The Bridge at
Euclid Avenue
and
Schoharie Plank Road

It was a community effort to build the bridge between Euclid Avenue and Schoharie Plank Road in Altamont. These pictures were developed in October 1971. Based on the look of the trees, the job was done in late September or early October.

The participants included:

George Naginey
Owen Murray
Mark Murray
Mark Murray's older brother (Laurin Trainer)
Mark Murray's younger sister (someone will have to e-mail me her name)
Warren Jones II
Mark Jones
Mr. Giambo back when he lived on Schoharie Plank Road
Dan Maikoff
Tim Maikoff (I did more than just take pictures - or at least more than Mark Murray's sister)
and Lyle Newcomb (who didn't get to enjoy the construction part, he "volunteered" - in the Army sense of the word - to break up the old bridge and dispose of it).

There probably were others, but I don't recall them. And thank goodness for pictures otherwise I wouldn't have remembered that Mr. Giambo was there!

Click on the picture to see it full size; it will open in a new window (so disable any pop-up stopper software). If, on the other hand, you have a fast Internet connection (or don't mind the wait) and want to see them all at once, click here.

Making the beam #1. Making the beam #2. Making the beam #3. Making the beam #4. Making the beam #5. Making the beam #6. Making the beam #7. Finishing up the bridge. Pounding in the final nails. Part of the crew on the finished bridge. Getting rid of the old bridge.
This is the start of constructing the second beam.
You can see here the beams were built with a crown (the middle was higher than the ends) so that weight would cause compression of the structure, not tension.
The process of bringing the second beam across the creek. (I wanted to be there bearing the load, but everyone insisted that I take the pictures.)
Unfortunately, this meant walking through the creed. Fortunately there wasn't much flow this day.
... And up the other side.
As you can see, the cross members rested on 2x4s.
The ends were tacked and then each board measured and placed.
As you can see, the old bridge was kept nearby. It served as our work platform. Here Mr. Jones and Mr. Murray are cutting off the steel used to hold the beams together. I believe these were threaded rods running across to tie in the other beam.
Mr. Jones and Mr. Murray put in the final nails in the steps. (Mark is either inspecting his father's handiwork or filing off the rough edges.)
Part of the crew posing now that it is all done. (Left to Right, Mark Murray, Mr. Giambo, Mr. Naginey, Mr. Maikoff and Mr. Murray.)
Of course the job isn't done until you clean up the mess (mess = old bridge). Since Lyle Newcomb really wanted to be there to help (but couldn't due to another appointment), it was decided either that (1) we better put the old bridge on his driveway so he'd know the job was done and didn't go running off to get his power tools ready, or (2) he would think it a "hoot" that we left him the old bridge to disemble (I think this was it). Whatever the rationale, he inherited a bunch of firewood. That evening he started the task with his chainsaw - it being the only way he could get into his garage. I never heard, but I suspect he didn't think it was quite as funny as the crew did.

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