Learning When You Write
By Jenny Margotta, High Desert Branch
One of my favorite aspects of editing is that I learn something new with nearly every book I edit. Over time, I’ve become quite conversant with archaeological digs in Mexico and Central America, can speak intelligently about the sport of landsailing, learned about rice production in the South prior to the Civil War, and can tell you exactly what a third cousin, twice removed is.
I’ve been known to read the dictionary for fun at breakfast, and I often “hatch” in bed in the mornings, thinking about what new thing I’ll have the pleasure of learning that day. (“Hatching” was my mother’s term for those not-yet-ready-to-spring-out-of-bed minutes each morning when you’re half awake and contemplating the day.) This lifelong love of learning spills over into my everyday activities, too. I’m currently rewatching Season 4 of Amazon Prime’s “Bosch.” (“Bosch” only lasted 7 seasons. I think it is one of the best TV shows in years, so when Season 7 ended, I promptly began watching it again from the beginning.) For those who don’t know, “Bosch” is based on Michael Connelly’s series of novels featuring L.A. detective
Harry Bosch.
Each season presents one novel, and Season 4 is based on Angels Flight. Angels Flight is a funicular in downtown L.A. that runs up Bunker Hill between Hill Street and Grand Avenue. My first experience with a funicular was years several years ago when I attended a wedding in the posh community of Sedona, Arizona. The wealthy bride suffered from severe arthritis and could not navigate the very steep hillside from her house to a stream and garden at the base of her property. So she had a 2-passenger funicular built just for that purpose. I enjoyed the ride but knew nothing of the history of such a conveyance.
I remember thinking about it again the first time I watched Season 4 of “Bosch,” but I didn’t pursue the subject then either. However, the other night when I was again watching the Angels Flight funicular climb Bunker Hill, I decided to do some research.
Angels Flight was originally built 118 years ago and is said to be the shortest funicular in existence. The very first funicular was built in Lyon, France, in 1862. It was steam operated. The first hydraulic one was built in the U.K. in 1876, and in 1888 the first electric funicular began operating in Switzerland. At one time there were more than 300 funiculars in operation. Today, there are only about 200, but they are making a comeback due to their safety, functionality, capacity, and the fact that they equally adapt to urban and mountain areas. They can be found in the U.K., Austria, Germany, Italy, Norway, Israel, Turkey, Chile, Hong Kong, and in the U.S. in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Iowa, Alaska, and, of course, Los Angeles.
What exactly is a funicular? According to Wikipedia, a funicular is a form of cable railway that operates on steep slopes. Two counterbalanced cars are permanently attached to opposite ends of a cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track. The two cars move in concert: as one ascends, the other descends. But Angels Flight only has one car. How can it be a funicular? I found the answer to that too. Single car systems are technically inclined elevators. The car is either raised or lowered by means of a cable, or it is balanced by a counter-weight moving along the track in the opposite direction. Numerous systems around the globe, including Angels Flight, are called funiculars even though they do not meet the technical definition.
“Learning When You Write” first appeared in the
September 202 1edition of The Inkslinger,
newsletter of the High Desert Branch.