The men who built the Golden Gate Bridge had a club you could only join by almost dying

The Halfway to Hell Club

The “Halfway to Hell Club” began when 19 workers fell from the Golden Gate Bridge during its 1936-1937 construction and lived thanks to safety nets below. Chief engineer Joseph Strauss spent $130,000 on this life-saving system during the Great Depression.

The net stretched 10 feet wider than the bridge and extended 15 feet beyond each end. This protection system marked a major shift in construction safety when industry standards expected one death per million dollars spent on projects.

Joseph Strauss Invests in Revolutionary Worker Protection

Strauss put $130,000 toward the safety net when most Americans struggled financially. This amount would equal about $2.7 million today, showing how much he valued worker safety.

The J.L. Stuart Company built the nets and later got a patent for their design. Strauss also required workers to wear “hard-boiled hats,” early versions of today’s hard hats. Many thought these safety measures cost too much, but Strauss stood firm.

He believed keeping workers safe would help the project move forward faster and with fewer tragedies.

The Engineering Behind the Lifesaving Net

The safety net worked like a circus net but much bigger. Workers put it up during roadway construction when fall risks were highest.

Dennis Frank Larkin made a special rope clip that held the massive nets together. His small metal fastener connected ropes securely while letting the net flex when hit.

At the same time, engineer George William Hanson created a machine to build the net sections. This device placed Larkin’s clips at exact distances along half-inch manila ropes, forming six-inch squares throughout the net.

George Murray Makes First Fall Into the Net

George Murray became the first worker saved by the net about six weeks after installation. High winds sent a steel-carrying car called a “traveler” crashing into Murray and co-worker Ulysses Brown.

Brown stayed on the bridge despite a broken leg. Murray fell into the net and badly hurt both arms. He spent months in the hospital recovering. When newspapers tried to photograph Murray after his fall, he refused.

He didn’t like the San Francisco Examiner’s political views in the upcoming election. His fall proved the net worked but showed the bridge remained a dangerous workplace.

Al Zampa’s Famous Fall Creates a Legend

Al Zampa slipped on a wet girder in foggy weather on October 19, 1936. He flipped backward three times before hitting the safety net on the Marin County side. The impact broke four bones in his back.

Zampa spent 12 weeks in St. Luke’s Hospital and wore a steel back brace for two years afterward. After healing, Zampa immediately returned to ironwork. He walked across a narrow beam on the unfinished bridge to prove his courage remained intact.

His determination made him a legend among bridge workers and a strong voice for worker safety.

The Founding of the “Halfway to Hell Club”

Workers created the “Halfway to Hell Club” while recovering in St. Luke’s Hospital. The name came from an ironworker saying that anyone who fell to their death had “gone to hell.” Since the net caught them, they’d only gone “halfway to hell.”

Six workers—Paul Terry, Jack Miller, Edward Stanley, Miles Green, James Roberts, and Jack Delaye—gathered at Al Zampa’s hospital bed to start the club. Three others—George Murray, Ward Chamberlain, and John Perry—couldn’t attend as they were still being treated for injuries.

The club gave members a sense of pride and support.

The First Club Gathering in December 1936

Six “Halfway to Hell Club” members met near the San Francisco side of the bridge on December 14, 1936. They came together to celebrate surviving their falls.

An Associated Press photographer climbed onto the bridge beams with them to take a now-famous picture. He later wrote “GG Bridge Halfway Club” on the back of the photo.

The image showed Miles Green, Paul Terry, James Roberts, Jack Miller, Jack Dayle and Edward Stanley standing on the steel framework. Al Zampa couldn’t join them as he was still healing from his broken back.

How the Safety Net Accelerated Construction

The safety net helped workers move faster across the narrow, slippery beams. Bridge worker Lefty Underkoffler said, “There’s no doubt the work went faster because of the net.” Feeling safer, workers worried less about falls and focused more on their tasks.

Some became too confident, leading supervisors to threaten firing anyone who jumped into the net on purpose. Despite these challenges, the nets improved productivity and worker morale.

The bridge construction finished ahead of schedule, partly because workers could move more quickly with protection below them.

The Tragic Scaffold Collapse of February 17, 1937

On February 17, 1937, a scaffold holding 12 men broke loose from the bridge. The five-ton platform crashed through the safety net, which was designed to catch people, not heavy equipment.

Worker Tom Casey grabbed a bridge beam during the collapse. He hung there, pipe still in his mouth, until coworkers pulled him up. The accident happened because undersized bolts holding the scaffold failed.

Workers had been removing wooden forms from the concrete roadway when the platform gave way at 9:20 that morning, just months before the bridge was completed.

Slim Lambert’s Remarkable Survival

Evan “Slim” Lambert, a 26-year-old worker, fell when the scaffold collapsed. A piece of lumber hit his head during the fall, nearly knocking him out. The cold water shocked him back to awareness.

Lambert fought to free himself from the net underwater as the current pulled him deeper. When he finally surfaced, his ears were bleeding from the pressure. Despite breaking his shoulder, several ribs, and neck bones, Lambert returned to work just one month later.

His quick thinking and strong swimming skills saved his life that day.

The Rescue and Casualties

A crab fisherman spotted Lambert and Fred Dummatzen floating on wooden planks. The boat maneuvered through floating debris to reach the injured men. Lambert had pulled the 24-year-old Dummatzen onto the planks after finding him struggling in the water.

Though they reached the boat, Dummatzen died before they reached shore. Ten men died in the accident: O.A. Anderson, Chris Anderson, William Bass, O. Desper, Fred Dümmatzen, Terence Hallinan, Eldridge Hillen, Charles Lindros, Jack Norman, and Louis Russell.

Only Lambert and Oscar Osberg survived the 220-foot fall.

Visiting Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County. The main entrance for visitors is at the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center at 210 Lincoln Boulevard in San Francisco’s Presidio area.

The bridge walkway opens to pedestrians from 5:00 AM to 6:30 PM in winter and until 9:00 PM in summer. Cyclists can access the east sidewalk 24 hours daily. For the best bridge views, visit Battery Spencer on the Marin side or Fort Point beneath the bridge.

The Visitor Center offers exhibits about the bridge’s history and construction, including information about the “Halfway to Hell Club.”

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