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LAKE KIVU
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake Kivu
Coordinates 2°0′S 29°0′ECoordinates: 2°0′S 29°0′E
Type Rift Valley lakes, Meromictic
Primary outflows Ruzizi River
Catchment area 2,700 km2 (1,000 sq mi)
Basin countries Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Max. length 89 km (55 mi)[1]
Max. width 48 km (30 mi)[1]
Surface area 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi)[1]
Average depth 240 m (787 ft)
Max. depth 480 m (1,575 ft)
Water volume 500 km3 (120 cu mi)
Surface elevation 1,460 m (4,790 ft)
Islands Idjwi
Settlements Goma, Congo
Bukavu, Congo
Kibuye, Rwanda
Cyangugu, Rwanda
Lake Kivu with Goma in the background
Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika. The name comes from kivu which means "lake" in some Bantu languages, just like the words tanganyika or nyanza.[citation needed]
Contents
1 History
2 Geography
3 Chemistry
3.1 Methane extraction
4 Biology and fisheries
5 See also
6 References
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)
People on the shore at Gisenyi
The first European to visit the lake was German Count Adolf von Götzen in 1894. Since then it has been caught up in the conflict between Hutu and Tutsi people in Rwanda, and their allies in DR Congo, which led to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and the First and Second Congo Wars. Lake Kivu gained notoriety as a place where many of the victims of the genocide were dumped.
Geography
The lake covers a total surface area of some 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi) and stands at a height of 1,460 metres (4,790 ft) above sea level. Some 1 370 km2 or 58% of the lake's waters lie within DRC borders. The lake bed sits upon a rift valley that is slowly being pulled apart, causing volcanic activity in the area, and making it particularly deep: its maximum depth of 480 m (1,575 ft) is ranked eighteenth in the world.
The world's tenth-largest inland island, Idjwi, lies in Lake Kivu, as does the tiny island of Tshegera, which also lies within the boundaries of Virunga National Park; while settlements on its shore include Bukavu, Kabare, Kalehe, Sake, and Goma in Congo, and Gisenyi, Kibuye, and Cyangugu in Rwanda.
Chemistry
Lake Kivu is a fresh water lake and, along with Cameroonian Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun, is one of three that experience limnic eruptions. Around the lake, geologists found evidence of massive biological extinctions about every thousand years, caused by outgassing events. The trigger for lake overturns in Lake Kivu's case is unknown, but volcanic activity is suspected. The gaseous chemical composition of exploding lakes is unique to each lake; in Lake Kivu's case, methane and carbon dioxide due to lake water interaction with a volcano. The amount of methane is estimated to be 65 cubic kilometers (if burnt over one year, it would give an average power of about 100 gigawatts for the whole period). There is also an estimated 256 cubic kilometers of carbon dioxide. The water temperature is 24°C, and the pH level is about 8.6.[2] The methane is reported to be produced by microbial reduction of the volcanic CO2.[3] The risk from a possible Lake Kivu overturn is catastrophic, dwarfing other documented lake overturns at Lakes Nyos and Monoun, because of the approximately two million people living in the lake basin.
Cores from the Bukavu Bay area of the lake reveal that the bottom has layered deposits of the rare mineral monohydrocalcite interlain with diatoms, on top of sapropelic sediments with high pyrite content. These are found at three different intervals. The sapropelic layers are believed to be related to hydrothermal discharge and the diatoms to a bloom which reduced the carbon dioxide levels low enough to precipitiate monohydrocalcite.[4]
Scientists hypothesize that sufficient volcanic interaction with the lake's bottom water that has high gas concentrations would heat water, force the methane out of the water, spark a methane explosion, and trigger a nearly simultaneous release of carbon dioxide.[5][6] The carbon dioxide would then suffocate large numbers of people in the lake basin as the gases roll off the lake surface. It is also possible that the lake could spawn lake tsunamis as gas explodes out of it.[7][8]
The risk posed by Lake Kivu began to be understood during the analysis of more recent events at Lake Nyos. Lake Kivu's methane was originally thought to be merely a cheap natural resource for export, and for the generation of cheap power. Once the mechanisms that caused lake overturns began to be understood, so did awareness of the risk the lake posed to the local population.
An experimental vent pipe was installed at Lake Nyos in 2001 to remove gas from the deep water, but such a solution for the much larger Lake Kivu would be considerably more expensive. No plan has been initiated to reduce the risk posed by Lake Kivu.[dubious – discuss] The approximately 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the lake is a little under 2 percent of the amount released annually by human fossil fuel burning. Therefore the process of releasing it could potentially have costs beyond building and operating the system.
Methane extraction
Methane extraction platform.
Lake Kivu has recently been found to contain approximately 55 billion cubic metres (1.94 trillion cubic feet) of dissolved biogas at a depth of 300 metres (1,000 ft). Until 2004, extraction of the gas was done on a small scale, with the extracted gas being used to run boilers at a brewery, the Bralirwa brewery in Gisenyi.[9][10] As far as large-scale exploitation of this resource is concerned, the Rwandan government has negotiated with a number of parties to produce methane from the lake.
In 2011 ContourGlobal, a U.S. based energy company focused on emerging markets, secured project financing to initiate a large-scale methane extraction project. The project will be run through a local Rwandan entity called KivuWatt, using an offshore barge platform to extract, separate, and clean the gasses obtained from the lake bed before pumping purified methane via an underwater pipeline to on-shore gas engines. Stage one of the project aims to build and supply three "gensets" along the lake shore, totaling 25MW of electrical capacity. Initial project operations are scheduled to commence in 2012.[11] In addition to managing gas extraction, KivuWatt will also manage the electrical generation plants and on-sell the electrical power to the Rwandan government under the terms of a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). This allows KivuWatt to control a vertically integrated energy offering from point of extraction to point of sale into the local grid. Extraction is said to be cost-effective and relatively simple because once the gas-rich water is pumped up, the dissolved gases (primarily carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and methane) begin to bubble out as the water pressure gets lower. This project is expected to increase Rwanda's energy generation capability by as much as 20 times, and will enable Rwanda to sell electricity to neighboring African countries.[10] The firm was awarded the 2011 Africa Power deal of the year for innovation in the financing arrangements it obtained from various sources for the KivuWatt project. [12] .[13]
A problem associated with the prevalence of methane is that of mazuku.
Biology and fisheries
Fishing boats on Lake Kivu, 2009.
Reflection of the sky on Lake Kivu
The fish fauna in Lake Kivu is relatively poor with 28 species, including four introduced species.[14] The natives are the Lake Rukwa minnow (Raiamas moorii), four species of Barbus (B. altianalis, B. apleurogramma, B. kerstenii and B. pellegrini), an Amphilius catfish, two Clarias catfish (C. liocephalus and C. gariepinus), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and 15 endemic Haplochromis cichlids.[14] The introduced species are three cichlids, the longfin tilapia (Oreochromis macrochir), O. leucostictus and redbreast tilapia (Coptodon rendalli), and a clupeid, the Lake Tanganyika sardine, Limnothrissa miodon.[14]
The exploitable stock of the Lake Tanganyika sardine was estimated at 2000–4000 tons per year.[15] It was introduced to Lake Kivu in the late 1959 by a Belgian Engineer A. Collart. At present, Lake Kivu is the sole natural lake in which L. miodon, a sardine originally restricted to Lake Tanganyika, has been introduced initially to fill an empty niche. Prior to the introduction, no planktivorous fish was present in the pelagic waters of Lake Kivu. In the early 1990s, the number of fishers on the lake was 6,563, of which 3,027 were associated with the pelagic fishery and 3,536 with the traditional fishery. Widespread armed conflict in the surrounding region from the mid-1990s resulted in a decline in the fisheries harvest.[16]
Following this introduction, the sardine has gained substantial economic and nutritional importance for the lakeside human population but from an ecosystem standpoint, the introduction of planktivorous fish may result in important modifications of plankton community structure. Recent observations showed the disappearance during the last decades of a large grazer, Daphnia curvirostris, and the dominance of mesozooplankton community by three species of cyclopoid copepod: Thermocyclops consimilis, Mesocyclops aequatorialis and Tropocyclops confinis.[17][18]
The first comprehensive phytoplankton survey was released in 2006.[19] With an annual average chlorophyll a in the mixed layer of 2.2 mg m-3 and low nutrient levels in the euphotic zone, the lake is clearly oligotrophic. Diatoms are the dominant group in the lake, particularly during the dry season episodes of deep mixing. During the rainy season, the stratified water column, with high light and lower nutrient availability, favour dominance of cyanobacteria with high numbers of phototrophic picoplankton.[19][20][21][22] The actual primary production is 0.71 g C m-2 d-1 (~ 260 g C m-2 y-1).[23]
A study of evolutionary genetics showed that the cichlids from lakes in northern Virunga (e.g., Edward, George, Victoria) would have evolved in a "proto-lake Kivu", much older than the intense volcanic activity (20,000-25,000 years ago) which cut the connection.[24] The elevation of the mountains west of the lake (which is currently the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, one of the largest reserves of eastern lowland (or Grauer's) gorillas in the world), combined with the elevation of the eastern rift (located in eastern Rwanda) would be responsible for drainage of water from central Rwanda in the actual Lake Kivu. This concept of "proto-lake Kivu" was challenged by lack of consistent geological evidence,[25] although the cichlid's molecular clock suggests the existence of a lake much older than the commonly cited 15,000 years.
Lake Kivu is the home of four species of freshwater crab, including two non-endemics (Potamonautes lirrangensis and P. mutandensis) and two endemics (P. bourgaultae and P. idjwiensis).[26] Among Rift Valley lakes, Lake Tanganyika is the only other with endemic freshwater crabs.[26]
The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world's 12th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,350 km, and it drains an area of 795,000 km2, discharging 457 km3 of water annually.
From the Tibetan Plateau the river runs through China's Yunnan province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. In 1995, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam established the Mekong River Commission to assist in the management and coordinated use of the Mekong's resources. In 1996 China and Myanmar became "dialogue partners" of the MRC and the six countries now work together within a cooperative framework.
The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in the Mekong make navigation difficult. Even so, the river is a major trade route between western China and Southeast Asia.
NAMES
In English the river is called the "Mekong River", derived from "Mae Nam Khong", a term of both Thai and Lao origin. In the Lao-Thai toponymy, "rivers" translates to "mother of water", signalled by the prefix "mae", meaning "mother", and "nam" for water. In the Mekong's case, Mae Nam Khong means "khong, the mother of water". Many northern Thai and Laos locals refer to it as the "River Khong". Such is the case with the Mae Nam Ping in Chiang Mai which is known as the "Ping River". The Tonle Sap in Cambodia is a similar example, where tonle translates as "great lake" or "great river", making the Tonle Sap River an unnecessary repetition of what is in fact the "Sap River". In Khmer language, Mékôngk means "mother of water" translated as Mé "Mother" and kôngk for kôngkea "water".
COURSE
The Mekong rises as the Za Qu and soon becomes known as the Lancang (Lantsang) in the "Three Rivers Source Area" on the Tibetan Plateau in the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve; the reserve protects the headwaters of, from north to south, the Yellow (Huang He), the Mekong, and the Yangtze Rivers. It flows through the Tibetan Autonomous Region and then southeast into Yunnan Province, and then through the Three Parallel Rivers Area in the Hengduan Mountains, along with the Yangtze to its east and the Salween River (Nujiang in Chinese) to its west.
The Mekong then meets the tripoint of China, Myanmar and Laos. From there it flows southwest and forms the border of Myanmar and Laos for about 100 kilometres until it arrives at the tripoint of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. This is also the point of confluence between the Ruak River (which follows the Thai-Myanmar border) and the Mekong. The area of this tripoint is sometimes termed the Golden Triangle, although the term also refers to the much larger area of those three countries that is notorious as a drug producing region.
From the Golden Triangle tripoint, the Mekong turns southeast to briefly form the border of Laos with Thailand. It then turns east into the interior of Laos, flowing first east and then south for some 400 kilometres before meeting the border with Thailand again. Once more, it defines the Laos-Thailand border for some 850 kilometres as it flows first east, passing in front of the capital of Laos, Vientiane, then turns south. A second time, the river leaves the border and flows east into Laos soon passing the city of Pakse. Thereafter, it turns and runs more or less directly south, crossing into Cambodia.
At Phnom Penh the river is joined on the right bank by the river and lake system the Tonlé Sap. When the Mekong is low, the Tonle Sap is a tributary; water flows from the lake and river into the Mekong. When the Mekong floods, the flow reverses; the floodwaters of the Mekong flow up the Tonle Sap.
Immediately after the Sap River joins the Mekong by Phnom Penh, the Bassac River branches off the right (west) bank. The Bassac River is the first and main distributary of the Mekong; thus, this is the beginning of the Mekong Delta. The two rivers, the Bassac to the west and the Mekong to the east, enter Vietnam very soon after this. In Vietnam, the Bassac is called the Hậu River (Sông Hậu or Hậu Giang); the main, eastern, branch of the Mekong is called the Tiền River or Tiền Giang. In Vietnam, distributaries of the eastern (main, Mekong) branch include the Mỹ Tho River, the Ba Lai River, the Hàm Luông River, and the Cổ Chiên River.
DRAINAGE BASIN
The Mekong Basin can be divided into two parts: the 'Upper Mekong Basin' in Tibet of China, and the 'Lower Mekong Basin' from Yunnan downstream from China to the South China Sea. From the point where it rises to its mouth, the most precipitous drop in the Mekong occurs in Upper Mekong Basin, a stretch of some 2,200 km. Here, it drops 4,500 metres before it enters the Lower Basin where the borders of Thailand, Laos, China and Myanmar come together in the Golden Triangle. Downstream from the Golden Triangle, the river flows for a further 2,600 km through Laos, Thailand and Cambodia before entering the South China Sea via a complex delta system in Vietnam.
UPPER BASIN
The Upper Basin makes up 24 percent of the total area and contributes 15 to 20 percent of the water that flows into the Mekong River. The catchment here is steep and narrow. Soil erosion has been a major problem and approximately 50 percent of the sediment in the river comes from the Upper Basin.
In Yunnan province in China, the river and its tributaries are confined by narrow, deep gorges. The tributary river systems in this part of the basin are small. Only 14 have catchment areas that exceed 1,000 km2, yet the greatest amount of loss of forest cover in the entire river system per square kilometer has occurred in this region due to heavy unchecked demand for natural resources. In the south of Yunnan, in Simao and Xishuangbanna Prefectures, the river changes as the valley opens out, the floodplain becomes wider, and the river becomes wider and slower.
LOWER BASIN
Major tributary systems develop in the Lower Basin. These systems can be separated into two groups: tributaries that contribute to the major wet season flows, and tributaries that drain low relief regions of lower rainfall. The first group are left bank tributaries that drain the high-rainfall areas of Lao PDR. The second group are those on the right bank, mainly the Mun and Chi rivers, that drain a large part of northeast Thailand.
Laos lies almost entirely within the Lower Mekong Basin. Its climate, landscape and land use are the major factors shaping the hydrology of the river. The mountainous landscape means that only 16 percent of the country is farmed under lowland terrace or upland shifting cultivation. With upland shifting agriculture (slash and burn), soils recover within 10 to 20 years but the vegetation does not. Shifting cultivation is common in the uplands of Northern Laos and is reported to account for as much as 27 percent of the total land under rice cultivation. As elsewhere in the basin, forest cover has been steadily reduced during the last three decades by shifting agriculture and permanent agriculture. The cumulative impacts of these activities on the river regime have not been measured. However, the hydrological impacts of land-cover changes induced by the Vietnam War were quantified in two sub-catchments of the Lower Mekong River Basin.
Loss of forest cover in the Thai areas of the Lower Basin has been the highest in all the Lower Mekong countries over the past 60 years. On the Khorat Plateau, which includes the Mun and Chi tributary systems, forest cover was reduced from 42 percent in 1961 to 13 percent in 1993. Although this part of northeast Thailand has an annual rainfall of more than 1,000 mm, a high evaporation rate means it is classified as a semi-arid region. Consequently, although the Mun and Chi Basins drain 15 percent of the entire Mekong Basin, they only contribute six percent of the average annual flow. Sandy and saline soils are the most common soil types, which makes much of the land unsuitable for wet rice cultivation. In spite of poor fertility, however, agriculture is intensive. Glutinous rice, maize and cassava are the principal crops. Drought is by far the major hydrological hazard in this region.
As the Mekong enters Cambodia, over 95 percent of the flows have already joined the river. From here on downstream the terrain is flat and water levels rather than flow volumes determine the movement of water across the landscape. The seasonal cycle of changing water levels at Phnom Penh results in the unique "flow reversal" of water into and out of the Great Lake via the Tonle Sap River. Phnom Penh also marks the beginning of the delta system of the Mekong River. Here the mainstream begins to break up into an increasing number of branches.
In Cambodia, wet rice is the main crop and is grown on the flood plains of the Tonle Sap, Mekong, and Bassac (the Mekong delta distributary known as the Hậu in Vietnam) Rivers. More than half of Cambodia remains covered with mixed evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest, but forest cover has decreased from 73 percent in 1973 to 63 percent in 1993. Here, the river landscape is flat. Small changes in water level determine the direction of water movement, including the large-scale reversal of flow into and out of the Tonle Sap basin from the Mekong River.
The Mekong delta in Vietnam is farmed intensively and has little natural vegetation left. Forest cover is less than 10 percent. In the Central Highlands of Vietnam, forest cover was reduced from over 95 percent in the 1950s to around 50 percent in the mid-1990s. Agricultural expansion and population pressure are the major reasons for land use and landscape change. Both drought and flood are common hazards in the Delta, which many people believe is the most sensitive to upstream hydrological change.
WATER FLOW ALONG ITS COURSE
By taking into account hydrological regimes, physiography land use, and existing, planned and potential resource developments, the Mekong is divided into six distinct reaches:Reach 1: Lancang Jiang or Upper Mekong River in China. In this part of the river, the major source of water flowing into the river comes from melting snow on the Tibetan Plateau. This volume of water is sometimes called the “Yunnan Component” and plays an important role in the low-flow hydrology of the lower mainstream. Even as far downstream as Kratie, the Yunnan Component makes up almost 30 percent of the average dry season flow. A major concern is that the ongoing and planned expansion of dams and reservoirs on the Mekong mainstream in Yunnan could have a significant effect on the low-flow regime of the Lower Mekong Basin system.
Reach 2: Chiang Saen to Vientiane and Nong Khai. This reach is almost entirely mountainous and covered with natural forest, although there has been widespread slash and burn agriculture. Although this reach could hardly be described as "unspoiled", the hydrological response is perhaps the most natural and undisturbed in all the Lower Basin. Many hydrological aspects of the Lower Basin start to change rapidly at the downstream boundary of this reach.
Reach 3: Vientiane and Nong Khai to Pakse. The boundary between Reach 2 and 3 is where the Mekong hydrology starts to change. Reach 2 is dominated in both wet and dry seasons by the Yunnan Component. Reach 3 is increasingly influenced by contributions from the large left bank tributaries in Laos, namely the Nam Ngum, Nam Theun, Nam Hinboun, Se Bang Fai, Se Bang Hieng, and Se Done rivers. The Mun-Chi river system from the right bank in Thailand enters the mainstream within this reach.
Reach 4: Pakse to Kratie. The main hydrological contributions to the mainstream in this reach come from the Se Kong, Se San, and Sre Pok catchments. Together, these rivers make up the largest hydrological sub-component of the Lower Basin. Over 25 percent of the mean annual flow volume to the mainstream at Kratie comes from these three river basins. They are the key element in the hydrology of this part of the system, especially to the Tonle Sap flow reversal.
Reach 5: Kratie to Phnom Penh. This reach includes the hydraulic complexities of the Cambodian floodplain, the Tonle Sap and the Great Lake. By this stage, over 95 percent of the total flow has entered the Mekong system. The focus turns from hydrology and water discharge to the assessment of water level, over- bank storage and flooding and the hydrodynamics that determine the timing, duration and volume of the seasonal flow reversal into and out of the Great Lake.
Reach 6: Phnom Penh to the South China Sea. Here the mainstream divides into a complex and increasingly controlled and artificial system of branches and canals. Key features of flow behaviour are tidal influences and salt water intrusion. Every year, 35–50 percent of this reach is flooded during the rainy season. The impact of road embankments and similar infrastructure developments on the movement of this flood water is an increasingly important consequence of development.
Flows at Chiang Saen entering the Lower Basin from Yunnan make up about 15 percent of the wet season flow at Kratie. This rises to 40 percent during the dry season, even this far downstream. During the wet season, the proportion of average flow coming from Yunnan rapidly decreases downstream of Chiang Saen, from 70 percent to less than 20 percent at Kratie. The dry season contribution from Yunnan is much more significant. The major portion of the balance comes from Laos, which points to a major distinction in the low-flow hydrology of the river. One fraction comes from melting snow in China and Tibet and the rest from over-season catchment storage in the Lower Basin. This has implications for the occurrence of drought conditions. For example, if runoff from melting snow in any given year is very low, then flows upstream of Vientiane-Nong Khai would be lower.
In a large river system like the Mekong, seasonal flows can be quite variable from year to year. Although the pattern of the annual hydrograph is fairly predictable, its magnitude is not. The average monthly flows along the mainstream are listed in Table 3, providing an indication of their range and variability from year to year. At Pakse, for example, flood season flows during August would exceed 20,000 cubic metres per second 9 years out of 10, but exceed 34,000 m³/s only 1 year in ten.
RIVER MODIFICATIONS
The Mekong is already heavily dammed, with many more dams planned and under construction. China has already built 6 dams on the Mekong since 1995, and plans another 14 dams in the coming years. Downriver countries such as Laos are planning to build an additional 11 large dams on the Mekong, making it the fastest growing large river basin in the world in terms of hydropower construction.
NATURAL HISTORY
The Mekong basin is one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world. Only the Amazon boasts a higher level of biodiversity. Biota estimates for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) include 20,000 plant species, 430 mammals, 1,200 birds, 800 reptiles and amphibians, and an estimated 850 freshwater fish species (excluding euryhaline species mainly found in salt or brackish water, as well as introduced species). The most species richness orders among the freshwater fish in the river basin are cypriniforms (377 species) and catfish (92 species). New species are regularly described from the Mekong. In 2009, 145 new species were described from the region, comprising 29 fish species previously unknown to science, 2 new bird species, 10 reptiles, 5 mammals, 96 plants and 6 new amphibians. The Mekong Region contains 16 WWF Global 200 ecoregions, the greatest concentration of ecoregions in mainland Asia. No other river is home to so many species of very large fish. The biggest include three species of Probarbus babs, which can grow up to 1.5 metres and weigh 70 kilograms, the giant freshwater stingray (Himantura polylepis, syn. H. chaophraya), which can have a length of up to 4.3 metres, the giant pangasius (Pangasius sanitwongsei), giant barb (Catlocarpio siamensis) and the endemic Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas). The last three can grow up to about 3 metres in length and weigh 300 kilograms. All of these are in serious decline, because of dams, flood control and overfishing.
One species of freshwater dolphin, the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), was once common in the whole of the Lower Mekong but is now very rare, with only 85 individuals remaining.
Among other wetland mammals that have been living in and around the river are the smooth-coated otter (Lutra perspicillata) and fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).
The endangered Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) occurs in small isolated pockets within the northern Cambodian and Laotian portions of the Mekong River. The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) once ranged from the Mekong Delta up the river into Tonle Sap and beyond but is now extinct in the river, along with being extinct in all of Vietnam and possibly even Cambodia.
WIKIPEDIA
Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Autogiro Company of America AC-35:
Developed for a Department of Commerce competition to create an aerial "Model T," the innovative two-seat AC-35 Autogiro could takeoff and land in 52 m (173 ft). After folding back the rotors, the pilot could switch engine power to the rear drive wheel, allowing street speeds of 40 kph (25 mph). The AC-35 initially suffered from stability problems, but further experimentation resulted in an aircraft that was safe and relatively easy to fly.
The AC-35 prototype performed well, but the $12,500 price tag was several times the average family income of 1936, and did not meet the goal of an affordable $700 aircraft for the suburbanite. Harold Pitcairn's Autogiro Company of America built only one AC-35 but continued work on an improved version. The beginning of World War II and the advent of the practical helicopter and spelled an end to Pitcairn's hopes for quantity production of the type.
Transferred from the Civil Aeronautics Administration.
Manufacturer:
Date:
1936
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Dimensions:
Rotor Diameter: 11.1 m (36 ft 4 in)
Length: 5.0 m (16 ft 3 in)
Height:2.4 m (8 ft)
Weight:Empty, 376 kg (828 lb)
Gross, 599 kg (1,320 lb)
Materials:
Silver-doped fabric and steel tube 2-seat roadable autogiro; 3-blade wood and fabric rotor; 2-blade wood propeller.
• • • • •
Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Hiller XH-44 Hiller-Copter:
In 1944, at the age of 19, Stanley Hiller, Jr. designed, built, and test flew the first helicopter with coaxial rotors to fly successfully in the United States. The XH-44 was also the first helicopter to fly successfully with all-metal blades and a rigid rotor. Hiller used the counter-rotating coaxial configuration to distinguish his designs from Sikorsky's single main rotor designs that dominated the helicopter industry in the mid-1940s.
The first tie-down tests of the XH-44 took place on his parents' driveway and the initial flight tests occurred at the University of California at Berkeley's football stadium, where Hiller was a student. He initially tested the XH-44 with amphibious floats in his family's swimming pool. Up-scaled coaxial Hiller designs failed to sell, but his company prospered with the introduction of the popular UH-12 single rotor model.
Gift of the Hiller Aircraft Company.
Manufacturer:
United Helicopters Incorporated
Date:
1943-1945
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Dimensions:
Rotor Dia:7.6m(15ft); Fuselage Length:4.1m(13ft4in);
Height:2.7m(9ft); Weight Empty: 564kg(1,244lb)
Materials:
Steel tube and fabric fuselage; 2 2-blade metal rotors
Whole-length, full face photograph of an unidentified man standing holding a bicycle, wearing knickerbockers and coat, straw boater, sash over right shoulder with medallion and the letters D R.
Learn more about this image, or download a hi-res copy, by checking out our catalogue: handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/49399
We now can see the full length of the over 6 km Leitisvatn/Sørvágsvatn Lake. The headlands on either side of the Lake drop precipitiously from heights of 252 and 376 m. into the North Atlantic. From this perspective, we also have a head-on view of the Bøsdalafossur waterfall, which is the Lake's outlet into the ocean. Distant north and east of the Lake provide vistas of rugged parts of the island of Streymoy.
Lights Sabers Action - A Star Wars Fan Film Documentary
Behind the scenes of a feature length Star Wars fan film shot on location at the Fermi Lab National Accelerator Laboratory. New behind the scenes/making of every Thursday.
What is Star Wars:Forgotten Realm? - liquidquicheproductions.blogspot.com/
Star Wars:Forgotten Realm is a set 7 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. The Emperor has mandated the expansion of the Empire. The Rebellion is in it's infancy. Rebel spy Yari'el Loor has secured the plans to an Imperial invasion of an area of the galaxy known as the Proteus Cluster. She hires Jared Dunkin, a xeno-archaeologist, to deliver her to her contact on the planet Berrata Prime. The Empire forces the them to crash on an uncharted planet located in a nebula. A Jedi, Web Mallick, and detachment of clone troopers, stranded on the planet for 10 years, witness the crash and rescue Jared and Yari'el from Imperial troops. Once the Emperor learns of this, he sends Vader and the 501st to deal with the Jedi. This film production is not associated with Lucasfilm, LTD.
Fermilab Today August 4,2011 A long time ago in a national laboratory far, far away... some physicists looked around their workplace and thought of dark forces. Not dark matter; not dark energy; but the ultimate force from the dark side: Darth Vader... Now, nearly six years later, employees and users at Fermilab can view the results: the first full-length Star Wars fan film. Well, actually, you can see the first 20 minutes, for now. Several of the scenes of the movie were filmed at Fermilab, including in the NUMI tunnel, during off-work hours. This first part of the movie showcases the prairie. The two-hour film was shot under the direction of Darren Crawford, the laboratory's Accelerator Operations crew chief. Crawford capitalized on the laboratory's concrete-walled, industrial-looking experimental tunnels and its natural prairies to create the stark, wild look of a futuristic world. Computer-aided special effects, generated with the help of co-workers, promise to give the !
film a polished, if not Hollywood, look. While Lucas Productions does not endorse the film, it does allow fans to make and show films as long as they don't charge admission.
Fan Film - wikipedia.org A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book or a similar source, created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been amateurs, but some of the more notable films have actually been produced by professional filmmakers as film school class projects or as demonstration reels. Fan films vary tremendously in quality, as well as in length, from short faux-teaser trailers for non-existent motion pictures to full-length motion pictures. The highest profile of these programs has been Lucasfilm's Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards
Groups that made this possible:
Vader's Fist 501st Legion www.501st.com/
The Legion is an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. The Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Wars through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work..."
Midwest Garrison - midwestgarrison.com/about.php
The Midwest Garrison is the Illinois chapter of The 501st Legion, a Star Wars Imperial costuming club. The 501st is dedicated to the movie-quality costumes of the "villains" of the Star Wars universe.
Bloodfin Garrison - bloodfingarrison.com/
Bloodfin Garrison was formed in 2002 as the Indiana-based chapter of the 501st Legion. Our group consists of a variety of individuals from the Hoosier state who show their love for Star Wars by wearing detailed replica Star Wars villian costumes. They include such favorite characters as Darth Vader, Imperial Stormtroopers, Biker Scouts, TIE Fighter Pilots, and Bounty Hunters just to name a few.
Sandtroopers.com - www.sandtroopers.com/about/
UNITED WE FIND! Sandtroopers.com is a Star Wars Toys Collectors' website that stands unique as the pro-fan, anti-scalper unifier in the collecting community. Focusing on new action figure releases as they hit markets across the nation and worldwide, and delivering original entertainment in our articles, Sandtroopers is the collector's most valuable tool in getting the toys and fighting the s
Lights Sabers Action - A Star Wars Fan Film Documentary
Behind the scenes of a feature length Star Wars fan film shot on location at the Fermi Lab National Accelerator Laboratory. Tweet: clicktotweet.com/P63Qe Like: on.fb.me/wvyTUf
Learn More About Star Wars FR - bit.ly/swfrthemovie
Updates youtube.com/fastfilms
Thanks to the Nailbourne project, I now understand how the communities and landscape fots in along its length, though that a bubbling noisy stream can just vanish then appear miles away is very difficult to get your head round. The Nailbourne only fully flows in very wet years, but when it does, the beds that are dry now can be several feet deep.
But downstream of Littlebourne, where the Nailbourne becomes the Little Stour, it is wider, about six feet wide, clogged with reeds and weeds, but also was used to power to large mills. They both stand, one between Littlebourne and Wickhambreaux, and the other in Wickhambreaux itself, though is now just a house But is a large white clapboard building, with a large wheel.
These days, the village looks very prosperous, all grand houses or cottage conversions.
From here, the Little Stour makes its way over the marshes which centuries ago was the Wantsum Channel, so Wickhambreaux was almost a seaside town.
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The interior of this very pretty church is dominated by nineteenth-century work. The whole of the chancel and baptistry is lined with dark brown encaustic tiles, hiding a straightforward fourteenth-century church. The east window is an early example of American Art Nouveau in England, and dominates the entire building. It was designed by Baron Arild Rosenkrantz in 1896. Above the window are stencilled paintings of angels ascending, which can also be seen in the nave, whilst the roof there has a charming star-spangled sky. At the south-west corner is a vestry - screened off by an eighteenth-century screen which may have formed part of the refitting of the chancel paid for by Mary Young. Her monument in the chancel records that 'infirm from her youth she protracted life to the 68th year of her age'. She left £100 for wainscotting and ornamenting the chancel. The interior viewed from the east gives an unusual appearance as the aisles flank the tower (see also Sandhurst).
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Wickhambreaux
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WICKHAM BREAUS
LIES adjoining to Littleborne north-eastward, being usally called Wickham Brook. It is likewise called Wickham by Wingham, to distinguish it from the two other parishes of the same name in this county. In Domesday it is written Wicheham, a name derived from its situation near the banks of the river, which runs close to it. There is only one borough in it, viz. the borough of Wickham, which comprehends the whole parish.
Wickham is a low, flat, and unpleasant situation, and lying so near the marshes cannot but be unhealthy, the land throughout it is in general good and sertile, especially near the village, where the fields are very large and level ground. The village, in number about twenty houses, stands at the south-east boundary of the parish, built round a green, over which the road leads to Ickham, having the church and court-lodge on one side, and the parsonage, a handsome brick house, on the other. At the further end of the green, the Lesser Stour crosses the road, and turns a corn-mill belonging to the manor, beyond it is only one house, called the Stone-house, being built of squared stones and slints in chequers, and by the arched windows and door-ways seems of some antiquity. The parish stretches a good distance northward, as far as Groveferry, the house of which is within it, and the greater Stour river, over a level of about 500 acres of marsh land, which extend from the river into a sinus, with a ridge of upland on each side, to within a quarter of a mile of the village. North eastward from which is the Saperton, formerly the property of the Beakes's, who resided here as early as king Henry the VIIIth.'s reign; it was sold by them to the Furneses, whence it came by marriage, with Copthall, in this parish, to the St. John's, viscounts Bolingbroke, who have lately sold it, but one of the family of Beake, many of whom lie buried in this church, now occupies it. A little beyond this is Newnham, once accounted a manor, formerly belonging to the Ropers, lords Teynham, afterwards to the Bartholomews, then to Joseph Brooke, esq. of Rochester, and now to his devisee the Rev. John Kenward Shaw Brooke, of Town-Malling.—Hence among the marshes is the hamlet of Grove, through which the road leads across them to the right over the lesser Stour, to Wingham, Ash, and the eastern parts of Kent, and to the left by Grove-ferry over the Greater Stour, to the northern part of the country and the Isle of Thanet. There is no other wood in the parish excepting Trendley park. There is no fair.
At the time of taking the survey of Domesday, in the year 1080, this place was part of those possessions with which that king had enriched his half-brother Odo, the great bishop of Baieux. Accordingly it is thus entered in that record, under the general title of his lands:
In Donamesford hundred, the bishop himself holds in demesne Wicheham. It was taxed at four sulings. The arable land is eleven carucates. In demesne there are two carucates, and thirty-six villeins, with thirty-two cottagers having nine carucates. There is a church, and one priest who gives forty shillings per annum. There is one park, and two mills of fifty shillings, and two saltpits of thirtytwo pence, and three fisheries of four shillings, and thirtytwo acres of meadow. Pasture for three hundred sheep and for thirty-one beasts. Wood for the pannage of eighty bogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth twenty-five pounds, when he received it twenty pounds, now thirty pounds. There belong to this manor in Canterbury three plats of land paying six shillings and eight pence. Alured Biga held it of king Edward. Moreover there belongs to this manor half a suling of free land, which Sired held of Alured Biga, and Goisfrid, son of Badland, now holds it of the bishop of Baieux, and it is and was worth separately sixty shillings.
Four years afterwards the bishop was disgraced, and all his possessions were consiscated to the crown, of which this manor appears afterwards to have been held by the Cliffords. Walter, son of Walter de Clifford, possessed it in the reign of king John, and with Agnes de Cundy, his wife, was a good benefactor to St. Augustine's abbey, and that of St. Radigund. (fn. 1) By the marriage of Margaret, daughter and heir of Walter Clifford, with John de Brewse, it passed into that name, and William de Brewse, or de Braiosa, as they were written in Latin, was possessed of it in the 42d year of king Henry III. His descendant William de Brewse, lord of the honour of Brembre, in Sussex, and of Gower, in Wales, as he stiled himself, whose ancestor came into England with the Conqueror, who gave him the castle of Brember, and whose descendant afterwards, by the marriage with Bertha, daughter and one of the coheirs of Milo, earl of Hereford, became possessed of the castles of Brecknock and Gower likewife, and bore for his arms, Azure, a lion rampant, between twelve cross-croslets, or; though I find by the pedigrees of this family, that his ancestors bore Azure, three bars vaire, argent, and gules. He was several times summoned to parliament in king Edward I.'s reign, as was his son of the same name, both in that and Edward II.'s reign, and died possessed of this manor in the 19th year of the latter. Very soon after which it appears, with the church appendant to it, to have come into the possession of Edmund of Woodstock, earl of Kent, half brother to king Edward II. (fn. 2) After which it descended to his brother John Plantagenet, likewife earl of Kent, it being then held of the king in sergeantry. He died anno 26 Edward III. upon which Joane his sister, commonly called the Fair Maid of Kent, wife of Sir Thomas Holand, became his heir, who in her right not only possessed this manor, but became earl of Kent likewise. She afterwards married Edward the black prince, and died in the 9th year of king Richard II. being succeeded in this manor then held in capite, by Thomas Holand, earl of Kent, her son by her first husband, whose two sons, Thomas and Edward, both earls of Kent, and the former created Duke of Surry, in turn succeeded to it, and the latter dying anno 9 Henry IV. his five sisters became his coheirs, and on a partition made between them, Edmund, earl of March, son of Eleanor, late countess of March, the eldest of them became entitled to this manor in his mother's right, being the last earl of March of this family, for he died s. p. in the 3d year of king Henry VI. being then possessed of it. The year after which, Joane, wife of Sir John Gray, appears by the escheat rolls to have been entitled to it; not long after which it became the property of the family of Tibetot, or Tiptoft, as they were usually called, in whom it continued down to John Tiptost, earl of Worcester, who was attainted and beheaded in 1471, anno 10 Edward IV. king Henry being then restored to the crown. He lest an infant son Edward, who, though he was afterwards restored in blood by king Edward IV. yet I do not find that he was ever reinstated in the possession of this manor, which remained in the crown till the reign of king Henry VIII. who granted it, with the advowson of the church, to Sir Matthew Browne, of Beechworth-castle, who in the 22d year of it, passed it away to Lucy, widow of his uncle Sir Anthony Browne, standard-bearer of England, whose grandson Anthony was, anno I and 2 of Philip and Mary, created viscount Montague, and died possessed of this manor anno 34 Elizabeth, and by his will devised it to his eldest son by his second wife, Sir George Browne, who was of Wickham Breaus, and his grandson Sir George Browne, K. B. leaving two daughters his coheirs, Winifrid, married to Basil Brooks, esq. of Salop, and Eleanor, to Henry Farmer, esq. of Oxfordshire, they joined in the sale of it, at the latter end of Charles II.'s reign, to Sir H. Palmer, bart. of Wingham, who died possessed of it in 1706, s. p. and by his will devised it to his nephew Sir Thomas Palmer, bart. who died in 1723, and by his will gave it to his natural son Herbert Palmer, esq. who married Bethia, one of the daughters of Sir Thomas D'Aeth, bart. of Knowlton, who died in 1760, s. p., having devised this manor, with the advowson of the church appendant, to his widow. She afterwards married John Cosnan, esq. who in her right became possessed of it, and died in 1778, s. p. leaving her furviving, upon which she again became entitled to the possession of it, and continued owner of it till her death in 1797, on which it came to her nephew Sir Narborough D'Aeth, bart. of Knowlton, the present owner of it. A court leet and court baron is held for this manor.
Trendley park, now accounted a manor of itself, is situated at the north-west boundary of this parish, being entirely separated from the rest of it by that of Littleborne intervening. It was part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, and is noticed in the survey of Domesday, in the description of the manor of Wickham above recited, in which it is mentioned as being then a park; and it should seem that at least part of it was then accounted as appurtenant to that manor; though in the description of the manor of Littleborne, in the same survey, which then belonged to the abbey of St. Augustine, it appears that the bishop had lands belonging to that manor too lying within his park here. Of this manor the bishop of Baieux has in his park as much land as is worth sixty shillings, says the record. In part of the recompence for which, the bishop seems to have given the abbot the manor of Garwinton, in Littleborne, and other land within the manor of Leeds, as may be seen by the entries of both these manors in the same record. Soon after which there was another exchange of land made between the bishop and archbishop Lanfranc, for some which lay within his park of Wikeham. What is remarkable in this instrument is, that it is given in two languages, in Saxon and Latin, but neither is a translation of the other, for both are originals, as was a frequent custom of that time. Appendant to it is the bishop's seal in wax, representing him on one side on horseback, with his sword and spurs, as an earl, and on the other habited as a bishop, with his pastoral staff; being perhaps the only seal of Odo at this time extant. (fn. 3) By all which it appears, that this park is much more antient than that of Woodstock, which has been accounted the first inclosed park in England. How long it continued an inclosed park, I have no where found; but in the beginning of king Henry VI.'s reign it was not so, as appears by the escheat-rolls of the 3d year of it, after the death of Edmund, earl of March, at which time there were two hundred acres of wood in it. He was lord of the manor of Wickham, and Trendley park was chiefly at that time certainly appurtenant to it, and continued so whilst in the possession of the same owners, which it did most probably till the attainder of John Tiptost, earl of Worcester, in the 10th year of king Edward IV. when they both came into the hands of the crown, and though king Henry VIII. afterwards granted the manor of Wickham to Sir Matthew Browne, yet I do not find that Trendley park was granted with it. From which time it has had separate owners. For some time it has been the property of the family of Denne, who continue at this time the owners of it. It lies in an unpleasant, lonely part of the parish, facing Westbere, and consists of three hundred acres of woodland, and a house called the Park-house. There is a high road through the middle of it from Stodmarsh to Canterbury market, which in king Edward II.'s reign, was attempted to be shut up, but the sheriff, with the posse comitatus, was ordered to open it again, as being an antient and allowed high road.
Charities.
Andrew Holness, of Seton, in Ickham, by will in 1554, gave to the poor 2s. in money and bread, to be distributed yearly; the churchwardens to take so much yearly out of his lands in Ickham and Wickham, except his house and garden at Seton, in case his executors did not give the same yearly.
Henry Sloyden, of Wickham Breaus, by will in 1568, gave for the use of the poor and Littleborne, in equal portions, a piece of land containing six acres and a half in the latter parish, called Church-close, which is distributed twice a year by the respective minister and churchwardens, and is of the annual produce of 4l.
John Smith, rector of this parish, by deed in 1656, gave a school-room, and a house and garden for a schoolmaster, in this parish, for teaching the children of it. The master to be chosen from one of his relations in preference, if any such could be found, is vested in the rector and churchwardens of this parish.
Sir Henry Palmer, of Bekesborne, by his will in 1611, gave the sum of 10s. to each of the several parishes of Wickham, Stodmarsh, Littleborne, and five others therein mentioned, to be paid into the hands of the minister and churchwardens yearly, out of his manor and lands of Well-court, at Michaelmas, towards the relief of the poor of each of them.
Thomas Belke, D. D. rector of this parish, by will in 1712, gave 501. for the putting out of five poor children of this parish apprentices.
There are about thirty poor constantly relieved, and casually seventy.
This parish is within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Bridge.
¶The church, which is dedicated to St. Andrew, consists of three isles and one chancel, having at the west end a square tower, in which hang six bells. The church is not large, but is handsome and neat. In the middle isle are several memorials for the Beakes, of Saperton. In the south isle for the Larkins, who lived at Grove, in this parish. In the east window are remains of good painted glass, viz. the arms of Edward the black price and of Mortimer, quartered with Burgh, and a representation of Herod's daughter beheading John the Baptist. In the chancel, on the pavement, is the figure of a priest in brass, and inscription, for Henry Welde, rector, obt. 1420. A gravestone, and monument for Alexander Young, B D. rector of this parish, who rebuilt this parsonage-house, and repaired that of Eastchurch, of which he was vicar likewife, at the expence of 2000l. obt. March 21, 1755. A memorial for John Smith, rector, obt. Oct. 28, 1658. In the church-yard are many headstones, and a tombstone for the family of Beake. In the windows of this church there were formerly many different shields of arms, long since demolished.
This church was always an appendage to the manor, and continues so at this time, Sir Narborough D' Aeth, bart. owner of the manor of Wickham, being the present patron of it.
There was antiently both a rectory and vicarage in this church, which continued till the year 1322, when on a vacancy of the latter, Richard de Newcastle, the rector, petitioned archbishop Walter Reynolds, that they might be consolidated, which was granted, and they have continued in that state to the present time. (fn. 4)
This rectory is valued in the king's books at 29l. 12s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at 2l. 19s. 3d. In 1588 it was valued at 250l. communicants one hundred and sixty-three. In 1640 the same. There are eighteen acres of glebe-land.
The marsh-lands in this parish, within Wickham and Preston valleys, pay a modus of two-pence an acre, and those within Newnham 1½d. only, in lieu of all tithes.
This small breviary, having more that five hundred folio, is extraordinary for its length, considering it is the summer portion of a two-volume breviary for the use of Liège. The manuscript was completed for ecclesiastical use at Cathedral of Notre-Dame and St. Lambert in Liège in 1420 circa. The attribution is evidenced for instance by the Petitions to the congregation of this Cathedral (fols. 114v-117v), as well as the armorial shield of the family of Surlet de Chokier of Liège represented at the opening of the Psalms. The manuscript has a modest, but interesting, decoration with historiated and non figural initials that mark the liturgical texts. The folios opening the major divisions of the texts, display a border decoration with natural motifs and angels playing instruments. The most notable pictorial effect is probably found in the initials inhabited by transparent figures on rich blue ground. The technique is visible, for instance, on fol. 156r with the gold monstrance hold by the translucent angels for the feast of the Corpus Christi.
Seventeenth-century Flemish stiff-board vellum; sides bent to form 8 mm flap at fore-edge; rebacked; resewn on four double cords; gilt fillet frame, corner fleurons, centered oval formed of gilt laurel; gilt armorial shield inside oval surmounted by crest with horned man, flanked by monogram R C; modern endbands; brown leather fore-edge tabs.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
The main reason for cutting my LONG hair is so that I could donate it to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths Program.
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The JCB Display Team, more commonly known as the "Dancing Diggers" performs across the length and breadth of the country and is recognised as one of the top arena attractions available.
The team has appeared on television many times, showcasing the amazing abilities of the machine operators as they push their diggers to the absolute maximum of their capabilities.
The team comprised of 4 giant JCB 3CX diggers and one 527-55 loadall.
The four JCB's in the team weigh 8.5 tonnes each and cost in excess of £48,000 each.
The Display Team drivers perform dare devil stunts and formation digger dancing. During a performance accompanied by music they push the machines and themselves to the limit, thrilling audiences of all ages.
The stunts performed are not only very difficult, but are also very dangerous, and must, under no circumstances be attempted by anyone in the audience!
Whilst on location the team provided a static display for the public which was very popular
The Machines
527-55 LOADALL
The JCB 527-55 is a hugely efficient Dieselmax-powered Loadall. It’s powerful, productive, manoeuvrable, comfortable and safe.
3CX Eco
The JCB 3CX is the world’s number one backhoe loader (along with the JCB 4CX). The 3CX is a product of JCB’s efficient design philosophy, responding to today’s rising fuel prices and environmental concerns with class-leading efficiency and low running costs. In short, innovative technologies have been applied to squeeze the absolute maximum out of every drop of fuel on the JCB 3CX Eco.
The Company
The firm was founded by Joseph Cyril Bamford in October 1945 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England.
The JCB logo dates from 1953; from 1960 the company typewriters were given an extra key to render it accurately. The logo was designed by Leslie Smith, and is off-set at 18 degrees from the horizontal and 22 degrees from the vertical - the angles Joe Bamford liked.
To demonstrate his faith in the hydraulic failsafes on JCB machines (which lock the arms in the event of a loss of hydraulic pressure, preventing them from crashing to the ground), Joe Cyril Bamford arranged to have several backhoes raise themselves up on their arms, and drove his car beneath them.
This has since developed into a world famous demonstration of the versatility of the backhoe configuration. The JCB display team (JCB Dancing Diggers) tour agricultural shows and produce videos, showing some of the unusual ways in which such vehicles can support themselves or manoeuvre. For example, it is quite common for drivers to support the vehicle on both buckets, either for turning on the spot without damaging ground, or for spinning the tracks in a puddle to clean them. The display team expanded this concept into a sort of vehicle gymnastics. The drivers are members of JCB's demonstration team, who visit prospective customers and demonstrate machines on the customer's property in order to prove the machine's suitability for the task at hand.
A shot from the full-length mirror inside the closet in my room just across from the convention action. (We get a nice parade of cosplayers crossing the street.) For the record, I'm right-handed. I'm smiling more in the next picture.
Around 6:30 pm, I started getting ready, apologizing to my roommate (who knows about me), but I had to do this, even if I didn't get outside of the room, else I'd regret it. I packed a separate wardrobe just for this. I haven't even worn all the boy-mode costumes I planned. (In other words, I seriously overpacked this time around.)
By 7:15, I had the face done, and got into wardrobe. I'm wearing my LBD from the previous pictures (Damn black bra straps and upper part of the cups are showing a bit.), opaque black tights, and black ballet bow flats. (I did try out the 3.5" black heels, but I don't trust myself walking too far as of yet.)
I'm wearing a boy-mode trenchcoat over this, mainly because I'm self-conscious, and I don't have any proper coats. (I guess I'll have to wait until they get back in season. Gah.)
This should have taken place Saturday night, instead of Sunday night, but quite a few things came up. I came out to two of my other friends, both of whom have known me for over a decade. It went a lot easier than talking to two of my other friends a few weeks back.
At least, I did it, and even if I don't get out of the room tonight, I'm okay. I'm serious - I'm not cool with my voice, my walk, or my mannerisms. I am very, very scared that I'm going to get "read" the moment I head down the hall on my floor, out to the lobby, or even out on the street on the way to the convention center. I've sighted at least 4-5 other crossplayers/crossdressers at this con, and I only wish I had a fraction of their confidence, attitude, and courage.
I could call a couple of my friends to come up and accompany me out and about, if nothing else, for moral support. If I don't, and opt for staying in the room, at least the important thing is that I did something, even if it's a very small step.
Who knows? Next year I could go out among congoers, and truly feel good about it. It's a long way off, but it leaves plenty of time to work on a lot of things.
All the same, I did some courageous things this weekend, nonetheless. There's always future outings, perhaps not even at conventions. I'm going to have a lot more free time in the immediate future, though not as much funds to play around with for that time.
Enjoy!
Hugs and kisses,
Julie Anne...
AUTOMEDON
Automedon (1)
The Automedon was built in 1922 by Palmer's Shipbuilding & Iron Co. at Jarrow with a tonnage of 7628grt, a length of 459ft 4in, a beam of 58ft 4in and a service speed of 14 knots. Sister of the Eumaeus she was built for the Ocean Steam Navigation Co. On 11th November 1940 when sailing between the Nicobar Islands and Ceylon the German armed merchant cruise Atlantis under the command of Kapitan Bernhard Rogge was spotted some 18 miles distance in a sea that was like glass. The two ships converged and when some 4600 yards apart the Atlantis swung to starboard, cleared for action and fired a warning shot.
Immediately, the Automedon began to radio for assistance sending 'RRR Automedon 0416N' before the transmission was jammed and the Atlantis opened fire. The Atlantis was an experienced AMC and her gunfire extremely accurate. Her first shells demolished the bridge killing everybody there including her master, Capt. W. B. Ewan. Three further salvoes scored eleven hits before the Atlantis ceased firing. The Automedon was still steaming at full speed and a man on board attempted to reach the stern gun to return fire. Three more salvoes hit the ship killing the gunner and stopping the ship.
A boarding party from the Atlantis found a complete shambles with all the ships paper destroyed with the exception of those in the safe. Examination of the holds revealed a cargo worth millions to the Allied war effort. Bound for Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai she was carrying aircraft , cars, machinery spares, bicycles, microscopes, service uniforms, steel and copper sheets, cameras, sewing machines as well as beer , whisky cigarettes and food supplies. There were also 120 mail bags. Rogge was concerned about the situation as both ships were stationary in a relatively busy shipping lane and another ship observing the scene would quickly guess what was happening and send a radio message before any action could be taken by the Atlantis.
He therefore set a time limit of 3 hours during which time 31 British and 56 Chinese crew members, 3 passengers including a woman, their possessions, all the frozen meat and food together with the ship's papers and the mail bags. The British crew members were appreciative of Rogge's gesture regarding possessions and assisted with the transfer of food but nothing else. They did, however, indicate where 550 cases of whisky were stored in the No.3 hold as well as helping to locate 2.5 million Chesterfield cigarettes.
Among the 56 Chinese crew members were twenty or so who had been picked up from Lawther & Latter's Anglo-Saxon which had been sunk earlier in the North Atlantic. They were on their way home to Hong Kong and Rogge was impressed by their phlegmatic stoicism. As the stores were being loaded the safe was forced and the contents extracted. Because the bridge party were killed at the onset of the action the secret documents could not be destroyed. Amongst the papers were Admiralty Sailing Instructions, the Merchant Navy Code and Deciphering Tables 7, 8 and 9.
To Rogge's further astonishment, when two mail bags marked ' Safe Hand, British Master Only' were opened, he found mail for the Commander-in-Chief, Far East which included Cabinet papers suggesting a defence of the Far East and a review of the European situation at the time. He also found detailed maps of minefields, new fleet cipher tables plus a number of coded documents. The contents of the two mail bags was so comprehensive that the Japanese later believed them to be fakes, put on board a British merchant ship in order to mislead the enemy. Rogge then thought that he could tow the Automedon out of the shipping but his engineers reported that the steering gear had been totally wrecked so the concept had to be abandoned.
Consequently, time bombs were placed aboard the Automedon and at 15.07 hours she became the thirteenth victim of the Atlantis as she sank by the stern. The survivors eventually Bordeaux in the captured Norwegian tanker Storstad. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
Information supplied may not be wholly correct, if you have further details please add it below...Thank you!
Photo Credits: The late Don Ross Collection
Cheers and GB
Gordy
Fonte official FB page:
Over the course of Devin Townsend’s storied career, a single constant has persevered: change. As far back as Steve Vai’s Sex & Religion, which Townsend fronted, to 2001’s landmark full-length Terria to the multi-instrumentalist’s country rock outfit Casualties of Cool to his stunning new album Transcendence, the Canadian isn’t too interested in keeping an even musical keel. To stay the proverbial course is, well, anathema. For certain, he’s far too impatient to write the same Strapping Young Lad song over and over—which is why he folded the band in 2007—and it’s likely there will never be a fourth or fifth Ziltoid album (a third if we’re lucky) because by that point he’ll be in a totally different frame of mind for galactic puppets gone awry.
“The Devin Townsend Project is still essentially a solo project,” he reminds. “One of several, but the difference is that I've had a dedicated team of talented folks here that really had great ideas. of the ways I consciously stepped out of my comfort zone was to the solicit feedback from not only the band, but also to production and engineering. Opinions from people I trust at the management and label, and all with a sense of building a kind of archetype of the DTP sound that would not ostracize people who enjoy the style, but keeping it fresh for me as well. One of the things I did was present my vision—which I’ve always done—and within that framework, I’d massage it with the team. For this record, in those sections, I’d bring it to the band and say, ‘Look guys, here’s what it’s supposed to do. This is how it’s supposed to make me feel. And how the audience is supposed to feel. This is how it interacts with the parts prior and after. That’s why it exists. It’s not complicated because we’re trying to jerk off here. It’s complicated because, in my mind, the emotional component of the section is complicated. But in lieu of how quickly I tend to purge music I’m thinking: how can we make it cooler while I can still move quickly? 'Here’s the basic chord structure guys, this is what I think it should basically do, be it angular or in thirds or whatnot... Dave [Young; guitars] and Mike [St-Jean; keyboards] Ryan (VanPoederooyen: drums) and Brian (Waddell: bass) , can you think of something cooler there? I’ll be back tomorrow.’”
“It took a year to try and figure out a template for what DTP should be and still be of interest to me,” remembers Townsend, “And as much as I’ve been a control freak for so long, I’m also at an age where I recognize those elements—like friends—in my life are ultimately more important than music, and the need to control something like the DTP at this point is more rooted in insecurity now that necessity. I do enjoy being part of a team. I like to think after so many records with these guys that I don't really have to be at the center of everything. I can trust a team of people—the right people—to help where I need help. I need an engineer who has better ears than me. My ears are getting tired after all these years. If you put together a team whose strengths are better than yours, and then you put in your strengths, then what comes out of it, for no other reason than for an experiment, is really cool. And in line with my need for a project to have a theme to draw me into it, That’s what this records theme became. It’s an experiment put to music. If anything really kick started the inspiration for the record, it was that. The desire to get the DTP 'right' for what it is.”
Recorded at The Armoury Studios in Vancouver, Canada with Townsend and Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood (Periphery, Animals as Leaders), Transcendence sounds absolutely massive. From the moment ‘Truth’—a re-work from the Infinity album—monstrously blends into the soul-stirring ‘Stormbending’ to the undulating cool of mid-point jam ‘Secret Sciences’ and Ween cover ‘Transdermal Celebration’, Townsend and crew have engineered a modern-day classic. The sheer scale of tracks like ‘Failure’, ‘Higher’, and the majestic title track is at once daunting and inviting. Transcendence pulls the listener in like a movie score. It has the emotional heft of Rosenman’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and the mega-riff power of Black-era Metallica.
Even if Transcendence had its 'bikini wax' moments—(Townsend metaphorically refers to his process as 'professionally hitting myself in the face with a hammer')—the final product is fantastic. In many ways, it’s typical The Devin Townsend Project, however there is now an inviting sense of depth and relative breathing room in the sound. Always professional and sonically awash in darks, lights, and colors between, it turned out not only to be an acceptable new DTP record, but arguably one of the best. What also added to the overall quality was the addition of five guest musicians—including but not limited to ex-The Gathering vocalist Anneke Van Giersbergen, vocalists Ché Aimee Dorval and Katrina Natale—and a five-person choir called Tigers In A Tank. Their contribution to Transcendence’s overall ambiance is noteworthy and necessary.
“Well, I love working with female vocalists because I’m not particularly fond of singing and I really react emotionally to female voices,” posits the frontman. “I kind of fell into singing. I could never find someone who would sing like I wanted, so I begrudgingly took the job. Anneke’s obviously worked with me for a while now. Ché was on this record because she was with me in Casualties of Cool. And Katrina sang one song on the Ghost album. Also, I wanted the three of them on this record if this was to be the last DTP record. They bring it all together. So, sticking with the same people is the same reason I’ve been married for so long. Once I find great people, I have no need to look elsewhere for the similar things. It’s kind of great as it eliminates option paralysis in that area, though as different needs arise, often things evolve as well. As for the choir, it’s typically been inefficient. For the last record, I went to Amsterdam and it was crazy. I went to Sweden and it was cool but super-expensive. On Epicloud, I had a gospel choir, but had to over-dub a lot. For this one, I asked my buddy Eric [Severinson] to find three capable women and two men. I was able to create the choir by doing over-dubs and recording on-the-fly. It turned out great and it was very efficient.”
With over 60 songs in the bag for Transcendence, (not all, he is quick to point out, of the same quality) Townsend obviously had to pare down. The songs that made it, however, are breathtaking in their scope, beautiful in their presentation, and heavy—noticeably—enough to out-bombast the sum of The Devin Townsend Project’s previous full-lengths. Certainly, Townsend knows how he feels about the songs on Transcendence (and its accompanying second disc). Each song, from ‘Truth’ and ‘Secret Sciences’ to ‘Stars’ and ‘Offer Your Heart’, provoked a reaction from the man.
“My litmus test for whether or not a song or a record is working is really about my visceral reaction to it,” Townsend says. “If I react to it, then it’s correct, for me. That reaction could be repulsion, it could make me cry, it could irritate me, I could be loving it, it’s pretty much all the same. As long as I’m affected by the song, then I know I have something accurate.”
As for the Townsend’s loyal fans? The very fans who’ve been waiting with bated breath for Transcendence?
“If it gives me a reaction, then I hope it’ll contribute something to their world. Ultimately, I'm happy to contribute my observations to the massive sea of music. If there's anything that became clear to me throughout this all is the value of being part of something as opposed to being too concerned about 'being' the thing'
This is a graph sampling all the photos I have ever taken (and have stored in JPG format) using my D70. Interesting trends.
(0mm is MF lenses mounted on my D70)
Tool used: www.cpr.demon.nl/prog_plotf.html
C & O Canal barge going thru the locks at Georgetown
The Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal is one of the most intact and impressive survivals of the American canal-building era. The C&O Canal is unique in that it remains virtually unbroken and without substantial modification affecting its original character for its entire length of 185 miles.
The C&O Company was chartered in 1825 to construct a shipping canal connecting tidewater on the Potomac River in DC with the headwaters of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania, thereby providing an economical trade route between the eastern seaboard and the trans-Allegheny West. The company acquired the rights of the Potomac Company, formed by George Washington and associates to improve navigation on the Potomac. That venture had attempted to achieve its objective by deepening the channel and cutting skirting canals around impassible rapids, but the flow of the river proved too erratic to make these measures successful. This experience led C&O promoters to adopt plans for a separate canal paralleling the river. President John Quincy Adams turned the first spadeful of earth in ceremonies at Little Falls, Maryland, on July 4, 1828. On the same day, construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad westward from Baltimore was begun-a move that would have significant implications for the ultimate fate of the canal and the canal era generally.
From the start, numerous difficulties retarded the progress of the canal construction. An acute labor shortage forced the company to campaign for workers from other states. Numerous disputes arose with landowners that resisted efforts to purchase the right-of-way. Between 1842 and 1847, construction was at a standstill. The canal was finally completed to Cumberland, Maryland, in 1850, bringing the total cost of the project to over $11 million.
During the years following the Civil War, the coal trade increased rapidly until in 1871, the peak year, some 850,000 tons were carried down the canal. During these few profitable years more than 500 boats were in frequent operation on the canal.
In the late 1870s the canal trade began to decline as many of the Allegheny coal operators began to ship over the B&O Railroad, the canal's greatest competitor. This development, together with the effects of the nationwide economic depression in the mid-1870s and major floods in 1877 and 1886, again put a severe strain on the finances. In 1889 an enormous flood forced the canal company into receivership, and the B&O Railroad emerged as the majority owner of the company's bonds. In 1924, by which time the railroad had captured almost all of the carrying trade, another damaging flood struck. This time the repairs necessary to resume operation were not made, and the active era of the canal came to an end.
In 1938 the railroad, hurt by the Depression, sold the entire canal to the United States government, and the canal was placed under the National Park Service. In 1961, President Eisenhower proclaimed it a national monument. An act of Congress in 1971 authorized the acquisition of additional land and establishment of the C&O Canal National Historical Park.
The canal survives as an excellent illustration of 19th-century canal-building technology. The magnitude of the engineering achievement is exemplified by the length of the canal, its 74 lift locks to accommodate a rise of 605 feet, the 11 stone aqueducts spanning the major Potomac tributaries, 7 dams supplying water to the canal, hundreds of culverts carrying roads and streams beneath the canal, and a 3,117-foot tunnel carrying the canal through a large shale rock formation.
The short length Engine Arm Canal, (Also known as the Birmingham Feeder Arm), which runs off the Birmingham Main Line canal in Smethwick, Sandwell, West Midlands.
It was constructed by Thomas Telford in 1825 to carry water from Rotton Park Reservoir (now called Edgbaston Reservoir) to the Old Main Line of the BCN Main Line Canal.
The Engine Arm was later made navigable in 1830 so that boats could carry coal.
The branch crossed the New Main Line via Telford's cast iron Engine Arm Aqueduct, which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Information Source:
INFORMATION UPDATED 5th January 2020
Details
Our Jack – wooden twin screw steamer O/N 121198
Engines: two compound engines producing 30 h.p.
Builder: John Wright & Co. Ltd., Tuncurry
Register Tonnage: (1 shipping ton = 100 cu. ft.)
-Gross 272
-Net 152
Length: 133 ft
Breadth: 28.0 ft
Depth: 6.8 ft
Owners
1907 – 1910 John Wright, Ernest Wright, Henry Osmond Wright, and Stanley Gordon Wright.
Note: John Wright died in June 1910. The firm of Messrs. John Wright & Co., Ltd., was registered on or about 20th November, 1912,
1910 – 1917 John Wright & Co. Ltd and Allen Taylor & Co .Ltd.
1917 – 1920 Allen Taylor and Co. Ltd
1920 – 1921 North Coast Steam Navigation Company
Launch
‘A NEW COASTER The new steamer Jack [Our Jack] was launched on Wednesday [30th October 1907] from Mr. J. Wright's shipyard at Tuncurry, Cape Hawke. The new vessel has a length of 138 ft; beam, 28 ft; depth, moulded, 7ft 3 in. She is intended for the coastal timber trade, and has a carrying capacity of 90,000 ft. She is to be towed to Sydney next week to have her engines fitted, which have been constructed by Messrs. Chapman and Co. The vessel was christened by Miss Annie Wright [the owner's daughter]. After the launching Mr. Wright entertained a large number of visitors at a banquet. The health of Mr. Wright was drunk and "Success to the new ship and the ship building industry of Cape Hawke."’ Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) - Friday 1 November 1907
Commissioning
A NEW COASTAL STEAMER - OUR JACK IN COMMISSION.
The new twin-screw steamer Our Jack, which has just been completed at Sydney, will to-day commence her trading career in the service between Sydney and Newcastle. She is a handy and strongly-built little vessel of 272 tons gross, and of 152 tons net, and although she is intended primarily for the coal [coastal] trade, she has been fitted with accommodation for a limited number of passengers. Our Jack was built at the yards of Mr. John Wright, at Tuncurry, Cape Hawke, and is of hardwood throughout. She is 133ft in length, with a beam of 28ft; her depth of hold being 6ft 8in. Upon being launched at Cape Hawke she was towed some weeks ago to Sydney, where she has been supplied by Messrs. Chapman and Co. with two sets of compound-surface condensing engines, the diameters of the cylinders being 10in and 20in respectively, with a stroke of 16 inches. The boilers were also made and fitted by the same firm of engineers.’
Our Jack was taken for her official trial trip on Saturday afternoon last [8th February 1908], when she maintained an average speed of 8½ knots. Among those on board were Messrs. John Wright, Allen Taylor, Nicholas Cain, and Captain Grainger. The machinery worked very smoothly throughout, and there was an entire absence of vibration. One of the features of the new vessel is her exceptionally large hatches, and she is well adapted for carrying heavy loads on deck. Our Jack was yesterday registered (through the office of W. S. Clarke and Son, shipping brokers), in the names of John Wright, Ernest Wright, Henry Osmond Wright, and Stanley Gordon Wright, as Joint owners. Captain James Hunt, formerly master of the steamer Bellinger, and for many years engaged in the coastal trade, has been appointed to the command of Our Jack.
The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Tuesday 11 February 1908
Operation
Over the periods 1908 - 1921 Our Jack was regularly engaged in the timber trade from NSW North Coast ports to Sydney and Newcastle. She frequently assisted in operations other than directly in the timber trade.
In May 1909 she transported the launch Mona from her builder William Dunn’s shipyard in Berry’s Bay to her new owner Charles Bowers. Bowers was active in developing the “Tourist Route” to Forster/Tuncurry – the Mona was a key to the success of the route.
In July 1909 Porters’ sawmill at Tuncurry was totally destroyed by fire. Crews from Our Jack and Astral were able to save stacks of timber on the wharf.
In April 1910 she was observed at Harrington towing the disabled steamer Hastings until temporary repairs were effected, allowing her to continue to Port Macquarie.
In May 1913 she played a critical role in attempting to save the Ellerslie that had been stranded at the entrance to the Bellinger River. In the process of attempting to re-float the Ellerslie the Our Jack became stuck herself but fortunately floated off at high tide. It was evident, however, that she had sustained serious damage, and arrived at Camden Haven on Sunday leaking badly and in distress.
WRECK OF THE OUR JACK
On 26th June 1921, Our Jack was bound from Nambucca to Sydney, with a cargo of hardwood, sprang a leak and became so helpless in a gale, that she was abandoned on Sunday morning near Old Bar at the mouth of the Manning River. She carried a crew of 14, who left in one boat. Nine of them were picked up by the North Coast Steam Navigation Company's steamer Brundah and were brought to Sydney. The survivors were:
- Paul Casaar (chief engineer),
- Harry Rudder (first engineer),
- Albert Dale (fireman),
- William Gray (fireman),
- A. Anderson (fireman),
- O. Paulsen (seaman),
- J. Elovita (seaman),
- W. Linden (seaman),
- B. Foster (cabin boy).
The names of those drowned were:
- Captain Alexander Forbes,
- Workman, seaman,
- C. Neilsen, seaman
- J. Erikson, seaman,
- C. J. Hillston, cook.
Four of the survivors from Our Jack were, on reaching Sydney, taken to hospital for treatment for injuries received when the upturned boat to which they were clinging was dashed by the waves against the sides of the steamer Brundah.
RESCUERS' WORK RECOGNISED
“At a large gathering of the directors and staff of the North Coast S.N. Co. on Friday, Captain Richard Purdy, master of the steamer Brundah, was presented with an inscribed gold watch in recognition of the part played by the captain in saving the lives of the crew of the steamer Our Jack, which foundered off Port Stephens on June 26 last. Sir Allen Taylor, chairman, of the board of directors, commended the splendid seamanship of Captain Purdy in manoeuvring to pick up the shipwrecked crew. The crews of the Brundah were presented with a bonus of £100 in recognition of their services.”
Singleton Argus (NSW) Tuesday 19 July 1921
Image Source Courtesy Great Lakes Historical Society and Maritime Museum
Acknowledgements. The assistance of Mori Flapan (Mori Flapan boatregister) by providing access to his extensive database is greatly appreciated.
All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.
GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flickr Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List
My stretch cotton Maxi, full length.
Perfect for thirty degree temperatures plus as it breathes so wonderfully and akin to wearing nothing at all Oops! No need to venture there.
I recently had this skirt altered to knee length and I love it! See the original length here
red button down shirt--remixed Old Navy
brown shrug--remixed Old Navy
altered Brown long skirt Filenes
brown tights Merona
brown boots Born
Bourbon Street is a famous and historic street that runs the length of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. When founded in 1718, the city was originally centered around the French Quarter. New Orleans has since expanded, but "The Quarter" remains the cultural hub, and Bourbon Street is the street best known by visitors.
The most frequented section of Bourbon Street is "Upper Bourbon Street", an eight-block section of popular tourist attractions. Bourbon Street begins at Canal Street (across Canal is Carondelet Street in the New Orleans Central Business District). The straight street continues downriver, southwest to northeast a few blocks from and roughly paralleling the Mississippi River, and comes to its terminus at Pauger Street in the Faubourg Marigny. (In the 19th century, Pauger was named as a continuation of Bourbon Street.) Bourbon Street was named in honor of the House of Bourbon, the ruling French Royal Family, at the time of the city's founding.
The street is home to many bars, restaurants, clubs, as well as t-shirt and souvenir shops. Towards the central section of Bourbon Street one can find many famous bars including Johnny White's, The Famous Door, Razzoo and The Cat's Meow.
Though largely quiet during the day, Bourbon Street comes alive at night, particularly during the French Quarter's many festivals. Most popular among these is the annual Mardi Gras celebration, when Bourbon Street teems with hundreds of thousands of tourists. Local open container laws in the French Quarter allow drinking alcoholic beverages in the street in plastic containers (drinking from glass or cans is prohibited).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_Street
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
A large adult American alligator's weight and length is 800 pounds (360 kg) and 13 feet (4.0 m) long[citation needed], but can grow to 14.5 feet (4.4 m) long and weigh over 1,000 pounds (450 kg).[2] The largest ever recorded was found in Louisiana and measured 19 feet 2 inches (5.84 m).[3] The Chinese alligator is smaller, rarely exceeding 7 feet (2.1 m) in length. Alligators have an average of 75 teeth. Alligators are only native to the United States and China.
American alligators are found in the southeast United States: all of Florida and Louisiana, the southern parts of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, coastal South and North Carolina, Eastern Texas, the southeast corner of Oklahoma and the southern tip of Arkansas. According to the 2005 Scholastic Book of World Records, Louisiana is the state with the largest alligator population.[6] The majority of American alligators inhabit Florida and Louisiana, with over a million alligators in each state.
The schooner 'Rifleman' in 1868, as drawn by Arthur Herbert Messenger in 1921.
Details:
Name: Rifleman
Type: Schooner
Length: 82.6 ft
Beam: 18.0 ft
Depth: 7.4 ft
Tonnage: (Volumetric measure 1 ton = 100 cubic ft)
Tonnage: 81.5 tons
Builder: Alexander Newton Snr
Launched: Saturday 14th December 1861.
Official number: ON036732
Signal letters: unknown
Registered: Sydney - 7th January 1862 - 1/1862
Ports & Owners:
- 1862 - Alexander Newton
- 1862/March - J.C. Aickman - Merchant, & T. McClatchie - Mariner, Christchurch New Zealand 8/8/62
- 1864 - T. McClatchie & W. Wilson, Nurseryman.
- 1870 - T. McClatchie & J. Hobbs, Mariner, Lyttelton.
- 1871 - August - Part owner 1871, Captain Joseph Hobbs.
Description:
- 1 White beech deck
- 3 stepped masts/white beech topmasts
- Square stern
- Scroll figure head /female bust
- Carvel built from locally sourced hardwoods.
Launch - December 1861:
Custom House
“The Victoria crossed Manning River bar at 6 p.m, on Monday (16th), and arrived here at 11 a.m, yesterday. She reports the Mary and Gleaner lying in the river, and also the launch of a large three-masted schooner, on Saturday (14th), named the Rifleman, from Mr. Newton’s yard.
The Victoria brings up 280 bags maize, 28 bags onions, 45 cases eggs, 10 coops poultry, 50 hides, 3 casks tallow.
Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 18th December 1861.
History:
1862
The'Rifleman'
"This fine new three-masted schooner arrived from the Manning on Monday afternoon, having left there on Saturday, in command of Mr Alexander Newton, her builder.
She is 77 tons new measurement, breadth of beam 15ft, depth of hold 7 feet 8 inches; length 81 feet on the keel, and 90 feet over -all.
Mr Newton, her builder was formerly in partnership with Mr Malcolm, which firm turned out several smart vessels on the Manning.
He is now cutting timber for building a barque of 80 tons."
The Maitland Mercury Tuesday 7th January 1862.
NEW ZEALAND
After registration, under the command of Captain Newton the Rifleman set sail for Otago on the 16th January 1862 with 34 passengers.
Alexander Newton spent six months with the Rifleman around the New Zealand coast before selling her to Aickman and McClatchie.
John Campbell Aickman was a man with far-reaching interests, whose advertisements in the Christchurch newspapers of the time covered land sales, hardware, furniture, corn, chandlery and clothing.
Thomas McClatchie, Rifleman's first New Zealand master, retained his half-share in the schooner for the rest of her nine-year career.
William Wilson, who bought Aickman's share in the schooner in 1864, was a well-known horticulturalist, credited with introducing many exotic plant species into the Canterbury Province, and was Mayor of Christchurch for a period during the 1860's.
MAORI WARS
1868
In July 1868, Rifleman featured in an event which caused considerable alarm among the colonists of the North Island of New Zealand. Waitangi in the Chatham Islands had become a prison camp for political exiles after the land wars between the settlers and tribes of the East Coast. In 1866 some 180 East coast Maoris had been sent without trial to the Chatham Islands, where their women and children were allowed to join them.
Promised that they should be allowed to return when the war ended, they were docile and well behaved until about May 1868, when it became clear that they faced indefinite exile.
The most active and vocal of the prisoners was Te Turuki Rikirangi, who claimed he had been unjustly imprisoned, and had demanded trial before a Court of Justice so many times that his nickname became "Te Kooti" (the Court) - the name by which he has been known ever since.
ARK OF SALVATION
On the 3rd of July, the Rifleman arrived at Waitangi with a cargo of provisions for the garrison; also anchored in the bay was another smaller vessel, the schooner Florence.
The Rifleman would be the 'ark of salvation' that Te Kooti had predicted.
THE ESCAPE
On the afternoon of the 4th of July Te Kooti put his escape plan into action. The prisoners overwhelmed and handcuffed the men of the Armed Constabulary who were their guards, boarded the Florence and cast her adrift so that they should not be followed, and seized the Rifleman.
With 163 men, 64 women and 71 children as passengers, the Rifleman arrived at Whareongaonga near Gisborne on the 10th of July. Te Kooti kept his promise that no harm would befall the crew, paid them £6 each and provided a letter for the authorities exonerating them from any involvement in the escape.
Meanwhile, at Waitangi, events had turned out just as Te Kooti had hoped: the Florence had stranded and all attempts to refloat her failed, frustrating any chance the garrison and the two ships masters had of giving chase.
WRECK OF THE RIFLEMAN
1871
In August 1871 Rifleman's new part owner, Joseph Hobbs, was in command of the schooner when she stranded on Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf.
"By the arrival of a gentleman yesterday from the Great Barrier, we learn that the rumour circulated on Monday last respecting the wreck of the three-masted schooner Rifleman is correct.
The schooner left here on the 29th ult. for the Chatham Islands and that night, it coming on to blow a strong south-west gale, the master of the vessel deemed it advisable to run for the Barrier for shelter. It was Captain Hobbs' intention to have brought up in Tryphena Bay, but owing to the darkness of the night he mistook the harbour and run into Blind Bay, and before Captain Hobbs noticed his mistake the vessel went ashore, striking heavily. The schooner is considerably damaged and there is little hope of being able to get her off again. The crew got ashore all safe. When our informant left the men were engaged in stripping the vessel of her sails, rigging and anything of value."
Wellington Independent 13th September 1871.
Despite this pessimistic report, Rifleman was refloated and taken to Auckland for repair. The accident may have weakened the structure of the schooner, for her end came only a month later.
LOST WITH ALL HANDS
On the 10th of October 1871, Rifleman left Lyttelton bound for Havelock in the Marlborough Sounds, under the command of Peter Toomey.
The schooner was last sighted in a gale off Cape Campbell.
No wreckage, or sign of Captain Toomey and his six-man crew was ever found; Cook Strait had claimed another victim.
References:
- "War and Politics in New Zealand 1855 - 1870" B.J. Dalton.
-"Historic Poverty Bay" - J.A. Mackay."
-"Shipwrecks, New Zealand Disasters" - Ingram & Wheatley
-"Scotchtown and Pelican" - The Shipwright's Tale-by V.A. Newton.
Image Source:
Courtesy of the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Messenger, Arthur Herbert, 1877-1962. Messenger, Arthur Herbert, 1877-1962 :The schooner Rifleman, 1868. 1921. Ref: A-173-006. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23077474.
All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.
GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flickr Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List
Blutgasse
Basic Information
Location Vienna
District Innere Stadt
Created in the 14th century at the latest
Historical name Kotgässel, Kotgässel at the German gentlemen (Teutonic Knights), alley behind the German gentlemen, Kergässel, Milchgasse
Intersecting streets Domgasse, Singerstraße
Buildings Trent yard, Domherrenhaus, German religious house, Fähnrichshof
Use
Usergroups pedestrians
Road design pedestrian precinct
Specifications
Road length of about 115 meters
Blood Alley is located in the first district of Vienna Inner City. The area, called Blutgasse district, is one of the oldest and most picturesque of the city.
History
The houses of the Blutgasse in their foundations go back to the Middle Ages; the area is considered one of the oldest in Vienna. 1368 it is for the first time mentioned as Kotgässel at the Teutonic Knights, in 1392 described as Kotgässel. More mentions of the street speak of the alley behind the German Men (1394), from Kergässel (1406 and 1411), from the blood alley (since 1547) and Milchgasse (1600 ); since 1862 the official name Blutgasse is valid. The interpretation of these names is considered unclear, although the name Kotgässel (faeces) with the condition of the road seems to be related. To explain the name Blutgasse there is a tradition that speaks of slaughter houses in the area, it is said that whereby spilled blood to have run through the alley; another tradition brings the name of the Knights Templar into context, it is said that they have been massacred in 1312 in Fähnrichhof, whereupon the alley was full of their shed blood. Both stories are not considered by historians as valid. After the area after the Second World War was very run down, there were 1960-1965 by Herbert Thurner and Friedrich Euler a first revitalization of the neighborhood, which was, however, associated with far-reaching changes in the interior. 1989-1991 the facades have been renovated and restored their Baroque appearance.
Blutgasse south
Blutgasse
Location and characteristics
The blood alley runs from Domgasse in a southwesterly direction to the Singer Road. It is a narrow old town street that was designed as a pedestrian zone. At the end at Singerstraße span arches (Schwibbögen) the alley. Here are consistently sprawling building complexes with picturesque courtyards and access galleries, some of which are interconnected. Their outer appearance dates from the 16th and 17th centuries, the building fabric usually being older. As a result of the revitalization measures the houses are inhabited today. Mostly tourists love to visit this area. All buildings are national monuments.
Buildings
No. 1 Trent Court
The also as the Domherrenhof, Old Choir mansion or Strudenhof known building originally goes back to two different medieval buildings. The name Trent Court dates from one of the owners, Konrad Hinderbach, who 1470-1488 was a canon of Trent. 1753-1755 the current rental house with two courtyards of Johann Enzenhofer was built. In 1733-1736 in the predecessor building the builder Francesco d' Allio was living, in the present building before 1850 the musician Georg Hellmesberger senior. The house is situated at the main address Domgasse 4
# 2 Domherrenhof
At the Blutgasse lies the simple rear front of the Domherrenhofes (Canons house), which was built in 1837-1842 by Leopold Mayr in late Classicist style as a passageway with two courtyards. The main address is located at Stephansplatz 5
Pawlatschenhof in the house Blutgasse # 3
No. 3 Medieval Mansion
The core of the building dates from the first half of the 13th century. It originally consisted of three parts and was then joined and 1558-1560 extended with an additional courtyard wing. Finally, after 1733 followed an increase and fitting of a new facade and the installation of a staircase and galleries. The Baroque facade is repeatedly bent and changed on the ground floor. The two-storey upper zone is merged by plaster frames and has stone-framed windows. Of particular note are the two consecutive irregular Pawlatschenhöfe that lead as a passage to the Grünangergasse. In the rear area there is a late gothic respectively ground floor window from the Renaissance period. A stone arched doorway leads to the basement. There is still to be found a significant late Romanesque building fabric from the first half of the 13th century with rubble masonry and 5 arched slit windows. In the house there is a groin-vaulted foyer, on the ground floor a lunette ton.
# 4 German religious house
In Blutgasse is the back of the House of the German Order, after which the street originally was named (Kotgässel at the German men). The facade at the corner toward Singer road is divided corresponding to the main facade by pilasters in the Baroque style, in its continuation followed by a six-axis early Baroque façade, which is characterized by triangular and segmental arched gable roofings and cordon cornices. At the right end follows another, simpler facade from the 4th quarter of the 16th century, which is structured by cornice strips. The main address of the German monastic house is located at Street Singer number 7
Blutgasse 5
# 5 To the Green Raith panel
The late classical rental house in 1819 above an older core was built. The facade is simply divided by cordon and window ledge moulding cornices. Inside is to be found a curved two pillar staircase with original preserved banister. As well preserved in its original state is the truss. In the barrel-vaulted cellar partially stone quarry masonry is visible.
Small Fähnrichshof left and look into the Blutgasse in the direction of Domgasse
Nos. 7 and 9 Great and Little Fähnrichshof
The as the Great and Little Fähnrichshof known buildings are part of a building complex, going back to the Middle Ages and including the houses Blutgasse 5, 7 and 9 and Singerstraße 11. According to unauthenticated reports, here the Templars should have possessed a court. Anyway, the houses were owned by the neighboring Cistercian monastery of St. Nicholas and were 1534/35 separated, divided into house plots and rented. Here gathered one of the four citizens militias, namely the one of the Carinthia district, with their flag. A 1566 mentioned mural of a sergeant gave the houses the name. 1684 acquired the bookbinder and exterior Council Johann Konrad Ludwig the extensive building. 1702-1703 followed the rebuilding by the neighboring Poor Clares. Its present form the houses got in 1819, now seven houses being situated around a large courtyard. Here the humanist Johannes Cuspinian and the composer Wenzel Müller lived.
The No. 7 is referred to as the Great Fähnrichshof. It is one of the rare high medieval town houses in Vienna from the first half of the 13th century. 1559-1563 was an addition of another storey and the construction of a spiral staircase on the courtyard side and of the vestibule. After 1664 the cellar was built, from 1675 to 1679 a further increase and a new paneling made, which on the courtyard side still is preserved. In 1743, the street facade was re-made and and more basements storeys added. The street facade upstairs has contracted window axes. The stair tower shows slanted windows. In a room on the ground floor the rare example of a rising masonry from the 1st half of the 13th century can be seen.
The No. 9 is as Little Fähnrichshof denominated and is located on the corner to Singer Road. It originates in the core from the 16th century and was a Renaissance house, the present façade is baroque and stems from the first quarter of the 18th century. A middle bay is located at the Singer Road. Upstairs by plaster fields vertically contracted window axes are to see. The baroque wooden door in a bracket-arched portal partially has original fittings.
Blutgasse
Angelegt spätestens im 14. Jahrhundert
Historische Namen Kotgässel, Kotgässel bei den Deutschen Herren, Gasse hinter den Deutschen Herren, Kergässel, Milchgasse
Querstraßen Domgasse, Singerstraße
Bauwerke Trienter Hof, Domherrenhaus, Deutschordenshaus, Fähnrichshof
Nutzung
Nutzergruppen Fußgänger
Straßengestaltung Fußgängerzone
Technische Daten
Straßenlänge ca. 115 Meter
Die Blutgasse befindet sich im 1. Wiener Gemeindebezirk Innere Stadt. Die Gegend, genannt Blutgassenviertel, zählt zu den ältesten und malerischsten der Stadt.
Geschichte
Die Häuser der Blutgasse gehen in ihren Fundamenten bis ins Mittelalter zurück; die Gegend gilt als eine der ältesten Wiens. 1368 wird sie als Kotgässel bei den Deutschen Herren erstmals genannt, 1392 nur als Kotgässel bezeichnet. Weitere Nennungen der Gasse sprechen von der Gasse hinter den Deutschen Herren (1394), vom Kergässel (1406 und 1411), von der Blutgasse (seit 1547) und der Milchgasse (1600); seit 1862 gilt die amtliche Bezeichnung Blutgasse. Die Deutung dieser Namen gilt als unklar, obwohl der Namen Kotgässel mit dem Zustand der Straße in Zusammenhang zu stehen scheint. Um den Namen Blutgasse zu erklären gibt es eine Überlieferung, die von Schlachthäusern in der Gegend spricht, wobei das dabei vergossene Blut durch die Gasse gelaufen sein soll; eine andere Überlieferung bringt den Namen mit den Tempelrittern in Zusammenhang, die 1312 im Fähnrichhof niedergemetzelt worden sein sollen, worauf die Gasse voll mit ihrem vergossenen Blute gewesen sei. Beide Geschichten werden von Historikern nicht als stichhaltig erachtet. Nachdem die Gegend nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg sehr heruntergekommen war, kam es zwischen 1960 und 1965 durch Herbert Thurner und Friedrich Euler zu einer ersten Revitalisierung des Viertels, die allerdings mit weitreichenden Veränderungen im Inneren verbunden war. 1989 bis 1991 wurden die Fassaden renoviert und ihre barocke Gestalt wiederhergestellt.
Blutgasse nach Süden
Blutgasse
Lage und Charakteristik
Die Blutgasse verläuft von der Domgasse in südwestlicher Richtung bis zur Singerstraße. Es handelt sich um eine schmale Altstadtgasse, die als Fußgängerzone gestaltet ist. Am Ende bei der Singerstraße überspannen Schwibbögen die Gasse. Hier liegen durchwegs weitläufige Gebäudekomplexe mit malerischen Innenhöfen und Pawlatschengängen, die teils untereinander verbunden sind. Ihr äußeres Erscheinungsbild stammt aus dem 16. und 17. Jahrhundert, wobei die Bausubstanz meist älter ist. Infolge der Revitalisierungsmaßnahmen sind die Häuser heute bewohnt. Vorwiegend Touristen besuchen gerne diese Gegend. Alle Gebäude stehen unter Denkmalschutz.
Bauwerke
Nr. 1 Trienter Hof
Das auch als Domherrenhof, Altes Chorherrenhaus oder Strudenhof bekannte Gebäude geht ursprünglich auf zwei verschiedene mittelalterliche Gebäude zurück. Der Name Trienter Hof stammt von einem der Besitzer, Konrad Hinderbach, der 1470–1488 Domherr von Trient war. 1753–1755 wurde das heutige Miethaus mit zwei Innenhöfen von Johann Enzenhofer errichtet. Im Vorgängerbau wohnte 1733–1736 der Baumeister Francesco d'Allio, im jetzigen Gebäude vor 1850 der Musiker Georg Hellmesberger senior. Das Haus liegt an der Hauptadresse Domgasse 4.
Nr. 2 Domherrenhof
An der Blutgasse liegt die schlichte Rückfront des Domherrenhofes, der 1837–1842 von Leopold Mayr im spätklassizistischen Stil als Durchhaus mit zwei Innenhöfen erbaut wurde. Die Hauptadresse liegt am Stephansplatz 5.
Pawlatschenhof im Haus Blutgasse Nr. 3
Nr. 3 Mittelalterliches Bürgerhaus
Der Kern des Gebäudes stammt aus der 1. Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts. Es bestand ursprünglich aus drei Teilen und wurde dann zusammengefasst und 1558–1560 mit einem zusätzlichen Hoftrakt erweitert. Schließlich erfolgte nach 1733 eine Aufstockung und Neufassadierung sowie der Einbau einer Treppe und von Pawlatschen. Die barocke Fassade ist mehrfach geknickt und im Erdgeschoss verändert. Die zweigeschossige Oberzone ist durch Putzrahmen zusammengezogen und besitzt steingerahmte Fenster. Besonders beachtenswert sind die zwei hintereinanderliegenden unregelmäßigen Pawlatschenhöfe, die als Passage bis zur Grünangergasse führen. Im hinteren Bereich gibt es ein spätgotisches bzw. renaissancezeitliches Erdgeschossfenster. Ein steinernes Rundbogenportal führt zum Keller. Dort findet sich noch bedeutende spätromanische Bausubstanz aus der 1. Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts mit Bruchsteinmauerwerk und 5 rundbogigen Schlitzfenstern. Im Haus befindet sich ein kreuzgratgewölbtes Foyer, im Erdgeschoss eine Stichkappentonne.
Nr. 4 Deutschordenshaus
In der Blutgasse liegt die Rückfront des Deutschordenshauses, nach dem die Gasse ursprünglich benannt war (Kotgässel bei den Deutschen Herren). Die Fassade ist an der Ecke zur Singerstraße entsprechend der Hauptfassade durch Pilaster im Barockstil gegliedert, daran anschließend folgt eine sechsachsige frühbarocke Fassadengliederung, die durch dreieckige und segmentbogige Giebelverdachungen und Kordongesimse gekennzeichnet ist. Am rechten Ende folgt eine weitere, schlichtere Fassade aus dem 4. Viertel des 16. Jahrhunderts, die durch Gesimsbänder gegliedert ist. Die Hauptadresse des Deutschordenshauses befindet sich an der Singerstraße 7.
Blutgasse 5
Nr. 5 Zur grünen Raith-Tafel
Das spätklassizistische Miethaus wurde 1819 über einem älteren Kern errichtet. Die Fassade ist schlicht durch Kordon und Sohlbankgesimse gegliedert. Im Inneren findet sich eine gewendelte Zweipfeilerstiege mit original erhaltenem Geländer. Ebenfalls teilweise original erhalten ist der Dachstuhl. Im tonnengewölbten Keller ist teilweise Bruchsteinmauerwerk sichtbar.
Kleiner Fähnrichshof links und Blick in die Blutgasse Richtung Domgasse
Nr. 7 und 9 Großer und Kleiner Fähnrichshof
Die als Großer und Kleiner Fähnrichshof bekannten Gebäude sind Teil eines Baukomplexes, der bis ins Mittelalter zurückgeht und die Häuser Blutgasse 5, 7 und 9 sowie Singerstraße 11 umfasste. Nach nicht beglaubigten Berichten sollen hier die Templer einen Hof besessen haben. Jedenfalls standen die Häuser im Besitz des angrenzenden Zisterzienserinnenklosters St. Nikolai und wurden 1534/35 abgetrennt, in Hausparzellen aufgeteilt und vermietet. Hier versammelte sich eine der vier Bürgerkompanien, nämlich die des Kärntner Viertels, mit ihrer Fahne. Ein 1566 erwähntes Wandgemälde eines Fähnrichs hat den Häusern den Namen gegeben. 1684 erwarb der Buchbinder und Äußere Rat Johann Konrad Ludwig das weitläufige Gebäude. 1702–1703 erfolgte ein Umbau durch die benachbarten Klarissen. Ihre heutige Gestalt erhielten die Häuser 1819, wobei nunmehr 7 Häuser um einen großen Innenhof liegen. Hier lebte der Humanist Johannes Cuspinian und der Komponist Wenzel Müller.
Die Nr. 7 wird als Großer Fähnrichshof bezeichnet. Es handelt sich um eines der seltenen hochmittelalterlichen Bürgerhäuser Wiens aus der 1. Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts. 1559–1563 erfolgte eine Aufstockung und die Errichtung einer hofseitigen Wendeltreppe und des Hausflurs. Nach 1664 wurde der Keller gebaut, 1675–1679 eine weitere Aufstockung und eine neue Fassadierung vorgenommen, die hofseitig noch erhalten ist. 1743 wurde die Straßenfassade neu gemacht und weitere Kellergeschosse dazugebaut. Die Straßenfassade besitzt im Obergeschoss zusammengezogene Fensterachsen. Der Treppenturm zeigt schräge Fenster. In einem Raum im Erdgeschoss ist das seltene Beispiel eines aufgehenden Mauerwerks aus der 1. Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts zu sehen.
Die Nr. 9 wird als Kleiner Fähnrichshof bezeichnet und liegt an der Ecke zur Singerstraße. Er stammt im Kern aus dem 16. Jahrhundert und war ein Renaissance-Bürgerhaus, die heutige Fassade ist barock und stammt aus dem 1. Viertel des 18. Jahrhunderts. Ein Mittelerker liegt an der Singerstraße. Im Obergeschoss sind durch Putzfelder vertikal zusammengezogene Fensterachsen zu sehen. Die barocke Holztüre in einem Schulterbogenportal weist teilweise originale Beschläge auf.
beautiful caucasian happy pregnant woman in full length silhouette on studio isolated white background
(Q-42A Battle Cruiser) Spaceship of the Lonbay-Class Battle Cruiser
Affiliation: Trynin Empire
Manufacturer: Tronde Shipyards
Length/beam/draft: [scale???]
Armor/shield level: 4x 12ft thick Steng armor plating in rear of vessel, and an average of 1ft thick armor plating on rest of vessel/ Class 4
Sublight engines/lightspeed engines:
Sublight speed/lightspeed:
Range: 307 days
Crew: 3,122
Armament: 208x 0.5in laser cannons, 40x 8in laser cannons in 20 turrets located at the stern of the vessel, and 36x 32in Hinton laser cannons.
The Lonbay-Class Battle Cruiser (or Q-42 Battle Cruiser) is a third generation Battle Cruiser manufactured two years before the Second Piracy War. The Lonbay was Tronde Shipyards one-hundredth battleship type and was the target of vast amounts of publicity and advertisement. As a result the designs for the Lonbay were carefully constructed years in advance to insure the vessel would remain for years to come, and to further Tronde Shipyard’s prestige. However, the Lonbay ran into numerous design flaws when the Trynin military ordered that the rear of the craft be better protected. The result was an elongated battle cruiser with an unmatched broadside (at that time), and a heavily reinforce rear hull which housed all of the vital components. This made the Lonbay, along with its class four shield generator an impressively armored vessel.
Twenty-eight Lonbay-Class vessels were constructed along with three different subgroups. The first subgroup, the Q-42A Battle Cruiser, was the most common with twenty being constructed. The next subgroup, the Q-24B Battle Cruiser, featured a class five shield generator, increased rear defenses and an extensive sensor upgrade, only six were constructed. The last two, the Q-42C Battle Cruiser, featured foldout thrusters for extra maneuverability, additional rear defenses, and the vessel was elongated further to make room for four more Hinton cannons.
The Lonbay, along with the rest of the Tronde Shipyards Q-series vessels were created primarily as an anti-pirate and patrol vessel. During the Second Piracy War the Streccays (a Q-42C Battle Cruiser) served as the Trynin Empires flagship for the whole of the war. The Streccays along with her sister ship, the Stroccen, spearheaded numerous skirmishes against piracy. The Lonbay was an excellent platform in which to fight medium to small pirate vessel. When it came to large enemy vessels however, the Lonbay falls short due to her insufficient firing arc. If a smaller vessel maneuverers toward the stern of the vessel it is easily destroyed by the Lonbay’s rear laser cannons, but these lasers are ineffective against larger vessels. Thankfully though, most pirate factions did not poses such large vessel and not a single Lonbay-Class vessel was destroyed or even significantly damaged during the Second Piracy War. However, the Agronomic War proved to be the downfall of the Lonbay. The Lonbay-Class proved insufficient against large battleships due to its ineffective firing arc. As a result of the Lonbay’s fallacies over fifteen were destroy, eight during the Battle of Blandimen. Once Lonbay-Class proved insufficient for ship to ship combat most were transferred to serve as patrol vessels or long-range reconnaissance vessels.
The Lonbay’s thirty-six Hinton cannons, all located at the bow of the vessel and in double firing banks made the Lonbay an excellent blockade runner and superb hit-and-run attack vessel. However, due to the front location of the guns and her large stern, the Hinton cannons did not have an effective firing arc leaving the rear of the vessel open to attack. To counteract this drawback the stern of the vessel was covered with four large Steng armor plates and for additional defense the stern was equipped with forty 8inch laser cannons.
The Lonbay-Class did not have a large hanger but it was equipped with four short-range scouting craft. Due to the Lonbay-Class’s impressive amount of Hinton cannons and changes in Trynin military doctrine the Lonbay-Class was not equipped with any missiles. But during the Agronomic War one vessel was stripped of its Hinton cannons and replaced with missile tubes.
The maneuverability of the Lonbay-Class left much to be desired. Due to the ships long, thin shape and its concentrated engine placement the Lonbay was an absolute nightmare to turn or issue any kinds of maneuvers. However, the Lonbay-Class’s speed more than countered this drawback. The Lonbay-Class was the fastest vessel well into the end of the Agronomic War. Its speed, along with its vast sensor array made it an ideal surprise attack vessel and hit-and-run vessel – it was also a renowned long-range reconnaissance vessel.
One reason for the Lonbay-Class’s transfer during the Agronomic War was due to the fact that it couldn’t support the new burst cannons. This was a major drawback and the Trynin Military immediately began transferring any vessels not capable of upgrading to at least one burst cannon to secondary status (aka their 2nd Fleet). And as mentioned earlier the other reasons for the Lonbay-Class’s secondary status are its low maneuverability and ineffective firing arc.
The Lonbay-Class features one of the most extensive (and expensive) sensor arrays on any warship. The long antenna at the tip of the vessel allows it to locate vessels over one Tyfimeter away; and as a result of this the vessel has a large communication center to process the vast amount of information the array collects.
The Lonbay-Class did prove itself in battle and has won itself a legacy in the hearts and minds of the avid Tronde Shipyard follower. In the minds of military commanders however, she was left at her time of virtue due to her fallacies… At the end of the Agronomic War Tronde Shipyard purchased one of the remaining Lonbay-Class vessel (the Stroccen) and has converted her into a large museum dedicated to space travel, space warfare, and Tronde Shipyards – she is located at Tronde Shipyard’s civilian shipyards above Trynin.
Focal length of 300mm full frame, but no cropping. The bear was moving up the mountain but closer to the path we were on. The rangers were getting a bit antsy and demanded that we moved on.
Fabulous Lace Mermaid/Trumpet Sweetheart Neckline Floor-Length Taline's Mother of the Bride Dress www.dresswe.com/elegant-mother-dresses-7943/
This is a road my wife and I often walk the length of. It's the
perfect length for a 75-minute walk, and it's near home. And hardly anyone else ever goes there. I was testing my newly acquired Minoltina AL-S last week when the trees were starting to put out new leaves. This is a juniper (okay, you might know it as Larix larix...) that I like. The scratches were done by the camera, still a bit sick from several years of disuse. The scan is a rather awful one done by my lab of last resort, a local Wal-mart, a lab that has the amazing distinction of being able to cut into a negative on every piece of film. grrr.
EDIT: What was I thinking? Larch? Juniper? No way.
This is a birch tree!
Statue of Admiral David G. Farragut
•U.S. National Register of Historic Places
•Contributing Property to U.S. Historic District
•Part of: Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C.
•NRHP Reference #: 78000257
•Added to NRHP: September 20, 1978
•Location: Farragut Square, Washington, D.C., United States
•Coordinates: 38.901944°N 77.038972°W
•Designer: Vinnie Ream
•Material: Bronze (sculpture); Granite (base)
•Length: 3 feet (0.91 m)
•Width: 3 feet (0.91 m)
•Height: 10 feet (3.0 m)
•Opening date: April 25, 1881
•Dedicated to: David Farragut
Admiral David G. Farragut is a statue in Washington, D.C. honoring David Farragut, a career military officer who served as the first admiral in the United States Navy. The monument is sited in the center of Farragut Square, a city square in downtown Washington, D.C. The statue was sculpted by female artist Vinnie Ream, whose best known works include a statue of Abraham Lincoln and several statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. The monument was dedicated in 1881 in an extravagant ceremony attended by President James A. Garfield, members of his cabinet, and thousands of spectators. It was the first monument erected in Washington, D.C. in honor of a naval war hero.
The statue is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The bronze statue, which rests on a granite base, was cast from the USS Hartford bronze propellers and not from enemy cannon like most Civil War monuments in the city. The monument and surrounding park are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.
History
Background
David Farragut (1801–1870) was a career military officer who first saw combat during the War of 1812 at the age of 9. He served on the USS Essex and was captured by the British. After the war, Farragut fought pirates in the West Indies on the ship USS Ferret, his first command of a United States Navy vessel. He also fought in the Mexican–American War and oversaw the construction of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in San Francisco. Although Farragut and his wife were Southerners, they remained loyal to the United States during the Civil War. His success in capturing New Orleans resulted in Farragut being honored with a new title created by the Navy, rear admiral. He continued to have great success in defeating Confederate forces, most notably at the Battle of Mobile Bay, where he uttered his famous phrase “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” Following the war, President Andrew Johnson promoted Farragut to admiral, the first U.S. naval officer to receive the title.
Soon after Farragut’s death in 1870, there were calls for a memorial to honor the naval hero. Representative Nathaniel P. Banks introduced a resolution in Congress for the erection of a monument to Farragut. The resolution stated that the statue was to be “after a design molded from life”, a subtle caveat intended to assist someone Banks already had in mind to create the statue, sculptor Horatio Stone of Washington, D.C., who claimed to have met Farragut and had already begun working on a statue. Bank’s resolution was referred to the Joint Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, where the committee chose to hold a competition, much to the dismay of Stone. Sculptors were only given sixty days to submit models of the statue, but when the congressional act approving the monument passed on April 16, 1872, the resolution was amended and the deadline for design submissions was extended by nine months.
Vinnie Ream (1847–1914), a sculptor who at age nineteen had received the first government commission ever granted a female artist when she created a bust of President Abraham Lincoln, began working on a bust of Farragut, whom she had met several times. Farragut’s widow, Virginia, admired Ream’s design and became a strong advocate for the artist’s model to be selected. Virginia wrote letters of endorsement to committee members and supplied Ream with the names of Farragut’s friends so that they too would offer their endorsements to the committee. There were thirteen artists who submitted models with Ream being the only woman. Their designs were displayed in the basement of the United States Capitol and several were severely criticized by the press, most notably the models by J. Wilson MacDonald, Randolph Rogers, and Edward Watson.
Stone and Ream’s model received the most praise. Stone’s model was praised by several naval officers who called it “true to life” and “unsurpassed by similar works.” Ream’s model received praise from several high profile individuals, most notably President Ulysses S. Grant, who called it “first rate”. Admiral David Dixon Porter said the model “of Miss Vinnie Ream is the only likeness in the lot.” General William Tecumseh Sherman, who was reportedly infatuated with Ream, also became a strong advocate for her model. He wrote to the committee that “the plaster model of Vinnie Ream struck me decidedly as the best likeness, and recalled the memory of the Admiral’s face and figure more perfectly than any other model there on exhibition.” The decision by the committee ultimately ended in a three-way tie between Ream, Stone, and MacDonald. The project stalled until the next Congress convened in 1874. A commission to select the winning model was created and consisted of Virginia, Sherman, and Secretary of the Navy George M. Robeson. Virginia and Sherman voted to approve Ream’s design, though Robeson refused to accept the result and tried in vain to convince Virginia to change her mind. Two months after the vote, Robeson relented and Ream’s model was officially selected.
Ream was awarded $20,000 for the design and worked on the statue for the next few years. She consulted Virginia and incorporated her suggestions, much to the delight of Virginia. In 1879, Ream announced that the model was ready to be cast and that the process would take place at the Washington Navy Yard, which had never before cast such a large statue. She continued to perfect the model while at the Navy Yard, much to the delight of the sailors. Although many of the city’s statues of military heroes were cast from captured enemy cannon, Farragut’s statue was cast from the USS Hartford bronze propellers that were removed and shipped to the Navy Yard. The amount of bronze yielded from the propellers was enough not only for the statue, but the four mortars on the corners of the statue base.
The site chosen for the statue was Farragut Square, a park renamed in honor of the admiral shortly after his death. The original dedication date, March 4, 1881, was pushed back because the statue base wasn’t ready. The base did not arrive until April 20, five days before the dedication, resulting in Ream’s husband, Lieutenant Richard L. Hoxie, working around the clock with a crew of workers to make sure the site was ready. The base was completed and statue erected just hours before the ceremony began.
Dedication
The statue was dedicated at 1 pm on April 25, 1881, becoming the first monument erected in Washington, D.C. in honor of a naval war hero. Government employees were dismissed at noon, the same time a procession began at the base of Capitol Hill. The military contingent, led by Commodore Charles H. Baldwin, moved west on Pennsylvania Avenue, where houses were decorated with bunting, and past the White House, before heading north on Connecticut Avenue. The homes surrounding the square were decorated with streamers and flags. Nearly 4,000 invited guests, including members of the Grand Army of the Republic and fellow sailors who served alongside Farragut, listened to John Philip Sousa conduct the Marine Band as they filled three temporary stands that were built on three sides of the statue. Distinguished guests included President James A. Garfield and his wife, Lucretia, members of the President’s cabinet, Virginia Farragut, and Ream.
An opening prayer was led by Reverend Arthur Brooks followed by the statue being unveiled by two members of Farragut’s Hartford crew, Quartermaster C. B. Knowles and Boatswain James Wiley. When the statue was unveiled, the Marine Band began playing a march and a seventeen gun salute was fired from nearby Lafayette Square. Secretary of the Navy William H. Hunt then introduced the President, who formally accepted the statue on behalf of the American people and gave a brief address. He stated: “Today we come to hail this hero, who comes from the sea, down from the shrouds of his flagship, wreathed with the smoke and glory of victory, bringing 60 years of national life and honor, to take his place as an honored compatriot and perpetual guardian of his Nation’s glory. In the name of the Nation I accept this noble statue, and his country will guard it as he guarded his country.” Speeches were then given by former Postmaster General Horace Maynard and Senator Daniel W. Voorhees followed by the Marine Band playing “Hail to the Chief” and another seventeen gun salute. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the military procession saluted the statue as they marched back down Connecticut Avenue, past the White House, and down Pennsylvania Avenue.
Later History
The Farragut statue is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 20, 1978, and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites on March 3, 1979. It is one of the few Civil War monuments that is a not an equestrian sculpture. The others are the Dupont Circle Fountain, Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial, Nuns of the Battlefield, the Peace Monument, and statues of Brigadier General Albert Pike and General John A. Rawlins. The monument and park are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.
Design and Location
The statue is located in the center of Farragut Square, a park in downtown Washington, D.C., bordered by K Street (north), I Street (south), and 17th Street NW (east and west). Two sidewalks bisect the park from the northwest to southeast corners, running along either side of the statue, on axis with Connecticut Avenue. Another sidewalk leads from the northeast to southwest corners and runs along the statue. A small, ornamental iron fence surrounds the statue base.
The bronze statue measures 10 ft (3.0 m) tall, 3 ft (0.91 m) wide, and 3 ft (0.91 m) long. Farragut is depicted in his military uniform and standing on the deck of his ship, facing south towards the White House. His right knee is bent as his right foot rests on a capstan. He is holding a telescope with both hands. The base, made of granite from Rockland, Maine, is 16 ft (4.9 m) tall, 18 ft (5.5 m) long, and 24 ft (7.3 m) wide. It is a square, three-tiered base with a chopped mortar on each corner. The inscription “FARRAGUT” is on the front of the base. Inside the base is a box containing documents related to Farragut’s career, a history of the sculpture, a copy of the Army and Navy Register, and a bronze model of the propeller used to cast the statue and mortars.
The “Mighty Mac”
The Mackinac Bridge is currently the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world. In 1998, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan became the longest with a total suspension of 12,826 feet. The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.
The total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 26,372 feet. The length of the suspension bridge (including anchorages) is 8,614 feet. The length from cable bent pier to cable bent pier is 7,400 feet. Length of main span (between towers) is 3,800 feet.
The width of the roadway is 54 feet. The outside lanes are 12 feet wide (2), the inside lanes are 11 feet wide (2), the center mall is 2 feet wide, and the catwalk, curb and rail width is 3 feet on each side – totaling 54 feet. The stiffening truss width in the suspended span is 68 feet wide making it wider than the roadway it supports.
The height of the roadway at mid-span is approximately 200 feet above water level. The vertical clearance at normal temperature is 155 feet at the center of the main suspension span and 135 feet at the boundaries of the 3,000 ft. navigation channel.
All suspension bridges are designed to move to accommodate wind, change in temperature, and weight. It is possible that the deck at center span could move as much as 35 feet (east or west) due to high winds. This would only happen under severe wind conditions. The deck would not swing or “sway” but rather move slowly in one direction based on the force and direction of the wind. After the wind subsides, the weight of the vehicles crossing would slowly move it back into center position.
The steel superstructure will support one ton per lineal foot per roadway (northbound or southbound). The length of the steel superstructure is 19,243 feet. Each direction will, therefore, support 19,243 tons. The answer is 38,486 tons (2 x 19,243 tons).
Facts & Figures
The Mackinac Bridge is currently the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957. The following facts and figures are quoted from David Steinman’s book “Miracle Bridge at Mackinac”.
LENGTHS
Total Length of Bridge (5 Miles) : 26,372 Ft 8,038 Meters
Total Length of Steel Superstructure : 19,243 Ft. 5,865 Meters
Length of Suspension Bridge (including Anchorages) : 8,614 Ft. 8,614 Ft.
Total Length of North Approach : 7,129 Ft. : 2,173 Meters
Length of Main Span (between Main Towers) : 3,800 Ft. 1,158 Meters
HEIGHTS AND DEPTHS
Height of Main Towers above Water : 552 Ft 168.25 Meters
Maximum Depth to Rock at Midspan : Unknown Unknown
Maximum Depth of Water at Midspan : 295 Ft. 90 Meters
Maximum Depth of Tower Piers below Water : 210 Ft. 64 Meters
Height of Roadway above Water at Midspan : 199 Ft. 61 Meters
Underclearance at Midspan for Ships : 155 Ft. 47 Meters
Maximum Depth of Water at Piers : 142 Ft. 43 Meters
Maximum Depth of Piers Sunk through Overburden : 105 Ft. 32 Meters
CABLES
Total Length of Wire in Main Cables : 42,000 Miles 67,592 km
Maximum Tension in Each Cable : 16,000 Tons 14,515,995 kg
Number of Wires in Each Cable : 12,580
Weight of Cables : 11,840 Tons 10,741,067 kg
Diameter of Main Cables : 24 1/2 Inches 62.23 cm
Diameter of Each Wire : 0.196 Inches .498 cm
WEIGHTS
Total Weight of Bridge : 1,024,500 Tons 929,410,766 kg
Total Weight of Concrete : 931,000 Tons 844,589 kg
Total Weight of Substructure : 919,100 Tons 326,931,237 kg
Total Weight of Two Anchorages : 360,380 Tons 326,931,237 kg
Total Weight of Two Main Piers : 318,000 Tons 288,484,747 kg
Total Weight of Superstructure : 104,400 Tons 94,710,087 kg
Total Weight of Structural Steel : 71,300 Tons 64,682,272 kg
Weight of Steel in Each Main Tower : 6,500 Tons 5,896,701 kg
Total Weight of Cable Wire : 11,840 Tons 10,741,067 kg
Total Weight of Concrete Roadway : 6,660 Tons 6,041,850 kg
Total Weight of Reinforcing Steel : 3,700 Tons 3,356,584 kg
RIVETS AND BOLTS
Total Number of Steel Rivets : 4,851,700
Total Number of Steel Bolts : 1,016,600
DESIGN AND DETAIL DRAWINGS
Total Number of Engineering Drawings : 4,000
Total Number of Blueprints : 85,000
MEN EMPLOYED
Total, at the Bridge Site : 3,500
At Quarries, Shops, Mills, etc. : 7,500
Total Number of Engineers : 350
IMPORTANT DATES
Mackinac Bridge Authority Appointed : June, 1950
Board of Three Engineers Retained : June, 1950
Report of Board of Engineers : January, 1951
Financing and Construction Authorized by Legislature : April 30, 1952
D.B. Steinman Selected as Engineer : January, 1953
Preliminary Plans and Estimates Completed : March, 1953
Construction Contracts Negotiated : March, 1953
Bids Received for Sale of Bonds : December 17, 1953
Began Construction : May 7, 1954
Open to traffic : November 1, 1957
Formal dedication : June 25-28, 1958
50 millionth crossing : September 25, 1984
40th Anniversary Celebration : November 1, 1997
100 millionth crossing : June 25, 1998
In Memory Of
Forever Remembered
During the construction of the Mackinac Bridge in the 1950’s, five men unfortunately lost their lives.
One man died in a diving accident; one man fell in a caisson while welding; one man fell into the water and drowned; and two men fell from a temporary catwalk near the top of north tower.
The names of those five men (and the date of their deaths) are listed below.
Frank Pepper, Sept. 16, 1954
James R. LeSarge, Oct. 10, 1954
Albert Abbott, Oct. 25, 1954
Jack C. Baker, June 6, 1956
Robert Koppen, June 6, 1956
After the bridge was built and opened to traffic, one MBA maintenance worker lost his life. On August 7, 1997, Daniel Doyle, a bridge painter, fell from his painting platform and drowned in the Straits of Mackinac. His tragic and unfortunate death shocked everyone.
Dan and others who have lost their lives on the job are permanently honored by MDOT in the Clare Welcome Center located in Clare, Michigan. The Employee Memorial is a permanent tribute to highway workers all over Michigan who lost their lives along highways and bridges. The Clare memorial provides an opportunity to educate the public about the human cost of building and maintaining Michigan’s transportation system.
All six of these men will forever be remembered by many.
Prentiss M. Brown
1889-1973
Born in St. Ignace, Michigan, Mr. Brown Graduated from LaSalle High school in 1905, Albion College in 1911, and did post graduate work at the University of Illinois. Prentiss married Marion Walker, and practiced law with his father in the St. Ignace area. From 1932 to 1943 he served in the U.S. Congress and Senate. In 1950 Prentiss M. Brown was appointed to the Mackinac Bridge Authority and elected its first Chairman. Mr. Brown, with the assistance of fellow Authority members William Cochran, Murray Van Wagoner, and Charles Fisher, Jr., secured the financing for the Mackinac Bridge. Mr. Brown considered this to be one of his most rewarding accomplishments.
Prentiss M. Brown is well known for his struggle to get the Mackinac Bridge built over the Straits of Mackinac. Mr. Jack Carlisle, in a radio broadcast over WWJ radio station on February 22, 1954, told his listeners of Mr. Brown’s struggle. The transcript from Mr. Carlisle’s broadcast was later published in a newspaper and is as follows:
” After a 20-year fight which often seemed hopeless, there finally is going to be a five-mile bridge across the Straits of Mackinac. As one of the states most ambitious projects, it will link Michigan’s two peninsula’s. It will cost about $99 million. It is scheduled for completion in November, 1957.
The bridge project had many stalwart partisans. However, the project actually became a reality through the determination of one man – Prentiss M. Brown, Chairman of the Michigan Mackinac Bridge Authority. Brown, a former United States Senator and Chairman of the Board of the Detroit Edison Company, refused to accept defeat when it seemed inevitable. Prentiss M. Brown just wouldn’t stay licked.
His energetic determination to get the Mackinac Bridge financed is undoubtedly due to the fact that he was born and raised in the midst of a daily realization of the need for the bridge. Now 64 years old, Prentiss Brown spent a lifetime in his old home town of Saint Ignace, Michigan. He was once a bellhop at the old Astor Hotel on Mackinac Island. Probably the bridge idea would have died completely in the last year – if it had not been for an incident that happened to Brown 34 years ago. He was 30 years old then and a lawyer. He was scheduled to appear before the State Supreme Court in Lansing to argue a case.
Brown had to get across the Straits to catch a train at Mackinaw City. However, both of the ferry boats were stuck in the winter ice. He and another hardy voyager, who also had important business on the side of the Straits, hired a horse and a cutter. They started across the ice. They ran into ice hummocks ten feet high and had to send the cutter back to Saint Ignace. They proceeded on foot.
They ran into 50 acres of open water, like a big pond, and had to circle it. All in all, they hiked four miles across the ice. The wind was blowing up a small gale. It was snowing. By the time they had spent most of the day walking – well, they missed their train.
Brown said in a recollection today, “That bitter hike across the Straits made a lasting impression on me – for the need of a bridge across the Straits.”
Prentiss Brown never forgot. That is the reason that 20 years ago Brown became legal counsel for the first Mackinac Bridge Commission. Back in 1933 under Governor Comstock. And Prentiss worked for love. He would accept no money. Four years ago he became chairman of the Mackinac Bridge Authority. By 1952, it looked like the RFC woud finance the bridge across the Straits. Whereupon, a New York investment broker offered to organize a private syndicate in October, 1952, to do the financing.
He tried to float the Mackinac Bridge bonds in March and again in June, 1953. Both times he failed. As a matter of fact, it looked like the bridge project was a gone goose last June. For lack of financing. Due to the high cost of money. But Prentiss refused to stay licked. The project was revived on the New York bond market in November due to the increase in interest rates and the increase in traffic across the Straits.
It was only six days ago that a check for $98,500,000 to finance the Straits of Mackinac Bridge was put into Brown’s hands in New York. One hundred and fifty investment brokers underwrote the sale of revenue bonds for a commission pot of three million dollars.
Actually, the deal went through last year with just 13 days to spare before the offer of State maintenance for the bridge would have expired. In a four-year battle under Brown to get the bridge finance – this was a slim margin to win a victory.
Michigan will not soon forget the gallant fight of Prentiss M. Brown for the Straits of Mackinac Bridge.”
The Mackinac Bridge Authority has created a token in honor of Prentiss M. Brown. To view this and all other tokens visit Token Gift Packs / Medallion.
The statue of Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke by Ivor Roberts-Jones was unveiled in Whitehall, London in 1993.
Ivor Roberts-Jones RA (2 November 1913 – 9 December 1996) was an English sculptor of Welsh descent on both his parents' sides. He is best known for his sculpted heads of notable people such as Yehudi Menuhin and George Thomas, Viscount Tonypandy.
He was born in Oswestry, where one of his works, The Borderland Farmer, stands in the town centre. He studied at Oswestry School and Worksop College before attending Goldsmiths College, London and the Royal Academy of Arts.
During the Second World War he served in the Burma Campaign. From 1964 he taught sculpture at Goldsmiths, University of London.
He received his first full-scale commission in 1964 for the memorial sculpture of the Bohemian British painter Augustus John (1878–1961). This sculpture took three years to complete and required major alteration (from a double sculpture of John and his wife Dorelia) due to limitation of funds. Nonetheless, the final 1967 single-figure sculpture was dramatically successful and led to Roberts-Jones's election as an Associate of the Royal Academy. This sculpture was erected in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, near John's last home.
In 1971 he was commissioned to produce the full-length statue of Winston Churchill which now stands in Parliament Square, London. The artist Kyffin Williams, a friend of Roberts-Jones, is said to have acted as the model for Churchill. The organiser of the appeal to raise money for the statue did not like its initial appearance, and reported: "At the moment the head is undoubtedly like Churchill, but perhaps not quite right of him at the pinnacle of his career. The cheeks, the eyes, the forehead and the top of the head require improvement. I told Mr Roberts-Jones that above the eyes I thought I was looking at Mussolini." The sculptor promised to "remove the dome of the head to bring about a lowering of the forehead".
Roberts-Jones's 1984 sculpture The Two Kings at Harlech Castle illustrates a scene from Welsh mythology, in which Bendigeidfran carries the body of his nephew Gwern.
In 1988, Roberts-Jones was commissioned to produce a statue of the poet Rupert Brooke at Regent Place, a small triangular open space, in Brooke's birth town of Rugby. The statue was unveiled by Mary Archer.
Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, KG, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO & Bar (23 July 1883 – 17 June 1963), was a senior officer of the British Army. He was Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, during the Second World War, and was promoted to field marshal on 1 January 1944. As chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, Brooke was the foremost military advisor to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and had the role of co-ordinator of the British military efforts in the Allies' victory in 1945. After retiring from the British Army, he served as Lord High Constable of England during the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. His war diaries attracted attention for their criticism of Churchill and for Brooke's forthright views on other leading figures of the war.
Background and early life
Alan Brooke was born on 23 July 1883 at Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Hautes-Pyrénées, to a prominent Anglo-Irish family from West Ulster. The Brookes had a long military tradition as the "Fighting Brookes of Colebrooke", with a history of service in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and World War I. He was the seventh and youngest child of Sir Victor Brooke, 3rd Baronet, of Colebrooke Park, Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, and the former Alice Bellingham, second daughter of Sir Alan Bellingham, 3rd Baronet, of Castle Bellingham in County Louth. Brooke's father died when he was just eight years old.
Brooke was educated at a day school in Pau, France, where he lived until the age of 16; he was bi-lingual in French (which he spoke with a heavy Gascon accent and spoke as a first language as a result of his upbringing in the French Pyrenees) and English. He spoke both French and English very fast, leading some Americans later in life to distrust a "fast-talking Limey." He was also fluent in German, and had learnt Urdu and Persian.
Brooke, desiring a military career, "only just" qualified for the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1900, coming sixty-fifth out of seventy-two in the entrance exam, but passed out at seventeenth. Had he done any better he would have qualified for a commission in the Royal Engineers, as was his initial intention, and possibly would not have ended up on the General Staff after the Great War, showing that initial lack of success could be invaluable later on.
Brooke was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Artillery as a second lieutenant on 24 December 1902. Due to his high placing at Woolwich Brooke was allowed to choose which branch of the Royal Artillery to join. His choice was the Royal Field Artillery, with which he served in Ireland and India in the years leading up to the outbreak of the First World War in the summer of 1914. He also received his "jacket" upon being selected to join the Royal Horse Artillery.
First World War
During the war, he was assigned to an ammunition column of the Royal Horse Artillery on the Western Front, where he gained a reputation as an outstanding planner of operations. He later was transferred to the 18th Division. At the Battle of the Somme in 1916, he introduced the French "creeping barrage" system, thereby helping the protection of the advancing infantry from enemy machine gun fire. Brooke was with the Canadian Corps from early 1917 and planned the barrages for the Battle of Vimy Ridge. In 1918 he was appointed GSO1 as the senior artillery staff officer in the First Army. Brooke ended the conflict as a lieutenant-colonel with the Distinguished Service Order and Bar and was mentioned in despatches six times.
As with many others of his generation, the war left its mark upon Brooke. In October 1918, shortly before the Armistice of 11 November 1918, he wrote
One trip up to Lens where I wandered among the ruins...such ruin and such desolation. I climbed on to a heap of stones which represents the place where the Church once stood, and I looked down on the wreckage. One could spend days down there just looking down picturing to oneself the tragedies that have occurred in every corner of this place. If the stones could talk and could repeat what they have witnessed, and the thoughts they had read on dying men's faces I wonder if there would ever be any wars.
When the Armistice did eventually arrive Brooke was in London on leave. He watched the crowds of people celebrating but felt mixed feelings, as he himself later wrote:
That wild evening jarred on my feelings. I felt untold relief at the end being there at last, but was swamped with floods of memories of those years of struggle. I was filled with gloom that evening, and retired to bed early.
On 31 March 1942 he wrote:
on the lack of good military commanders: Half our Corps and Divisional Commanders are totally unfit for their appointments, and yet if I was to sack them I could find no better! They lack character, imagination, drive and power of leadership. The reason for this state of affairs is to be found in the losses we sustained in the last war of all our best officers, who should now be our senior commanders.
Between the wars
During the interwar period, Brooke attended the first post-war course at the Staff College, Camberley in 1919. He managed to impress both his fellow students and the college's instructors during the relatively brief time he was there. He then served as a staff officer with the 50th Division from 1920 to 1923. Brooke then returned to Camberley, this time as an instructor, before attending the Imperial Defence College. He was later appointed as an instructor at the college, and while there he became acquainted with most of the officers who became leading British commanders of the Second World War. From 1929 onwards Brooke held a number of important appointments: Inspector of Artillery, Director of Military Training and then General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Mobile Division (later the 1st Armoured Division) in 1935. In 1938, on promotion to lieutenant-general, he took command of the Anti-Aircraft Corps (renamed Anti-Aircraft Command in April 1939) and built a strong relationship with Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, the AOC-in-C of Fighter Command, which laid a vital basis of co-operation between the two commands during the Battle of Britain the following year. In July 1939 Brooke moved to command Southern Command. By the outbreak of the Second World War, Brooke was already seen as one of the British Army's foremost generals.
Second World War
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, in September 1939, Brooke commanded II Corps in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF)—which included in its subordinate formations the 3rd Infantry Division, commanded by the then Major-General Bernard Montgomery, as well as Major-General Dudley Johnson's 4th Infantry Division. As corps commander, Brooke had a pessimistic view of the Allies' chances of countering a German offensive. He was sceptical of the quality and determination of the French Army, and of the Belgian Army. This scepticism appeared to be justified when he was on a visit to some French front-line units; and was shocked to see unshaven men, ungroomed horses and dirty vehicles.
He had also little trust in Lord Gort, Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the BEF, whom Brooke thought took too much interest in details while being incapable of taking a broad strategic view. Gort, on the other hand, regarded him as a pessimist who failed to spread confidence, and was thinking of replacing him. Brooke correctly predicted that the Allied powers' Plan D envisioning an advance along the Meuse would allow the Wehrmacht to outflank them, but British High Command dismissed his warnings as defeatist.
When the German offensive began Brooke, aided by Neil Ritchie, his Brigadier General Staff (BGS), distinguished himself in the handling of the British forces in the retreat to Dunkirk. His II Corps faced rapid German Army armored advances following the Allied defeat at the Battle of Sedan. In late May 1940 it held off the major German attack on the Ypres-Comines Canal but then found its left flank exposed by the capitulation of the Belgian army. Brooke swiftly ordered Montgomery's 3rd Division to switch from the Corps' right flank to cover the gap. This was accomplished in a complicated night-time manoeuvre. Pushing more troops north to counter the threat to the embarking troops at the Dunkirk evacuation from German units advancing along the coast, II Corps retreated to their appointed places on the east or south-east of the shrinking perimeter of Dunkirk. Brooke's actions not only saved his own forces from capitulation, but prevented the Germans from seizing the 20-mile gap left by the Belgian surrender and capturing the entire BEF before it could safely evacuate.
Then on 29 May Brooke was ordered by Gort to return to England, leaving the Corps in Montgomery's hands. According to Montgomery, Brooke was so overcome with emotion at having to leave his men in such a crisis that "he broke down and wept" as he handed over to Montgomery on the beaches of La Panne. He was told by Gort to "proceed home ... for (the) task of reforming new armies" and so returned on a destroyer (30 May). Then "on June 2nd set out for the War Office to find out what I was wanted for" with a "light heart" and with no responsibility, and was then told by Dill (CIGS) that he was to "Return to France to form a new BEF"; he later said that hearing the command from Dill was "one of his blackest (moments) in the war". He had already realised that there was no hope of success for the "Brittany plan" (Breton redoubt) to keep an allied redoubt in France. After General Maxime Weygand warned him that the French Army was collapsing and could offer no further resistance, he decided that he needed to convince his superiors to allow him to withdraw his forces to Cherbourg and Brest for evacuation to Britain. He told the Secretary for War Anthony Eden that the mission had "no military value and no hope of success" although he could not comment on its political value. In his first conversation with Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Brooke had been rung by Dill who was at 10 Downing Street) he insisted that all British forces should be withdrawn from France. Churchill initially objected but was eventually convinced by Brooke and around 200,000 British and Allied troops were successfully evacuated from ports in northwestern France.
After returning for a short spell at Southern Command he was appointed in July 1940 to command United Kingdom Home Forces to take charge of anti-invasion preparations. Thus it would have been Brooke's task to direct the land battle in the event of a German amphibious invasion of Great Britain. Contrary to his predecessor General Sir Edmund Ironside, who favoured a static coastal defence, Brooke developed a mobile reserve which was to swiftly counterattack the enemy forces before they were established. A light line of defence on the coast was to assure that the landings were delayed as much as possible. Writing after the war, Brooke acknowledged that he also "had every intention of using sprayed mustard gas on the beaches".
Brooke believed that the lack of a unified command of the three services was "a grave danger" to the defence of the country. Despite this, and the fact that the available forces never reached the numbers he thought were required, Brooke considered the situation far from "helpless" if the Germans were to invade. "We should certainly have a desperate struggle and the future might well have hung in the balance, but I certainly felt that given a fair share of the fortunes of war we should certainly succeed in finally defending these shores", he wrote after the war. But in the end, the German invasion plan was never taken beyond the preliminary assembly of forces.
Chief of the Imperial General Staff
In December 1941 Brooke succeeded Field Marshal Sir John Dill as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, in which appointment he also represented the British Army on the Chiefs of Staff Committee. In March 1942 he succeeded Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound as chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
For the remainder of the Second World War, Brooke was the foremost military adviser to the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill (who was also Minister of Defence), the War Cabinet, and to Britain's allies. As CIGS, Brooke was the functional head of the British Army, and as chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, which he dominated by force of intellect and personality, he took the leading military part in the overall strategic direction of the British war effort. In 1942, Brooke joined the Western Allies' ultimate command, the U.S.-British Combined Chiefs of Staff. Brooke was responsible for commanding the entire British Army; he focused on grand strategy, and his relationships, through the Combined Chiefs of Staff, with his American counterparts. He was also responsible for the appointment and evaluation of senior commanders, allocation of manpower and equipment and the organization of tactical air forces in support of land operations of field commanders. In addition he had primary responsibility for supervising the military operations of the Free French, Polish, Dutch, Belgian, and Czech units reporting to their governments in exile in London. Brooke vigorously allocated responsibilities to his deputies. Despite the traditional historical distrust that had existed between the military and the political side of the War Office, he got along quite well with his political counterpart, the Secretary of State for War, first the Conservative politician David Margesson and later Sir James Grigg, the former head civil servant of the department, who in an unusual move was promoted to the ministerial post.
Brooke's focus was primarily on the Mediterranean theatre. Here, his principal aims were to rid North Africa of Axis forces and knock Italy out of the war, thereby opening up the Mediterranean for Allied shipping, and then mount the cross-Channel invasion when the Allies were ready and the Germans sufficiently weakened.
Brooke's and the British view of the Mediterranean operations contrasted with the American commitment to an early invasion of western Europe, which led to several heated arguments at the many conferences of the Combined Chiefs of Staff.
During the first years of the Anglo-American alliance, it was often the British who got their way. At the London Conference in April 1942, Brooke and Churchill seem to have misled General George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, about the British intentions on an early landing in France. At the Casablanca Conference in January 1943, it was decided that the Allies should invade Sicily, under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a decision that effectively postponed the planned invasion of Western Europe until 1944. The Casablanca agreement was in fact a compromise, brokered largely by Brooke's old friend Field Marshal Sir John Dill, Chief of the British Joint Staff Mission in Washington, D.C. "I owe him [Dill] an unbounded debt of gratitude for his help on that occasion and in many other similar ones", Brooke wrote after the war.
The post of CIGS was less rewarding than command in an important theatre of war but the CIGS chose the generals who commanded those theatres and decided what men and munitions they should have. When it came to finding the right commanders he often complained that many officers who would have been good commanders had been killed in the First World War and that this was one reason behind the difficulties the British had in the beginning of the war. When General Sir Claude Auchinleck was to be replaced as the commander of the British Eighth Army in 1942, Brooke preferred Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery (Montgomery was both Brooke's ex-pupil and his protégé) instead of Lieutenant-General William Gott, who was Churchill's candidate. Soon thereafter Gott was killed when his aircraft was shot down and Montgomery received the command. Brooke would later reflect upon the tragic event which led to the appointment of Montgomery as an intervention by God. A few days earlier Brooke had been offered Auchinleck's main job of Commander-in-Chief Middle East. Brooke regretfully declined, believing he now knew better than any other general how to deal with Churchill. He recorded that it would take a new CIGS six months to learn to handle Churchill, and "during those six months anything might happen".
A year later, the war had taken a different turn and Brooke no longer believed it necessary to stay at Churchill's side. He therefore looked forward to taking command of the Allied invasion of Western Europe, a post Brooke believed he had been promised by Churchill on three occasions. During the first Quebec Conference in August 1943, it was decided that the command would go to General George Marshall. (Although in the event Marshall's work as U.S. Army Chief of Staff was too important for him to leave Washington, D.C., and Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed instead.) Brooke was bitterly disappointed, both at being passed over and of the way the decision was conveyed to him by Churchill, who according to Brooke "dealt with the matter as if it were one of minor importance".
Brooke or "Brookie" as he was often known, is reckoned to be one of the foremost of all the heads of the British Army. He was quick in mind and speech and deeply respected by his military colleagues, both British and Allied, although his uncompromising style could make the Americans wary.
As CIGS, Brooke had a strong influence on the grand strategy of the Western Allies. The war in the west unfolded more or less according to his plans, at least until 1943 when the American forces were still relatively small in comparison to the British. Among the most crucial of his contributions was his opposition to an early landing in France, which was important for delaying Operation Overlord until June 1944.
He was a cautious general with a great respect for the German war machine. Some American planners thought that Brooke's participation in the campaigns of the First World War and in the two evacuations from France in the Second World War made him lack the aggression they believed necessary for victory. According to Max Hastings, Brooke's reputation as a strategist was "significantly damaged" by his remarks at the Trident Conference in Washington in May 1943, where he claimed that no major operations on the continent would be possible until 1945 or 1946. His diary says that he wanted "operations in the Mediterranean to force a dispersal of German forces, help Russia, and thus eventually produce a situation where cross Channel operations are possible" but that Churchill "entirely repudiated" (or half repudiated) the paper we (the CCOS) had agreed on; Harry Hopkins got him to withdraw his proposed amendments but that Churchill had aroused suspicions with his talk of "ventures in the Balkans."
Relationship with Churchill
During the years as CIGS, Brooke had a stormy relationship with Winston Churchill. Brooke was often frustrated with the Prime Minister's habits and working methods, his abuse of generals and constant meddling in strategic matters. At the same time Brooke greatly admired Churchill for the way he inspired the Allied cause and for the way he bore the heavy burden of war leadership. In one typical passage in Brooke's war diaries Churchill is described as a "genius mixed with an astonishing lack of vision – he is quite the most difficult man to work with that I have ever struck but I should not have missed the chance of working with him for anything on earth!"
Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Churchill and his senior military staff used the Arcadia Conference in Washington to decide the general strategy for the war. The American Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall came up with the idea of a Combined Chiefs of Staff that would make final military decisions (subject to approval by President Roosevelt and Churchill). Marshall sold it to Roosevelt and together the two sold the idea to Churchill. Churchill's military aides were much less favourable, and Brooke was strongly opposed. However, Brooke was left behind in London to handle the daily details of running the British war effort, and was not consulted. The combined board was permanently stationed in Washington, where Field Marshal Dill represented the British half. The Combined Board did have thirteen in-person full meetings, which Brooke attended.
When Churchill's many fanciful strategic ideas collided with sound military strategy it was only Brooke on the Chiefs of Staff Committee who was able to stand up to the Prime Minister. Churchill said about Brooke: "When I thump the table and push my face towards him what does he do? Thumps the table harder and glares back at me. I know these Brookes – stiff-necked Ulstermen and there's no one worse to deal with than that!" It has been claimed that part of Churchill's greatness was that he appointed Brooke as CIGS and kept him for the whole war.
Brooke was particularly annoyed by Churchill's idea of capturing the northern tip of Sumatra. But in some cases Brooke did not see the political dimension of strategy as the Prime Minister did. The CIGS was sceptical about the British intervention in the Greek Civil War in late 1944 (during the Dekemvriana), believing this was an operation which would drain troops from the central front in Germany. But at this stage the war was practically won and Churchill saw the possibility of preventing Greece from becoming a communist state.
The balance of the Chiefs of Staff Committee was tilted in October 1943 when Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, Brooke's predecessor as chairman, retired as a result of poor health and Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham succeeded Pound as First Sea Lord and naval representative on the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Brooke as a consequence got a firm ally in his arguments with Churchill. This was reflected in the most serious clash between the Prime Minister and the Chiefs of Staff, regarding the British preparations for final stages of the Pacific War. Brooke and the rest of the Chiefs of Staff wanted to build up the forces in Australia while Churchill preferred to use India as a base for the British effort. It was an issue over which the Chiefs of Staff were prepared to resign, but in the end a compromise was reached.
Despite their many disagreements Brooke and Churchill held an affection for each other. After one fierce clash Churchill told his chief of staff and military adviser, General Sir Hastings Ismay, that he did not think he could continue to work any longer with Brooke because "he hates me. I can see hatred looking from his eyes." Brooke responded to Ismay: "Hate him? I don't hate him. I love him. But the first time I tell him that I agree with him when I don't will be the time to get rid of me, for then I can be no more use to him." When Churchill was told this he murmured, "Dear Brookie."
The partnership between Brooke and Churchill was a very successful one and led Britain to victory in 1945. According to historian Max Hastings, their partnership "created the most efficient machine for the higher direction of the war possessed by any combatant nation, even if its judgments were sometimes flawed and its ability to enforce its wishes increasingly constrained".
Brooke's diary entry for 10 September 1944 is particularly revealing of his ambivalent relationship with Churchill:
...And the wonderful thing is that 3/4 of the population of the world imagine that Churchill is one of the Strategists of History, a second Marlborough, and the other 1/4 have no idea what a public menace he is and has been throughout this war! It is far better that the world should never know, and never suspect the feet of clay of this otherwise superhuman being. Without him England was lost for a certainty, with him England has been on the verge of disaster time and again.... Never have I admired and despised a man simultaneously to the same extent. Never have such opposite extremes been combined in the same human being.
War diaries
Brooke kept a diary during the whole of the Second World War. Originally intended for his wife, Benita, the diaries were later expanded on by Brooke in the 1950s. They contain descriptions on the day-to-day running of the British war effort (including some indiscreet references to top secret interceptions of German radio traffic), Brooke's thoughts on strategy, as well as frequent anecdotes from the many meetings he had with the Allied leadership during the war.
The diaries have become famous mostly because of the frequent remarks on and criticisms of Churchill. Although the diaries contain passages expressing admiration of Churchill, they also served as a vent for Brooke's frustration with working with the Prime Minister. The diaries also give sharp opinions on several of the top Allied leaders. The American generals Eisenhower and Marshall, for example, are described as poor strategists and Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander as unintelligent. Among the few individuals of whom Brooke seems to have kept consistently positive opinions, from a military standpoint, were General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Field Marshal Sir John Dill, and Joseph Stalin. Brooke admired Stalin for his quick brain and grasp of military strategy. Otherwise he had no illusions about the man, describing Stalin thus: "He has got an unpleasantly cold, crafty, dead face, and whenever I look at him I can imagine his sending off people to their doom without ever turning a hair."
The first (abridged and censored) version published in the 1950s was edited by the distinguished historian Sir Arthur Bryant: 1957 (The Turn of the Tide) and 1959 (Triumph in the West). Originally Brooke intended that the diaries were never to be published but one reason that he changed his mind was the lack of credit to him and the Chiefs of Staff in Churchill's own war memoirs, which essentially presented their ideas and innovations as the Prime Minister's own. Although censorship and libel laws accounted for numerous suppressions of what Brooke had originally written concerning persons who were still alive, the Bryant books became controversial even in their truncated state, mainly as a result of the comments on Churchill, Marshall, Eisenhower, Gort, and others. Churchill himself did not appreciate the books. In 1952 both Churchill and Beaverbrook threatened legal action against a biography of Stanley Baldwin by G. M. Young, and a settlement was reached by lawyer Arnold Goodman to remove the offending sentences. The publisher Rupert Hart-Davis had the "hideously expensive" job of removing and replacing seven leaves from 7,580 copies of the biography. Diary entries also refer to intercepts of German signals decrypted at Bletchley Park (which he visited twice), which were secret until 1974.
In 2001, Alex Danchev of Keele University and Daniel Todman of Cambridge University published an unexpurgated version of the Alan Brooke Diaries including original critical remarks that Alan Brooke made at various times that had been suppressed in the Bryant versions. Danchev and Todman also criticised Bryant's editing, but this is balanced by an assessment by Dr Christopher Harmon, advisor to the Churchill Centre and Professor at the US Marine Corps University. Bryant was inhibited by Alan Brooke's desire not to publish in full his critical diary entries about people who were still alive when Bryant's books were published.
Post-war career
Following the Second World War and his retirement from the regular army, Lord Alanbrooke, as he was now, who could have chosen almost any honorary position he wanted, chose to be the Colonel Commandant of the Honourable Artillery Company. He held this position from 1946 to 1954. In addition, he served on the boards of several companies, both in industry and in banking. He was director of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the Midland Bank, the National Discount Company and the Belfast Banking Company. Alanbrooke was particularly fond of being a director of the Hudson's Bay Company where he served for eleven years from 1948.
According to historian A. Sangster there was a reason for his choice to work in the private sector - i.e. not to stay in the military. Brooke ended the Second World War not well off: he had to move from his house and publishing his memoirs helped because such books sold well at that time.
Private life and ornithology
Alan Brooke was married twice. After six years of engagement he married Jane Richardson in 1914, a neighbour in County Fermanagh in Ulster. Six days into their honeymoon, the then Alan Brooke was recalled to active duty when the First World War started. The couple had one daughter and one son, Rosemary and Thomas. Jane Brooke died of complications from an operation to repair a broken vertebra following a car accident in 1925 in which her husband was at the steering wheel. Jane's death deeply affected Brooke, who blamed himself for the accident and felt guilt over it for the rest of his life.
He married Benita Lees (1892–1968), daughter of Sir Harold Pelly, 4th Bt., and the widow of Sir Thomas Lees, 2nd Bt., in 1929. The marriage was very happy for the uxorious Brooke and resulted in one daughter and one son, Kathleen and Victor. During the war the couple lived in Hartley Wintney in Hampshire. After the war, the Brookes' financial situation forced the couple to move into the gardener's cottage of their former home, where they lived for the rest of their lives. Their last years were darkened by the death of their daughter, Kathleen, in a riding accident in 1961.
Alan Brooke had a love of nature. Hunting and fishing were among his great interests. His foremost passion, however, was birds. He was a noted ornithologist, especially in bird photography. In 1944, he ordered the RAF not to use an island off the coast of Norfolk as a bombing range because of its significance to nesting roseate terns. He was president of the Zoological Society of London between 1950 and 1954 and vice-president of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds between 1949 and 1961.[85][86] He was an honorary member of the Royal Photographic Society from February 1954 until his death.
Death
On 17 June 1963 Alanbrooke suffered a heart attack and died quietly in his bed with his wife beside him. The same day, he had been due to attend the Garter Service in St George's Chapel, Windsor. Nine days later he was given a funeral in Windsor and buried in St Mary's Church, Hartley Wintney.
THIS VIDEO IS CUT OFF ON FLICKR!
VIEW THE FULL-LENGTH VIDEO ON YOUTUBE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9_3Pidq-zk
John The Canadien is going doooowwwwnnnnn -- the false prophet of Skyy Vodka has forsaken him.
Things get interesting around 6m20s, when Jesse tells Carolyn, \"John's fucked up\", and Carolyn grabs his bottle, swigs it, then walks away with it. John The Candien looks disconcerted. \"Noooo... Not the bottle!\" Funny stuff :)
But then look at 7m40s -- Kipp picks John up and moves him to the couch that he later puked on. He got up, but for all I know he moved back to the couch at 11m30s because he didn't want to be picked up again. And who picks somebody up anyway? Nice instincts (sarcasm) on everybody except Carolyn's part.
Still -- the couch is fine and is used today, and we still enjoy throwing parties!
Carolyn, Dallin, Dave, Jena, Jesse, John, Kipp, Mark.
drinking, picking up.
before addition. webcam.
Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.
February 2, 2002.
... Read Dave's blog at www.spugbrap.com/blog/
... View Dave's photos at www.flickr.com/photos/spugbrap/
... View Jesse's MySpace at www.myspace.com/Yi_Zong/
... Read John The Canadien's blog at igottarambleon.wordpress.com/
... View John The Canadien's photos at www.flickr.com/photos/jlk78/
... View Kipp's photos at www.flickr.com/photos/lurking444/
BACKSTORY: We threw a party, and used a webcam in conjunction with VirtualDub to record the entire party. Selected highlights were edited out. We also hvae a raw, 4.5 hr video -- but that's way past YouTube's 10 minute limit, and FlickR's 90 second limit.
Half a meter of focal length on the streets, on a foggy, winter day, somewhere at the end of 2011.
Keeping 500mm lens steady, at fixed f/8 aperture is no small feat, even with fast film.
Taken with Chinon CE-5 camera, Vivitar 500mm F8 catadioptric lens, on Efke KB400 film. Developed in Agfa Rodinal R09, probably 1:50 dilution.
Camera Nikon D90
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/750)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 100
Pano from 4 pictures
De burgers van Calais is een bronzen beeldhouwwerk dat zes personen uitbeeldt. Het is gemaakt door Auguste Rodin, afgewerkt in 1888. Het is een van zijn beroemdste werken. Er zijn er twaalf van gegoten. Ze staan onder andere in Calais, in Parijs in het Musée Rodin, in Londen in de Victoria Tower Gardens, in Kopenhagen en in Mariemont. Het beeldhouwwerk heeft de Duitse schrijver Georg Kaiser geïnspireerd tot het schrijven van het toneelstuk 'Die Bürger von Calais'.
Geschiedenis
Hoewel nog volop worstelend met de onoverkomelijke moeilijkheden bij de constructie van zijn Porte de l'Enfer, werkt de Franse beeldhouwer Auguste Rodin van 1886 tot 1888 aan een nieuwe openbare opdracht van het stadsbestuur van Calais. Het wordt Les bourgeois de Calais en de opdracht luidt: De herinnering aan een heldhaftige actie vereeuwigen.
Rodin neemt hierbij de gelegenheid te baat om het aan te knopen met de wereld van de Middeleeuwen, die hem erg fascineert. Geïnspireerd door de Chroniques van Froissart, groepeert de meester de zes burgers, blootsvoets en met een boetekleed, als incarnatie van het menselijke lijden, waarbij hij uitdrukking en anatomie van elk analyseert in functie van hun leeftijd en hun karakter. De suggestieve kracht, die van de groep uitgaat, is overweldigend. Het beeld is geheel in het brons.
In tegenstelling tot de huidige presentatie, was het oorspronkelijk Rodins bedoeling zijn schepping te plaatsen op een voetplaat van slechts 25 cm hoogte, zodat de burgers als het ware tussen de voetgangers op de markt zouden lopen.
Historische relevantie
Het kunstwerk beeldt een fase uit de Honderdjarige Oorlog uit. Calais werd in 1347 door het al elf maanden durende beleg gedwongen tot overgave wegens de grote hongersnood in de stad. Zes vooraanstaande burgers hadden het plan opgevat hun leven te schenken aan de Engelse koning in ruil voor het sparen van de stad. Met niets anders gekleed dan een hemd en met de strop reeds rond hun nek trokken ze naar Eduard III om hem de sleutel van de stad te bezorgen. Ontroerd door de zelfopoffering van de mannen wierp Eduards vrouw Filippa van Henegouwen zich aan de voeten van haar man en smeekte hem hun leven te sparen, wat dan ook gebeurde.
De plaatsen waar een originele gieting van De burgers van Calais staat
Calais, place de l'hôtel de ville, 1895.
Kopenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, 1903.
Mariemont (België), Musée Royal, 1905.
Londen, Parlementsgebouw, Gieting 1908, Tentoonstelling 1915.
Philadelphia, Rodin Museum, Gieting tussen 1919 en 1922, tentoonstelling 1925.
Paris, Musée Rodin, Gieting 1926, Schenking aan museum in 1955.
Bazel, Kunstmuseum, Gieting 1943, Tentoonstelling 1948.
Washington, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Gieting 1943, tentoonstelling 1966.
Tokio, Nationaal museum voor westerse kunst, Gieting 1953, tentoonstelling 1959.
Pasadena, Norton Simon Museum of Art, 1969.
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gieting 1985, tentoonstelling 1989.
Seoel, Rodin-Galerie, 1995.
Drama van Kaiser
De Duitse schrijver Georg Kaiser heeft het verhaal van 'De burgers van Calais' verwerkt tot een drama met de titel 'Die Bürger von Calais'. Georg Kaiser schreef het toneelstuk naar aanleiding van Rodins beeldengroep in 1912/1913. Het uiteindelijke werk werd in 1914 voltooid en voor het eerst opgevoerd in het 'Neue Theater' van Frankfurt am Main. Het stuk, dat geregisseerd werd door Arthur Hellmer, was een groot succes en zorgde voor de grote doorbraak van Kaiser. Vandaag de dag is 'Die Bürger von Calais' veelgelezen schoolliteratuur.
Het theaterstuk is een schoolvoorbeeld van het expressionistische drama in het Duitse taalgebied. De boodschap, dat de redding van Calais slechts door een zelfoffer geschieden kan, in plaats van door zinloze weerstand door alle burgers, komt overeen met de expressionistische kritiek op het 'Bürgertum' en de massamaatschappij ten tijde van het Duitse Keizerrijk onder Wilhelm II.
Nikon D40
Focal Length: 35mm
Optimize Image: Custom
Color Mode: Mode IIIa (sRGB)
Long Exposure NR: Off
High ISO NR: Off
2008/02/21 17:26:17.5
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
White Balance: Auto
Tone Comp.: Auto
Compressed RAW (12-bit)
Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern
AF Mode: AF-S
Hue Adjustment: 0°
1/100 sec - F/16
Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached
Saturation: Auto
Color
Exposure Comp.: -0.3 EV
Sharpening: Medium high
Lens: 17-35mm F/2.8D Nikkor
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Image Comment: (c) Gerard Prins All rights reserved
Tel.: (56) 22758 7209
Comparison of 2 focal lengths and resolving power.
It didn't cross my mind to shoot in the exact same position with the 18mm, so for comparison, please look at the top left corner of the 18mm frame. It's the bridge-thing on top of the 3 blue towers (Marina Bay Sands Hotel)
1. 500mm(750mm) - Bower(samyang) 500mm catadioptric(mirror) lens f/6.3, manual focus
2. 18mm (27mm) - Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR IF ED
Shot with a D300 atop Ritz Carlton Hotel
Behind the scenes of a feature length Star Wars fan film shot on location at the Fermi Lab National Accelerator Laboratory.
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Play The series - www.youtube.com/watch?v=58FImpgU8Rg&list=PL3DF5E0882B...
What is Star Wars:Forgotten Realm? - liquidquicheproductions.blogspot.com/
Star Wars:Forgotten Realm is a set 7 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. The Emperor has mandated the expansion of the Empire. The Rebellion is in it's infancy. Rebel spy Yari'el Loor has secured the plans to an Imperial invasion of an area of the galaxy known as the Proteus Cluster. She hires Jared Dunkin, a xeno-archaeologist, to deliver her to her contact on the planet Berrata Prime. The Empire forces the them to crash on an uncharted planet located in a nebula. A Jedi, Web Mallick, and detachment of clone troopers, stranded on the planet for 10 years, witness the crash and rescue Jared and Yari'el from Imperial troops. Once the Emperor learns of this, he sends Vader and the 501st to deal with the Jedi. This film production is not associated with Lucasfilm, LTD.
Fermilab Today August 4,2011 A long time ago in a national laboratory far, far away... some physicists looked around their workplace and thought of dark forces. Not dark matter; not dark energy; but the ultimate force from the dark side: Darth Vader... Now, nearly six years later, employees and users at Fermilab can view the results: the first full-length Star Wars fan film. Well, actually, you can see the first 20 minutes, for now. Several of the scenes of the movie were filmed at Fermilab, including in the NUMI tunnel, during off-work hours. This first part of the movie showcases the prairie. The two-hour film was shot under the direction of Darren Crawford, the laboratory's Accelerator Operations crew chief. Crawford capitalized on the laboratory's concrete-walled, industrial-looking experimental tunnels and its natural prairies to create the stark, wild look of a futuristic world. Computer-aided special effects, generated with the help of co-workers, promise to give the !
film a polished, if not Hollywood, look. While Lucas Productions does not endorse the film, it does allow fans to make and show films as long as they don't charge admission.
Fan Film - wikipedia.org A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book or a similar source, created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been amateurs, but some of the more notable films have actually been produced by professional filmmakers as film school class projects or as demonstration reels. Fan films vary tremendously in quality, as well as in length, from short faux-teaser trailers for non-existent motion pictures to full-length motion pictures. The highest profile of these programs has been Lucasfilm's Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards
Groups that made this possible:
Vader's Fist 501st Legion www.501st.com/
The Legion is an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. The Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Wars through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work..."
Midwest Garrison - midwestgarrison.com/about.php
The Midwest Garrison is the Illinois chapter of The 501st Legion, a Star Wars Imperial costuming club. The 501st is dedicated to the movie-quality costumes of the "villains" of the Star Wars universe.
Bloodfin Garrison - bloodfingarrison.com/
Bloodfin Garrison was formed in 2002 as the Indiana-based chapter of the 501st Legion. Our group consists of a variety of individuals from the Hoosier state who show their love for Star Wars by wearing detailed replica Star Wars villian costumes. They include such favorite characters as Darth Vader, Imperial Stormtroopers, Biker Scouts, TIE Fighter Pilots, and Bounty Hunters just to name a few.
Sandtroopers.com - www.sandtroopers.com/about/
UNITED WE FIND! Sandtroopers.com is a Star Wars Toys Collectors' website that stands unique as the pro-fan, anti-scalper unifier in the collecting community. Focusing on new action figure releases as they hit markets across the nation and worldwide, and delivering original entertainment in our articles, Sandtroopers is the collector's most valuable tool in getting the toys and fighting the s
Lights Sabers Action - A Star Wars Fan Film Documentary
Behind the scenes of a feature length Star Wars fan film shot on location at the Fermi Lab National Accelerator Laboratory. Tweet: clicktotweet.com/P63Qe Like: on.fb.me/wvyTUf
Learn More About Star Wars FR - bit.ly/swfrthemovie
Updates youtube.com/fastfilms
The jackfruit is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family (Moraceae). It is native to parts of South and Southeast Asia, and is believed to have originated in the southwestern rain forests of India, in present-day Kerala, in Tamil Nadu (in Panruti ), coastal Karnataka and Maharashtra. The jackfruit tree is well suited to tropical lowlands, and its fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit, reaching as much as 36 kg in weight, 90 cm in length, and 50 cm in diameter.
The jackfruit tree is a widely cultivated and popular food item in tropical regions of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Jackfruit is also found across Africa (e.g., in Cameroon, Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Mauritius), as well as throughout Brazil and in Caribbean nations such as Jamaica. Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh.
The jackfruit has played a significant role in Indian agriculture for centuries. Archeological findings in India have revealed that jackfruit was cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago. It is also widely cultivated in southeast Asia.
Thailand and Vietnam are major producers of jackfruit, a lot of which are cut, prepared and canned in a sugary syrup (or frozen in bags/boxes without syrup), and exported overseas, frequently to North America and Europe.
In other areas, the jackfruit is considered an invasive species as in Brazil's Tijuca Forest National Park in Rio de Janeiro. The Tijuca is mostly an artificial secondary forest, whose planting began during the mid-19th century, and jackfruit trees have been a part of the park's flora since its founding. Recently, the species has expanded excessively; its fruits, which naturally fall to the ground and open, are eagerly eaten by small mammals such as the common marmoset and coati. The seeds are dispersed by these animals, which allows the jackfruit to compete for space with native tree species. Additionally, as the marmoset and coati also prey opportunistically on bird's eggs and nestlings, the supply of jackfruit as a ready source of food has allowed them to expand their populations, to the detriment of the local bird populations. Between 2002 and 2007, 55,662 jackfruit saplings were destroyed in the Tijuca Forest area in a deliberate culling effort by the park's management.
AROMA
Jackfruit are known for having a distinct aroma. In a study using five jackfruit cultivars, the main jackfruit volatile compounds that were detected are: ethyl isovalerate, 3-methylbutyl acetate, 1-butanol, propyl isovalerate, isobutyl isovalerate, 2-methylbutanol, and butyl isovalerate. These compounds were consistently present in all the five cultivars studied, suggesting that these esters and alcohols contributed to the sweet and fruity aroma of jackfruit.
The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy and fibrous and is a source of dietary fiber. The flavor is comparable to a combination of apple, pineapple, mango and banana. Varieties are distinguished according to characteristics of the fruit's flesh. In Brazil, three varieties are recognized: jaca-dura, or the "hard" variety, which has a firm flesh and the largest fruits that can weigh between 15 and 40 kilograms each, jaca-mole, or the "soft" variety, which bears smaller fruits with a softer and sweeter flesh, and jaca-manteiga, or the "butter" variety, which bears sweet fruits whose flesh has a consistency intermediate between the "hard" and "soft" varieties. In Indochina, there are 2 varieties, being the "hard" version (more crunchy, drier and less sweet but fleshier), and the "soft" version (more soft, moister, much sweeter with a darker gold-color flesh than the hard variety).
In Kerala, two varieties of jackfruit predominate: varikka (വരിക്ക) and koozha (കൂഴ). Varikka has a slightly hard inner flesh when ripe, while the inner flesh of the ripe koozha fruit is very soft and almost dissolving. A sweet preparation called chakka varattiyathu (jackfruit jam) is made by seasoning pieces of varikka fruit flesh in jaggery, which can be preserved and used for many months. Huge jackfruits up to four feet in length with a corresponding girth are sometimes seen in Kerala.
In West Bengal the two varieties are called khaja kathal and moja kathal. The fruits are either eaten alone or as a side to rice / roti / chira / muri. Sometimes the juice is extracted and either drunk straight or as a side with muri. The extract is sometimes condensed into rubbery delectables and eaten as candies. The seeds are either boiled or roasted and eaten with salt and hot chillies. They are also used to make spicy side-dishes with rice or roti.
In Mangalore, Karnataka, the varieties are called bakke and imba. The pulp of the imba jackfruit is ground and made into a paste, then spread over a mat and allowed to dry in the sun to create a natural chewy candy.
The young fruit is called polos in Sri Lanka and idichakka or idianchakka in Kerala.
In Indochina, jackfruit is a frequent ingredient in sweets and desserts. In Vietnam, jackfruit is used to make jackfruit Chè (chè is a sweet dessert soup, similar to the Chinese derivative, bubur chacha). The Vietnamese also use jackfruit puree as part of pastry fillings, or as a topping on Xôi ngọt (sweet version of sticky rice portions).
NUTRITION
The edible jackfruit is made of soft, easily-digestible flesh (bulbs); A portion of 100 g of edible raw jackfruit provides about 95 calories and is a good source of the antioxidant vitamin C, providing about 13.7 mg.[23] Jackfruit seeds are rich in protein. The fruit is also rich in potassium, calcium, and iron.
WOOD
The wood of the tree is used for the production of musical instruments. In Indonesia, hardwood from the trunk is carved out to form the barrels of drums used in the gamelan, and in the Philippines its soft wood is made into the body of the kutiyapi, a type of boat lute. It is also used to make the body of the Indian string instrument veena and the drums mridangam, thimila and kanjira; the golden, yellow timber with good grains is used for building furniture and house construction in India. The ornate wooden plank called avani palaka made of the wood of jackfruit tree is used as the priest's seat during Hindu ceremonies in Kerala. In Vietnam, jackfruit wood is prized for the making of Buddhist statuaries in temples.
Jackfruit wood is widely used in the manufacture of furniture, doors and windows, and in roof construction. The heartwood is used by Buddhist forest monastics in Southeast Asia as a dye, giving the robes of the monks in those traditions their distinctive light-brown color.
COMMERVIAL AVAILABILITY
Outside of its countries of origin, fresh jackfruit can be found at Asian food markets, especially in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Bangladesh. It is also extensively cultivated in the Brazilian coastal region, where it is sold in local markets. It is available canned in sugary syrup, or frozen, already prepared and cut. Dried jackfruit chips are produced by various manufacturers. In northern Australia, particularly in Darwin, jackfruit can be found at outdoor produce markets during the dry season. Outside of countries where it is grown, jackfruit can be obtained year-round both canned or dried. It has a ripening season in Asia of late spring to late summer.
There are established jackfruit industries in Sri Lanka and Vietnam, where the fruit is processed into products such as flour, noodles, papad and ice cream. It is also canned and sold as a vegetable for export.
The jackfruit is one of the three auspicious fruits of Tamil Nadu, along with the mango and banana, known as the mukkani (முக்கனி). These are referred to as ma-pala-vaazhai (mango-jack-banana). The three fruits (mukkani) are also related to the three arts of Tamil (mu-Tamizh). Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh. It is also the state fruit of the Indian state of Kerala.
WIKIPEDIA
Statue of Admiral David G. Farragut
•U.S. National Register of Historic Places
•Contributing Property to U.S. Historic District
•Part of: Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C.
•NRHP Reference #: 78000257
•Added to NRHP: September 20, 1978
•Location: Farragut Square, Washington, D.C., United States
•Coordinates: 38.901944°N 77.038972°W
•Designer: Vinnie Ream
•Material: Bronze (sculpture); Granite (base)
•Length: 3 feet (0.91 m)
•Width: 3 feet (0.91 m)
•Height: 10 feet (3.0 m)
•Opening date: April 25, 1881
•Dedicated to: David Farragut
Admiral David G. Farragut is a statue in Washington, D.C. honoring David Farragut, a career military officer who served as the first admiral in the United States Navy. The monument is sited in the center of Farragut Square, a city square in downtown Washington, D.C. The statue was sculpted by female artist Vinnie Ream, whose best known works include a statue of Abraham Lincoln and several statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. The monument was dedicated in 1881 in an extravagant ceremony attended by President James A. Garfield, members of his cabinet, and thousands of spectators. It was the first monument erected in Washington, D.C. in honor of a naval war hero.
The statue is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The bronze statue, which rests on a granite base, was cast from the USS Hartford bronze propellers and not from enemy cannon like most Civil War monuments in the city. The monument and surrounding park are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.
History
Background
David Farragut (1801–1870) was a career military officer who first saw combat during the War of 1812 at the age of 9. He served on the USS Essex and was captured by the British. After the war, Farragut fought pirates in the West Indies on the ship USS Ferret, his first command of a United States Navy vessel. He also fought in the Mexican–American War and oversaw the construction of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in San Francisco. Although Farragut and his wife were Southerners, they remained loyal to the United States during the Civil War. His success in capturing New Orleans resulted in Farragut being honored with a new title created by the Navy, rear admiral. He continued to have great success in defeating Confederate forces, most notably at the Battle of Mobile Bay, where he uttered his famous phrase “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” Following the war, President Andrew Johnson promoted Farragut to admiral, the first U.S. naval officer to receive the title.
Soon after Farragut’s death in 1870, there were calls for a memorial to honor the naval hero. Representative Nathaniel P. Banks introduced a resolution in Congress for the erection of a monument to Farragut. The resolution stated that the statue was to be “after a design molded from life”, a subtle caveat intended to assist someone Banks already had in mind to create the statue, sculptor Horatio Stone of Washington, D.C., who claimed to have met Farragut and had already begun working on a statue. Bank’s resolution was referred to the Joint Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, where the committee chose to hold a competition, much to the dismay of Stone. Sculptors were only given sixty days to submit models of the statue, but when the congressional act approving the monument passed on April 16, 1872, the resolution was amended and the deadline for design submissions was extended by nine months.
Vinnie Ream (1847–1914), a sculptor who at age nineteen had received the first government commission ever granted a female artist when she created a bust of President Abraham Lincoln, began working on a bust of Farragut, whom she had met several times. Farragut’s widow, Virginia, admired Ream’s design and became a strong advocate for the artist’s model to be selected. Virginia wrote letters of endorsement to committee members and supplied Ream with the names of Farragut’s friends so that they too would offer their endorsements to the committee. There were thirteen artists who submitted models with Ream being the only woman. Their designs were displayed in the basement of the United States Capitol and several were severely criticized by the press, most notably the models by J. Wilson MacDonald, Randolph Rogers, and Edward Watson.
Stone and Ream’s model received the most praise. Stone’s model was praised by several naval officers who called it “true to life” and “unsurpassed by similar works.” Ream’s model received praise from several high profile individuals, most notably President Ulysses S. Grant, who called it “first rate”. Admiral David Dixon Porter said the model “of Miss Vinnie Ream is the only likeness in the lot.” General William Tecumseh Sherman, who was reportedly infatuated with Ream, also became a strong advocate for her model. He wrote to the committee that “the plaster model of Vinnie Ream struck me decidedly as the best likeness, and recalled the memory of the Admiral’s face and figure more perfectly than any other model there on exhibition.” The decision by the committee ultimately ended in a three-way tie between Ream, Stone, and MacDonald. The project stalled until the next Congress convened in 1874. A commission to select the winning model was created and consisted of Virginia, Sherman, and Secretary of the Navy George M. Robeson. Virginia and Sherman voted to approve Ream’s design, though Robeson refused to accept the result and tried in vain to convince Virginia to change her mind. Two months after the vote, Robeson relented and Ream’s model was officially selected.
Ream was awarded $20,000 for the design and worked on the statue for the next few years. She consulted Virginia and incorporated her suggestions, much to the delight of Virginia. In 1879, Ream announced that the model was ready to be cast and that the process would take place at the Washington Navy Yard, which had never before cast such a large statue. She continued to perfect the model while at the Navy Yard, much to the delight of the sailors. Although many of the city’s statues of military heroes were cast from captured enemy cannon, Farragut’s statue was cast from the USS Hartford bronze propellers that were removed and shipped to the Navy Yard. The amount of bronze yielded from the propellers was enough not only for the statue, but the four mortars on the corners of the statue base.
The site chosen for the statue was Farragut Square, a park renamed in honor of the admiral shortly after his death. The original dedication date, March 4, 1881, was pushed back because the statue base wasn’t ready. The base did not arrive until April 20, five days before the dedication, resulting in Ream’s husband, Lieutenant Richard L. Hoxie, working around the clock with a crew of workers to make sure the site was ready. The base was completed and statue erected just hours before the ceremony began.
Dedication
The statue was dedicated at 1 pm on April 25, 1881, becoming the first monument erected in Washington, D.C. in honor of a naval war hero. Government employees were dismissed at noon, the same time a procession began at the base of Capitol Hill. The military contingent, led by Commodore Charles H. Baldwin, moved west on Pennsylvania Avenue, where houses were decorated with bunting, and past the White House, before heading north on Connecticut Avenue. The homes surrounding the square were decorated with streamers and flags. Nearly 4,000 invited guests, including members of the Grand Army of the Republic and fellow sailors who served alongside Farragut, listened to John Philip Sousa conduct the Marine Band as they filled three temporary stands that were built on three sides of the statue. Distinguished guests included President James A. Garfield and his wife, Lucretia, members of the President’s cabinet, Virginia Farragut, and Ream.
An opening prayer was led by Reverend Arthur Brooks followed by the statue being unveiled by two members of Farragut’s Hartford crew, Quartermaster C. B. Knowles and Boatswain James Wiley. When the statue was unveiled, the Marine Band began playing a march and a seventeen gun salute was fired from nearby Lafayette Square. Secretary of the Navy William H. Hunt then introduced the President, who formally accepted the statue on behalf of the American people and gave a brief address. He stated: “Today we come to hail this hero, who comes from the sea, down from the shrouds of his flagship, wreathed with the smoke and glory of victory, bringing 60 years of national life and honor, to take his place as an honored compatriot and perpetual guardian of his Nation’s glory. In the name of the Nation I accept this noble statue, and his country will guard it as he guarded his country.” Speeches were then given by former Postmaster General Horace Maynard and Senator Daniel W. Voorhees followed by the Marine Band playing “Hail to the Chief” and another seventeen gun salute. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the military procession saluted the statue as they marched back down Connecticut Avenue, past the White House, and down Pennsylvania Avenue.
Later History
The Farragut statue is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 20, 1978, and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites on March 3, 1979. It is one of the few Civil War monuments that is a not an equestrian sculpture. The others are the Dupont Circle Fountain, Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial, Nuns of the Battlefield, the Peace Monument, and statues of Brigadier General Albert Pike and General John A. Rawlins. The monument and park are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.
Design and Location
The statue is located in the center of Farragut Square, a park in downtown Washington, D.C., bordered by K Street (north), I Street (south), and 17th Street NW (east and west). Two sidewalks bisect the park from the northwest to southeast corners, running along either side of the statue, on axis with Connecticut Avenue. Another sidewalk leads from the northeast to southwest corners and runs along the statue. A small, ornamental iron fence surrounds the statue base.
The bronze statue measures 10 ft (3.0 m) tall, 3 ft (0.91 m) wide, and 3 ft (0.91 m) long. Farragut is depicted in his military uniform and standing on the deck of his ship, facing south towards the White House. His right knee is bent as his right foot rests on a capstan. He is holding a telescope with both hands. The base, made of granite from Rockland, Maine, is 16 ft (4.9 m) tall, 18 ft (5.5 m) long, and 24 ft (7.3 m) wide. It is a square, three-tiered base with a chopped mortar on each corner. The inscription “FARRAGUT” is on the front of the base. Inside the base is a box containing documents related to Farragut’s career, a history of the sculpture, a copy of the Army and Navy Register, and a bronze model of the propeller used to cast the statue and mortars.
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