100 Moral Stories 25
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site
took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain
damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
“We told them so.”
“Crazy men and their crazy dreams.”
“It’s foolish to chase wild visions.”
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the
Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap
Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his
mind was still as sharp as ever.
He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted
by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the
windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and
the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could
do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly
developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the
engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do.
It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the
bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a
tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by
circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man
who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and
devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told
the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible
physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to
what many others have to face.
The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that
dreams that seem impossible can be
realized with determination and
persistence, no matter what the
odds are.
Even the most distant dream
can be realized with
determination and persistence.
