Saturday Morning, October 4, 2025

Bridge Over Troubled Water

The captain held fast to the ship's wheel. Between rapids and rocks, there was no room for error. Tierra del Fuego of the North, he thought. Here, in New York City, the danger was real, this channel consuming over 1,000 ships, murdering countless seamen. Tides and whirlpools added to this Dukas delight.

Lionel Hellgate Bridge, No. 305.

Lionel locomotive The Phantom,
from the Pratt's Hollow Collection. 6 - 18860

He turned the wheel starboard as the stern swung left. Got it! The hull rose clear of the shallow shoals, the captain exploiting the rising tide. Though currents fought his every move, he checkmated nature and sailed into safe waters. A repeat of the ancient Greek legend about Jason and the Argonauts. Their journey led them through the Bosphorus, better known as Istanbul, where clashing rocks threatened their survival. There, they outfoxed the rocks and rolled into the Black Sea. A rite of passage. Timeless. This narrow passage, today framed between New York City's Astoria Queens and Long Island to the east, Randalls Island and Bronx to the west, has earned its name over the centuries. Hell's Gate.

Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall

A bane to boatmen, solutions to this hazard were sought. The first, an elaborate scheme culminating in 1876, involved digging seven thousand holes in the rocky channel. Completed in seven years, the workers then filled four-thousand holes with 30,000 lbs. of dynamite.

Oil landscape signed G.S. [George Symons] 13" x 17"

September 4th. When the detonator handle dropped, the explosion was so loud it woke the dead, knocking the horn from Gabriel's mouth. In one great swoosh, disagreeable waters settled though another fifteen years passed before workers finished removing the shrapnel. Navigation eased the burden on insurance premiums. Meanwhile, a new means of transportation appeared, one demanding a new solution.

Westbound Number 9

In this corner weighing over 200 tons is, well, a locomotive? As steel rails crisscrossed America, there was one link missing. A direct connection between New England, New Jersey, and Long Island. Changing trains involved barges in very congested waters.

The original one horsepower iron horse silhouette, 24" x 33"

Bucherer 18k yellow gold case lady's wristwatch

Railroad men were an impatient lot. The money they had. All they needed was someone to buy. Hell's Gate became ground central. In true progressive fashion, no one agreed on anything. Neighbors complained. Engineers theorized. Politicians palmed. In short, it was a very successful venture for all concerned. Beginning in 1892, dedication postponed until 1917. Multiple arguments advanced the construction efforts. Hell's Gate morphed into another definition. Finally, when the ribbon was cut, all the pigs lined up at the trough. But the bridge had one saving grace. It benefited the everyday traveler.

Spiked Jones

There is one more gate worth noting. Traitor's Gate. No natural danger from rocky shoals or whirling whirlpools. No. This danger arrived via political dominance.

Pair of oil portraits on wood panels. From the House of Hohenstauff featuring endless aristocrats from the Holy Roman Empire, 36" x 28' 24" respectively.

Traitor's Gate was the waterway entrance into the Tower of London. First a home to aristocracy, in time, becoming a horror chamber. A prison. Handy for disposing of political challengers and Shakespearian pretenders. Felons ordered to this entrance first sailed under the London Bridge. Above them, stuck on iron spikes, were the heads of prisoners passing before them. Not quite a Thomas Cook Tour. Though a forever reminder to the absolute authority of kings and queens, on their subjects, and each other, power consuming power.

Golden Gate

Not all gates are equal. Take the Golden Gate, the entrance to San Francisco's harbor. Those beautiful sun-drenched hills of Marin County linking the city who stockpiles hearts. In the 1930's, a tsunami rose to build a bridge across the waterway. Bonds were offered, but no buyers. The Depression ate dreams.

English political cartoon, Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827). Published by Thomas Tegg.
The York Magician Transforming
a Foot-Boy to Captain (1809).
The secret to retaining power.

Enter our old friend, no stranger to these preambles, Amadeo Gianinni, founder of San Francisco's Bank of America. He purchased all the bonds and construction began. Today, this bridge backdrops one of the most beautiful city settings in the world. Those tall Art Deco towers support the roadway beneath. A road filled with Lamborghinis and Ferraris from Silicon Vally headed for a glass of wine in Sonoma. A better alternative to broken bows and severed heads. It is here we stop, on an upbeat note. The sun has entered my kitchen, kissed the cabinets, warmed the floorboards. The day calls. See you at our gates Saturday. Another very full day.