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Presidio of San Francisco in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

All in a Day's Work

 
 
All in a Day's Work Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 3, 2021
1. All in a Day's Work Marker
Inscription. Bridge construction began in 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression. The unemployment rate was 25 percent, and jobs were much sought after. With the exception of highly specialized jobs, the Bridge was built by local labor. Besides the pay, the men working on the Bridge had a special incentive. They knew they were building more than just another bridge: this was going to be one of the greatest works of modern engineering.

The weather was often cold, windy, and foggy. Work had to go on inside cramped spaces. Climbing up and walking high atop the Bridge was as dangerous as it was scary.

Safety was a priority. Workers wore helmets, special wind goggles, and headlamps for the dark, enclosed areas – a first in bridge construction. The undercoat of paint, the primer, contained lead to prevent the steel from rusting. Workers wore respirators to protect them from lead fumes released during the installation of red-hot rivets. Today, the paints used on the Bridge contain no lead.

Another first in bridge building was the installation of a safety net during construction. The 19 men who fell and were saved by the net called themselves the Halfway to Hell Club. The Bridge had only one fatality until February 1937. Then a heavy scaffold fell through the net, causing 10 men to fall through to their deaths. Although tragic,
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the number of lives lost was very low compared to the size of the project and the dangers involved.

Captions(Counterclockwise, from top left)
• Riveter exiting tower door. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
• Members of the Halfway to Hell Club look through the Bridge deck to the safety net below that saved their lives. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
• Helmet, goggles, and respirator — all firsts in bridge construction. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
• A Golden Gate Bridge innovation, a safety net, was rigged to catch workers if they fell during deck construction. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
• The small bumps on the steel are the heads of rivets. The rivets were used to permanently clamp two pieces of steel together. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
• Workers getting a lift on a prefabricated section of the tower. Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
 
Erected 2012 by Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts
All in a Day's Work Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 3, 2021
2. All in a Day's Work Marker
Marker is second from the right.
. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.
 
Location. 37° 48.491′ N, 122° 28.552′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Presidio of San Francisco. Marker can be reached from Coastal Trail. Marker is in the Battery Lancaster exhibit area of the Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point South overlook. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Francisco CA 94129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Hanging the Roadway Deck (here, next to this marker); A Lasting Monument (here, next to this marker); Spinning the Main Cables (here, next to this marker); World's Tallest Bridge Towers (here, next to this marker); A Bathtub for the South Tower (here, next to this marker); Working Under Water (here, next to this marker); Fort Point Arch (here, next to this marker); Making the Impossible, Possible: The Story of the Golden Gate Bridge (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 152 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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Mar. 28, 2024