Sunday, July 12, 2015

Railroad Bridge Crew, Fremont, Ohio, 1907

The photograph above was taken by professional Fremont, Ohio photographer Elmer Whitney. He dated the photograph February 7, 1907. A search of the Fremont newspapers around this date did not reveal any articles on the subject of this railroad bridge. Was this a construction crew? or a repair crew? None of the individuals is identified.

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5 comments:

  1. Andrea KelleherJuly 13, 2015 at 5:24 PM

    What a great picture!

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  2. Nan CardJuly 14, 2015 at 11:23 AM

    Thanks Andrea. I think it is a great picture too! Nan

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  3. UnknownAugust 16, 2018 at 3:30 PM

    I was trying to figure out when this picture was taken, that's a mystery.

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  4. Joel WillerDecember 22, 2023 at 2:20 PM

    If Elmer Whitney dated this image to 1907, it would not have been the original construction crew for the bridge. It might have been a repair crew, as the bridge already existed by that year.

    The Lake Shore & Western bridge across the Sandusky River at Fremont was constructed in 1888. A December 31, 1887, "Report of the President and Directors of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company" said:
    "The crossing of the Sandusky river at Fremont, O., composed of eight Howe Truss wood spans, of 150 feet each, will require renewal early the coming spring, and a contract has been entered into with the Keystone Bridge Company, of Pittsburg, Pa., for the furnishing and erecting of these eight spans with iron, the work to be of the most improved and permanent character." The description of the new bridge matches the present five spans across the main channel of the river, to Brady's Island, plus the three spans across the eastern channel from the island to the eastern bank, for a total of eight spans.

    An 1899 Federal Reporter detailed a legal case involving a LE&W plan to replace wooden trestlework that formerly crossed Brady's Island with an earthen embankment, as the railroad foundation now exists. Given that date, the pictured crew is also not likely to have been involved in the construction of the embankment.

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  5. Nan CardDecember 23, 2023 at 5:53 AM

    Thank you Joel for this thorough understanding of the construction of the Lake Shore & Western bridge across the Sandusky River at Fremont, Ohio; noting that this certainly was likely a repair crew.

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