8. Three Men Died During the Bridge’s Construction

Out of the 12,000 men who worked on the Verrazano Bridge’s construction, three died in the falls. During the height of bridge’s construction, 1,000 men could be working on the site. Bensonhurst Bean reports that after the three men died, workers demanded better safety precautions, including safety nets which they eventually got. Many of the workers were unionized, particularly in Brooklyn Union 361 and the Manhattan Union 40. They stopped work for four days until their demands were met.

To add insult to injury, none of the workers were invited to the opening day ceremony. Instead, many of the workers attended the mass for the three men who died. The New York Times reported:

“There was another group of mildly disappointed people – the bridge builders. They boycotted the ceremony yesterday, responding to a call by the iron- workers’ union leader in Manhattan, Raymond R. Corbett, who last week denounced Robert Moses for his failure to invite the men ‘who put that bridge together piece by piece, strand by strand.’

Instead, Mr. Corbett and his ironworkers said they would attend a mass in honor of the three workmen killed during the construction of the bridge.”