![A drawing of the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/78/Niagara_Suspension_Bridge.jpg/300px-Niagara_Suspension_Bridge.jpg)
However, there was no way a boat could carry the necessary suspension cables across the violent water, and the bridge could not be built until the cables spanned the river.
In desperation, the builders staged a contest, open to the public, as a way to solve their problem.
The contest was won by a young boy. Soon afterwords, the cables spanned the water.
What was the contest and how did it solve the problem?