Half Way to Hell Club
| Company type | Informal workers' group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Construction / Ironworking |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Key people | Al Zampa |
The Half Way to Hell Club was a select assembly of ironworkers who, during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge between 1936 and 1937, survived falls thanks to safety nets installed beneath the structure. Among its initial members was ironworker Al Zampa, who experienced a fall into the nets in October 1936.
Al Zampa (1905–2000), recognized as a founding member and probably the final surviving participant, served as the group's informal representative. He described that workers who perished from bridge falls were considered to have "gone to hell," whereas those caught by the nets had only fallen "half way to hell."
Zampa recounted: "In those first weeks, ten of us dropped into the nets. Four were injured, myself included. We were hospitalized together and established the club right there at St. Luke's Hospital."
While newspaper reports mention some individuals among the 19 documented members, no comprehensive roster has been preserved, and only one early photograph is available.
Bridge historian John V. Robinson identified ten members in his 2004 publication Spanning the Strait:
- Miles Green
- Paul Terry
- James Roberts
- Jack Miller
- Jack Dayle
- Edward Stanley
- Ward Chamberlain
- George Murray
- John Perry
- Al Zampa
Robinson highlights that the eventual outcomes for these men remain uncertain; no exhaustive membership list has been discovered. Al Zampa lived until age 95 and was likely the last living member of the club.