Iconic Image 27

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This month's Iconic Image is...

The Rescue on the Pit River Bridge

Intro

This photograph was taken on May 3, 1953, in Redding, California. It depicts the cab of a semi-truck dangling dangerously from a high bridge. There is smoke coming from the engine of the truck which is beginning to catch fire. The driver of the vehicle is literally hanging on for dear life as people try to pull him to safety. This image would become a lasting depiction of a heroic rescue by average American citizens and inspire many in the future.

Part I

Virginia Margaret Brown was born on February 23, 1915, in Sacramento, California. She graduated from Sacramento High School in 1933. She later attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941. In 1945, Virginia got married to Walter Miller Schau (a cost accountant for the Standard Oil Company in San Francisco). After this, she moved with husband to San Francisco. After her wedding, Virginia was given a Kodak Brownie camera by her sister. Little did she know, that she would use it to capture a scary event in the spring of 1953.

On that day, Virginia and Walter were driving with Virginia's parents on a fishing trip just north of the town of Redding, California. They were driving on a two-lane road approaching the Pit River Bridge when all of a sudden, the truck in-front of them careened towards the railing. The truck's steering failed, causing it to smash through the bridge's steel railing and its cab began dangerously dangling more than 40 feet above the Sacramento River.

Part II

The truck was a semitrailer carrying fruits and vegetables with two drivers. They were Richard Overby and Henry Baum, both from Portland, Oregon. The impact had jammed the cab's rear wheels between the side of the bridge and the trailer. To make matters worse, the cab began to start venting smoke just seconds after the crash. Miraculously, the truck's trailer had remained on the bridge and prevented the cab from plummeting into the river.

Almost immediately after the accident, the Schaus quickly pulled over and attempted to assist the two drivers. Walter and another driver (J.D. McLaren) found a rope and ran to the crashed truck. Walter and McLaren then lowered the rope which was caught by Richard Overby. Overby was then hoisted to safety. At that point however, the cab began to catch fire and Henry Baum (who was in the passenger seat) was only semi-conscious. 

Unable to get the rope to him, Walter climbed down to the cab and pulled Baum out. The two men then quickly grabbed the rope and were pulled up to safety. While this was happening, Virginia (who had stayed by her car with her parents) had pulled out her Brownie camera and snapped two quick photographs of the rescue. Seconds later, the cab (now fully ablaze) broke loose from the trailer and plunged into the river.

Epilogue

Upon seeing her images of the rescue, Virginia's father reminded her that the Sacramento Bee was holding a weekly photo contest for their newspaper. At his urging, Virginia Schau submitted her two photographs. Much to her surprise, her picture not only won that week's contest, it was later picked up by The Associated Press and distributed around the world. The next year, it won the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Photography. 

Virginia Schau was only the second amateur photographer and the first women to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in history. She and Walter received a $1,000 cash award as the prize and later moved Santa Rosa, California, where they lived quietly for the rest of their lives. Today her photograph is remembered as an incredible image that depicts an amazing rescue that showed the amazing difference made by good samaritans.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/picture/2013/jun/12/rescue-on-pit-river-bridge-photography

https://jamescharleslyons.com/virginia-schau/