The Kinzua Viaduct stood 23 feet taller and was completed a year ahead of the famous Brooklyn Bridge. But this symbol of American ingenuity rose out of the wilds of Pennsylvania, carrying coal and sightseers across the plunging Kinzua Gorge. Brilliant engineers overcame incredible obstacles to design it. Bold entrepreneurs found the funds to build it. And 100 brave workers, many of them immigrants, completed the job in 94 days. Made from prefabricated wrought iron in 1882 and reconstructed of steel in 1900, the bridge ushered in a new era of industry and invention. Some of the nation’s most celebrated engineers had a hand in its design. But no one anticipated the tornado of 2003. Not even Octave Chanute, the engineer of record for the Erie Railroad, who would later teach the Wright brothers how to harness the wind. 27 min.
Category: Keystone/Regional
$ 20.00