For Sparky and myself, curiosity drives passion which in turn fuels our life's engine. Our passion was capturing the story of both unbuilding the Grace (1929 - 2007) and Pearman (1966 - 2007) Bridges and discovering the unbuilders. It takes a lot of passion to track a project from July 2005 until April 2007 - rain, shine, hurricanes or moving to Singapore. We discovered the joy of discovery learning. Ken Canty opened the front door for us - then Steve Testa, Ponch Billingsley and Mickey Rogers opened many side doors. Below are the highlights of what we discovered, who we met and what we learned.
And a reminder from T.S. Eliot (East Coker from the Four Quartets)
Home is where one starts from. As we grow older The world becomes stranger, the pattern more complicated Of dead and living. Not the intense moment Isolated, with no before and after, But a lifetime burning in every moment And not the lifetime of one man only But of old stones that cannot be deciphered.
August 01, 2005 0:00
From SCDOT: A view from above
August 06, 2005 15:37
The Beginning of Unbuilding
August 11, 2005 17:19
Removing the Pearman roadway
August 16, 2005 16:46
Sparky in action: Dropping girders
August 17, 2005 17:37
Our surgical team on the Pearman roadway
August 19, 2005 16:51
Surgical roadway removal
August 20, 2005 9:20
Building Charleston's Stonehenge
August 20, 2005 9:43
A roadway skeleton
August 22, 2005 17:59
Dropping roadway segments
August 23, 2005 16:33
Residual girders to drop (from Sparky Witte)
August 27, 2005 19:45
Stonehenge
August 31, 2005 17:21
Pearman On and Off ramps
September 02, 2005 15:11
The edge of the Pearman superstructure
September 03, 2005 19:36
Closer views of the superstructure
September 11, 2005 15:46
Cutting and removing roadway segments
September 11, 2005 21:27
Night removal of roadway and fun with night images
September 12, 2005 11:10
Coupling the superstructure to the base
September 19, 2005 10:30
Watching Pearman work from the Grace
September 19, 2005 12:03
Under the Pearman On Ramp
September 20, 2005 11:32
Cutting through girders: Nugget, a dentist in disguise
September 21, 2005 10:20
Cutting the roadway into segments
with video
September 21, 2005 17:54
Removing a roadway segment
with video
September 21, 2005 19:07
Cutting girders
September 29, 2005 15:24
Test blast (from Sparky Witte and Mickey Rogers of Advanced Blasting Services)
September 30, 2005 7:24
Last Pearman Roadway Segment
October 01, 2005 0:00
From SCDOT: A view from above
October 01, 2005 8:41
Truss roadway completely removed
October 01, 2005 13:52
Removing Pearman Columns
October 05, 2005 12:31
Dropping a Pearman column just like dropping a tree - almost
October 06, 2005 0:00
Removing Charleston's Stonehenge
October 11, 2005 10:00
Dropping the Town Creek segment of the Pearman Bridge
October 13, 2005 0:00
Retrieving a section of the Pearman truss
October 16, 2005 15:29
Retrieving and chewing truss segments
October 20, 2005 18:00
Bridge skeletons
October 20, 2005 23:57
Removing concrete girders: A view from the top
October 22, 2005 10:42
Removing roadway from the Pearman off-ramp
October 22, 2005 10:53
Preparing the Pearman piers for blasting
October 29, 2005 0:00
Retrieving the last of the Town Creek Pearman segments
October 29, 2005 10:48
Innovation@work: roadway removal over steel girders
October 31, 2005 16:00
Removing the piers and caps with the new 1250
October 31, 2005 16:56
Lifting and processing floor girders
November 01, 2005 17:14
Working as the sun says goodbye
November 02, 2005 5:03
Early morning work: removing roadway crossing East Bay
November 02, 2005 23:03
Late night work: Harvesting girders over East Bay as seen from below and above
November 04, 2005 7:47
Continued drilling to prepare the columns for removal
November 04, 2005 8:27
Picking girders from the Cooper River segment of the Pearman
November 07, 2005 16:25
Harvesting girders from the Pearman: 50 tons at a time
November 10, 2005 8:17
The 7550 harvesting girders from the Pearman ramp
November 11, 2005 13:10
Building a bridge to unbuild a pier cap
November 12, 2005 6:10
Cleanup and bringing down the next column
November 14, 2005 11:46
Harvesting concrete girders from the Pearman
November 14, 2005 14:40
More about girder harvesting
November 15, 2005 10:03
Dropping the Drum Island cantilevered section of the Pearman
November 16, 2005 7:57
Innovation@work: Removing roadway segments over concrete girders
November 19, 2005 10:22
Marching down the Pearman ramp to Mt Pleasant
November 19, 2005 11:08
The disappearing Pearman Stonehenge and going is the Grace ramp
November 21, 2005 13:25
All that remains are roots and bones at the Columbus St. Terminal
November 22, 2005 14:30
Harvesting girders: Every day brings a new challenge
November 27, 2005 14:20
Preparations of the Pearman Piers
November 30, 2005 6:30
Loading and sequencing D-25 with explosives
November 30, 2005 15:53
Imploding Pearman Pier D-25
December 01, 2005 14:00
A gift from SCDOT - a view from above
December 11, 2005 14:23
The jackup barge and a language lesson
December 12, 2005 8:20
Bobby McCabe's Pearman jazz ensemble with a Jackup Barge
December 13, 2005 8:48
Repositioning the jack-up barge and more roadway harvesting
December 14, 2005 6:32
Early morning girder harvesting
December 16, 2005 14:01
Dropping Pearman piers M1-M5 with style
January 01, 2006 12:45
A snapshot of the Gace and Pearman skeletons
January 05, 2006 16:30
Harvesting the last floor girders and preparing the base of the Mt. Pleasant Pier
January 07, 2006 8:45
Unbuilding the Pearman ramp and preparing the observation deck foundation
January 09, 2006 7:15
More of the jack-up barge and Cantilever acrobats
January 09, 2006 10:04
Early start, loading and imploding Pearman D-24
January 11, 2006 7:41
Early morning at the Pearman and Grace ramps
January 11, 2006 8:30
Unbuilding the Pearman truss cantilever - one stick at a time
January 11, 2006 15:01
Practice makes perfect: Dropping D-27 with remote ignition
January 12, 2006 17:29
Sparky catching sunset at its best
January 15, 2006 15:00
Only one Pearman span remains
January 17, 2006 15:00
D-23 is gone: No more Drum Island Pearman supports
January 17, 2006 15:57
Mickey and his ABS team drop D-23 and top D-25
January 18, 2006 13:36
Gone is T4 - the last Drum Island Pearman support
January 19, 2006 17:38
Sparky catches sunset over Town Creek
January 21, 2006 9:05
Cleaning up the remains of T-4
January 21, 2006 9:15
Preparing for the Mt. Pleasant Observation / Fishing pier
January 24, 2006 15:05
Drilling the T4 base for explosive disassembly
January 25, 2006 14:05
Adventures with Captain Bill's jackup barge and Mickey's drilling team
January 25, 2006 15:45
High flying with the iron workers
January 26, 2006 15:00
Blasting the T-4 foundation, removing Grace's off ramp and ironworker acrobats
January 27, 2006 14:56
Unbuilding the top of the A
January 28, 2006 8:26
The Mt. Pleasant pier foundation
January 28, 2006 9:48
Unbuilding the bottom of the A
January 28, 2006 16:35
The final trimming of the Pearman cantilever
January 30, 2006 11:53
Blasting D-23 substructure
February 01, 2006 0:00
SCDOT gives us a view from above
February 02, 2006 7:25
A Pearman pier and the meaning of tenacity of purpose
February 02, 2006 7:34
A golden early morning and loading D-24
February 02, 2006 11:35
Unbuilding the D-24 substructure
February 04, 2006 16:20
A transition from unbuilding to rebuilding
February 07, 2006 14:01
Blasting the foundation of Pearman pier D-26
February 12, 2006 11:05
A Sunday survey of the worksites
February 14, 2006 10:00
Implosion of D-25 substructure
February 16, 2006 13:06
The Mammoet umbrella and Grace / Pearman preparations
February 16, 2006 15:00
ABS imploding the M5 Pearman substructure
February 17, 2006 11:10
Sparky's whirlwind visit: up, down and all around
February 19, 2006 7:45
Mammoet beams riding on the top of the Pearman
February 20, 2006 9:45
Installing the hydraulic jack - umbrella - cable assembly
February 21, 2006 17:30
Sparky to the rescue - more prep for lowering the Pearman main span
February 22, 2006 6:45
History today - Successful lowering of the Pearman main span over the Cooper RIver
February 23, 2006 12:55
Unbuilding the great Mammoets
February 24, 2006 15:30
Pio and serious unbuilding at the Navy yard
February 25, 2006 11:45
Pio's Jazz Quintet fells the Pearman main span
February 27, 2006 12:30
Dancing to Pio's music
March 02, 2006 15:23
Sparky, a budding art photographer
March 22, 2006 15:01
T-3 and Frank say bye bye
March 26, 2006 11:20
Sparky catches reversal of wear and tear
March 27, 2006 15:03
Rebuilding a jackup barge leg, work on "Stiff Neck" and pre-blast prep on the Pearman
April 01, 2006 0:00
From SCDOT: A view from above
April 04, 2006 14:00
D-27 Substructure. Mickey and his team do it again
April 05, 2006 9:00
Demolition Dynamics: Dropping the east Pearman cantilever
April 09, 2006 9:04
A neck procedure for Michael's 1250
April 12, 2006 7:20
Cleanup of the Pearman cantilever and drilling C-2 and D-28
April 14, 2006 9:48
Then and Now - Transforming the skylines of Charleston and Mt. Pleasant
April 18, 2006 12:29
Mickey's team drilling C-2 and P-8
April 24, 2006 16:05
Cleanup around the Cooper River and the Navy Yard
May 03, 2006 13:03
Unbuilding from below and above
May 08, 2006 12:41
Unbuilding does not stop for lunch
May 11, 2006 16:10
Sparky makes a tour of the worksites (between the rain episodes)
May 23, 2006 8:40
Oscar and the team preparing for the last Pearman blast
May 24, 2006 10:00
Bye bye to the last Pearman superstructure
June 01, 2006 10:00
A view from above by SCDOT
June 04, 2006 12:51
What a change in the Cooper River landscape
June 05, 2006 14:30
Manny's secret fishing hole
June 10, 2006 16:35
Unbuilding the C-2 Pearman bearing
June 16, 2006 14:57
Dropping C-1
June 19, 2006 12:05
Reviewing the past 2 years:
The changing face of the Cooper River
June 19, 2006 14:27
Mickey's famous disappearing act - P-7 foundation unbuilt
June 20, 2006 19:15
Cleanup at the Navy Yard and a new player
June 23, 2006 12:56
C-3 takes the plunge
June 24, 2006 11:57
From SCDOT, Julie and Randi - A history of the project from above
June 26, 2006 15:10
Our backup video team and the Navy Yard
June 30, 2006 13:15
See Mickey's new Copco
June 30, 2006 13:35
Marine life in the Cooper River
June 30, 2006 14:25
Mickey, Ken, Sparky and team: Evaporating the C-4 base
July 06, 2006 14:05
C-2 prep, Mickey and the Discovery Channel
July 07, 2006 11:32
Final prep and sequencing of C-2
July 07, 2006 12:58
Almost the last big blast - C-2, the Discovery Channel, Friends and Families
July 08, 2006 12:13
Timmy cleaning up what Mickey left from yesterday: C-2 base
July 14, 2006 14:50
C-1 base takes a dive
July 17, 2006 11:54
Meet the Jay Cashman (aka 995)
July 22, 2006 10:30
Meet Billy Ward and the 995 in action
July 24, 2006 16:08
Building the Observation Pier and unbuilding P-8 and P-9
July 25, 2006 16:33
Fishing with the 995 and unloading Pearman debris at the Navy Yard
August 10, 2006 15:20
Touring the worksites and drilling C-3
August 16, 2006 19:06
New boy on the block at the Navy Yard
August 22, 2006 10:09
C-2 prep and setting up for the C-3 show
August 22, 2006 11:29
Imploding the C-3 substructure - Mickey and Ken at their best
August 30, 2006 14:36
Final cleanup at the Navy Yard
October 13, 2006 17:13
From Mt. Pleasant to Charleston. Sparky provides an all around update
October 17, 2006 15:48
The J. Cashman scooping and dumping + a bit of Chris Vocci
October 26, 2006 11:00
An aerial survey from SCDOT
October 31, 2006 18:25
The Mt. Pleasant Pier resting on the Pearman footings
November 02, 2006 10:15
Sextet for Stan, Nugget, Carlos, Troy, Manny and Chris.
November 09, 2006 17:23
Manny and Chris get well deserved extensions
November 15, 2006 15:03
Gloom and rain can not stop unbuilding
November 20, 2006 17:19
More Pearman truss unbuilding
December 02, 2006 16:17
Sparky is back from Katrina-land to give us a bridge fix
December 06, 2006 13:11
Manny and Iron Worker Acrobats - the end is near
December 08, 2006 17:15
Diagonal cables to stabilize the temporary columns
December 09, 2006 18:03
Building the Mt. Pleasant Observation Pier
December 10, 2006 15:38
Gone is the last of the Pearman trusses
December 11, 2006 17:23
What is buildeth can be unbuilt
December 13, 2006 15:05
Cleanup of the Pearman unbuilding
December 13, 2006 18:03
The Navy yard - cleanup and the 995
December 22, 2006 16:28
SCDOT's aerial survey
January 05, 2007 16:14
Neither rain, snow, or ice can keep Jimmy Grier from an oyster roast
January 09, 2007 16:34
Cleanup and preparation for imploding T-1
January 10, 2007 16:17
Wrapping T-1 for Friday's implosion
January 11, 2007 16:43
Mickey, Ken and team loading T-1
January 12, 2007 9:21
T-1 is no more: Mickey and Ken at their best
January 13, 2007 13:11
Michael Rogers makes his debut
January 14, 2007 16:10
Gone is T-2, the last of the Pearman support piers
February 08, 2007 17:52
Sunset over the Mt. Pleasant pier
February 10, 2007 12:08
Sparky takes a walk down memory lane, with Liza and Lauren
February 28, 2007 13:21
Preparing the T-2 base for Shelly
February 28, 2007 15:59
Shelly pushes the button and gone is the T-2 foundation
March 29, 2007 16:46
The clean up after ...
April 03, 2007 12:35
The last of Manny. What a man and what a smile - sigh
April 10, 2007 7:42
Morning sun kisses the Graceless and Pearmanless Ravenel Bridge
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
C. Frank Starmer