Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
...River at Washington, D.C. Like several of his early projects, this plan was too advanced for its time and was generally discouraged. In 1842 Ellet completed his wire-cable suspension bridge over the Schuylkill River at Philadelphia. Supported by five wire cables on each side, the bridge had a span of 358 feet (109 m).
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