Bridge Works by Chipka
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Description
West of Chinatown, the city becomes a rusty, industrial creature: the colors of sunset and smog color even the brightest days. Old railroads have left their mark here, though a few still run—mostly along Canal Street, where the city has not yet sought to beautify herself. One of three vertical lift railroad bridges spans the Chicago river within walking distance of this bulky, old bascule contraption. Warehouses crowd the riverbanks, high- and low-water marks etched in algae growth on their lowermost walls.
West of Chinatown, the city is a mass of shadows. Rust crumbs litter any vacant corner, girders and gantries stand exposed as if in wait for ships that no longer come. It is here and in areas more southerly that interlopers have come to the Great Lakes Basin: Atlantic-dwelling lampreys have come to make their home in Lake Michigan and in the river. Their numbers are few and meticulously controlled, but eradication is impossible. Zebra muscles—an equally invasive but strangely useful species—filter lake water, cleaning it up to the point that its taste is unrecognizable. Chicago, it would seem, has accustomed herself to dirty, mud-tinged water and so the zebra muscles, an accidental benefit, rob the city’s water of sediment-taste.
I took this picture yesterday. I’d gone to see if I could capture my favorite vertical lift bridge from a different perspective. I managed to do so, but found myself even more intrigued by the counterweights and lever hinges that mark this section of the Cermak Street Bridge. It spans the river as any bascule bridge might: it raises at an angle to allow tall ships to pass. Few, I suspect, make their way along the southern branch of the Chicago River, but there are dry-docks in the area and beached, mast-bearing vessels looming like strange and improbable weeds. This bridge will undoubtedly raise for them, as they make their way lake-ward, to floating docks and marinas far more glamorous than their present dry-dock accommodation wedged so ingloriously against grunge-encrusted railroad tracks.
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As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you're all having a great week.
Comments (22)
MrsRatbag
Oooh, steel and rivets, and wheels and gears....I love this!
KatesFriend
There has always been a certain elegance to this kind of industry. As dirty as it often is it reflects some wonderful physics and engineering principals. Even when disused they seem more an art form than an abandoned factory. Beautiful colours in this shot too. Mixed blessing about the muscles. They may clean up the drinking water but they also have an annoying habit of clogging up the intake lines from the lake. Some cities on the Canadian side spend buckets of money trying to keep the little critters out.
anmes
Wonderful shapes. lines, colours. Wonderfully interesting capture/
durleybeachbum
A SUPERB composition!
helanker
WOW ! This is a fabulous shot.. I just love the right corn full of these brick like things, I dont know what is, but I love them. Rusty and beautiful and so is the wheel, which perhaps isnt a wheel. It is awesome.
flavia49
Chicago Railroads. I always think about the Great Railraod Strike of 1877. Wonderful capture, I can feel the soul of the Workingmen’s Party.!
Sepiasiren
what a terrific shot--where the heck where you standing...? LOL
sandra46
i loke the very sharp light and the POV of the machinery. A crude feeling of 'beyond the railway tracks' makes me worry for the unwary traveller....
mbz2662
That's a really great perspective.
EricSBauer
Dude, that's KILLER! All those lines and shapes, I'd have had a blast with this place. The little squares make the shot for me, my eye is drawn right to them. Very cool image!
MrsLubner
how curious...the composition leaves questions in the mind that the eye endeavors to answer.
beachzz
Wow, this is like a geometry lesson--if I'd had examples like this in high school, maybe I would've been more interested!!
watapki66
Very cool looking shot!
minos_6
I really like the way you captured the bridge here. The angles and textures are all at odds with one another, and there's an air of corruption...
bmac62
The area west of Chinatown sounds like an area time has forgotten. Railroads, old docks, elevated commuter trains all seem to spawn these areas. New York City had these areas in abundance for years and years. When these areas were first built...aesthetics must have been a lost bit of philosophy...unknown and untaught in the schools where industrial engineers, mechanics, architects and draftsmen were taught. Today these areas speak of the past. Thanks Chip for going in with your camera and digging out the details of an almost bygone era for us all. Well done.
kgb224
Outstanding capture my friend.
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent capture.
zulaan
Beautiful image
JaneEden
Chip you gave a fabulous intro and your photography is amazing, well done my friend. Thanks so much for your kind comments and fave on my latest - hugs Jane xx
romanceworks
A very interesting bridge photo and your words give it new meaning and perspective. CC
auntietk
I love all the shapes! The little squares, the big round gears, the stairs angled back and forth ... everything catches my eye, each in turn. Excellent image, and I enjoyed your musings.
myrrhluz
I love this image! I love the shapes, colors and contrasts! Wonderful composition.The stairs in the back give it depth and the bleached background keeping the eye on the wonderful shapes and colors. There is an excellent sense of motion, age and grittiness! It possitively drips with history and with an age of discovery and joy in things mechanical. Great narrative! Superb image!