JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
Yes, this is indeed a wonderful and celebratory view of Manhattan from the top of the East Tower of the under-construction East River (“Brooklyn”) Bridge. The thing about this is that the view seems to be too good, the tower too tall…unless there is something odd about the perspective and bird’s eye view of it. From this vantage point we’re looking south-east towards the battery and then Governor’s Island and then out to Jersey and Brooklyn with Staten Island in the distance. Now the steeple we see downtown is Trinity Church, standing there at 284′; given that the tower is 278′ tall, this perspective completely dwarfs the church for reasons I do not know. I’m not sure what’s going on–perhaps this is more a suggestive view than an actual you-are-there rendering. The source: Scientific American, October, 1877. 