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TIME TRAVELLER: Lions Gate Bridge workers in the 1930s didn't always wear safety equipment

Since 1938 the Lions Gate Suspension Bridge has been a local icon. Construction of the bridge provided much-needed work at the tail end of the Great Depression.
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Since 1938 the Lions Gate Suspension Bridge has been a local icon.

Construction of the bridge provided much-needed work at the tail end of the Great Depression.

This photograph from May 1938 shows a worker posing by one of the clamps designed to hold in place the 61 strands of a finished cable.

Once the strands had been clamped together, they formed the two master cables that bore the weight of the bridge.

The clamps had grooves that acted as saddles for the steel suspender ropes that would actually hold up the bridge deck.

This shot was taken on the main span of the bridge, with the cable sloping down from the south tower. Pictures taken during construction, like this one, show the men working without any special clothing, footwear or safety equipment.

 

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