Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

440 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. arrangement of the masts, and the other a design for towers instead of masts. The first required considerable time in order to obtain timbers large enough, to replace those which had been broken by their fall ; and for that reason the alternative scheme, though the more expensive, was finally adopted and sanc- tioned by the board of directors. Hardly three weeks had elapsed since the first con- sultation, when the material was on the ground and the towers had been commenced —a smart piece of work considering that this material amounted to nearly 10,000 cubic feet of timber, 15 tons of iron work, and about All work was stopped, and the designs and specifications were referred to experts. After much discussion over doubtful or inconclusive points, it was ultimately decided in March to proceed at Poldhu, and repeat the towers at both Cape Cod and Cape Breton ; the work at the first named being carried out by the designer, and that at the two stations on the other side of the Atlantic put out to contract on the designs and specifications prepared for Poldhu. The chief objects aimed at were rapidity of construction, avoidance of highly skilled labour, and strength to resist the violent gales obvi- 4,000 feet of steel wire rope for stays, besides a large quan- tity of hemp rope, sundry fit- tings, tools, and gear, all of which had to be carefully esti- mated, specified, ordered, and delivered. In January 1902 a second disaster befell the company. The twenty Trouble at Cape Cod. masts that had in the mean- time been ac- tually com- pleted at Cape Cod also col- lapsed, the cause in this case being the failure of one of the stays, due to the manner in which the attachment to the anchors was made. The stays of these masts were not spliced round the thimbles in the usual manner, but, in order to lessen the cost, were bent round and secured by means of steel clips. One of these clips, being insecurely fastened, allowed the wire rope to slip, and so produced the collapse. This second failure made the NEAR VIEW OF A TOWER IN PROGRESS. The zigzag bracing is a feature of those towers. directors hesitate before con- tinuing the towers at Poldhu.