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Those famous old photos of construction workers on New York skyscrapers

Last post 10-09-2009 15:57 by Supadoopa. 2 replies.
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  • 10-09-2009 11:15

    Those famous old photos of construction workers on New York skyscrapers

    Steam Boss was saying on another thread about how health and safety standards have changed, and mentioned those famous old photos of construction workers perching precariously on New York skyscrapers in the 1930s.

    I thought it would good to remind ourselves how different things were back then!

    Old photos of construction workers on New York skyscrapers

    Old photos of construction workers on New York skyscrapers

    Old photos of construction workers on New York skyscrapers

    Old photos of construction workers on New York skyscrapers

     

  • 10-09-2009 12:02 In reply to

    Re: Those famous old photos of construction workers on New York skyscrapers

    These photos are part of a series taken by photographer Charles C Ebbets, documenting construction of the GE Building, the centrepiece of the Rockefeller Centre, in New York in 1932.

    The most famous of these is undoubtedly Lunch Atop A Skyscraper, the third picture down in your post above.

    The photo was taken on the 69th floor of the 70-storey building, when construction was nearly finished.

    The top photo is Men Asleep On A Girder.

    As you say, not a great advert for safe working at height, but a reminder of how much standards have changed!

     

  • 10-09-2009 15:57 In reply to

    Re: Those famous old photos of construction workers on New York skyscrapers

     It wasn't that long ago that me and a bloke called Taffy climbed the scaffolding on the Guilford post office early one very windy morning when the monoflex stroon scaffolding was bending over the train station full of oblivious people!

    The scaffolding had no boards on it and was bending about 40 feet away from the building and as it blew back we quickly wrapped a few clamps together to secure it to the building!

    Me and Taffy were up there hanging on for dear life as the wind blew us all over the place!

    If the people on the station platform knew what was going on above them they would have sh-t!

    7 floors up we were!

    I laugh at those pics from the states because the men that taught me my trade did the same thing while the building was wobbling by the 22 smashing hell out of the other end!

    You only fell once in the demo!

    I take my hat off to Ronnie Marsh, Harry Sayer, (one hit harry from hackney) Ronnie Dormer, Ronnie Go-Fast, Jock and Taffy!

    The Best Demo Top Men i ever worked with!

    If their watching Billy Sollocks says hi! 

    Them fkers in America wern't fit to wipe these mens arses!

    They most certainly wouldn't have had the balls to do the same work!

     

    I have to add this!

    Its very hard to do your job when a 3 ton ball is smashing the floor your standing on by a man who can't see you!

    Them yanks never had to do that!

     

     

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