Washington Roebling was an engineer. An engineer plans and builds big things. He built the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. In 1871, he went down into a big box under the river. He wanted to see the work of his men. He came out very sick. He could not move well for the rest of his life.
The big box had a name: a caisson. It was very big. It was full of air. The air pushed the water out. Men dug at the bottom of the river. Many men in caissons got sick.
The sick men had pain in their arms and legs. Some men had a bad head. Some men could not breathe well. A doctor, Andrew H. Smith, helped the men at Brooklyn. He saw 86 sick men. Nobody knew the reason for the sickness.
The men dug deep under the river. Roebling saw many sick men and some dead men. He was afraid for them. He stopped the digging.
Roebling was sick in bed for many years. In May 1883, some men came to New York. They wanted to talk to Roebling about work on the bridge. His wife, Mrs. Roebling, sat with them. She knew a lot about building. She helped them with their problems. The bridge opened that month.
A man, Abram S. Hewitt, talked about the bridge for the city. He said good things about Emily Warren Roebling. He also talked about the workers. They had no famous names, but they were brave. They worked deep in the caissons. Hewitt asked people to remember these men.