the design of john roebling, the mind of roebling is in that bridge.he golden gate bridge, the great cables of the golden gate bridge, john roebling is famous for having spun the largest cables at the time and largest span for a number of years. roebling is known for having built the very first bridge over the niagara gorge, a double-decker bridge that could carry trains on top and people in carriages underneath on a toll road. even the george washington bridge design is a structure built by roebling. we are looking at a photo from 1935 as roebling's bridgman begin to wrap the golden gate bridge cables. this phenomenal, once-used-only technology of having six travelers take individual pieces of wire back and forth across the water to go across and up on the towers, to meet in the middle, transfer those. you see them wrapping the cables, as they begin to get toward a later stage of the installation. it is important to know that each piece of wire, each wire rope was cut to measure before they even traveled, by roebling, by train to philadelphia, then lo

own wire rope that they had with roebling and get some scale so cf and i ran the roebling factories until the 1970s. then we had the oil embargo in 1973 and that shot the price of oil i think by a factor of four or five times from what it was before. and the roebling steel mill was operating on oil, using oil to melt scrap steel to make wire for its wire rose and the arab oil embargo, by restricting the supply of oil and making it very expensive made the roebling plant very uncompetitive so other factories and steel mills that use electricity to melt steel. but the building use oil so cf and i shut down the roebling steel mill in 1974 and they eventually or beforehand they shut down these wire rope shops here where, which are all around us now. they shut them down in 73. because there was again, too much capacity in wire rope manufacturing. when you think about the legacy of the roebling's starting with john roebling, the legacy is one of innovation. you know, someone said that creativity is taking one idea and then taking another idea, smashing those two separate ideas together and

roebling really loved engineering. that was his passion but he also asked his son said realized he would never become a wealthy man from engineering and he decided to go into manufacturing. when he was out in western pennsylvania he observed what are called inclined planes, so that is, it's a railroad track that goes up the side of a hill so the canal vote would come to the bottom of the hill and it would go over is submerged flat car and then it would be tied to the flat car. then the flat car would be pulled up the inclined plane to the top and then let down. that's how people cross the allegheny mountains of when the tunnels were built. the original ropes on the inclined planes were hemp but they were fragile and they would break. roebling got the idea of twisting wires into a rope and that was his first wire rope. he was a very smart businessman so he wrote an article about his wire rope that he made on his farm for the inclined plane. he wrote an article that the american with railroad journal and that was kind of

these were houses built by part of the roebling family. this is the ferdinand roebling mansion. over there is need use it in -- new jersey state league of municipalities. what's had left along the river. >> was this initiative -- important initially? >> yes, it is what trenton is here. there's evidence of native american settlement here form many thousands of years because it is the highest navigable point on the delaware. because of the roots, the location on the river, and later development because of -- canals came through to connect with the delaware -- a canal system comes trenton, than several trendlines. trenton was a real transportation center. >> i am seeing a lot of bridges, you cannot miss -- there's a big sign that says, trenton makes the world takes. >> trenton was a very important -- in the american revolution, also at the major site in the industrial revolution. in the 1830's, but the lower -- this canal was built. that is one major companies started to move to trenton. for a small sitting, trenton at its peak had 130,000 people. it had a whole slew of major indus

. >> the roebling company was the largest employer in trenton at the turn of the 20th century. coming up, learn about the innovations about this company that made the brooklyn bridge and golden gate bridge a possibility. ms. mcmickens blair: "i can safely assert that wire rope deserves the preference over hemp rope in all situations much exposed and where strength and durability is required." >> the country watched with roebling, 1843. ♪ >> the country watched with fascination as the spinning of the mighty cables proceeded over san francisco. one of the most ambitious engineering projects of its day. ms. mcmickens blair: onef

this is the roebling mansion over there and now is municipalities. >> was the river important to trenton trenton sun initially? absolutely. there is evidence of native american settlements here for many thousands of years because that is the highest navigable point on the delaware. because of the location on the river and later development was because canals came through to connect and come through "crossroads of the revolution" well-trained mind. it is a real transportation center ben canal, then realigned and now highway. >> i see a lot of bridges across here. [inaudible] >> "crossroads of the revolution" is a very important in the american revolution, but also very important as a major site in the industrial revolution. the canal was built and that is when nature companies start to move. trenton at its peak had a whole slew of major embassies, including those known for innovation with wire rope so that is the company. he moved here in 1848 and brightest companies are to trenton but they made the wire broke for virtually every major bridge in the united states. starting with the brookl

through the village of roebling. our cities tour staff recently traveled to trenton, new jersey to learn about it rich history. learn more about trenton and other stops on our tour at c-span.org/citiestour. you're watching american history tv, all weekend every weekend on c-span3. american history tv was that the organization of american historians annual meeting in new orleans, where we spoke with a historian about what life was like for newspaper boys both in the cities and on the railroads at the turn of the 20th century. this interview is about 10 minutes. you have a forthcoming book called "crying the news." who were the newsboys? mr. digirolamo: they were the children of the poor, to put it simply app. were immigrants and native born, they were . rls my definition is abroad. put at the time, they were negroes, crippled, and they were my people, selling papers on the streets of american cities until the 1940's. >> what was life like for them? mr. digirolamo: precarious, in a word. their earnings fluctuated with

. >> the roebling company was the largest in trenton and the 20 century.

. >> the roebling company was the largest employer in trenton at the turn of the 20th century. running up, learn about this company and the innovations that made the brooklyn bridge in new york and golden gate bridge in san francisco a possibility. >>. >> back in 2008, the brooklyn bridge had hundred 25th anniversary party. sitting in new york through and mayor bloomberg presided over it and he said that the brooklyn bridge was the icon of new york city, and he was absolutely correct. if you look at television or read magazines, it's very hard to watch tv and not see repeated images of the brooklyn bridge. it really is the icon of new york city and it originated here

i had to have them go in check and confirm that roebling it was a part of your district to come in heretonight even though i rsvped to. i just want to make sure this doesn't keep happening. one thing i have not heard a lot tonight about is seniors. you may think that i don't have a lot to do with seniors but my parents moved in with me seven years ago. they had to choose between oil to heat the house, food on the table, medicare, so they moved in with me. as i've gotten older they've had health issues and they really are that old, but due to experiences in their life they are aging faster than others her age. my big concern is that i am their main caregiver, they don't look at me like that yet, but i know that's what i'm doing. i have a very small home. we cannot afford to move. i watch them and they are pinching pennies, social security is not helping them a lot. and they paid in it their whole life, it's not an entitlement program, it is their retirement. unfortunately or fortunately due to varying reasons. and then, they have medicare and the price goes up in there lucky if that equa

i had to have them go in check and confirm that roebling it was a part of your district to come in herenight even though i rsvped to. i just want to make sure this doesn't keep happening. one thing i have not heard a lot tonight about is seniors. you may think that i don't have a lot to do with seniors but my parents moved in with me seven years ago. they had to choose between oil to heat the house, food on the table, medicare, so they moved in with me. as i've gotten older they've had health issues and they really are that old, but due to experiences in their life they are aging faster than others her age. my big concern is that i am their main caregiver, they don't look at me like that yet, but i know that's what i'm doing. i have a very small home. we cannot afford to move. i watch them and they are pinching pennies, social security is not helping them a lot. and they paid in it their whole life, it's not an entitlement program, it is their retirement. unfortunately or fortunately due to varying reasons. and then, they have medicare and the price goes up in there lucky if that equals

rent is completely out of step with wages now, and people are released roebling to keep up with the rentve to pay in rent. it puts a lot of pressure on them. there is also quite a generational difference. just under half of 2a to 35—year—olds rent privately, almost double when you compare to what it was ten years ago. with buying down and renting up, owning a home is less of a realistic aspiration for many. instead it looks like we could be moving to more of a german model of living, where renting is seen as the norm. definitely something a lot of people can relate to. still to come, advice for those heading to the coast. the rnli says you should try to float, not swim, if you fall into cold water. fiona is in portishead to tell us more. yes, i am a portishead marina with the rnli this morning to find out what to do when you go in the water. the advice is not to try and swim for the first moment, but to float like a starfish. i have a towel ready because in the next half an hour, susan, ourvery towel ready because in the next half an hour, susan, our very brave volunteer, is going to bra