What Was John Roebling Working On When He Got The On-the-job Injuries That Killed Him In 1869?

John Augustus Roebling born on June, 12th, 1806 was a well known German born architect famous for creating the wire rope suspension bridge designs, particularly the design of the Brooklyn Bridge.  

During his early years John went to the public school of Gymnasium in Muhlhausen, Realschule in Erfurt. Sighting his interest towards architecture, John's mother Friederike Dorothea Roebling got him enrolled at the Royal Polytechnic Institute in Berlin where he took courses in architecture and engineering. John's initial engineering work in USA was dedicated towards enhancing river navigation and canal building.

In the year 1867, John started working on the Brooklyn Bridge extending from the East River in New York. While overseeing the preliminary construction him foot got injured by a ferry. His injured toe fingers amputated but he declined medical treatment, thought injured he still helped resolve onsite problems. He expired sixteen days later of tetanus.