Wrong Valley for 6 Weeks How One Bulldozer Operator Blasted Through Granite to Save $12 Million 1913 скачать в хорошем качестве

Wrong Valley for 6 Weeks How One Bulldozer Operator Blasted Through Granite to Save $12 Million 1913

September 23, 1913, 6:14 AM. Bulldozer operator Robert Morrison discovered he'd spent 6 weeks cutting 18 miles of the LA Aqueduct in the WRONG VALLEY a $12 million disaster that could have killed America's most ambitious water project. This is how Morrison and his Holt Model 60 bulldozer secretly blasted through granite to fix the mistake before anyone found out. Morrison was 5 miles north of where he should be, following abandoned railroad survey stakes. The cost to restart? $12 million and 14 months. Construction superintendent Frank Chen's solution: blast a diagonal cut through granite ridge to connect the wrong valley to the correct route. Time: 5 weeks. Cost: $340,000. For 3 weeks, Morrison cut the correct section working 16 hour days. Then 11 days of granite blasting drilling, dynamiting, pushing debris through solid rock. Day 7: blade cracked, welded at midnight. Day 9: 4 ton boulder on blade, chained and dragged off cliff. October 25, 1913: Valleys connected with perfect 22 degree granite cut. Official report: "engineering optimization." No mention of wrong valleys. Cover up lasted 110 years. November 5, 1913: Mulholland stood before 40,000 and said "There it is. Take it." Morrison got $500. The truth stayed buried. EQUIPMENT: Holt Model 60 • 45 HP, 8 tons, 7 foot blade • Serial 60-A-1847 • Operated 1913-1947 (34 years) MISTAKE: 18 miles wrong valley • 5 miles north • 6 weeks wasted • $2.1M spent • 22-degree granite fix NUMBERS: $12M disaster avoided • $340K fix (2.8%) • 5 weeks vs 14 months • $370M in today's dollars PEOPLE: Robert Morrison (38, bulldozer operator) • Frank Chen (51, superintendent) • William Mulholland (Chief Engineer, never knew) IMPACT: 233-mile aqueduct • LA grew 319K - 4M people • Owens Valley never recovered • Diagonal cut still puzzles modern engineers COVER UP: Official reports call it "Mulholland's innovative design." Modern engineers wonder why there's a 22 degree granite cut there. Real reason: fixing a wrong valley mistake. Hidden 110 years. Morrison died 1956, Oakland. Obituary mentioned LA Aqueduct, Bay Bridge, Grand Coulee. No mention of September 1913 or saving LA's water. 🚜 BULLDOZER GEEK USA 🚜 Uncovering forgotten construction disasters, hidden infrastructure mistakes, and the heavy equipment operators who built America one bulldozer story at a time. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for weekly untold construction history! 👍 LIKE if this story amazed you! 💬 COMMENT where you're watching from and what construction story we should cover next! HISTORICAL ACCURACY NOTE: This story is based on LA Aqueduct construction records (1908-1913), William Mulholland engineering documents, and Holt Manufacturing Company archives. While some dialogue and character interactions are dramatized for storytelling, the core events wrong valley construction, granite cut solution, and engineering cover up are documented in official reports. #LAaqueduct #BulldozerHistory #ConstructionDisaster #WrongValley #Mulholland #1913 #GraniteBlasting #HeavyEquipment #EngineeringMistake #CoverUp #HiddenHistory #VintageConstruction Subscribe:    / @bulldozergeekusa   © 2024 Bulldozer Geek USA