When The Golden Gate Bridge Was Built In 1933, Its Engineer Installed A Genius Life-Saving Feature

Up on the soaring heights of the Golden Gate Bridge, a workman is crossing the girders. His profession is a dangerous one what with the ever-present danger of falling into the churning waters below. But the man works for an engineer who puts safety first, and one innovation in particular will keep this worker – and many others – alive.

Breaking the stereotype

The worker and his mates are used to the danger. It’s become the fashion for them to show off how unafraid they are. But Joseph Strauss, head engineer of the new bridge, wants end the idea that working on bridges needs to be a risky business. So the man tiptoes across the span of steel secure in the knowledge that Strauss has thought of everything.

Architectural icon

It’s a glorious job, working on the Golden Gate Bridge. When the bridge’s completed, it’ll be renowned for its beauty. And there’ll truly be no other like it, with that graceful build and shining color setting it apart aesthetically. Beyond that, it’s a wonder of construction, a tribute to Strauss and the men who made it.

Emperor of America

The mile of water that connects San Francisco Bay and the Pacific forms a formidable barrier to traffic from the north of the bay to the city of San Francisco. And it’s no surprise that someone came up with the notion of spanning it with a bridge. It wasn’t likely that that someone would be listened to, though. No, that’s because he was Joshua Norton, a clinically insane man who claimed to be emperor of the U.S.A.

Fantasy bridge

But not too long after Norton’s 1869 idea first surfaced, it actually got some real backing. This came from Charles Crocker, a rail tycoon. And he didn’t just have some whimsical idea. No, he had a proper scheme, with figures and designs. Still, no one really wanted to listen, and the bridge remained a dream.

Gaining momentum

The idea didn’t really gain steam before the new century, and in 1916 civic engineer Michael O’Shaughnessy saw a proposal that tickled his fancy. Three years later, the city bigwigs said yes to at least looking into the practicalities of a bridge, and O’Shaughnessy got to work on it.

A fraction of the cost

Though a bridge did seem like a great idea, there was the question of cost. Engineers who looked at it said it couldn’t be done for less than a cool hundred million. That was a lot of money in those days, so prospects started to fade. Until Joseph Baermann Strauss stepped up, that is. He’d do it, he claimed, at a cost of no more than $30 million.

Early inspiration

Strauss was a native of Cincinnati, and he’s spent his youth in a house with a view of what’s now the John A. Roebling Bridge, the 1,000-foot span from Covington, Kentucky, to Cincinnati. It’d once been the world’s biggest bridge, unsurpassed for its suspension length. And it’s fair to say that Strauss had been inspired.

Big dreams

The future engineer didn’t grow to be as towering as his bridge, though. No, he only just scaled 5 feet. But that didn’t stop him from trying out for varsity football, which proved a painful experience. It’s said that it put him in hospital, where he lay looking at the familiar bridge and dreaming.

Bascule expert

Strauss would go on to be responsible for hundreds of bridges. They were sited not just in North America but also across the world. In the space of just a year, for example, he’d built San Francisco’s Fourth Street Bridge and a bridge over the River Neva in St. Petersburg, Russia. Both were of the “bascule” type with roadways that can be raised to allow water craft to pass.

Progressing plans

So there was no doubt that Strauss knew how to build a bridge. And when he showed his plans to O’Shaughnessy in 1921, alongside a budget of $27 million, the project soon had the green light. The initial idea looked very different from the finished bridge, though, taking the form of a mix of suspension and cantilever.

Ugly design

But when the press saw the plans in 1922, reporters weren’t impressed. Strauss had spent the time between the project okay and the release of the design wisely, though. He went around the municipalities of Northern California, gathering support from local politicians. So despite the design being unattractive, the authorities didn’t block it.

Necessary structure

Strauss threw himself into promoting the bridge, though to be honest, the need for it had become obvious. The region’s populace had swelled, and ferries just couldn’t cut it anymore. Seething drivers waited way too long in traffic jams at the docks. So another way to get across the strait was clearly required.

No federal support

But while the idea of the bridge had plenty of local support, the state and national governments wouldn’t back it. What federal money there was had already been spent on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. But even that wasn’t going to stop Strauss and the team working on the Golden Gate Bridge.

A new design

Strauss pressed on – and with a new design replacing his own. A local man, Irving Morrow, came up with the plan for a suspension bridge. When Strauss received feedback on Morrow’s proposal from the engineers he was consulting, he decided to switch. And it was Morrow’s idea to paint it orange.

Paid by bond

But construction still couldn’t begin. The U.S. was gripped by the Great Depression, and technical issues and political wrangling also stalled the project. The people were by now firmly behind the idea, though. And so they voted for a $35 million bond to pay for it. That’s more than half a billion in modern money.

Safety first

The project could at last break ground. And one of the first considerations for Strauss was safety. He planned for a strict code to protect the workers, backed by the newest advances in technology – and an innovation of his own that was genius. But it wasn’t just the people building the bridge who needed to be safe. The completed structure could also turn out to be dangerous.

Moving bridge

Suspension bridges can be quite alarming if the wind gets up. They’re made to give when under pressure, and they’ll move. This is because the roads are slung from thick cables that can swing and stretch. And shortly after the Golden Gate Bridge was completed, this swinging on another U.S. bridge ran completely out of control and caused it to collapse.

Torsional oscillations

That bridge spanned the Tacoma Narrows in Washington. The crossing had only been open for a few months before it fell down in November 1940. Winds there were blowing at about 40 mph. The span went into what are called “torsional oscillations” – in other words, it started twisting like a demented rubber band. This shook girders loose until the bridge could no longer stand.

Breaking ground party

So though the Golden Gate Bridge wasn’t so expensive in relative terms, it had to be very well made. Building started early in 1933. And when ground was broken at Crissy Field a few weeks later, the jubilation was intense. Revelers – more than 100,000 of them – partied, and the excitement was infectious.

Nervous birds

But there were a few naysayers, as a local newspaper noted. The report read, “Two hundred and fifty carrier pigeons, provided by the San Francisco Racing Pigeon Club to carry the message of groundbreaking to every corner of California, were so frightened by the surging human mass that small boys had to crawl into their compartments in the bridge replica to shoo them out with sticks.”

Worlds of wire

It was a huge undertaking. The cables that suspend the roadway are more than 7,600 feet long. And they’re constructed of wires not thicker than a pencil wound together into 3-feet ropes. The whole thing took up steel wire that if laid out in a line would stretch in excess of 80,000 miles. You could wrap our planet with that three times over.

Dangerous duty

The bridge’s site made construction difficult as well. Strong gusts and dangerous currents menaced workers. And it was huge, with a record-breaking span. The construction crew had to brave the water to create anchorages for the bridge. So danger lurked at every corner for the men who put the crossing together.

No sacrifices

And danger was what the men may well have expected. Bridge-building was a tough guy’s profession, and you truly risked life and limb to do it. For every million bucks a bridge cost, builders expected to lose one life. But for Strauss, that was a price that he wasn’t willing to pay.

No stunting

Strauss explained in a 1937 article for The Saturday Evening Post, “On the Golden Gate Bridge, we had the idea we could cheat death by providing every known safety device for workers. To the annoyance of the daredevils who loved to stunt at the end of the cables, far out in space, we fired any man we caught stunting on the job.”

New safety regulations

In his book Spanning the Gate, Stephen Cassady underlined the strictness of Strauss’s safety regime, writing, “The Golden Gate was not the first big job to feature hard hats and safety lines as some have claimed. But it was the first to enforce their use with the threat of dismissal.”

Critical protection

The list of safety features was impressive. Workers donned special hard hats, designed by a local man, Edward W. Bullard. Respirators kept riveters from breathing in toxic gases. Goggles protected the men’s eyes from water glare, and there was cream to safeguard employees’ skin from the roaring winds. And if needed, a field hospital even stood ready.

Hangover cure

Strauss even took care of what the men ate and drank. They had special diets to lessen the vertigo that working at heights might cause. And for those who’d overindulged the night before, there was a delicious remedy for the ensuing hangover: sauerkraut juice. The men probably didn’t get drunk too often

Safety net

But Strauss went beyond these measures with his own special innovation. At great cost – $130,000, which some thought way too much – he had a safety mesh slung under the span. It was “made of manila rope, 3/8 in. diameter and 6 in. square mesh” and stuck out 10 feet beyond the trusses that stiffened the roadway.

It paid off

And the net came in more than handy. As they built the trusses, 19 of the workers fell off the bridge. Their lives were saved by the netting. After that, they formed a club among themselves – entry restricted to those who’d been saved – and called it the “Halfway-to-Hell Club.” The men might’ve resented the strict safety code, but they surely welcomed the net.

A four year job

With the construction staff were able to work quickly, unafraid of a plummet into the strait, it didn’t take too long before the bridge rose. Strauss noted, “It took two decades and 200 million words to convince the people that the bridge was feasible, then only four years and $35 million to put the concrete and steel together.”

First crossing

The people of San Francisco were delighted with their new bridge. When the public were first allowed to use it in May 1937, for a “pedestrian day,” they flocked to walk over the strait. Perhaps 200,000 turned up to make the journey. Some competed for a series of firsts: first baby carriage over the bridge, first roller-skater, first runner.

50 year scare

And it’s true to say that the bridge was safely constructed, though there was a scare some 50 years later. The crowd of 300,000 who turned up to celebrate the structure’s golden anniversary were jammed on the bridge. And the mass of revelers made the roadway dip seven feet in the center. But while this must’ve been alarming, it wasn’t totally unexpected.

Shifting allowance

Bridges as big as the Golden Gate can typically experience “deflections” – or dips – as big as 10 feet. A spokeswoman for the bridge district told local paper The Mercury News in 2012 that it’d been constructed to safely shift 27 feet horizontally and 16 feet up and down.

New paint job

Dipping under weight isn’t the only hazard the bridge has presented, though. Back in the 1930s, it wasn’t fully known how dangerous lead is to humans and the wider world. This is why it ended up forming most of the content of the bridge’s paintwork. And it took 30 years to rid the Golden Gate of its lead paint. Today, it’s covered in paint with a zinc base.

A new record

The bridge’s a massive piece of work, with the main span of 4,200 feet setting a world record in its day – and one that lasted until 1981. Today’s longest bridge is the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge, which is a 105-mile railway viaduct in Jiangsu, China. That’s a bit longer than the Golden Gate’s 1.7 miles!

Now outdone

Even in the U.S., there are now much longer crossings, and Lake Pontchartrain Causeway heads the list. It’s the planet’s longest bridge solely across water. It’s actually composed of a pair of bridges: the original proved insufficient for the huge number of vehicles that wanted to cross the Louisiana causeway.

New title holder

These aren’t suspension bridges, mind you. And the Golden Gate Bridge would remain the world’s longest of those until New York’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge began operation in the mid-1960s. Today, the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, in Japan, is the longest, with 6,500 feet-plus of span. That bridge won’t fall down any time soon: it has a system to protect it from those torsional oscillations that plagued Tacoma Narrows Bridge, as well as being designed to withstand super-hurricane winds and earthquakes.

An iconic landmark

Still, the Golden Gate Bridge was a magnificent achievement. Louis Laushey, dean emeritus of engineering at the University of Cincinnati – Strauss’ alma mater – told the university magazine in 1987, “It is a sculpture of great prominence and sentimental value. Everybody coming into the harbor at San Francisco goes under the bridge.”

The first site

“To people such as Chinese and Japanese immigrants and servicemen returning from war overseas, it is the first thing you see of the good old United States of America,” Laushey continued. “It’s an American monument, similar to the Statue of Liberty.” And Laushey himself knew this well: he served in World War Two.

Calling in the robots

A team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are on a mission to uncover them all. With the help of underwater robots, they delve into the mysteries of the deep. And as they go, the experts make an incredible discovery that could send a shiver down your spine.

What's under the iconic bridge?

Under the famous rust-colored bridge, there are a number of historic treasures. And below the surface of San Francisco Bay, NOAA’s remotely operated vehicles have been uncovering a story that is equal parts horrific and fascinating. If you’ve ever crossed the famous landmark, though, you had no idea of what was really lurking just beneath your feet.

Worldwide recognition

Plenty of folks have traveled on the bridge, of course. A lot have snapped pictures of it with their cameras, too. According to Frommer’s, more photographs are taken of San Francisco’s most famous structure than of any other bridge on the planet. And it’s easy to see why. At almost two miles long, it straddles the gap between the city and the wide Pacific Ocean. Its orange color is also a stark contrast to the blue Californian sky.

Lurking beneath the waves

But although millions of people visit the landmark every year, few are aware of what’s in the waters below. Now, the NOAA team is hoping to change that. However, in their struggle to uncover the world beneath the waves, the experts are battling a landscape that has a reputation for keeping its treasures under wraps. Spanish conquistadors sailed right past the San Francisco Bay when they first arrived on the Californian coast—due to one pretty wild circumstance.

Obscuring the view

Often blanketed in a layer of fog, the bay actually remained hidden from the Spanish until the 18th century. And even when they did make it through the strait – known as the Golden Gate – sailors were forced to navigate perilous waters. Thick clouds frequently obscured the view, while storms, strong winds and swells battered ships against the rocks.

Natural location for a harbor

At the Golden Gate itself, a strong current often caught approaching vessels – scuttling them before they could reach the safety of the bay. These early arrivals also lacked charts and other navigational equipment, meaning they were at the mercy of the wild Pacific Ocean. But despite such challenges, a settlement later sprang up around the natural harbor.

Changing hands to the U.S.A.

Initially part of Mexico, the burgeoning city of San Francisco was given over to the U.S. in 1848. Then, two years later, California became the 31st state to join the Union. At that point, the Gold Rush was in full swing, and would-be prospectors from all across America were flocking to seek their fortunes on the Western Frontier.

Obstacle to be conquered

And with so many people arriving by ship, San Francisco Bay quickly became one of the most important seaports on Earth. Even after the Gold Rush had died down, this city by the Golden Gate was a significant maritime resource. But as the metropolis grew, the narrow strait became an obstacle to be conquered.

Alternate route

Before the building of the Golden Gate Bridge, the main route into San Francisco was by boat. And while the city’s coastal location had initially helped it to grow, its isolation ultimately prevented it from developing as quickly as other parts of the U.S. The authorities had to consider, then, whether there was an alternative to the ferry services that shipped passengers across the bay.

Famous wind and fog

And while a bridge may seem an obvious solution now, folks believed at first that it would be impossible to put one across the mouth of San Francisco Bay. The waters beneath the Golden Gate plunge to more than 330 feet deep, and this can create a turbulent channel of powerful currents and tides. If that wasn’t enough, any construction project would also be hampered by the heavy fog and wild winds that often batter this part of the Californian coast.

Gaining traction

Even if a bridge could be built at this location, the reasoning went, it would have to be a crossing unlike any ever seen before. For starters, it would need to be lofty enough to allow even the biggest of vessels to sail below. But the idea of this impossible construction began to gain traction in the aftermath of the city’s 1915 World’s Fair.

Ambitious engineering

Then, in 1921, the engineer Joseph B. Strauss proposed a combined suspension and cantilever bridge to connect the city of San Francisco to the region now known as Marin County. And Strauss’ idea was a masterstroke. His design was ultimately revised into one for the Golden Gate Bridge that we know and love today. The plan was ambitious, mind you. If the bridge was realized, it would be the tallest and lengthiest structure of its kind anywhere on the planet.

Top attraction

But, of course, the landmark was unveiled to much fanfare and acclaim in May 1937. And more than 80 years later, it remains one of San Francisco’s top tourist attractions – as well as probably the city’s most iconic sight. Today, it carries well over 100,000 vehicles every 24 hours, as figures from the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District claim.

Centuries-old

And as so many people have passed over the Golden Gate Bridge, it seems unlikely that there’s anything about it still undiscovered. But it’s true. A number of hidden relics lurk in the churning waters beneath – some dating back to the 1800s. So, what exactly are these sunken mysteries at the bottom of San Francisco Bay?

Researchers on the prowl

Well, the researchers and marine archeologists at NOAA know better than most. They’ve made it their mission to uncover the secrets in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. And these folks are well placed to do so. For one, the agency presides over the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. This is a preservation area that covers some 3,300 square miles of ocean off the coast of California.

Combing the depths

As a governmental organization, NOAA is also responsible for monitoring the waters of our planet. Part of this remit involves scanning the seabed to search for anything out of the ordinary. And in the deep ocean, this process sometimes reveals new species or complex organisms mostly unknown to science.

Look to the currents

But surely there couldn’t be anything unexpected hiding in the well-traveled waters of the Golden Gate? Well, yes. As it turns out, there could. Over the years, the treacherous currents that sweep through the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and along the San Francisco coast have sent a number of ships to a watery grave. And even now, their long-forgotten wrecks are still being discovered by NOAA.

There's something down there...

With this in mind, a team of researchers began conducting a survey in the stretch of ocean just west of the Golden Gate Bridge. Having pored over sonar scans of the area, they had identified eight locations that seemed worthy of further investigation. And, amazingly, half of these spots seemed to host what they were looking for: shipwrecks lost for many years beneath the waves.

Hidden in plain sight

The team then commanded a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to study each of the sites in turn. They made some truly awe-inspiring discoveries, too – ones that have added a number of fascinating new chapters to the story of the Golden Gate. But what exactly happened to these lost ships? And how have they remained hidden in plain sight for such a long time?

Going back multiple centuries

Well, apparently, the oldest of the shipwrecks discovered during NOAA’s September 2014 mission was the Noonday. And, amazingly, this clipper went down all the way back in 1863. Left over from the time of the Gold Rush, the vessel was still hauling passengers and cargo to the Californian coast long after the prospectors had given up.

Plunging beneath

On her fateful final journey, the Noonday was nearing the end of the more than four-month trip from Boston to San Francisco. But just as it came within view of the city, the ship hit a rock and began taking on water. And while everyone on board fortunately escaped with their lives, the vessel and its valuable cargo ultimately plunged beneath the waves.

Lost to the ages

In a somewhat macabre twist, the previously uncharted outcrop that caused the sinking would come to be dubbed Noonday Rock. But while the vessel’s name would be remembered, the exact location of the wreck was lost over time. So, too, was the cargo – despite the best efforts of some of the Noonday’s crew.

Definitely something there

That was the case until the 2014 NOAA survey, anyway. Looking at sonar scans of the seabed, a NOAA volunteer identified something in the depths that appeared to be the same size as the Noonday. Even better, this unidentified object was in a location close to the rock that bears the doomed vessel’s name. And after using an ROV to explore the site, researchers finally spotted the outline of a clipper ship.

Visual confirmation

The team did not uncover any actual detritus, though they are confident that they have found the Noonday’s final resting place. NOAA’s James Delgado told the Associated Press at the time, “Noonday is there. The signal is very clear. But there’s just nothing sticking above the seabed.”

Another victim

During the same survey, the NOAA team also located the wreck of the S.S. Selja – a steamer that sank in 1910. She had plowed the trade routes between Asia and the Pacific Northwest, carrying American goods to sell in China and Japan. And the Selja was loaded with a regular cargo of timber and flour when it left on its final journey from Portland, Oregon.

A tragic incident

This time, however, the ship would not get far. Around 700 miles south of Portland, she rounded Point Reyes west of San Francisco and crashed into another steamer: the S.S. Beaver. In the ensuing chaos, the Selja finally sank in around 180 feet of water. Two crew members also died as a result of the collision.

Anger ensues

Afterward, the Selja’s master Olaf Lie attempted to sue the owners of the Beaver, claiming that the other ship had been responsible for the accident. The court found, however, that Lie had in fact been at fault and that he’d been traveling too quickly for the foggy conditions. But even though this incident caused quite a stir, the wreck of the steamer was forgotten until NOAA rediscovered it west of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Unmarked graves

NOAA also uncovered two additional wreck sites on that same mission, though further research was needed to determine the exact identities of the sunken craft. According to reports, one of the vessels was in a poor state of preservation, her bulk obscured by numerous fishing nets. The other appeared to be an unknown tugboat, and she was still remarkably intact.

Busiest port on the Pacific

But why are there so many shipwrecks scattered beneath the Golden Gate Bridge? Well, part of it has to do with the sheer amount of maritime traffic that once passed through the strait. In 2014 Delgado explained to Live Science, “We’re looking at an area that was a funnel to the busiest and most important American port on the Pacific Coast.”

More than just a few

In fact, there are thought to be around 300 wrecks in the waters of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The oldest, according to records, is the San Agustin – a Spanish galleon that crashed into the shore and sank in the 16th century. One of the most recent, by contrast, is that of the Puerto Rican – a tanker that dramatically blew up off the coast of San Francisco in the 1980s.

Presumed lost for good

And while many of the wrecks still haven’t been explored by scientists, NOAA has been taking steps to address this. A few months before the 2014 survey, for example, researchers revealed another startling discovery. Almost directly beneath San Francisco’s famous bridge, they had located the wreck of the S.S. City of Chester – which had been lost for well over a century.

Six minute sink

Bound for Eureka, California, the steamship had barely left the port in San Francisco before disaster struck. At the entrance to the harbor, she collided with the R.M.S. Oceanic. And after a hole was torn in the City of Chester’s port side, she sank in just six minutes – claiming 16 people.

Locating the vessel

Though she had gone down within spitting distance of the Golden Gate, the wreck of the City of Chester languished in obscurity for 120 years. Then, in April 2014, NOAA announced that it had successfully located – and explored – the remains of the tragic vessel. And if the agency’s sonar images are to be believed, the ship has remained in surprisingly good shape over the years.

First photos are released

At the end of 2014, NOAA also released the first photographs of one of the most famous wrecks that litter this stretch of the Californian coast. In February 1901 the steamer S.S. City of Rio de Janeiro had foundered close to the site of the Golden Gate Bridge. According to reports, it had been foggy on the morning of the incident, leaving the captain struggling to navigate through the narrow strait.

An unspeakable tragedy

On board the doomed vessel were some 210 people – many of them migrants bound for a fresh start in the United States. Tragically, though, more than half of those on board perished after the City of Rio de Janeiro hit rocks and sank into the cold Pacific Ocean. For many, their dreams of a new life ended on the ship that was dubbed the “Titanic of the Golden Gate.”

Revealed by sonar

Today, the wreck of the City of Rio de Janeiro sits underneath almost 290 feet of water – near to where the Golden Gate Bridge now stands. But thanks to the work of the people at NOAA, her eerie resting place has been revealed. Using sonar and 3D modeling techniques, researchers were able to build up a fascinating image of how the steamer looks now.

Putting a name to the tugboat

But that’s far from all, as in October 2015 NOAA uncovered yet another surprising secret. That month, a team sent ROVs down to explore the unidentified tugboat wreck first discovered a year earlier. And after examination, they were able to determine that these were actually the remains of the USS Conestoga, which had disappeared in 1921.

Previously vanished

After a career transporting weapons and supplies during World War I, the Conestoga had been en route to Samoa, where she would be serving as a station ship. But after departing Mare Island some 20 miles north of San Francisco, the Conestoga and her 56 crew members simply vanished. And for almost 100 years, the location of the lost vessel remained an intriguing mystery.

What else is down there?

That conundrum was finally solved after some sleuthing by the folks at NOAA. But that doesn’t mean that the waters beneath the Golden Gate Bridge have given up all their secrets. Far from it, in fact, if the experts are to be believed. What else will ROVs discover off the coast of San Francisco? Well, only time will tell.