Photo of the Week
October 6, 2013



As a follow up to last week's photo, I scanned this photo from my 1911 Isthmian Canal Commission Report.  I was trying to find out some information about the crew installing the mast like objects in last week's photo #2, but couldn't find any explanation in the text, but found this photo is the report.  It was hard to scan as the report is a very thick book, and the scan quality isn't the best, but shows what I wanted to show.

In the center of the photo is this same mast like object mounted on the now finished concrete base which was removed or covered by the final spillway after the dam was completed.  You don't see this base today,  This base had to be made strong as conclusion to all the what is it question is the mast like object is a temporary crane that will be used to help finish the construction of the dam.  In my search for answers, I saw  these same cranes on lock walls to assist in construction as well.

CZ Images visitor and contributor Andrew Fraser wrote me this note after posting last week's photo:

Was looking at your photo of the week on the Gatun spillway construction.  I don't know for sure and am just speculating as to the purpose of the "mast" the steam crane is erecting but if you can zoom in on the pole devise on the right side of the photo, it looks like a similar device.  It looks to me like the "mast" being erected by the steam crane might be the jib of a temporary crane per the device on the right of the photo.  From the location of that crane, and construction around it, might they be temporary cranes for pouring concrete for the spillway apron and the "breaker blocks" that are along the base of the spillway.

It looks like Andrew was on the right track as well.  Thanks for writing in Andrew.

Next week we will continue with the Michael J. Carroll collection.



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