196 The Story of The Bronx 



become free on April 1, 1858, empowered the counties of New 

 York and Westchester to provide for its maintenance or to 

 build a new bridge. In June, i860, W. H. McAlpine was 

 appointed engineer, and plans were devised for building a 

 new bridge with an iron draw and stone piers at a cost of 

 three hundred thousand dollars, while better facilities were 

 planned for the convenience of passing vessels. 



This second Third Avenue, or Harlem, Bridge, as it was 

 commonly called, was built of cast iron. The piers, instead of 

 being of stone as originally planned, were iron cylinders which 

 were sunk to their proper places and filled with ballast. The 

 whole structure, especially the piers, was considered at that 

 time a most remarkable piece of engineering, and as a great 

 and ingenious advance in bridge-building. The wooden draw 

 of the old Coles bridge was towed to City Island, where it 

 did duty as the draw of the old wooden bridge there until 

 its demolition in 1902. 



Many New Yorkers can remember how wholly inadequate 

 this second Harlem Bridge became when the trolley lines 

 began crossing it to their terminus at 128th Street and Third 

 Avenue. To meet the new requirements, the city authorities, 

 on July 14, 1886, contracted with a bridge-building firm of 

 Wilmington, Delaware, for the construction of the present 

 steel and iron structure, with its enormous draw of three 

 hundred feet, at a cost of two million two hundred thousand 

 dollars. The opening of the Harlem ship canal, and the in- 

 crease in building in the Annexed District, due to the elevated 

 railroad, necessitating an increase in docking facilities to 

 handle building materials, were also potent factors in deter- 

 mining the erection of the new bridge. 



Work was not begun, however, until November 14, 1893. 

 The bridge was opened to the public on August 1, 1898, and 



