IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!

[jeb6294]

Well I just got done with my first job as Project Engineer and on Sunday I see this...lock failure...we had just finished up our work there the day before.

None of the news reports had many details (and some of them were just wrong) so naturally I was sweating bullets until I got in this morning and got the explanation of what actually happened. I'm not sure how much I can say quite yet, but fortunately it didn't have anything to do with the work we were doing while I was there. Hopefully I'll be able to provide more specifics and some video once things have settled down a little bit.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Well I just got done with my first job as Project Engineer and on Sunday I see this...lock failure...we had just finished up our work there the day before.
None of the news reports had many details (and some of them were just wrong) so naturally I was sweating bullets until I got in this morning and got the explanation of what actually happened. I'm not sure how much I can say quite yet, but fortunately it didn't have anything to do with the work we were doing while I was there. Hopefully I'll be able to provide more specifics and some video once things have settled down a little bit.

I asked you about that in your "My New Office" thread. I didn't realize that it was the same locks you were working on that failed.

 

[Kephart P.E.]

My suggestion is to angle for an interview with the WLWT newslady!

Give her your expert opinion.

 

[Master slacker]

^^^ And by "expert opinion" he means... well... something naughty.

 

[jeb6294]

There's a video on YouTube...VIDEO...from a 100-foot charter boat that was in the lock when this happened. Based on the footage I would say they are a good 1000' from the downstream end of the lock. Also, what the "heroic" crew fails to mention is that they tied their boat off by the railing rather than using one of their mooring cleats. After their harrowing ordeal the only damage to the boat was the broken railing (you can see them moving away from the lock wall in the video). So while I'm sure it was an interesting ride I seriously doubt they were in any actual danger except that due to their own stupidity.

 

[MGX]

It's terrifying what natural forces can do when improperly used.

I feel your pain and I don't at the same time.

I had a warehouse burn to the ground a few years ago, a warehouse whose fire suppression system I designed. The investigation yielded that the main control valve was shut off, power to the waterworks' pumps was out and the road to the warehouse was completely iced over so badly the firetruck wasn't able to reach the site. Its a tragedy that fire consumed the entire new facility but I can't spend my life by a control valve to ensure its open 100% of the time. A janitor shut if off due to a forklift hitting and breaking some piping and never replaced it.

While the consequences look more dire in your situation I understand the panic and fear.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

The local news idiots were reporting a damaged gate at the McAlpine locks. Were they damaged as well, or were they just confusing the two locks?

 

[jeb6294]

The local news idiots were reporting a damaged gate at the McAlpine locks. Were they damaged as well, or were they just confusing the two locks?

They must have been confused unless they were referring to a gate that got damaged at McAlpine several years ago. Similar situation but none of those gates fell off which makes it much easier to decide what to do. Right now it is a feat just trying to figure out exactly where the missing gate is and how it's going to be picked up.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

They must have been confused unless they were referring to a gate that got damaged at McAlpine several years ago. Similar situation but none of those gates fell off which makes it much easier to decide what to do. Right now it is a feat just trying to figure out exactly where the missing gate is and how it's going to be picked up.

If it fell off, is it really wise to retrieve and reattach the same one?

 

[OSUguy98]

Did the gate/door fail? or did the concrete/hinge fail? or other?

 

[jeb6294]

If it fell off, is it really wise to retrieve and reattach the same one?

We're not quite sure yet. The way they're installed, there are two anchor arms holding the top and the whole thing sits/rotates on a bronze ball the size of a beach ball. If the arms broke and it just fell over then theoretically they might be salvageable, but we have no idea until we get it out of the river. A lot of it depends on how much damage the sustained, i.e. if they're twisted we're screwed.

Did the gate/door fail? or did the concrete/hinge fail? or other?

The gates didn't actually fail. From what we can see it looks like both anchor arms broke on one gate which allowed it to fall over and the other gate only broke one anchor arm so it was still up, but barely. The big mama-jama crane is on the way up there now so hopefully we'll be able to check them out a little better.