Sepia Saturday - Construction

Happy Late Saturday Everyone!

After a busy week where I did not participate in any challenges or linky parties, I decided that I should at least put up a post for Sepia Saturday.

Again from my grandfather's albums and following the loose construction theme at Sepia Saturday, here are a few pictures of the construction of what my mother believes is a rail bridge being constructed by and for The Bell Asbestos Mine in Thetford Mines, Quebec to cross Notre-Dame Street at the top of Martin Bennett Hill.

At the time these pictures were taken, sometime between 1912 and 1919, my Great Grandfather George R. Smith was the Vice-President and Mines Manager of the Bell Mine.

Eventually my grandfather and all of his brothers and some nephews would work for the mine, but when he took these pictures, Grandpa George was a photography-loving teenager with an interesting subject.

I'll be around to visit everyone tomorrow.  Hope you're having a great weekend.  And if you didn't come here from Sepia Saturday, be sure to check it out here.

Anna

Comments

[Margaret]

These are great perspective shots. My stomach does a little flip when looking at the two men atop the tall platform in the first photo!

[Marilyn]

These are wonderful photos, especially that last one. Your grandfather was a great photographer and how wonderful that you have his work.

[tattered and lost]

Love the first one showing the size proportion with the men standing on top.

[Tracie]

Great Collection of photos Anna ~ I have to agree with Margarets post on flip flopping stomachs when you look at the first photo, what brave men they were standing up there :)

[Alan Burnett]

Busy week or not, I'm glad you found time for Sepia Saturday. The images are wonderful : they are showing the construction process rather than people with a half suggested process taking place in the background. But not only are they of obvious historical importance, that last image is such a well taken, well composed photograph in its own right. Thanks so much for sharing.

[Bob Scotney]

I'm always interested in engineering construction especially from a long time back. Health and safety requirements have strengthened since those days, sometimes prohibitively so.
Tremendous photos.

[Karen S.]

Oh my gosh! At first sight you think oh yeah just another bridge being constructed, and then you note the small ant size man on the edge...this is no ordinary bridge! Very great group of photos and what a very cool Bell Mine, I'd never heard of before! Thanks!

[postcardy]

Interesting photos. I especially like the last one.

[TICKLEBEAR]

great documents!! hang on to those, or bestow them to the national archives, or something... these shouldn't go to the waste basket...
ever!!!
:)~
HUGZ

[Nancy]

I'd say your Grandpa George was a very good teen-age photographer! The first image with the men standing so high above on that narrow piece of bridge - my breath goes out of me imagining being up there! It is interesting to see the progress of the bridge in the different photos. Did he take more photos or only these? Thanks for sharing.

[Anna]

Hi Nancy,

I know what you mean about that photo, I cant even picture standing up there without going weak in the knees. So much danger in manual labor, especially then, but you did what you had to do to feed your family.

Im very lucky to have three albums of his photos of school, family, the mine, etc. There are about 500 pictures in all, including a few more of this bridge being constructed. I have almost finished scanning them and I have shared a number of them recently here on my blog if you want to have a look.

See you Saturday!
Anna

Cottage 6 Studio

[LaVoice]

Thank you for your nice visit. I loved seeing these vintage photos of the bridge. Very interesting.