Hello!
Just wondered if you or anyone out there knew what they used to call the men who climbed the scaffolding and straddled the steel girders on those old skyscrapers built in New York in the 20's and 30's.
We've all seen those great old b&w photos of men clowning around 800 feet in the air back in the depression era, and I'm assuming their was a 'technical' name for these guys, just as dock-workers are often known as longshoremen.
Thanks for the help,
Robert Falconer

• ID# 151.2 (reply to #151.1)
  From: Donald Friedman - 10 Nov 1999

  The name depends on the job. Generically, people who actually deal with the steel are ironworkers and those who deal with moving the steel are riggers, but their are a lot of sub-categories. A riveting crew had six people (a bolting crew these days has two) - each job with its own name.

• ID# 151.3 (reply to #151.1)
  From: mikey real ([email protected]) - 18 February 2005

  they were called Bridgemen as a whole; then broke into specific gangs but all were proud Bridgemen