The Bulldozer vs The Dust Bowl 1936's 300 Mile Black Blizzard Battle 24 Hours скачать в хорошем качестве

The Bulldozer vs The Dust Bowl 1936's 300 Mile Black Blizzard Battle 24 Hours

April 9, 1936, 2:47 PM. Texas Panhandle, Dalhart. Frank Hobbs stares at a black wall 8,000 feet tall, 300 miles wide, moving at 40 mph. 300 million tons of topsoil airborne. Behind him: 3,500 people. Mission: use 8 Caterpillar Sixty bulldozers to cut 30 miles of emergency furrows before the storm buries Dalhart. This is 19 men, 8 machines, and 24 hours fighting geology itself. The Dust Bowl's deadliest weapon met diesel and steel. 🌪️ THE BLACK BLIZZARD: Date: April 9-10, 1936 Location: Dalhart, Texas (pop. 3,500) Storm: 300 miles wide, 8,000 feet tall Speed: 40 mph winds (70 mph gusts) Airborne: 300 million tons topsoil Visibility: Zero (operators tied to machines) Static: Blue sparks jumping from metal 🚜 CATERPILLAR SIXTY SPECS: Weight: 8 tons Engine: 60 HP diesel, 1,200 RPM Blade: 6 feet wide, 2 cubic yards/pass Fuel: 28 gallons (7 hours in storm) Speed: 4 mph in zero visibility Mods: Burlap-wrapped intakes soaked in diesel 👤 KEY FIGURES: Frank Hobbs (43, operator) - 20 years experience Jack Grier - Organized fuel siphoning Hugh Hammond Bennett - Soil Conservation Service director Crew: 19 men, 8 operators + 11 support ⚡ 24-HOUR BATTLE: 2:47 PM: 8,000-foot wall spotted 3:15 PM: Temp drops 11°F in 4 min, storm hits Goal: 30 miles furrows (158,400 feet) by midnight 5:30 PM: Zero visibility, operators tied with rope 6:15 PM: 3 of 8 machines out of fuel Solution: Siphon from dead machines (23 min/transfer) 9:00 PM: Down to 2 running machines Repairs: Cracked fuel lines, thrown tracks, 45-min sledgehammer fixes 11:47 PM: Wind decreases 1:30 AM: 31 miles cut (18 hours vs 8 planned) 🌾 EMERGENCY TERRACING: Method: Furrows perpendicular to wind, 100 yards apart Depth: 18 inches, 100 feet per cut Result: 38% wind speed reduction Soil captured: 7 inches deep, 27 million tons 📊 THE NUMBERS: Furrows: 31 miles (exceeded 30-mile goal) Time: 18 hours actual (vs 8 planned) Wind reduction: 38% average Soil saved: 27M tons (11% of storm potential) Cost: $4,200 (1936) = $92,000 today Dalhart drifts: 3 feet (vs 12 feet Boise City 1935) Deaths: 0 (vs 2 children Boise City) 💔 THE COST: All 8 bulldozers need complete engine rebuilds Tracks worn to 50% thickness Fuel systems contaminated Total machine casualties: 100% 🏗️ DUST BOWL CONTEXT: Duration: 1930-1938 (worst 1934-1936) Cause: 40 years stripped native grass Storm reached: Chicago, DC, Atlantic (400 miles offshore) Soil: 10,000 years to form, gone once airborne 📈 PROGRAM EXPANSION: April 1936: 8 bulldozers (Dalhart) End 1936: 47 bulldozers across region 1938: 600 bulldozers working conservation Legacy: Cat Sixty in USDA films, government posters 🌱 AFTERMATH: 3 months: Furrows planted native grass Aerial photos: Scars still visible today Frank Hobbs: Army Corps WW2, returned Dalhart, died 1964 age 71 Obituary: "Worked soil conservation" (didn't mention the night) Perfect for Dust Bowl historians, environmental disaster researchers, Texas locals, soil conservation students, and man vs nature enthusiasts. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for Depression-era stories where machines fought catastrophe! 💬 COMMENT: Could you operate bulldozer in zero visibility? 👍 LIKE to honor 19 men who saved Dalhart! 📱 New docs daily --- SOURCES: Soil Conservation Service records Hugh Hammond Bennett archives #DustBowl #1936 #BlackBlizzard #CaterpillarSixty #Texas #Dalhart #SoilConservation #HughHammondBennett #GreatPlains #Depression #BulldozerGeekUSA #EnvironmentalDisaster