TNT series reflects his embarrassment about the Karaköy
(better known as the Galata) Bridge at the entrance of the
Golden Horn.//
Karaköy (Galata) Bridge History click here for
background.
I’m Thinking
That...
"Türk" newspaper, 27 November 1903
Sometimes tragedies and calamities can be a means
toward
the accomplishment of beneficial
and necessary things. God
willing, the
accident that happened at the Karaköy Bridge in
Istanbul can fall into this
category.
You have probably read the
details in the newpapers. Last
week,
while the bridge was open an English cargo vessel
entering the Golden Horn hit
the side of the bridge and
caused some of the pontoons to sink, the chains to
break off
and, in short, to badly damage the bridge. For two days the
populace was forced to go
from one bank to the other in
rowboats. Unfortunately, the small steamboats weren’t
working.
The Maritime Ministry is getting money from
the vessel’s
company for the damage incurred but what about the poor
sailors
and bargemen. An Anatolian Turk died in
the
accident. The poor man’s family was
registered with regard
to the incident, but more than likely delivering the
compensation money to them will be forgotten!
Now let’s
talk about the bridge itself. Oh! These
Istanbul
bridges! Whenever they’re mentioned my face turns red
right away from
embarrassment. Both here and in Europe,
we’ve heard the mockery and ridicule from friend and foe
alike, which
essentially amount to insults. In order
to prove
our lack of civilization, these foul fellows point to these
pontoon
bridges. They say “For goodness
sake! You say
‘we’re advanced, we’re
civilized, we’ve become Europeans’.
But
look at your capital city, look at these half-baked bridges.
You’ve been living in this city for four
centuries and yet you
still haven’t properly connected Istanbul to Galata. Whenever
the pontoon chains are untied all
hell breaks loose. There are
no great
works left in the squares either.”
Just between
us, there’s not much we can say in our defense
because we still haven’t built a
permanent bridge. We
installed this
pontoon bridge in wartime as a temporary
measure but it still remains. It’s as if we’ll all get up and
leave
Istanbul tomorrow or the next day, as if we’re only here
temporarily. We don’t seem to want to build a solid,
permanent bridge. Really, we need to
give this some thought.
Let’s take a
look at other capitals in neighboring countries.
In Paris, London and Vienna there are 8 or 10
or 20 iron
bridges set on stone bases crossing the Seine, the Thames and
the
Danube. People cross these bridges for
free. I have been
to Europe and I never
saw a bridge that you had to pay to
cross.
Does one have to pay to walk a city’s street or squares?
Of course
not. So why should a bridge have a fee? Just like
streets and squares, bridges
facilitate the movement of the
which is the duty of the
municipality.
But the mentality seems
to be that something like a bridge
that produces revenue must be continued in a
poor country.
But if that’s the case,
then the bridge should at least be
worthy.
In addition to sturdiness and firmness, a bridge that
brings in between
300 and 400 liras per day should be
decorative and elegant. The bridge’s railing should be made
of
silver, for all the revenue it produces!
The bridge today.
It’s no laughing matter that we’ve neglected gold and silver.
A bridge like the two iron ones in London
that are built on
brick supports should have been built here long ago. But
even though such a bridge hasn’t been
built in Istanbul we
cannot stand by and ring our hands about it. Now is the time
to have it built. The existing bridge brings gloom down
upon
the graceful beauty of Istanbul. It is a
gnarled thing,
like a gooseneck. The shack that boats approach is an eysore
from top to bottom, like a pimple. We
should be ashamed.
What is it made of?
Stumps placed next to each other and,
let alone umbrellas and canes, the feet
of women and
children can even get caught in the open spaces.
No, no! The time has come for this monstrosity that
brings
shame upon Ottoman honor and serves as evidence of our
lack of
civilization and ability, to be removed.
The time has
long since come for it to be replaced by a high and sturdy
iron brigde built on brick supports for half a million liras.
Some may say “this is a swamp, the foundation
won’t hold,
the bridge is too long.” But
let us not fool ourselves by
saying speciously that this cannot be done.
//Ed. Note: the fourth Karaköy/Galata bridge was built
in 1912 by the German Man firm at a cost of 350,000
liras.//
The Karaköy/Galata Bridge is at lower right, at the entrance
to the Golden Horn.
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