See ‘Galloping Gertie’ From Faith Martin’s Birdseye View

This weekend I spent some time in the Puget Sound of Gig Harbor. As the yacht I was aboard glided under the big Tacoma Narrows bridge,  I was told why it's referred to as the "Galloping Gertie" bridge.

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Tacoma Narrows bridge from Gig Harbor to the Peninsula

It's quite an amazing story. Massive in size, it gives drivers a clear route from Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula.

The bridge opened to traffic on July 1, 1940, and dramatically collapsed into Puget Sound on November 7 of the same year. I can only imagine the horror the builders of this bridge must have felt.

Who got hurt when the bridge collapsed

Fortunately, as the story goes, the sustained injuries were not severe with the exception of one Cocker spaniel dog and minor injuries to a few people.

"As the deck oscillated in an alternating twisting motion that gradually increased in amplitude until the deck tore apart. The violent swaying and eventual collapse resulted in the death of a cocker spaniel named "Tubby",^[3] as well as inflicting injuries on people fleeing the disintegrating bridge or attempting to rescue the stranded dog".^[4]

I was thinking of the undertaking of constructing such a huge structure there in the Puget Sound as well as here at home in our Columbia River.

The size of our Cable bridge is enormous and must have been as difficult to build. I'm always proud when I look at our Cable bridge, I think it's beautiful. I find myself thinking about the brave workers who work on bridges.

Many underwater welders are needed for building structures in water. I just can't imagine the guts it takes to do a job like that.