The Gorge, an inlet of the ocean leading out of the Inner Harbour, is crossed by several bridges as it winds its way through parts of Victoria. This bridge crosses it in an area that is still largely industrial although progressively more of it is being developed as condominiums. For years I called it the Bay Street Bridge since Bay Street is both the sole entrance and exit to the bridge. However, it does cross the Gorge very near to a historic site we shall be visiting soon, Point Ellice House, so I here give the bridge its proper name, the Point Ellice Bridge.
The first bridge over the Gorge at this point collapsed on Victoria Day in 1896 when a streetcar bearing 120 holidaymakers attempted to cross. Fifty-five lives were lost. The current bridge was built during the 1950's and still seems sturdy enough for the traffic it bears.
3 comments:
There's your minimalism, Benjamin. ;^) I like how the distant street lights seem to curl right over the near railing. Thanks for the point of history too. Makes you wonder what sort of condition the 70 survivors were in.
Thanks Elaine for your remarks. This is almost too minimalist for me. It seems like one of those totalitarian country posters. I wanted to add an exhortation like "Work Hard for the Prosperity of the Nation!" or "Strive Mightily"
The Gorge is not very wide at this point so anyone who made it into the water and could swim was probably ok. I suspect the deaths came from people being trapped in the streetcar as it sank.
Gorgeous photo! Love the line of sight and composition and color. Really stunning.
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