I am looking for any info on radio coverage of the collapse and aftermath
at the 2nd narrows bridge in 1958 (June 17) 27 people lost their lives.
any recollections?
jon wrote:The only thing I can pin down as being earlier is when I first heard Bob Hutton say the time as Twenty to Eight on CKNW, after I'd learned to tell time only as minutes after the hour, as in Seven Forty.
I was just coming home from school late that afternoon, and as I came loudly into the kitchen my mother shushed me as she listened intently to our little Westinghouse radio squawking in the corner of the counter. CKWX announcer Red Robinson broke the melody of "Do You Wanna Dance?" by Bobby Freeman with the news that brought the city to a standstill: "Well, for the past two hours you've been listening to the afternoon show. Stay right where you are on CKWX for further reports on the Second Narrows Bridge tragedy. Keep your ear right here on CKWX Radio. This is CKWX Radio British Columbia..."
Reporter: "...saying very little in that the ambulance service is still coming and going, possibly a little more frequently, but the thing that we're deploring here, along with the police, is the number of pedestrians that are here on the scene. The list of casualties is unbelievable and the police say these police are going to be here probably for one, a very long time...the divers have been in the water here...it will take a long, long time to shift the load, and if people want to come sightseeing, the police advise to stay away from the area, particularly either this week and next, but don't come tonight. The bridge is closed to all traffic...they're keeping it open for ambulances and other emergency vehicles, and definitely closed to all other traffic..."
Red got the scoop of the decade largely because of his paternal uncle Chuck, who had been relaxing on his sister's front lawn sipping a beer with his brother-in-law when the bridge collapsed. From the house, located on Wall Street in Burnaby just near the Burrard Inlet, they had a decent view of the bridge. Coincedentally, they had been discussing it, and what they considered to be flimsy supports, when they heard a loud report.
"We turned back again and everything was...it was like it was in slow motion, but we could see some of the workers going down with the crane and everything and boy there was a lot of noise and commotion going on there...but as soon as it happened I said to my sister; 'Hand me the phone out the window, I'm going to phone Red.' And when I phoned, I said, 'I'd like to speak with Red Robinson right away,' and she said, 'I'm sorry, he's on the radio,' and I said, 'Well, this is Uncle Chuck and the new Second Narrows Bridge just fell down,' and she put me right through to Red and he started to ask me what was going on."
Even before Red's shift ended that day, the question on everyone's mind was clear: what had gone wrong -- bridges don't just fall down, do they?
Howaboutthat wrote:I've read it too (most of it) You'll love it Jon... its extremely detailed. But a good read!
Return to Radio Station History
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 89 guests