成人X站

Saturday, Nov. 7, marks the 80th anniversary of the dramatic collapse of Galloping Gertie, the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge. 成人X站 Radio was on the scene shortly after the disaster, and produced a live national report for CBS Radio 鈥� recordings of which survive thanks to 成人X站鈥檚 unusual policy聽of recording news programs during the 1940s.

There are two bridges carrying traffic over the Tacoma Narrows these days, but they were, of course, not the first.

The original bridge opened to traffic on July 1, 1940. It had problems almost right away because the girders supporting the roadway were solid 鈥� like a sail or a wing 鈥� and even a mild amount of wind could start the span swaying and bouncing. This is why the bridge was quickly nicknamed 鈥淕alloping Gertie.鈥�

When the center span of the suspension bridge collapsed on the windy morning of Thursday Nov. 7, 1940 鈥� after just four months of serving Puget Sound drivers 鈥� 成人X站 Radio produced a 15-minute live report for CBS Radio that aired nationally around 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

Maury Ryder, one of 成人X站鈥檚 best-known voices in the 1940s, was broadcasting live from the Tacoma side of the bridge, where he took an eyewitness account from Bob Owens of the Highway Department.

鈥淭he bridge at that time I arrived was swinging very wildly from side to side and also up and down,鈥� Owens said. 鈥淭here was one car on the bridge and a truck loaded with lumber. And the car was bouncing, in fact, it left the deck of the bridge, turned over on its side. Then at 11:10, there was one big heave to the north, it swung back to the south, and she began to break up.鈥�

鈥淚 see, Bob,鈥� Ryder said. 鈥淎nd how long after that before the whole 2,800 foot center span gave out?鈥�

鈥淲ell, that was at 11:10 when it all went in, Maury,鈥� Owens said.

鈥淭he whole thing went in at 11:10, is that right?鈥� Ryder asked.

鈥淭hat’s right,鈥� Owens said.

鈥淎nd nobody was hurt?鈥� Ryder asked.

鈥淣o one injured at all,鈥� Owens replied.

鈥淗ow did that fella get off that was in his car out there on the bridge?鈥� asked Ryder.

鈥淭he last few hundred feet he crawled off on his hands and knees,鈥� Owens said.

That famous 鈥渇ella鈥� who crawled off was . His Studebaker and his dog Tubby were both lost in the collapse.

Maury Ryder was joined by Carroll Foster, another popular 成人X站 voice during the war years. Carroll Foster, thanks to United Airlines, was flying over the bridge to give a live report from the sky.

鈥淔rom our vantage point, the roadway running up to each tower, each 425-foot tower from the buttress, the land end buttresses of the bridge, are intact. The entire center span of the bridge over Puget Sound is out, and from our vantage point, it looks as though it were a toy bridge with 50 yards from each tower suspended over the Sound and the very ends of it dragging like broken ribbon into the water.鈥�

Forensic engineers and college engineering classes would go on to study and debate the Narrows Bridge collapse for decades, but was actually broadcast nationally by 成人X站 via CBS 鈥� and even quoted the next day in the New York Times.

Speaking to Maury Rider, bridge engineer Charles Andrew 鈥� often misidentified in print as 鈥淐.E. Andrews鈥� 鈥� pointed to the wind and to those troublesome solid girders.

鈥淲e have had much higher winds than what occurred today, but it’s the particular type of wind that caused the vibration that caused the failure,鈥� Andrew said. 鈥淎nd I think that it’s due entirely to the use of solid web girders as stiffening trusses, instead of the usual open-type girder that is usually used on suspension bridges.鈥�

With the bridge out of service (to put it mildly), cross-Narrows car ferry service resumed while plans were made for quick replacement of the span.

However, the replacement bridge 鈥� named 鈥淪turdy Gertie鈥� for the safety and engineering improvements incorporated in the new design 鈥� didn鈥檛 open until October 1950. If any recordings of 成人X站 Radio鈥檚 coverage of that 鈥渘ew鈥� bridge鈥檚 grand opening ever turn up, we鈥檒l be sure and share them here.

You can hear Feliks every Wednesday and Friday morning on Seattle鈥檚 Morning News and read more from him聽here. If you have a story idea, please email Feliks聽here.