Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Massachusetts
Printed from a medium format negative in my collection, the back of an accompanying contact print has the caption "September 22, 1934... Riveting gang, Pee Wee Kirkpatrick in foreground, Bourne highway bridge... south side". This image was taken by someone who had full unlimited access to this construction site, most likely a staff photographer for Fay, Spofford & Thorndike Consulting Engineers, Boston. The only hint to the identity of the photographer was his nickname... "Guppy", written on the back of one contact print. If you look closely at a large size you can see heat "shimmering" the background beyond the forge to the left of Pee Wee.
The contract book lists the minimum wage for skilled labor at $1.20 /hour, unskilled labor $0.50 /hour.
The Bourne Cape Cod Canal Bridge construction ran from 1933 to 1935, with the bridge opening for traffic on June 22, 1935.
The lot of negatives, contact prints and contract books were bought on a visit to a New Hampshire flea marked with my brother decades ago. As I always did when visiting flea markets, I spent more time searching through boxes under tables than viewing material spread out on display. After discovering a small tattered water stained cardboard carton containing two dusty envelopes, one full of negatives and the other small prints, plus two soiled soft cover books, I made the dealer an offer he thought was more than fair, and drove home to inspect what "treasure" (or trash) I had purchased.
The lot of material contained forty five 2.25" 3.25" B&W negatives (very grainy, but printable), plus contact prints made from most of them. They were dated from July 21 through November 14, 1934. They show various ground and bridge level views of construction in progress, plus the on-site concrete plant used for supplying bridge pier material.
Now that both the Sagamore and Bourne bridges are slated for demolition and replacement, I'm VERY glad I found these.
DSC-2038
Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Massachusetts
Printed from a medium format negative in my collection, the back of an accompanying contact print has the caption "September 22, 1934... Riveting gang, Pee Wee Kirkpatrick in foreground, Bourne highway bridge... south side". This image was taken by someone who had full unlimited access to this construction site, most likely a staff photographer for Fay, Spofford & Thorndike Consulting Engineers, Boston. The only hint to the identity of the photographer was his nickname... "Guppy", written on the back of one contact print. If you look closely at a large size you can see heat "shimmering" the background beyond the forge to the left of Pee Wee.
The contract book lists the minimum wage for skilled labor at $1.20 /hour, unskilled labor $0.50 /hour.
The Bourne Cape Cod Canal Bridge construction ran from 1933 to 1935, with the bridge opening for traffic on June 22, 1935.
The lot of negatives, contact prints and contract books were bought on a visit to a New Hampshire flea marked with my brother decades ago. As I always did when visiting flea markets, I spent more time searching through boxes under tables than viewing material spread out on display. After discovering a small tattered water stained cardboard carton containing two dusty envelopes, one full of negatives and the other small prints, plus two soiled soft cover books, I made the dealer an offer he thought was more than fair, and drove home to inspect what "treasure" (or trash) I had purchased.
The lot of material contained forty five 2.25" 3.25" B&W negatives (very grainy, but printable), plus contact prints made from most of them. They were dated from July 21 through November 14, 1934. They show various ground and bridge level views of construction in progress, plus the on-site concrete plant used for supplying bridge pier material.
Now that both the Sagamore and Bourne bridges are slated for demolition and replacement, I'm VERY glad I found these.
DSC-2038