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Tacoma Narrows Bridge construction activities, ca. 1940
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| Clip Title | Tacoma Narrows Bridge construction activities, ca. 1940 |
| Clip Summary | Images of signs bearing the names and staff roles of several engineers and an inspector. Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works sign beside tent at construction site. Barges carrying bridge parts. Large concrete section dumped into water from barge. Men in boats, with surveying equipment. A different concrete section being dumped from barge. |
| Duration | 3 min., 1 sec. |
| Digital Format | Video |
| Original Source Title | Tacoma Narrows Bridge Construction Film Collection |
| Participants/Performers | Clark H. Eldridge, V.C. Chaner, H. F. Donnelly, Fred C. Dunham, C.A. Andrew, David L. Glenn |
| Notes | Construction activity at the site of the Tacoma Narrows bridge. Images of signs bearing the names and staff roles of several engineers and an inspector:
Bridge Engineer: Clark H. Eldridge
Design engineer: V.C. Chaner
Chief Inspector: H. F. Donnelly
Field Engineer: Fred C. Dunham
Chief Consultant Eng.: C.A. Andrew
P.W.A. (Public Works Administration): David L. Glenn
Clark H. Eldridge was a Washington Department of Highways engineer, who proposed a 2-lane highway design for the bridge in 1938 ( a design by Leon Moisseiff was used instead for the 1940 bridge after Eldridge's design was declared too expensive). Around 8:30 a.m. on November 7, 1940, the morning of the collapse, engineer Clark Eldridge drove across the bridge, which was undulating in its usual manner. p Eldridge designed the Capitol Blvd. Bridge in Tumwater. As bridge engineer for the city of Seattle in the 1920s and 1930s, he was credited with construction of Seattle's Montlake Bridge, Spokane Street Bridge, Garfield Street Bridge and the reconstruction of the University Bridge. (Source: Jack Broom, "Clark Eldridge, 94, Bridge Builder; Didn't Let Age Dull Desire To Work", the Seattle Times, Novermber 5, 1990). See http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/tnbhistory/connections/connections4.htm for Eldridge's comments on the failure of the bridge.
H.F. Donnelly's "Report on the Construction of the Superstructure" is part of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collection in the Washington State Archives, Olympia, WA.
David L. Glenn, the Public Works Administration's field engineer on site in Tacoma, submitted a report warning of faults in design and refusing to recommend acceptance of the structure. But, the PWA accepted the bridge. So did the Washington State Toll Bridge Authority. (Source:http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/tnbhistory/connections/connections4.htm) p The PWA fired David Glenn two weeks after the story made headlines. Newspapers reported that he had been "relieved" of his position on January 25, 1941.
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| Subjects (LCSH) | Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma, Wash. : 1940)
Bridges--Washington (State)
Bridges--Design and construction
Barges--Washington (State)
Puget Sound (Wash.)
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| Genres (LCSH) | Documentary films
Nonfiction films
Film clips
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| Location Depicted | United States--Washington (State)--Tacoma Narrows |
| Date Created | ca. 1940 |
| Language | English |
| Digital Collection | Special Collections Moving Image Collection |
| Order Number | MV74 |
| Ordering Info | To order a reproduction, inquire about permissions, or for information about prices see: http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/services/reproduction-info
Please cite the Order Number when ordering. |
| Repository | University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division |
| Repository Collection | University of Washington Audio Visual Services Materials Library, 94-4, VC74 |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Digital streaming QuickTime video file made from DVCAM master, by Special Collections at UW Media Center, Odegaard Library, on May 29, 2009, using Quick Time, version 7.6. |
| Rights | Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the repository for details. |
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