Monday, September 8, 2014

Smokestacks


You have probably been wondering how they are going to take the smokestacks down as they demolish the power plant.  I certainly have thought about how they might remove them.  My first thought was that somehow they would cut the stacks at the bases and let them crash to the ground.  It is much more organized than that.  They have cut small openings in the stacks all the way up, and then put small I-beams through the holes which would support platforms for the workers.  From inside each stack, they have been using gas cutting torches to slice off a ring about eight feet high.  Then the crane comes in at the end, and lowers the ring to the ground.  You can see the sparks of molten metal near the top of the cut stack near the center of the picture.  Here's the interesting thing - this picture is really all about the colors - the various shades of rust and the gorgeous blue sky.  It's not about cutting torches at all!

2 comments:

ken schwarz said...

RUST: vi 1. to form rust : become oxidized 2. to degenerate esp. from inaction, lack of use, or passage of time. 3. to become reddish brown as if with rust. 4. to be affected with a rust fungus. vt 1. to cause (in metal) to form rust. 2. to impair or corrode to become reddish brown.

Anonymous said...

You must be so excited watching this - like a kid at Christmas!
Joan