My, what big teeth you have!
It has been just about two weeks since I undertook that awesome journey to revisit a location that has had much meaning to me, especially in my formative years. In the days since that trip I have been mulling it over in my mind. I’ve thought much about said location, as well as my initial participation in that annual event. Earlier this year I happened to see an old public TV special devoted to the history and economic impact of the creation of that very thing. This may or may not have been before I discovered the possibility of myself being a part of that aforementioned event. In that TV show, there were two shots of one of the things I had really wanted to see while I was visiting this icon of my past. The first was part of a time-lapse montage of various views of the steel serpents of the Chesapeake Bay. There were shots of rapidly moving traffic filmed from various angles, changing skies, and then one brief close up of the gnashing teeth of the monster. The zipper-like metal teeth of one of the expansion joints on the Bay Bridge were opening and closing, presenting a rather freaky and unnerving view. Of course, this part, like surrounding clips of traffic and the sky, were sped up, so this was not what one would see with the eyes alone. The second clip (which is a still photo), positioned near the end of the documentary, showed a crowd of people gathered around one of these jagged seams. Some were taking close up shots, while small children looked upon the strange sight with curiosity, their tiny fingers perilously close to the gaps between the teeth. This was filmed during one such event like the one I attended, although this one took place at least ten years ago, considering the original date the show aired. I wished I had been able to get a close up look at the monster’s “teeth”, but that was not to be. These scary looking “jaws” were muzzled on the day that I took the walk. Perhaps in a past event someone tripped and got hurt, or maybe someone dropped their car keys down in there… This brings to mind that old children’s rhyme, and my slightly altered version of it – “Eeenie Meenie Minee Moe, Catch a runner by his toe. If he hollers, let him go!” But would the iron monster release such a victim? In all seriousness, though, it would take but only one such adverse happening to bring about the elimination of such a danger by covering up those joints. You can see these “teeth” in the linked video of that documentary, where the first clip is at 7:25 and the second at 53:00. If you have the time and are curious about Maryland’s iconic bridge, it is an interesting watch.
As I was searching for this documentary I also stumbled upon a news story covering the run/walk across the bridge. In this short video, the reporter was interviewing some of the runners who had crossed (or were waiting to cross) the bridge. There were also shots of the crowds making their way across the steel serpent’s spine and of the starting and finish lines. It was billed as a race, and for some, yes, that’s exactly what it was. But for me, it was a race to explore a childhood memory on foot and in detail.
Finally, there was one other thing I ran across during my search. Nestled somewhere within the online pages of a local newspaper was an article about an incident that occurred only a few days after the bridge walk. One evening the state police received a call to look out for a car that was heading for the bridge, towards the westbound span. A woman was approaching the metal monster in the dark of night, apparently having chosen that as the means by which to end her life. Apparently she had revealed her plans to someone who cared about her, and they made the emergency call. The police got there in the nick of time, just as she had pulled over and was preparing to surmount the jersey wall and consign her mortal existence into the dark, frigid waters of the bay. There were no details as to how exactly she was saved from becoming yet another of the monster’s victims. But suffice to say, the sinister steely serpent of the bay was denied an opportunity to provide its lethal “services” this time. It is unknown how often this happens, as of course there is a great reluctance to report on or publish such incidents. Estimates place this number at several attempts and maybe as many as a half dozen “successful” incidents each year. Regardless, the iron monster has facilitated the loss of many lives over its seventy two years of existence, and will sadly continue to do so. That does not consider those like this woman, who was rescued from a likely fatal plunge. And there are those who make the leap but end up surviving, often times with severe and permanent injuries. All victims of the monster’s deadly proposition.