The rails were rusty as if trains weren’t using it and the view of Philly would be perfect.
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. — Muhammad Ali
By Christopher Boswell read by Lyle Malcom
A Spur of the Moment Decision
My attention had just recently landed with serious fervor on photography. I had been working part time at a little weekly newspaper in Philadelphia called the Northeast Times Newsweekly.
We had just moved there, my girlfriend and I from Houston. I can’t remember why, but we had gotten into an argument and I decided to go for a drive.
On the way out, I grabbed my camera bag.
New to town, not really knowing my way around I took a paper map Road Atlas. This was in the mid 80’s, there was no Google or GPS for our cars. Taking a moment to think about what I might want to photograph, I decided the city skyline would do fine.
Looking over the map, I could see a spot across the Delaware River that might be a good vantage point. I really didn’t know, but I was heading right into downtown Camden, New Jersey. Also unknown to me was its violent gang history.
In those days, Riverfront State Prison was still being operated right on the Delaware. None of this worried me; I was no stranger to the wrong side of town and used to love going cruising down Troost in Kansas City. A similar rough and gritty stretch of town known for high crime.
I headed over the Betsy Ross Bridge and then began to search for a spot along the waterfront. In those days, working for the newspaper, I carried a handheld Police and Fire scanner.
The radio was going crazy and apparently so were the people in Camden. Fires were burning; gangs of teenagers were roaming the streets. My idea had not been the most sound, but my adrenaline was pumping, I continued to search for a spot.
Finding nothing I liked, finally I found myself on a gravel road in front of what I now know to be the Delair Railroad Lift Bridge. It was built in 1896 and looked long past its useful life. It would make an unobstructed vantage point into Philly with a Delaware River reflection.
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