Bridgework Can Be Deadly

Some were crushed by equipment. One died trying to save a friend from being electrocuted. Most fell from lofty heights or were drowned.

For those who poured the concrete or set the rivets, building the three Cooper River bridges was a deadly job, claiming the lives of at least 19 workmen.

Falling may have been the biggest risk, but the single worst incident occurred deep below the surface on the river bottom.
"Caught like rats in a trap," declared a 1928 News and Courier article describing how seven black workmen were killed excavating one of the footings for the first span, the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge.

The men, known as "sandhogs," were in a supposedly water-tight caisson — a deeply sunk, cylindrical wooden box taller than three houses that dropped from the river's surface to its bottom. Once inside, the men could stay mostly dry as they undertook the well-paying but dirty job of removing tons of sand, mud and oyster shells.

Caisson

Disaster struck when the caisson at Grace's No. 10 footing abruptly shifted, opening a 29-degree crack between the caisson wall and the river, allowing mud and water to flood in on the men, covering them in a few seconds.

"It was as though a glass, inverted in a tub of water, had suddenly been tipped to allow a cushion of air to escape, and the water to take its place, filling the glass," the newspaper reported.

The deaths punctuated the ever-present risk of building the Grace Bridge, by far the more dangerous of the three spans that crossed the Cooper River between Charleston and Mount Pleasant during the 20th and 21st centuries.

Fourteen of the 19 worker deaths associated with all three bridges occurred on the Grace, while four died on the Silas Pearman Bridge in the 1960s. One worker died on the new Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.
Other Grace victims include a worker who drowned after he was knocked off the bridge by a scaffolding beam; another who tried to save a friend from electrocution and himself received a fatal shock; and a worker whose head was split open by a piece of falling steel.

One man died in a crash when the tram he was driving ran out of control because the brakes failed. Another sandhog died from the bends, also known as "caisson disease," associated with working in heavy pressure below sea level. The others died in unspecified accidents.

Authors Jason Annan and Pamela Gabriel addressed the labor concerns of building the bridge in their 2002 book "The Great Cooper River Bridge."

"The project did employ basic safety procedures, though they pale in comparison to what is required today," the authors wrote.

"Photographs of the project indicate that bridge workers did not always wear hard hats and were not always using safety harnesses when working up on the 18-inch-wide steel beams of the trusses."

Safety regulations improved greatly by the time the Pearman Bridge was constructed in the 1960s, but reports indicate at least four workers died in falls.

The first victim was William Thompson, 34, of Shreveport, La. He was working 60 feet in the air when the pile-driving crane he was attached to by a safety belt toppled into the marsh, taking him down. The crane, weighing between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds, landed on him.

The Pearman's second victim was steelworker Sidney Wilson, 56, of Camp Hill, Pa., a foreman who lost his footing while climbing a ladder. He struck a wooden construction walkway as he tumbled 130 feet.

Eleven days later, carpenter Henry Padgett, 35, of Colleton County, fell. He may have been electrocuted when his steel measuring tape hit a live wire. The tape was found burned in two with about 23 feet of it extended from its reel. Strong winds may have blown the tape into a 46,000 volt power line that fed much of Mount Pleasant and the Charleston waterfront.

Pearman's last fatality was A.J. Hall, 27, of Cross, who plunged 150 feet when the three-wheeled power buggy he was driving went over the side. The vehicle was used to move lumber.

Hall's life vest ripped from his body when he hit the river.

The final construction death associated with spanning the Cooper River came in May 2004 on the Ravenel Bridge. Miguel Angel Rojas Lucas, 19, fell 75 feet into Town Creek. Investigators said Lucas was provided proper safety equipment at the time of his death but that he had unclipped his safety harness in preparation for his lunch break. His body was recovered three days later.

Miguel Angel Rojas Lucas

Arthur Ravenel Bridge Lit at Night!

A friend of mine who works a shift job was able to get these pictures at about 3:30am or 4am. The bridge workers were testing the lights in the weeks and days before the bridge opening. So she was lucky enought to get these photos as they tested the lights. Just beautiful!

Fireworks on the Arthur Ravenel Bridge

Unfortunately I had to work so I could not get downtown in time to get a good spot to see the fireworks in person last night. I watched the entire celebration on television, but at the end when the bridge was lit I hopped in the car and drove about 3 minutes away to the north ashley river bridge. I pulled over where there about 500 other cars parked and ran down to the water's edge to see it in person lit up. It was beautiful. Before the traffic got too bad with people leaving I hopped in my car again and drover over the north bridge where from the center, you have a clear view of the new Arthur Ravenel Bridge. It was stunning. To get back hom, becasue the traffic was rerouted, I could not turn around and go back over the north bride. I went to azalea drive, hit leeds and got on 526 . Again to my left I had the perfect view of the diamond towers lit up again! Pictures of fireworks included.

Diamond Gordon might have had the best seat in the house on top of her uncle's shoulders at the Maritime Center for the long-anticipated fireworks show that lit Thursday's night sky over the new Cooper River bridge.

"It's so pretty," said 6-year-old Diamond.

The $250,000 fireworks show opened with simultaneous displays being shot into the sky on each side of the massive cable-stayed bridge's towers. A matching third display was set off from between the towers.

Tens of thousands of people watched as the fireworks were launched after 9:30 p.m. from four barges in the Charleston Harbor and at points along the Arthur Ravenel Jr.Bridge that spans Charleston to Mount Pleasant.

"It's the most amazing show I have ever seen," said Heyward Adams III of Charleston. "It makes me proud to live here. It's a big step for Charleston."

The crowd that extended across the waterfront broke out in cheers before the show started. A local radio station led a 10-second countdown to the first big bangs.

The reaction continued at Waterfront Park, where people packed in along the pier and spilled onto the grass. When the fireworks began to explode, many cried, "That's so cool!"

"It's a fitting ending and a very good beginning," said Cathe Hansen of Folly Beach. She arrived before 9 p.m. and found a parking spot behind Millennium Music and walked to the Maritime Center.

The fireworks were part of a weeklong celebration leading up to Saturday's grand opening of the new $632 million bridge. Zambelli Fireworks Internationale filled 20,000 pounds of explosives with 60,000 fireworks.

"It's the perfect venue," George Zambelli Jr. said. "The backdrop is amazing." Charleston's fireworks display rivaled the Kentucky Derby's and was larger in some ways than the Millennium Celebration at the Eiffel Tower, Zambelli said. The display at the Eiffel Tower shot up 750 feet in the air versus the more than 3,000-foot vertical display here.

The display's effects included geometric sequences, with lights streaming from the bridge and rising from the water. Concussions from the blasts thundered across the peninsula.

Tim Strickland of Charleston won The Post and Courier contest to ignite the fireworks.

"When I pressed the button, all of the public was with me, and it made it electrifying," he said. "It was one of the most memorable things I've ever done in my life. It touches deep down in your heart to have been a part of this."

Ruby Williams of West Ashley lit the bridge's 37,000 watts by cell phone at 10:05 p.m. "It went wonderfully," said Williams, who had her nails manicured for the memorable occasion.

Charleston Harbor was packed with assorted watercraft for the event.

Bill Millner and Chuck Carder and their wives enjoyed sandwiches, shrimp and guacamole on Millner's Boston Whaler, anchored just off Castle Pinckney, with a cool breeze blowing off the water.

"My God, look behind us" Millner said, surveying all the boats docked nearby. "I think this is the prettiest night I've ever seen in Charleston Harbor."

Said Carder, as he looked toward the towers: "The new bridge marks the rebirth of a great harbor. It puts us up there with San Francisco, Hong Kong and Sidney, the most beautiful harbor cities. From a global perspective, this will really put Charleston on the map."

Margaret Bott of Salt Lake City watched the fireworks, but she hadn't planned to. She came to Charleston because her daughter, Natalie Brackens of Charleston, went into labor.

Brackens' daughter, Madalynn, was born at Medical University Hospital on July 5. Bott and Brackens watched with about 250 people from atop the parking garage adjacent to the hospital. "I didn't know anything about the bridge when I came here," Bott said. "This is a big surprise to me."

There was a party for the nearly 50 sponsors of the celebration at the S.C. Aquarium. About 500 guests socialized there in the hours before the show and enjoyed one of the best views of the fireworks display from the dock.

Shaun Flynn, vice president of operations with Metal Trades Inc., and his wife Linda attended the event. "It's amazing," he said. "The bridge is a tribute to the workers who built it. This evening has been remarkable."

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley greeted people at Liberty Square.

"This is a wonderful moment in the community's history," he said. "This is a free opportunity for people to get together. They can pass down their stories as family lore."

At the Maritime Center, people snapped photos of the fireworks, especially with the ubiquitous cell phones.

At the beach adjacent to Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island, thousands of residents had a clear view of the bridge and fireworks. There appeared to be at least as many people present as when the Hunley was raised and pulled alongside the island.

At a yard party on Alexandra Drive in Mount Pleasant, everyone quieted down for the fireworks. Down the street, at another party when the fireworks began, a group of children began singing the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Five-year-old Alex Sanderson of James Island was excited for two reasons. Not only did he get to see fireworks, but he got to go home and play with family from North Carolina when the celebration was over. "We get to see fireworks and play with our cousins," he said.

Dozens of people lined the marsh and boat landing behind the Hobcaw Yacht Club in Mount Pleasant to watch.

"We're part of history" said Laura Hardy, a Charleston area native who now lives in Columbia. "We wouldn't have missed it." One of her sons, 6-year-old Caleb, had fun watching the display. One of the fireworks "looked just like a little cricket," he said.

Rick Stein of Mount Pleasant was quite impressed: "This is really something, isn't it?"