the Rain

St. Louis, Missouri, taken in the rain from a parking garage at the Gateway Arch. This historic two level bridge was the first large bridge to span the Mississippi River. It was also the first bridge to have railroad tracks crossing the river. It connects St. Louis, Missouri with East St. Louis, Illinois. Designed by James Buchanan Eads, it was completed in 1874. At 6224 feet long, it was, at the time, the longest arch bridge in the world. In addition, it was first alloy steel bridge; the first to use tubular cord members; and the first to depend entirely on the use of the cantilever in the building of the superstructure. The piers, which were sunk 96 ft. below the water level, an unprecedented depth at the time, were constructed using pneumatic cassions - their first use for such a purpose in the United States. To keep work on the piers going without interuption, Eads even invented a pump to pump sand out of the caissons. (DSC09396)