The Golden Gate Sundial Project

Have you ever wanted to photograph the sun setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge and found yourself unable to get the sun and the bridge lined up the way you envisioned? There is good news: help is on the way in the form of The Golden Gate SunDial Project.

The Sundial website provides you with maps of the Bay Area that show locations and sight lines throughout the year that, weather permitting, will enable you to line up the sunset between the towers of the bridge.

The Project also has a page where you can upload your photos for everyone to enjoy.

Fleet Week 2008

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge the California Historical Society will open an exhibition on February 26, 2012, 79 years to the day that groundbreaking festivities took place. As part of the region wide celebration organized by The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy the exhibition will feature rarely seen artwork, photographs, film footage, and historic bridge artifacts. Dance to the sounds of the Frisky Frolics and have your photo taken with the DecoBelles from the Art Deco Society of California as you view the classic cars parked outside.

California Historical Society Image via Wikipedia

Make your reservations online now by going to the California Historical Society website. Tickets are free and donations are gladly accepted.

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I saw them die all around me and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.—”Slim” Lambert, survivor

75 years ago today, just 100 days before it opened, 10 men lost their lives in a single accident during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. At the time it was estimated that one man would die for every million dollars spent on a project of this dimension.

Chief Engineer, Joseph Strauss, instituted many safety innovations to make this job an exception to the rule.The Golden Gate Bridge was the first job to employ hard hats and safety lines. Other innovations included respirators for the riveters, glare-free googles to counter the glare off of the water below, a special hand & face cream to protect against the wind, and an on-site field hospital staffed by doctors.

The biggest innovation was installing a $130,000 safety net that was suspended under the bridge to save lives and increase production on the span by giving workers a sense of security as they went about their jobs. The net was longer and wider than the bridge and the 19 men who fell into it were known as the “Halfway-to-Hell Club”.

Construction work on the Golden Gate Bridge officially began on January 5, 1933 and the workplace was accident-free for 44 months until October 21, 1936 when Kermit Moore was crushed as a steel beam holding a derrick slammed down on top of him. It is remarkable that, on a budget of $37 million dollars and under the one-life-per million-dollars-spent rule, only a single life had been lost on this high-steel job.

3 months later Death struck again when a 5-ton movable work platform, with 11 men aboard, broke loose and plummeted into the safety net, ripping it apart as the massive structure exceeded the weight capacity of the net. Workers had complained earlier that the platform was unsafe and, as if in answer to the view that “the bridge demands its life”, the tangled mass of the workers, the platform and the net plunged 220 feet into San Francisco Bay.

Two men survived the fall into the icy waters, although one of them died the next day. One man, Tom Casey, escaped the fall by lunging away from the platform as it broke loose. He was found hanging on a beam and pulled to safety.

On a personal note: I worked with Tom Casey’s son 30 years ago and one night he told a group of us the story of his father and the accident that claimed 10 lives. This event was a tipping point for pending legislation in Congress for Worker’s Compensation Rights reform. Tom travelled by train to testify at several Congressional Hearing Sessions around the country and reforms were eventually instituted.

Here is a list of the men who died on February 17, 1937:

• O.A. Anderson
• Chris Anderson
• William Bass
• O. Desper
• Fred Dümmatzen
• Terence Hallinan
• Eldridge Hillen
• Charles Lindros
• Jack Norman
• Louis Russell

Memorial Plaque on West sidewalk

A memorial in honor of the workers who died during the construction of the bridge is located on the West sidewalk. This is a constant reminder to me of the sacrifice made by these men and their families as I pass by on my way to work on the span.

I am especially grateful that this plaque and all the others were refinished in time for the 75th Anniversary festivities. I thank the General Manager in particular for overseeing this honor to our past.

Here is a link to some photos of the accident and the investigation.

It is time to build new memories.

The Golden Gate Bridge 50th Anniversary Commemorative Brick walkway is now just a memory to us. I wonder what reaction future generations will have to this chapter of Bridge History.

The decision to remove the bricks has been a rather divisive one, judging from the responses I have received from the public at large. Bridge Officials say that removal of the brick pathway was necessary to meet Federal ADA requirements and opponents say that is possible to meet those requirements without removing the walkway. Now, more than ever, we need to put aside our differences and move on.

I have a plan….

In an effort to “bridge the gap” between the Decision-makers and the people directly affected by those decisions I propose that as part of the 75th Anniversary Celebration a Dunk Tank, staffed by the Board of Directors, District Officers and members of the Golden Gate Conservancy, be set up with all profits being divided equally between the San Francisco and Marin County Food Banks.

For the low price of $1.00 a throw, folks can rid themselves of the frustration they may have with District Policies and District Officials can gain an understanding of the consequences of their decisions.

I am just throwing out this idea for anyone who may want to help celebrate “Bridging Us All”.

The American Tinnitus Association is working to find a cure and they have some wonderful resources and tips for those who suffer from Tinnitus.

Here is their latest video spot:

In this TED Talk, Rives gives us a humorous view of what else can happen at 4 AM.

Four years ago I had cataract surgery on both eyes and at that time my surgeon suggested that I wear sunglasses with polarized lenses when I am outside during the day. She said that my blue eyes are more sensitive to the light rays reflected from below.

My employer provides many articles of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including a variety of safety glasses, however polarized tinted safety glasses are not one of those items. I found a great pair of safety glasses in a local hardware store and have managed to  damage two pairs over the years (thankfully they did their job and saved my sight).

Last week I found out that my local hardware store was no longer carrying the Edge brand polarized glasses that I have worn so I started looking on the internet. I found that Safety Glasses USA carried the brand and style that I wanted AND they had my style in an XL (for fat heads like mine). I ordered a pair of glasses at 7 PM on a Tuesday night and had them in hand the following Friday afternoon via USPS shipping for $3.95.

The new glasses fit better than the previous pairs that I owned and I received a complimentary pouch/cleaning cloth with my order.

If you need safety glasses or sunglasses (there is a difference) I have no trouble recommending this company. They have a good choice at a fair price.

Golden Gate Bridge Fog Horn

It was a foggy day at the bridge today and our “iconic” fog horns were on all shift. Click here for a wonderful explanation of the speed of sound by Shawn Lani of the Exploratorium and a practical way that you can judge a distance in San Francisco by using the sound of the Golden Gate Bridge fog horns.

Listen to Jim Mcknight, Chief Electrician at the Golden Gate Bridge, talk to KCBS about operating the fog horns on the bridge: Golden Gate Bridge Foghorn Operator Enjoys Blasting Signature SF Sound

Click here for a San Francisco Chronicle newspaper article on the fog horns at the bridge.