A Bridge Called Emma

[Music] [Music] Just like a woman, an eye catcher, a traffic stopper. About 20 times a day, she brings the activity of a city to a halt. But she's a lady who knows what she's doing. She's a pontoon bridge on the island of Curisowl in the Dutch West Indies. Her name is Queen Emma, named after the Dutch Queen who reigned during the [Music] 1800s. Spanning the channel of Santa Ana Bay, Emma controls the shipping lanes into the fourth largest harbor in the world. She also cuts the capital city of Williamstead in half and makes the land lovers yield to the traffic of the sea. Of the six small Caribbean islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles, Curasau is the largest. Shipping and oil refining made the island wealthy. And with 7,000 ships entering the harbor each year, the gyrations of this famous swinging pontoon bridge are the welcome inconvenience of an expanding prosperity. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Peter Styverent was the first governor of Curasau which was the first Dutch settlement in the Western Hemisphere. The colonial powers of Europe fought bitterly over the little trading outpost and it changed hands many many times. But in 1816 it became Dutch to stay. And in 1954, it became an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of the [Music] Netherlands. Now, while the island is very definitely Dutch in custom, culture, and appearance, the natives can trace their heritage to all the countries of Western Europe, to Africa, Asia, and to Northern Venezuela. About 50 different nationalities are represented, and they have a very diversified society. Curacans have an unusual language ability. They may very well be the most cosmopolitan people of the Western Hemisphere because almost everyone can converse fluently in at least four different tongues: Spanish, English, French, and Dutch. And that's not all. The local residents also speak a curious native dialect called Papto. Papu was concocted right here on the island. It's a mixture consisting of Spanish, Dutch, English, French, and a sprinkling of Portuguese. Blend them all together, and you have papu. the international pictures. [Music] The island is 38 mi long and has a total area of 178 square miles. Tourists have their choice of miles of beaches, inlets, and bays. It's an island of sun and sea, of sand and surf, an oasis in the blue [Music] Caribbean. Curasawa is not only accessible by sea, but boasts a most modern [Music] airport. By jet, Williamstead is about 5 hours from New York. And as they say in Papuento, born Beni. The shops feature a wide range of fashionable items at a wide range of prices. Because of the exchange rate that favors the American dollar, Williamstead is practically a free port. The tourist trade, which numbers some quarter of a million persons each year, has brought everyone and everything into the act. Now, the wares may be different, but the vendors and the refreshments are just like back home. Curasau has grown rich from oil and commerce, but depends on neighboring lands for its food supply. A fleet of small boats from Venezuela, only 38 mi to the south, makes a regular run to the island with the daily produce. Freshly harvested bananas, coconuts, and other tropical foods are sold right on the decks and keys of this floating market. [Music] In the inland regions, water is drawn from the ground by means of windmills and hand pumps. Now, while these methods are adequate for rural areas, an extensive water distillery installation provides the island's major water supply through the conversion of seawater. The economic development of Curasau is largely the story of oil. The refinery is one of the largest in the world. It employs 30% of the island's labor force and it contributes $50 million a year to the economy of the country. Lush resort hotels catering primarily to the tourist trade add another dimension to the island, luxury. [Music] A touch of Las Vegas and Monte Carlo in the Caribbean. The casino offers what casinos offer all over the world. Gambling and the chance to match your luck against the house. [Music] Geography has favored Ciraasau. It has brought the ships, the planes, the industry, and the tourists. And overseeing the entire procession is Queen Emma. Like the master control monitoring all of the island, she links the flow of daily life and she signals its interruption. The traffic stops and the roadways clog up in confusion. This sort of thing takes place over 7,000 times a year. To put it another way, the bridge is open for an aggregate total of over 7 hours every day. The idea for the swinging pontoon bridge was the brainchild of an American council. The original bridge was built in 1888 and the latest renovation was completed in 1938. For the impatient, there are two fairies in operation when Emma swings. In the early days, a graduated toll system was charged to cross the bridge, two cents if you wore shoes, one penny if you had on sandals, and free if you wore no shoes at all. Today, the traffic has changed. No one is barefoot, and the bridge is now toll-free, and so are the fairies. Everyone has his own method of dealing with this sudden interruption in his plans. No one seems to rely on just plain patience. The average wait before Emma restores Williamstead back to normaly is 21 minutes. Too long for those who can get across without Emma's aid and just long enough for others to take a short recess from the whole situation. Emma is, of course, the necessary compromise between land and sea. Without her, life would be more hectic than it is with her. The chaos that she creates is really a byproduct of order. There has been a rumor that someday in the future, Emma may be replaced by a stationary bridge. That would be like replacing the Eiffel Tower in Paris. For when Emma goes, Willmstead will have lost its most famous [Music] landmark. Meanwhile, the bridge is the regulator. She tells the city of Williamstead what to do and when to do it. In Curisowl, everyone waits for a bridge named Emma.