The Clark Street Bridge is a
bascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...
that spans the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...
in downtown
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, connecting the
Near North Side with
The Loop via
Clark Street.
History
The current bridge, which was completed in 1929,
is the eighth bridge to span the river at this point.
In 1853 the bridge was struck by a steamer, called the ''London'', and collapsed, blocking traffic on the river. The bridge was
dredged
Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...
and river traffic resumed on September 8, 1853. In 1854, the city approved an expenditure of $12,000 to replace the bridge with a
pivot bridge. During the
Lager Beer Riot
The Lager Beer Riot occurred on April 21, 1855 in Chicago, Illinois, and was the first major civil disturbance in the city. Mayor Levi Boone, a Nativist politician, renewed enforcement of an old local ordinance mandating that taverns be close ...
in 1855, the bridge was pivoted to help contain the rioters.
On June 26, 1907, the steamer collided with the south abutment of the bridge and sank. She was declared a
total loss
In insurance claims, a total loss or write-off is a situation where the lost value, repair cost or salvage cost of a damaged property exceeds its insured value, and simply replacing the old property with a new equivalent is more cost-effecti ...
.
The
passenger ship
A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...
was scheduled to sail from the dock at the Clark Street Bridge when she
capsize
Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fro ...
d on July 24, 1915, killing 844 people.
In March 2012, an unidentified man jumped from the bridge and was rescued by local high school students on a field trip. He later died of
hypothermia
Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe h ...
.
In popular culture
In 1916,
Carl Sandburg
Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...
wrote the poem "Clark Street Bridge."
See also
*
References
External links
1929 establishments in Illinois
Bascule bridges in the United States
Bridge disasters caused by collision
Bridge disasters in the United States
Bridges completed in 1929
Bridges in Chicago
Historic American Engineering Record in Chicago
Road bridges in Illinois
Transportation disasters in Illinois
{{Chicago-struct-stub