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.
September 20, 2005 11:45
Extracting a pair of girders
September 20, 2005 12:31
Extracting a pair of girders
September 21, 2005 10:03
Jack Foley and how to cut rebar
September 21, 2005 10:20
Cutting concrete segments
September 21, 2005 10:26
Cutting concrete segments
September 21, 2005 17:54
Picking up a concrete segment
September 29, 2005 15:24
Test blast of a Pearman Column (D 6) (mpg)
September 29, 2005 15:24
Test blast of a Pearman Column (D 6) (wmv)
October 05, 2005 12:31
Dropping a Pearman support
October 11, 2005 10:00
Dropping the Town Creek Segment (Pearman)
October 16, 2005 15:29
Raising and dissembly of a Pearman segment
October 20, 2005 23:00
Night work: Lowering a concrete girder
(no sound)
October 20, 2005 23:57
A view from the top of the Pearman: Lifiting a girder
October 22, 2005 11:18
Watch Michael remove a roadway segment and Richie push it
October 31, 2005 16:56
Watch Brad pick a girder section and Ryan stabilize it
November 01, 2005 16:12
Watch the 1250 hammer away
November 07, 2005 16:54
Picking up a 50 ton girder
November 08, 2005 14:37
Building a reef - Testa's surgical method
November 10, 2005 8:06
Chris picking a girder from the Pearman ramp
November 11, 2005 13:13
Watch carpet laying, Testa style
November 12, 2005 6:20
Burning through burried rebar
November 12, 2005 6:40
Watch the Cashman-Testa Pace of Work
November 14, 2005 14:45
Harvesting a concrete girder
November 14, 2005 14:57
Watch Jack Foley eat a concrete girder
November 15, 2005 10:00
Dropping the Drum Island Cantilever Section
November 15, 2005 10:03
Pearman implosion (slow motion)
November 18, 2005 11:15
Chris lifts girders by the light of day (also)
November 22, 2005 14:17
Bob, Scotty, Jack, Brad and the Ironworkers - more about girder harvesting
November 30, 2005 9:45
Loading dynamite in D-25 (12 Mb quicktime)
November 30, 2005 15:53
D-25 Implosion
November 30, 2005 15:53
Slow motion D-25 implosion
December 06, 2005 0:00
Slow motion from the Port of Charleston
December 06, 2005 10:01
From the Ravenel Bridge
December 06, 2005 10:01
Slow motion from the Ravenel Bridge
December 06, 2005 10:01
From the Port of Charleston
December 14, 2005 7:12
Early morning girder harvesting
December 16, 2005 14:01
Sequentially dropping M1-M5 Pearman Supports (mpg)
December 16, 2005 14:01
Slow Motion (quicktime): Dropping M1 - M5
December 16, 2005 14:01
Real time (quicktime): Dropping M1 - M5
January 09, 2006 10:15
Loading D-24 (18 Mb video)
January 09, 2006 10:45
Loading D-24: Dynamite, clay dummies and stemming (50 Mb - high resolution)
January 09, 2006 15:00
M-24 implosion: real time (mpg video)
January 09, 2006 15:00
Quicktime slow motion (4x) - D-24 implosion
January 09, 2006 15:00
Quicktime video of D-24 implosion
January 10, 2006 14:00
Imploding Pearman pier D-26
January 11, 2006 15:01
Real time video of D-27 implosion
January 11, 2006 15:01
Slow motion (4x) video of D-27 implosion
January 12, 2006 14:00
Implosion of Pearman pier D-28
January 17, 2006 14:00
Implosion of Pearman pier D23 and D-25 substructure
January 18, 2006 13:36
Dropping T4 - the last Drum Island Pearman support
January 24, 2006 15:20
Drilling through rebar (or trying to)
January 24, 2006 15:25
Smooth drilling - note the column of dust
January 25, 2006 14:20
Drilling C-3 from the jackup barge
January 25, 2006 16:10
Lowering the jackup barge (looking west)
January 25, 2006 16:12
Lowering the jackup barge (looking east)
January 25, 2006 16:30
Moving the jackup barge from C-3 to C-2
January 26, 2006 15:00
Brett blows the T-4 foundation
January 26, 2006 15:00
High resolution of the T-4 blast (22Mb quicktime)
January 28, 2006 9:19
Roy Delpriete gives new meaning to Graceful extraction of roadway segments
January 30, 2006 11:53
Implosion of D-23 substructure (from the Ravenel Bridge)
February 02, 2006 8:59
Mickey and Ken loading
February 02, 2006 9:15
Measuring, pouring and loading (64 Mb quicktime)
February 02, 2006 10:25
Mickey Rogers ties in the ignition lines (13 Mb quicktime)
February 02, 2006 11:34
Real time D-24 substructure from the Ravenel island (2 Mb quicktime)
February 02, 2006 11:34
Slow motion D-24 substructure implosion from the Ravenel island (13 Mb quicktime)
February 02, 2006 11:34
Implosion of Pearman D-24 substructure (from the Ravenel Bridge)
February 04, 2006 20:20
Rich and night-time concrete cutting
February 05, 2006 10:00
Implosion of a building in Columbia
February 07, 2006 14:01
Removing the D-26 substructure
February 14, 2006 10:21
Loading D-25
February 14, 2006 11:35
Michael operating on Drum Island - Jim Grier is the chief surgeon
February 14, 2006 13:21
Old Unfaithful
February 14, 2006 15:01
Implosion of the D-25 substructure (quicktime)
February 14, 2006 15:01
Imploding the Pearman D-25 substructure (mpg)
February 14, 2006 15:01
Implosion of D-25 substructure (2 Mb quicktime)
February 14, 2006 15:01
Slow motion implosion of D-25 substructure
February 15, 2006 10:00
High resolution real time (8 Mb quicktime)
February 15, 2006 10:00
Real time video of the Grace cantilever truss (1.3 Mb mpg)
February 15, 2006 10:00
Slow motion Dropping the Grace cantilever truss (8 Mb quicktime)
February 15, 2006 10:00
Real time Drop the Grace cantilever truss (3 Mb quicktime)
February 16, 2006 15:00
Mickey's team imploding the M5 Pearman substructure
February 17, 2006 10:15
The A team fells the last Grace structure on Drum Island
February 22, 2006 13:43
Mammoet lowers the Pearman mainspan
February 25, 2006 13:23
Transverse bites of Grace's main span
February 25, 2006 13:42
Watch Richie burn
February 25, 2006 13:56
Felling the Pearman main span
February 27, 2006 11:56
A dancing grapple
March 01, 2006 8:26
Positioning the Cape May under the Grace main span
March 01, 2006 11:42
Lowering the Grace main span
March 01, 2006 15:52
A gentle push for Grace
March 01, 2006 15:54
Grace, on her way home
March 04, 2006 9:35
Watch Manny lift the Mammoet Girder
March 04, 2006 15:00
Par, Farmer, Art and Rip - watch their skill
March 11, 2006 16:45
Retrieving a truss section from Town Creek
March 11, 2006 17:10
Handoff from shear to grapple
March 16, 2006 13:41
Lifting a section of roadway girders
March 16, 2006 14:58
Moving the roadway to the traveling barge
March 16, 2006 15:07
Gracefully lifting a pier
March 16, 2006 16:00
Another Graceful pickup
March 18, 2006 9:58
Watch Manny lift Grace's top
March 18, 2006 9:58
Manny gracefully lifing Grace's top (different perspective)
March 18, 2006 11:45
Watch Manny lift Grace's base
March 20, 2006 7:45
Watch Nugget burn
March 20, 2006 11:29
Jackie and Richie - takes two to tango with Grace
March 20, 2006 11:54
The Dynamic Duo - Jackie and Richie
March 20, 2006 11:56
Another duet with Jackie and Richie
March 20, 2006 13:44
Burning Grace
March 22, 2006 15:00
Real time: T-3 and Frank say goodbye
March 22, 2006 15:00
Slow motion: T-3 and Frank say goodbye
March 22, 2006 15:00
T-3 and Frank say goodbye (high res 27 Mb)
April 04, 2006 14:00
D-27 substructure implosion
April 05, 2006 9:00
Slow motion: Demolition Dynamics: Dropping a Pearman cantilever section
April 05, 2006 9:00
Real time: Dropping the east Pearman cantilever
April 12, 2006 9:59
Real time: Dropping the Grace truss segments between P-11 and P-13
April 12, 2006 9:59
Slow motion: Dropping truss sections between P-11 and P-13
April 18, 2006 12:19
Manny lifting a Graceful truss section
April 28, 2006 10:00
Real time blast of the Grace Cantilever
April 28, 2006 10:00
Slow Motion Grace cantilever blast
April 29, 2006 12:10
Watch Richard lift the Grace truss from the Cooper River
April 29, 2006 12:38
Watch Michael rotate the Grace truss
May 03, 2006 9:37
Watch Manny catch a big one
May 03, 2006 10:56
Michael and Jackie catching a big fish
May 11, 2006 0:00
Removing C-4's cap
May 11, 2006 0:00
Imploding the M-4 substructure
May 14, 2006 0:00
Dropping C-4 columns
May 24, 2006 10:00
Realtime - Dropping the last Pearman section
May 24, 2006 10:00
Slow motion: The last Pearman blast
June 05, 2006 15:00
Removing P-12
June 05, 2006 15:00
Watch Timmy hammer away at a Grace pier
June 19, 2006 14:57
P-7 into the Cooper River (real time)
June 19, 2006 14:57
P-7 drops into the Cooper River (slow motion)
June 23, 2006 12:56
C3 disappears (real time)
June 23, 2006 12:56
C-3 takes the plung (slow motion)
July 07, 2006 12:58
C-2 takes a dive
July 12, 2006 14:55
P-10 says goodbye
July 14, 2006 14:50
C-1 base heads south
July 14, 2006 14:50
C-1 Slow motion substructure implosion
July 25, 2006 16:33
Unloading debris at the Navy Yard
August 22, 2006 11:29
C-3 substructure implosion (real time)
August 22, 2006 11:29
Slow motion: C-3 substructure implosion
November 02, 2006 10:15
Ironworkers make it look easy
December 06, 2006 14:35
Watch Robbie cut through the Pearman box girder
December 06, 2006 15:33
Watch Manny lift the box girder
December 12, 2006 17:23
Watch God build a rainbow
December 15, 2006 0:00
More surgical skill displayed by Manny
December 15, 2006 13:14
Manny does it again - slowly and carefully
December 15, 2006 13:23
Watch Manny and the Ironworkers unbuild a Grace section
December 15, 2006 15:25
Manny does it again - after Carlos, Nugget and Stan did their thing
December 16, 2006 18:03
Carlos and Nugget - Christmas fireworks
December 19, 2006 9:44
Manny removes another section
December 19, 2006 12:09
Chris lowers the triangle truss
December 21, 2006 10:47
Chris lowers the last of the Grace roadway frame
December 21, 2006 15:01
Manny lowers a Grace pier
January 12, 2007 9:21
Innovation@work: T-1 drops with minimal lateral spread
January 12, 2007 9:21
T-1 gracefully falls in slow motion
January 12, 2007 9:58
T-1 takes a tumble - Innovation @ work by Mickey and Ken
January 13, 2007 14:21
Watch Sarah and Jordan fill stemming bags
January 14, 2007 16:10
Down comes T-2
January 14, 2007 16:10
T-2 falls in slow motion
February 28, 2007 15:59
Shelly pushes the button and look what happened
March 13, 2007 10:15
Last Graceful blast
March 13, 2007 14:25
Manny demonstrates the Manny push strategy.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
C. Frank Starmer