Half Way to Hell Club
Encyclopedia
An exclusive club organized by the men who fell from the Golden Gate Bridge
in 1936 and 1937 and were saved by the safety nets. One of the clubs earliest members was Iron Worker Al Zampa
who fell into the safety nets in October 1936.
Al Zampa
(1905–2000), as one of the club's first members and the last surviving member, became the unofficial spokesman for the club. According to Zampa when a man fell to his death from a bridge it was said "he's gone to hell." The men who fell and were saved by the nets were said to have fallen only "half way to hell."
Zampa goes on: "There were ten of us that fell into the nets those first few weeks. Four got hurt. I was one of them. We were in the hospital together. We formed the club right there in St. Luke's Hospital."
Newspaper accounts sketch out some details and give some of the names of the 19 members who rounded out the club. No complete list of names has been found and only one photo is known to exist from that time of the early group.
Photographer and bridge historian John V. Robinson
listed ten of the nineteen members of the Half Way to Hell club in his 2004 book Spanning the Strait as:
Miles Green,
Paul Terry,
James Roberts,
Jack Miller,
Jack Dayle,
Edward Stanley,
Ward Chamberlain,
George Murray,
John Perry,
Al Zampa.
Robinson writes in his book that no one is really sure what became of the 19 men who fell into the nets. No complete list of names has ever been discovered. But, Al Zampa who lived to age 95 may have been the last surviving member of the club.
Half Way to Hell club.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
in 1936 and 1937 and were saved by the safety nets. One of the clubs earliest members was Iron Worker Al Zampa
Al Zampa
Alfred Zampa was a United States bridge worker who played an integral role in the construction of numerous San Francisco Bay Area bridges during the early twentieth century. He is most notable for being one of the first people to survive falling off the Golden Gate Bridge...
who fell into the safety nets in October 1936.
Al Zampa
Al Zampa
Alfred Zampa was a United States bridge worker who played an integral role in the construction of numerous San Francisco Bay Area bridges during the early twentieth century. He is most notable for being one of the first people to survive falling off the Golden Gate Bridge...
(1905–2000), as one of the club's first members and the last surviving member, became the unofficial spokesman for the club. According to Zampa when a man fell to his death from a bridge it was said "he's gone to hell." The men who fell and were saved by the nets were said to have fallen only "half way to hell."
Zampa goes on: "There were ten of us that fell into the nets those first few weeks. Four got hurt. I was one of them. We were in the hospital together. We formed the club right there in St. Luke's Hospital."
Newspaper accounts sketch out some details and give some of the names of the 19 members who rounded out the club. No complete list of names has been found and only one photo is known to exist from that time of the early group.
Photographer and bridge historian John V. Robinson
John V. Robinson
John V. Robinson is an American photographer who specializes in photographing heavy construction work with a focus on bridge construction and the men and women who do the work. Robinson goes onto construction sites and does detailed photo essays of the iron workers, pile drivers, carpenters,...
listed ten of the nineteen members of the Half Way to Hell club in his 2004 book Spanning the Strait as:
Miles Green,
Paul Terry,
James Roberts,
Jack Miller,
Jack Dayle,
Edward Stanley,
Ward Chamberlain,
George Murray,
John Perry,
Al Zampa.
Robinson writes in his book that no one is really sure what became of the 19 men who fell into the nets. No complete list of names has ever been discovered. But, Al Zampa who lived to age 95 may have been the last surviving member of the club.
Half Way to Hell club.
External links
- AlZampaBridge.com Official site of the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge