Far beneath the cracked, dirty concrete of the city, water flows in great volumes, through tunnels big enough for eighteen-wheelers. The blood of the city, pouring from reservoirs north to south into the stone, glass, and brick of the great city. The daily expectations of more than eight million people are met every day. Turn on the tap. Water. Water for coffee? Water for a bath? Water is life, for everyone, but in a megalopolis, excessive, unrealistic demands create the need for extraordinary response and ingenuity.
And work hard. On this Labor Day, I’m reminded of a story that speaks to my photographic instincts in a way few stories do. Going underground with Sandhogs. More photos on Instagram reel. A legendary alliance whose first project was to build the pylons for the Brooklyn Bridge, the Sandhogs built much of the City’s infrastructure. They built tunnels under the rivers that connected the city to Jersey and Brooklyn. They built Water Tunnels 1 and 2, and have been working for years now on the much-needed Tunnel 3.
It was hard, dangerous, and essential work. Largely a union of Irish and West Indian laborers, the workers bid farewell to the early morning sunlight and descended as much as 500 feet below the surface to once again blast and drill. (My wife Annie’s uncle was a Sandhog for many years and has stories.) The sheer scale of it is hard to comprehend. Imagine building St. Patrick’s Cathedral 500 feet below the surface of the earth. I choose to mention St. Pat’s Cathedral because I remember a reverent quote from one of the foremen who showed me the ropes there. He waved his hand toward the main shaft and said, “See? This is our cathedral.”
Today is a wonderful holiday, Labor Day. It’s a great way to celebrate all those who work, from the office towers to the streets, from the farms to the cities, from the homes to the offices. And to celebrate the unnoticed work, done deep underground, that keeps us alive. Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend.
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