Eiffel Tower - Danger Bonuses and Unofficial Opening

When the Eiffel Tower reached 110 meters, a second platform was opened.  A third platform would be built at the 167-meter level.

The winter of 1888, however, was very harsh and workers felt the impact as they worked higher and higher.  Gustave Eiffel began to worry that the men would strike.

While Eiffel had turned his attention to the tower which shared his name, another building site was making front-page news, especially in France.  The Panama Canal - being dug to provide a shorter transportation route for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific - was causing a disaster for its workers. 

Hundreds of men had died, from yellow fever, and people in charge of the project sought Eiffel's advice.  He and his team recommended that locks be installed. 

Meanwhile ... work on the Tower was finished.  As gateway to the Exposition, it welcomed everyone who came to the newest World's Fair.

See, also:

Eiffel Tower - Video - The Original Idea and Sketch

Eiffel Tower - Video - Plans and Initial Construction

Eiffel Tower - Video - Opposition and Working Conditions

Eiffel Tower - Video - Riveters Work in Snow and Wind

Eiffel Tower - Video - Original Life Span of 20 Years

Eiffel Tower - Video - Telegraphy and Meteorology Experiments

Eiffel Tower - Video - Saved by the Battle of the Marne