View allAll Photos Tagged flotation
slideshow 24, slide 32/73
northern arizona
1972
rafting trip, colorado river
part of an archival project, featuring the photographs of nick dewolf
© the Nick DeWolf Foundation
Image-use requests are welcome via flickrmail or nickdewolfphotoarchive [at] gmail [dot] com
Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Mobile Quarantine Facility:
Contractor:
Manufacturer:
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 8 ft. 7 in. tall x 9 ft. wide x 35 ft. deep, 12499.9 lb.
(261.62 x 274.32 x 1066.8cm, 5669.9kg)
Materials:
Aluminum, Glass
This Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) was one of four built by NASA for astronauts returning from the Moon. Its purpose was to prevent the unlikely spread of lunar contagions by isolating the astronauts from contact with other people. A converted Airstream trailer, the MQF contained living and sleeping quarters, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Quarantine was assured by keeping the air pressure inside lower than the pressure outside and by filtering the air vented from the facility.
This MQF was used by Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins immediately after their return to Earth. They remained in it for 65 hours, while the MQF was flown from the aircraft carrier Hornet to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. They were allowed to emerge once scientists were sure they were not infected with "moon germs."
NASA transferred the MQF to the Smithsonian Institution in 1974.
Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• • • • •
See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.
Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Space Shuttle Enterprise:
Manufacturer:
Rockwell International Corporation
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 57 ft. tall x 122 ft. long x 78 ft. wing span, 150,000 lb.
(1737.36 x 3718.57 x 2377.44cm, 68039.6kg)
Materials:
Aluminum airframe and body with some fiberglass features; payload bay doors are graphite epoxy composite; thermal tiles are simulated (polyurethane foam) except for test samples of actual tiles and thermal blankets.
The first Space Shuttle orbiter, "Enterprise," is a full-scale test vehicle used for flights in the atmosphere and tests on the ground; it is not equipped for spaceflight. Although the airframe and flight control elements are like those of the Shuttles flown in space, this vehicle has no propulsion system and only simulated thermal tiles because these features were not needed for atmospheric and ground tests. "Enterprise" was rolled out at Rockwell International's assembly facility in Palmdale, California, in 1976. In 1977, it entered service for a nine-month-long approach-and-landing test flight program. Thereafter it was used for vibration tests and fit checks at NASA centers, and it also appeared in the 1983 Paris Air Show and the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans. In 1985, NASA transferred "Enterprise" to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.
Transferred from National Aeronautics and Space Administration
With the aid of U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) Officer extraordinaire (I believe to be Lieutenant Jonathan Smart yet again), Apollo 15 Commander Dave Scott has the look of "OK - I got this - NO Apollo 9 recovery repeat"!
Along those lines, check it out, a challenging recovery for the entire crew of Apollo 9, not just Dave’s minor stumble:
Capt. David Johnston, an Operations Officer with the Vermont National Guard's Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment (Air Ambulance), teaches 2nd Lt. Thomas Hajosh how to properly use a floatation device during a training exercise at Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vt., Aug. 9, 2014. (Photo By: Sgt Heidi Kroll US Army National Guard)
Another Pier shot...I know, I said no more, but I thought I spotted a lifeguard that looked just like that big T.V. star. On "Babe Watch"...Oops, I mean "Bay Watch." He was running down the pier in slow motion with one of those flotation devices in one hand and a pizza in the other.
"DAVID, DAVID, over here...put the pizza down man, and give me a pose"
Having fun with different filters.
'Another view I marveled at *~*' On Black: See your photos in a new light
Nestled deep within the eastern Ozarks is an area known as the Old Lead Belt; it is a major part of the great Southeast Missouri lead district, the premier lead mining district of the world. The mining industry in this area has played an important role in Missouri's economic and social fabric for more than 280 years. Missouri Mines Sate Historic Site preserves the historically significant structures and artifacts of the largest mine-mill complex in the Old Lead Belt, and interprets the historic role of mineral resources and the mining industry in Missouri.
Pierre Charles LeSeur led the first European mineralogical expedition into the Mississippi Valley in the early 1700's. Two decades later, word came of a "shiny gray mineral...that was everywhere, often lying on the surface of the ground." These early explorers discovered that blanket-like lodes of galena, many feet thick, lay just below the earth's surface. This plentiful mineral is the primary lead ore still mined today in Missouri. The ore deposits have made Missouri the nation's major source of lead for more than 100 years.
The demand for lead resulted in economic development, which brought major corporate enterprises, deep multileveled underground mines, sophisticated underground railroads, and the influx of thousands of workers to the Old Lead Belt. More than 1,000 miles of abandoned multilevel mine tunnels that underlie the region and 300 miles of underground mainline railroad tracks that connected various shafts and mills are testimony to the 108 years of persistent mining operations in this area. Today, these mines, flooded naturally with ground water, provide a water supply for Park Hills and surrounding communities.
In 1864, St. Joseph Lead Company purchased nearly 950 acres at Bonne Terre, Missouri. The company soon rose to dominance over it's competitors because of it's innovations in ore-smelting, underground engineering technology and the development and use of mechanical equipment. In 1923, the company purchased the Federal Mill No. 3 lead-concentrating complex and improved the mill to become the largest lead mill in the world. It remained in operation until 1972.
In late 1975, the company donated the Federal mine-mill complex, along with adjoining lands, to Missouri for use as a state park. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources took possession of the 8,244 acre tract in 1976, subsequently naming it St. Joe State Park. In 1980, the 25 acre mine-mill was designated as Missouri Mines State Historic Site.
At it's peak, the complex consisted of 25 buildings, including the powerhouse, head-frame and primary crusher, mill, flotation plant, filter and dryer building, machine shop, carpenter shop, sawmill and electrical shop. Currently, the 19,000 square-foot powerhouse is under development as a Missouri mining history and mineral resources museum.
The first of the three museum galleries in the powerhouse contains underground mining equipment, such as the St. Joe Shovel, a man-carrying "speeder" and "electric mule" locomotives that replaced men and mules for moving cars of ore.
The second gallery includes exhibits on lead, geology and mineral resources, and features an outstanding systematic mineral collection, as well as an array of fluorescent minerals. A small theater is used to show a 12-minute video depicting underground mining and the ore milling process in the Old Lead Belt as an introduction for visitors. This gallery also features a Museum Shop, where related books, minerals, mineral jewelry, rock hound equipment and souvenirs may be purchased.
The third gallery contains giant air compressors that supplied air power underground to run the pneumatic drills and other equipment. This gallery eventually will contain exhibits on mining history and technology
The Mount Elliott Mining Complex is an aggregation of the remnants of copper mining and smelting operations from the early 20th century and the associated former mining township of Selwyn. The earliest copper mining at Mount Elliott was in 1906 with smelting operations commencing shortly after. Significant upgrades to the mining and smelting operations occurred under the management of W.R. Corbould during 1909 - 1910. Following these upgrades and increases in production, the Selwyn Township grew quickly and had 1500 residents by 1918. The Mount Elliott Company took over other companies on the Cloncurry field in the 1920s, including the Mount Cuthbert and Kuridala smelters. Mount Elliott operations were taken over by Mount Isa Mines in 1943 to ensure the supply of copper during World War Two. The Mount Elliott Company was eventually liquidated in 1953.
The Mount Elliott Smelter:
The existence of copper in the Leichhardt River area of north western Queensland had been known since Ernest Henry discovered the Great Australia Mine in 1867 at Cloncurry. In 1899 James Elliott discovered copper on the conical hill that became Mount Elliott, but having no capital to develop the mine, he sold an interest to James Morphett, a pastoralist of Fort Constantine station near Cloncurry. Morphett, being drought stricken, in turn sold out to John Moffat of Irvinebank, the most successful mining promoter in Queensland at the time.
Plentiful capital and cheap transport were prerequisites for developing the Cloncurry field, which had stagnated for forty years. Without capital it was impossible to explore and prove ore-bodies; without proof of large reserves of wealth it was futile to build a railway; and without a railway it was hazardous to invest capital in finding large reserves of ore. The mining investor or the railway builder had to break the impasse.
In 1906 - 1907 copper averaged £87 a ton on the London market, the highest price for thirty years, and the Cloncurry field grew. The railway was extended west of Richmond in 1905 - 1906 by the Government and mines were floated on the Melbourne Stock Exchange. At Mount Elliott a prospecting shaft had been sunk and on the 1st of August 1906 a Cornish boiler and winding plant were installed on the site.
Mount Elliott Limited was floated in Melbourne on the 13th of July 1906. In 1907 it was taken over by British and French interests and restructured. Combining with its competitor, Hampden Cloncurry Copper Mines Limited, Mount Elliott formed a special company to finance and construct the railway from Cloncurry to Malbon, Kuridala (then Friezeland) and Mount Elliott (later Selwyn). This new company then entered into an agreement with the Queensland Railways Department in July 1908.
The railway, which was known as the 'Syndicate Railway', aroused opposition in 1908 from the trade unions and Labor movement generally, who contended that railways should be State-owned. However, the Hampden-Mount Elliott Railway Bill was passed by the Queensland Parliament and assented to on the 21st of April 1908; construction finished in December 1910. The railway terminated at the Mount Elliott smelter.
By 1907 the main underlie shaft had been sunk and construction of the smelters was underway using a second-hand water-jacket blast furnace and converters. At this time, W.H. Corbould was appointed general manager of Mount Elliott Limited.
The second-hand blast furnace and converters were commissioned or 'blown in' in May 1909, but were problematic causing hold-ups. Corbould referred to the equipment in use as being the 'worst collection of worn-out junk he had ever come across'. Corbould soon convinced his directors to scrap the plant and let him design new works.
Corbould was a metallurgist and geologist as well as mine/smelter manager. He foresaw a need to obtain control and thereby ensure a reliable supply of ore from a cross-section of mines in the region. He also saw a need to implement an effective strategy to manage the economies of smelting low-grade ore. Smelting operations in the region were made difficult by the technical and economic problems posed by the deterioration in the grade of ore. Corbould resolved the issue by a process of blending ores with different chemical properties, increasing the throughput capacity of the smelter and by championing the unification of smelting operations in the region. In 1912, Corbould acquired Hampden Consols Mine at Kuridala for Mount Elliott Limited, followed with the purchases of other small mines in the district.
Walkers Limited of Maryborough was commissioned to manufacture a new 200 ton water jacket furnace for the smelters. An air compressor and blower for the smelters were constructed in the powerhouse and an electric motor and dynamo provided power for the crane and lighting for the smelter and mine.
The new smelter was blown in September 1910, a month after the first train arrived, and it ran well, producing 2040 tons of blister copper by the end of the year. The new smelting plant made it possible to cope with low-grade sulphide ores at Mount Elliott. The use of 1000 tons of low-grade sulphide ores bought from the Hampden Consols Mine in 1911 made it clear that if a supply of higher sulphur ore could be obtained and blended, performance, and economy would improve. Accordingly, the company bought a number of smaller mines in the district in 1912.
Corbould mined with cut and fill stoping but a young Mines Inspector condemned the system, ordered it dismantled and replaced with square set timbering. In 1911, after gradual movement in stopes on the No. 3 level, the smelter was closed for two months. Nevertheless, 5447 tons of blister copper was produced in 1911, rising to 6690 tons in 1912 - the company's best year. Many of the surviving structures at the site were built at this time.
Troubles for Mount Elliott started in 1913. In February, a fire at the Consols Mine closed it for months. In June, a thirteen week strike closed the whole operation, severely depleting the workforce. The year 1913 was also bad for industrial accidents in the area, possibly due to inexperienced people replacing the strikers. Nevertheless, the company paid generous dividends that year.
At the end of 1914 smelting ceased for more than a year due to shortage of ore. Although 3200 tons of blister copper was produced in 1913, production fell to 1840 tons in 1914 and the workforce dwindled to only 40 men. For the second half of 1915 and early 1916 the smelter treated ore railed south from Mount Cuthbert. At the end of July 1916 the smelting plant at Selwyn was dismantled except for the flue chambers and stacks. A new furnace with a capacity of 500 tons per day was built, a large amount of second-hand equipment was obtained and the converters were increased in size.
After the enlarged furnace was commissioned in June 1917, continuing industrial unrest retarded production which amounted to only 1000 tons of copper that year. The point of contention was the efficiency of the new smelter which processed twice as much ore while employing fewer men. The company decided to close down the smelter in October and reduce the size of the furnace, the largest in Australia, from 6.5m to 5.5m. In the meantime the price of copper had almost doubled from 1916 due to wartime consumption of munitions.
The new furnace commenced on the 16th of January 1918 and 77,482 tons of ore were smelted yielding 3580 tons of blister copper which were sent to the Bowen refinery before export to Britain. Local coal and coke supply was a problem and materials were being sourced from the distant Bowen Colliery. The smelter had a good run for almost a year except for a strike in July and another in December, which caused Corbould to close down the plant until New Year. In 1919, following relaxation of wartime controls by the British Metal Corporation, the copper price plunged from about £110 per ton at the start of the year to £75 per ton in April, dashing the company's optimism regarding treatment of low grade ores. The smelter finally closed after two months operation and most employees were laid off.
For much of the period 1919 to 1922, Corbould was in England trying to raise capital to reorganise the company's operations but he failed and resigned from the company in 1922. The Mount Elliott Company took over the assets of the other companies on the Cloncurry field in the 1920s - Mount Cuthbert in 1925 and Kuridala in 1926. Mount Isa Mines bought the Mount Elliott plant and machinery, including the three smelters, in 1943 for £2,300, enabling them to start copper production in the middle of the Second World War. The Mount Elliott Company was finally liquidated in 1953.
In 1950 A.E. Powell took up the Mount Elliott Reward Claim at Selwyn and worked close to the old smelter buildings. An open cut mine commenced at Starra, south of Mount Elliott and Selwyn, in 1988 and is Australia's third largest copper producer producing copper-gold concentrates from flotation and gold bullion from carbon-in-leach processing.
Profitable copper-gold ore bodies were recently proved at depth beneath the Mount Elliott smelter and old underground workings by Cyprus Gold Australia Pty Ltd. These deposits were subsequently acquired by Arimco Mining Pty Ltd for underground development which commenced in July 1993. A decline tunnel portal, ore and overburden dumps now occupy a large area of the Maggie Creek valley south-west of the smelter which was formerly the site of early miner's camps.
The Old Selwyn Township:
In 1907, the first hotel, run by H. Williams, was opened at the site. The township was surveyed later, around 1910, by the Mines Department. The town was to be situated north of the mine and smelter operations adjacent the railway, about 1.5km distant. It took its name from the nearby Selwyn Ranges which were named, during Burke's expedition, after the Victorian Government Geologist, A.R. Selwyn. The town has also been known by the name of Mount Elliott, after the nearby mines and smelter.
Many of the residents either worked at the Mount Elliott Mine and Smelter or worked in the service industries which grew around the mining and smelting operations. Little documentation exists about the everyday life of the town's residents. Surrounding sheep and cattle stations, however, meant that meat was available cheaply and vegetables grown in the area were delivered to the township by horse and cart. Imported commodities were, however, expensive.
By 1910 the town had four hotels. There was also an aerated water manufacturer, three stores, four fruiterers, a butcher, baker, saddler, garage, police, hospital, banks, post office (officially from 1906 to 1928, then unofficially until 1975) and a railway station. There was even an orchestra of ten players in 1912. The population of Selwyn rose from 1000 in 1911 to 1500 in 1918, before gradually declining.
Source: Queensland Heritage Register.
A boy is happily floating in a pool, wearing flotation devices while holding a book. The sun shines brightly, reflecting off the water, providing a joyful atmosphere.
i came across this in the 1947 griffin, yearbook to reed college (standard reading around here). i thought it was such an amazingly witty, loving commentary, probably written by a totally infatuated member of the yearbook staff, bound for harvard lampoon. then i realized this was the mathematics and science division in the yearbook and the descriptions were their areas of study. still, the poetry haunts me. EDIT: as promised in one of my comments, i've googled jane and i found her! she's mentioned in a wonderful collection of old photos and reminiscences from OYSTERVILLE, of all places!! surely this is where jane cultivated her love of the clam. you must look at this link...the photos and stories made me melt. www.pacificcohistory.org/sw2005_4.htm (jane is remembered on page 30)
Caves Blancher - Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Alt Penedès, Barcelona (Spain).
ENGLISH
After pressing the grape, separation of the solid grape matter by a system of flotation pools allows the must to be cleared and prepared for transfer to the fermentation tanks. This is the settling phase.
After settling the grape, yeast converts the sugar from the must into alcohol by fermentation in stainless-steel vats at 16-18ºC, Under this process the free-run juice is transformed into base wine, which is clarified and becomes perfectly transparent. The different grape varieties are handled separately. Primary fermentation in stainless-steel tanks at a controlled temperature gives us a base wine that is young, fruity and still.
Cava is the name of a type of white or pink sparkling wine, produced mainly in the Penedès region in Catalonia, Spain, 40 km to the south west of Barcelona. Its name is derived from the Catalan word for cellar. There are a small number of areas in Spain outside Catalonia that also produce Cava.
The region of Penedès is an area of predominantly rocky terrain, and has been home to vineyards since the Greeks settled there in antiquity. It has a favourable climate for wine-making; the north and eastern winds of the levanter help to cool the region, while the chalky top soil over clay allows the vines to establish deep roots.
The sparkling wine of cava was created in 1872 by Josep Raventós. The vineyards of Penedès were devastated by the phylloxera plague, and the predominantly red vines were being replaced by large numbers of vines producing white grapes. After seeing the success of the Champagne region, Raventós decided to create the dry sparkling wine that has become the reason for the region's continued success. In the past the wine was referred to as Spanish Champagne but this is no longer permitted under EU law, or colloquially as champaña or xampany.
Cava is produced in varying levels of dryness of the wine which are: brut nature, brut (extra dry), seco (dry) and semiseco (medium).
Under Spanish Denominación de Origen laws, Cava can be produced in six wine regions and must be made according to the Méthode champenoise and uses a selection of the grapes macabeo, parellada, xarel·lo, Chardonnay, and Subirat. Despite being a traditional Champagne grape, Chardonnay was not used in the production of Cava till the 1980s.
In Spain, Cavas have become integrated with family traditions and is often consumed at baptism celebrations with even the newborn getting a taste of their pacifier dipped in the wine.
Cava is a Greek term that is used to refer to "high end" table wine or wine cellar. Comes from the Latin word "CAVA" which means cave in English. Caves were used for the preservation or aging of wine. The constant, slightly chilly temperature and high humidity that most caves possess makes them ideal for such use.
-------------------------------
CASTELLANO
La separación de los fangos o partes sólidas de la uva mediante un sistema de piscinas de flotación permite limpiar y preparar los mostos para su traslado a los depósitos de fermentación. La rápida extracción del zumo de la uva evita que el mosto se oxide. Esta es la fase de desfangado.
Mediante la fermentación en cubas de acero inoxidable a 16-18 ºC, las levaduras transforman en alcohol los azúcares del mosto. En este proceso, el mosto flor se transforma en vino base, que se clarifica y adquiere una perfecta transparencia. Las diferentes variedades de uva se elaboran por separado. Una primera fermentación en tanques de acero inoxidable con control de temperatura nos da un vino base joven, afrutado y tranquilo.
El cava es un vino espumoso elaborado por el método champanoise fundamentalmente en la región del Penedés catalán (95% de la producción española), especialmente en la localidad de Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (75% de la producción española). También se elabora cava en otros puntos de España.
El cava se empezó a producir a partir de las investigaciones del Instituto Agrícola Catalán de Sant Isidre que defendió el méthode champenoise pero a partir de las variedades blancas autóctonas del Penedès. Josep Raventós i Fatjó produjo, en 1872, las primeras botellas de cava en la masía de can Codorniu, en Sant Sadurní d'Anoia.
En 1887 llegó la plaga de la filoxera al Penedès arruinando los cultivos de uva. Eso condujo a una renovación de las variedades utilizadas, con la introducción de cepas blancas de calidad en sustitución de variedades negras. Esta sustitución facilitó el desarrollo del cava.
En 1972, ante el conflicto con Francia por la denominación protegida champán, se constituyó el Consell Regulador dels Vins Escumosos que lanzó la marca Cava recogiendo el nombre común ya utilizado de vino de cava.
Las variedades de uva que entran en su elaboración son variadas pero predominan las uvas blancas: macabeo, parellada y xarel·lo. También se utilizan otras variedades blancas en menor cuantía: Chardonnay y Subirat Parent (Malvasía Riojana).
Existen cavas rosados que se elaboran con las variedades monastrell, garnacha, pinot noir y trepat. Las dos primeras variedades se pueden utilizar, además, para la elaboración de Cava blanco.
La producción anual es de unos 12 millones de cajas (de 12 botellas), siendo el segundo productor mundial de vino espumoso, después de la región de Champagne. Aunque la mayor parte de la producción procede de Cataluña, también hay bodegas productoras de cava en Aragón, Castilla y León, Extremadura, La Rioja, País Vasco, Navarra y Valencia.
Press Launch Car
The Dunsfold Collection
Alfold - Surrey
England - United Kingdom
June 2015
The Discovery was launched in 1989 and this car started life as a V8-engined press vehicle. When Land Rover sponsored Cowes Week on the Isle of White, someone decided that a ‘nautical theme’ was needed and a 90” was built with flotation aids – it caused such a stir that is was decided to convert a then-new Discovery to do the same.
This vehicle for some reason was selected for conversion, although why a V8 petrol-engined car was chosen remains a mystery! It was quickly converted to a 2.5TDi and the floor sealed. An outboard motor was installed and the necessary hydraulics fitted and in no time an amphibious Discovery was born. The roof was cut off for access and safety reasons as the doors obviously will not open when the flotation bags are fitted. The inner skins around the doors were glued in place. The following year it was at Cowes week and was sailed every day and performed brilliantly.
It was later given to a German museum and laid unused until 2011 when it was repurchased by JLR and loaned to us. It went to the Geneva Motor Show in 2012 and 2104 and took media and other guests out onto the lake. It is very good on the water with excellent control, although the brakes don’t work well!
Call sign S18B1 (Walton), S18B2 (Walton), S18B3 (Walton) S19B1 (Sunbury), S19B2 (Sunbury), S19B3 (Sunbury)
Equipment carried
B2 – Water Response Unit – Trailer:
2 x Avon Inflatable Boats
6 x Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
Box (containing):
1 x Manta Helmet – White
5 x Manta Helmet – Red
1 x Bulldog Trailer Wheel Clamp
2 x Boat Fuel Tank
Box (containing):
10 x Yak Bullet bag Rescue Throw Line.
Box (containing):
5 x Pop-up Traffic cones
A quantity of Glow sticks (Red, Blue and Green)
Box (containing):
1 x 50 metre Canyon Line – Yellow bag
1 x 100 metre Canyon Line – Red bag
Box (containing):
2 x Woollen Blanket
A quantity of Emergency Foil Blankets
1 x First Aid Kit
2 x Plastic Paddles
1 x Extendable Wading Pole
1 x Extendable Poles
1 x Basket Stretcher
1 x Aqua board
4 x BA Cylinders
1 x Honda Outboard Motor
Equipment carried
B3 – Water Rescue
1 X Drawstring Black bag containing:
2 x Yellow conversion
1 x Air gauge / adaptor
1 x Large hose Inflation
1 x Large Black bag containing:
3 x Buoyancy Aids
3 x Loose Buoyancy Aids
1 x Small Black bag containing:
1 x Foot pump, Hose and Adaptors
6 x Life Jackets
1 x Water Resistant Defibrillator
1 x First Aid Kit
2 x BA cylinders
2 x Puncture repair kits
8 x Gloves
2 x Blue Holdall/bag containing:
2 x Blue Slings
2 x Red Slings
1 x Blue Strap
10 x Karabiners
1 x Tandem Pulley
7 x IDs
1 x Rescucenders.
2 x Prusset Lines
2 x Orange Bags containing:
1 x Ice Path
1 x Bolt Croppers
1 x 30 metre Line and bag
1 x 40 metre Line and bag
1 x 60 metre Line and bag
1 x 80 metre Line and bag
5 x 15 metre Throw line and bag
2 x 20 metre Throw line and bag
2 x BA cylinders
1 x Box Latex Gloves
1 x Barrier Tape
1 x Bacterial Wash
1 x Water Bottle
1 x Blue bag containing:
7 x Screwdrivers (Flat Head and Phillips)
1 x Electrical Screwdriver
1 x Mole Grips
1 x Adjustable Spanner
7 x Spanners (8–17mm)
1 x Yellow bag containing:
Various amounts of Bottles Water
1 x Heavy Duty bag containing:
1 x Tea and Meal box
1 x bag of Paper Towels
3 x box of Silums
New Helmets and bags containing:
1 x White Helmets
4 x Red Helmets
2 x Peri Lighting
1 x Hose Inflation Kit
1 x Airline Generator/Control box
1 x Rescue Sled
2 x Gas Canisters
1 x Cooker
1 x Kettle
2 x Extension Poles
2 x Hearth Sheets
4 x Oars/Paddles
1 x Inflatable Dinghy (Avon 310)
Crew Cab
1 x Cab Radio
1 x Log Book
1 x Torch
5 x Conspicuity Jackets
1 x Mobile Phone
3 x Mobile Phone Float bags
1 x Phone Charger
1 x set of Boat keys
1 x Launch site Folder
1 x set of Assorted River Maps
1 x Surrey Atlas
1 x Thames Ring Water Atlas
2 x Nominal Role Boards
1 x Mat Lighting guide
1 x Hazard Substance file
1 x Handheld Radio (Main Scheme)
4 x HandHeld Radios (Fire Ground)
Certified volunteers provide therapeutic adaptive surfing, shoreline flotation and swimming for any person with a disability.
The Postcard
A Reliable Series postcard that was posted on Tuesday the 15th. August 1905 to:
Master Gordon Cant,
79, Furzehill Road,
Mutley,
Plymouth.
The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"I have sent Claude a card
& would not on any account
leave Gordon out.
Don't you think this is a
pretty picture?
Your mother will tell you the
story about the lady whose
monument is on the picture.
Much love from all,
A. B. M."
Flora MacDonald
Flora MacDonald, who was born in 1722 in Milton, South Uist, Scotland, was a member of Clan Macdonald of Sleat.
Flora is best known for helping Charles Edward Stuart evade government troops after the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. Her family generally backed the government during the 1745 Rising, and MacDonald later claimed to have assisted Charles out of sympathy for his situation.
Arrested and held in the Tower of London, Flora was released under a general amnesty in June 1747.
She later married Allan MacDonald, and the couple emigrated to North Carolina in 1773. However their support for the British government during the American War of Independence meant the loss of their American estates, and they returned to Scotland.
Flora died in Kingsburgh, Isle of Skye on the 5th. March 1790 at the age of 68.
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands.
Inverness lies near two important battle sites: the 11th.-century battle of Blàr nam Fèinne against Norway which took place on the Aird, and the 18th. century Battle of Culloden which took place on Culloden Moor.
It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom, and lies within the Great Glen (Gleann Mòr) at its northeastern extremity where the River Ness enters the Beauly Firth.
A settlement was established by the 6th. century with the first royal charter being granted by Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim (King David I) in the 12th. century.
Inverness and Inverness-shire are closely linked to various influential clans, including Clan Mackintosh, Clan Fraser and Clan MacKenzie.
The population of Inverness grew from 40,969 in 2001 to 46,969 in 2012. In 2016, it had a population of 63,320.
Inverness is one of Europe's fastest growing cities, with a quarter of the Highland population living in or around it.
In 2008, Inverness was ranked fifth out of 189 British cities for its quality of life, the highest of any Scottish city.
Charles Digby Harrod
So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?
Well, the 15th. August 1905 marked the death at the age of 64 of Charles Digby Harrod. Charles, who was born on the 25th. January 1841, was an English businessman who expanded Harrods in London into a department store after his father, Charles Henry Harrod had retired.
Harrods
Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London. It is currently (2022) owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.
The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies, including Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air Harrods.
The store occupies a 5-acre (2 ha) site and has 330 departments covering 1.1 million sq ft (100,000 m2 or 25 acres) of retail space. It is one of the largest and most famous department stores in the world.
The Harrods motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique, which is Latin for "All things for all people, everywhere".
-- Early History of Harrods
In 1824, at the age of 25, Charles Henry Harrod established a business at 228 Borough High Street in Southwark. During 1825, the business was listed as 'Harrod and Wicking, Linen Drapers, Retail', but this partnership was dissolved at the end of that year.
Charles then ran a business, variously listed as a draper, mercer, and a haberdasher, until at least 1831. His first grocery business was listed as 'Harrod & Co., Grocers' at 163 Upper Whitecross Street, Clerkenwell, E.C.1., in 1832.
In 1834 Charles established a wholesale grocery business in Stepney at 4 Cable Street with a special interest in tea. In 1849, in order to escape the vice of the East End and to capitalise on trade generated by the Great Exhibition of 1851 in nearby Hyde Park, Harrod took over a small shop in the district of Brompton, on the site of the current store.
Beginning in a single room employing two assistants and a messenger boy, Harrod's son Charles Digby Harrod built the business into a thriving retail operation selling medicines, perfumes, stationery, fruits and vegetables.
Harrods rapidly expanded, acquired the adjoining buildings, and employed one hundred people by 1881.
However, the store's booming fortunes were reversed in early December 1883, when it burnt to the ground. Remarkably, Charles Harrod fulfilled all of his commitments to his customers to make Christmas deliveries that year—and made a record profit in the process.
In short order, a new building was built on the same site, and soon Harrods extended credit for the first time to its best customers, among them Oscar Wilde, Lillie Langtry, Ellen Terry, Charlie Chaplin, Noël Coward, Gertrude Lawrence, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, Sigmund Freud, A. A. Milne, and many members of the British Royal Family.
In 1921, Milne bought an 18-inch Alpha Farnell teddy bear from the store for his son Christopher Robin Milne who would name it Edward, then Winnie, becoming the basis for Winnie-the-Pooh.
A chance meeting in London with businessman Edgar Cohen led Charles Harrod to sell his interest in the store for £120,000 (equivalent to £14,110,759 in 2021) via a stock market flotation in 1889.
The new company was called Harrod's Stores Limited. Sir Alfred James Newton became chairman and Richard Burbidge managing director. Financier William Mendel was appointed to the board in 1891, and he raised funding for many of the business expansion plans. Richard Burbidge was succeeded in 1917 by his son Woodman Burbidge, and he in turn by his son Richard in 1935.
On the 16th. November 1898, Harrods debuted England's first "moving staircase" (escalator) in their Brompton Road store; the device was actually a woven leather conveyor belt-like unit with a mahogany and "silver plate-glass" balustrade. Nervous customers were offered brandy at the top to revive them after their 'ordeal'.
The department store was acquired by House of Fraser in 1959, which in turn was purchased by the Fayed brothers in 1985. In 1994, Harrods was moved out of the House of Fraser Group to remain a private company prior to the group's relisting on the London Stock Exchange.
Following a denial that it was for sale, Harrods was sold to Qatar Holdings, the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar in May 2010. A fortnight previously, chairman of Harrods since 1985, Mohamed Al-Fayed, had stated that:
"People approach us from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Qatar. Fair enough. But I put two fingers up to
them. It is not for sale. This is not Marks and
Spencer or Sainsbury's. It is a special place that
gives people pleasure. There is only one Mecca."
The sale was concluded in the early hours of the 8th. May 2010, when Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani came to London to finalise the deal, saying that the acquisition of Harrods would add "much value" to the investment portfolio of Qatar Holdings while his deputy, Hussain Ali Al-Abdulla, called it a "landmark transaction".
A spokesman for Mohamed Al-Fayed said:
"In reaching the decision to retire, Al-Fayed
wished to ensure that the legacy and traditions
that he has built up in Harrods would be
continued."
Al-Fayed later revealed in an interview that he had decided to sell Harrods following the difficulty in getting his dividend approved by the trustee of the Harrods pension fund. Al-Fayed said:
"I'm here every day, I can't take my profit because
I have to take a permission of those bloody idiots.
I say is this right? Is this logic? Somebody like me?
I run a business and I need to take the trustee's
permission to take my profit."
-- Significant Event Timeline for Harrods
1824: Charles Henry Harrod starts his first business as a draper, at 228, Borough High Street, Southwark, London.
1834: Charles Henry Harrod (1799–1885) founds a wholesale grocery in Stepney, East London.
1849: Harrods moves to the Knightsbridge area of London, near Hyde Park.
1861: Harrods undergoes a transformation when it was taken over by Harrod's son, Charles Digby Harrod (1841–1905).
1883: On the 6th. December, fire guts the shop buildings, giving the family the opportunity to rebuild on a grander scale.
1889: Charles Digby Harrod retires, and Harrods shares are floated on the London Stock Exchange under the name Harrod's Stores Limited.
1905: Begun in 1894, the present building is completed to the design of the architect Charles William Stephens.
1914: Harrods opened its first and only foreign branch in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It became independent of the British shop in the late 1940's, but continued to trade under the Harrods name.
1914: Harrods buys the Regent Street department store Dickins & Jones.
1914: Harrods Furniture Depository was built in Barnes, near Hammersmith Bridge.
1919: Harrods buys the Manchester department store, Kendals; it took on the Harrods name for a short time in the 1920's, but the name was changed back to Kendals following protests from staff and customers.
1920: Harrods buys London department store Swan & Edgar and Manchester retailer Walter Carter Ltd.
1923: Mah-Jongg (a lemur) was bought by Stephen Courtauld and Virginia Courtauld. Mah-Jongg lived with the Courtaulds for fifteen years, accompanying the couple on their travels and changes of residence, including Eltham Palace in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
1928: Harrods buys London department store D H Evans.
1946: Harrods buys the Sheffield department store John Walsh.
1949: Harrods buys William Henderson & Co, a Liverpool department store.
1955: Harrods buys Birmingham department store Rackhams.
1959: The British department store holding company House of Fraser buys Harrods, fighting off competition from Debenhams and United Drapery Stores.
1969: Christian the lion was bought by John Rendall and Anthony 'Ace' Bourke. The lion was set free in Kenya after reaching maturity.
1983: A terrorist attack by the Provisional IRA outside the Brompton store kills six people.
1985: The Fayed brothers buy House of Fraser, including Harrods Store, for £615 million.
1986: The small town of Otorohanga in New Zealand briefly changes its name to Harrodsville in response to legal threats made by Mohamed Al-Fayed against a person with the surname of Harrod, who had used the name "Harrod's" for his shop.
1990: A Harrods shop opens on board the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, which was then owned by the Walt Disney Company.
1990: Harrods gives right to Duty Free International for a licence to operate a Harrods Signature Shop at Toronto Pearson International Airport's Terminal 3 (closed shortly after).
1993: An IRA terrorist attack injures four people.
1994: The relationship between House of Fraser and Harrods is severed. Harrods remains under the ownership of the Fayed family, and House of Fraser is floated on the stock exchange.
1997: An English court issued an injunction to restrain the Buenos Aires Harrods store from trading under the Harrods name, but the House of Lords in 1998 dismissed Fayed's lawsuit.
1998: The Harrods store in Buenos Aires closed after racking up large amounts of debt. There had been various offers to buy the store, but Atilio Gilbertoni the owner of Harrods in Buenos Aires, did not accept the offers as he wanted to keep his controlling stake in the brand.
2000: A Harrods shop opens on board the Queen Elizabeth 2, owned by the Cunard Line.
2006: The Harrods "102" shop opens opposite the main shop in Brompton Road; it features concessions like Krispy Kreme and Yo! Sushi, as well as florists, a herbalist, a masseur, and an oxygen spa. The store closed in 2013.
2006: Omar Fayed, Mohamed's youngest son, joins the Harrods board.
2010: Fayed announces he has sold Harrods to the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). It has been reported that the QIA paid £1.5 billion for the Knightsbridge store.
2010: Harrods looked at the possibility of expanding to China and opening a new shop in Shanghai. Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods, said, "There are other areas of the world where we could operate profitably." The number of Chinese shoppers visiting Harrods was increasing, and the average spent by a Chinese shopper was three times that of any other nationality.
2012: The figurative sculptures that once adorned the Harrods food hall are consigned for sale at West Middlesex Auction Rooms. The two Mermaids supporting a giant Clam and the Stag and Boar sheltering under an English Oak are purchased by Greaves & Thomas for inclusion in an elaborate fountain for Ryde, Isle of Wight.
2017: Harrods Bank is sold to Tandem and rebranded to Tandem Bank, Harrods Bank had operated since 1893.
2020: after lockdowns and restriction during the covid pandemic, Harrods made a loss of £68 million in 2020, reduced staff numbers, paid no dividend to its owners and said that no dividend was likely for another two years, and faced a strike by dozens of restaurant workers.
-- Harrods' Products and Services
The shop's 330 departments offer a wide range of products and services. Products on offer include clothing for women, men, children and infants, electronics, jewellery, sporting gear, bridal trousseaux, pet accessories, toys (including Christmas and signature teddy bears), food and drink, health and beauty items, packaged gifts, stationery, housewares, home appliances, furniture, and much more.
Harrods has 23 restaurants, serving everything from high tea to tapas to pub food to haute cuisine; a personal shopping-assistance programme known as "By Appointment"; a watch repair service; a tailor; a dispensing pharmacy; a beauty spa and salon; a barbers shop; Ella Jade Bathroom Planning and Design Service; private events planning and catering; food delivery; a wine steward; bespoke picnic hampers and gift boxes; bespoke cakes; bespoke fragrance formulations; and Bespoke Arcades machines.
Up to 300,000 customers visit the shop on peak days, comprising the highest proportion of customers from non-English speaking countries of any department store in London. More than five thousand staff from over fifty different countries work at Harrods.
In October 2009, Harrods Bank started selling gold bars and coins that customers could buy "off the shelf". The gold products ranged from 1 g to 12.5 kg, and could be purchased within Harrods Bank. They also offered storage services, as well as the ability to sell back gold to Harrods in the future.
Harrods used to provide paid “luggage room” services for storing luggage. However post COVID they stopped providing this service.
-- Royal Warrants
Harrods was the holder of royal warrants from:
-- Queen Elizabeth II (Provisions and Household Goods)
-- The Duke of Edinburgh (Outfitters)
-- The Prince of Wales (Outfitters and Saddlers)
-- Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (China and Glass)
In August 2010, in a letter to The Daily Telegraph, chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed revealed that he had burnt Harrods' royal warrants, after taking them down in 2000. Harrods had held the Royal warrants since 1910.
Describing the warrants as a "curse", Al-Fayed claimed that business had tripled since their removal.
The Duke of Edinburgh removed his warrant in January 2000. He had been banned from Harrods by Al-Fayed. The other warrants were removed from Harrods by Al-Fayed in December, pending their five-yearly review.
Film of the burning of the warrants in 2009 was shown in the final scene of Unlawful Killing, a film funded by Al-Fayed and directed by Keith Allen.
-- Memorials
Since the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed, Mohamed Al-Fayed's son, two memorials commissioned by Al-Fayed have been erected inside Harrods to the couple.
The first, located at the base of the Egyptian Escalator, was unveiled on the 12th. April 1998. It consists of photographs of the two behind a pyramid-shaped display that holds a wine glass smudged with lipstick from Diana's last dinner, as well as what is described as an engagement ring Dodi purchased the day before they died.
The second memorial, unveiled in 2005 and located by the escalator at door three is entitled Innocent Victims, a bronze statue of the two dancing on a beach beneath the wings of an albatross, a bird said to symbolise the "Holy Spirit".
The sculpture was created by William Mitchell, a close friend of Al-Fayed and artistic design advisor to Harrods for 40 years. Al-Fayed said he wanted to keep the pair's "spirit alive" through the statue.
After the death of Michael Jackson, Al-Fayed announced that they had already been discussing plans to build a memorial statue. This was unveiled in April 2011 at the rear of Craven Cottage football ground (Fulham F.C.) but removed in September 2013 on the orders of new club owner Shahid Khan.
-- Harrods' Dress Code
In 1989, Harrods introduced a dress code for customers. The store turns away people whose dress is not in compliance with the code.
Forbidden items include cycling shorts; high-cut shorts, Bermuda or beach shorts; swimwear; athletic singlets; flip flops or thong sandals; bare feet; bare midriff; or wearing dirty or unkempt clothing.
Patrons found not in compliance with the code and barred from entry include pop star Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Luke Goss, a Scout troop, a woman with a Mohican hair cut, and the entire first team from FC Shakhtar Donetsk who were wearing tracksuits.
-- Size
The store has over one million square feet (90,000 m2) of selling space in over 330 departments, making it the biggest department store in Europe. The UK's second-biggest shop, Selfridges in Oxford Street, is a little over half the size, with 540,000 square feet (50,000 m2) of selling space.
-- Criticism
Harrods and Mohamed Al-Fayed were criticised for selling real animal fur, provoking regular protests organised outside the store. Harrods is the only department store in Britain that has continued to sell fur.
Harrods was sharply criticised in 2004 by the Hindu community for marketing a line of feminine underwear (designed by Roberto Cavalli) which featured images of Indian goddesses. The line was eventually withdrawn and formal apologies were made.
Harrods has been criticised by Guardian journalist Sali Hughes as "deeply sexist" for making female employees wear six kinds of makeup at all times without requiring this of male employees.
Harrods was criticised by members of the Black community after the Daily Telegraph reported that Harrods staff told a black woman that she would not be employed unless she chemically straightened her hair, stating that her natural hair style was "unprofessional".
Harrods' restaurants and cafes included a 12.5% discretionary service charge on customers' bills, but failed to share the full proceeds with kitchen and service staff. Several employees joined the UVW union, which claimed that 483 affected employees were losing up to £5,000 each in tips every year.
A surprise protest and roadblock organised by the union outside Harrods during the January sales of 2017 was followed by an announcement that 100% of service charges would be given to staff.
-- Litigation
In 1986, the town of Otorohanga, New Zealand, briefly changed its name to "Harrodsville". This was a protest in support of a restaurateur, Henry Harrod of Palmerston North, who was being forced to change the name of his restaurant following the threat of lawsuits from Mohamed Al Fayed, the then-owner of Harrods department store.
As a show of solidarity for Henry Harrod, and in anticipation of actions against other similar-sounding businesses, it was proposed that every business in Otorohanga change its name to "Harrods".
With the support of the District Council, Otorohanga temporarily changed the town's name to Harrodsville. After being lampooned in the British tabloids, Al Fayed dropped the legal action and Harrodsville and its shops reverted to their former names.
The town's response raised widespread media interest around the world, with the BBC World Service and newspapers in Greece, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Canada covering the story.
On 27 October 2008, in the case of Harrods Ltd v. Harrods Limousine Ltd, the Harrods store applied to the Company Names Tribunal for a change of name of Harrods Limousine Ltd, which had been registered at Companies House since the 14th. November 2007.
The application went un-defended by the respondent and the adjudicator ordered on the 16th. January 2009 that Harrods Limousine Ltd must change their name within one month.
Additionally the respondent was ordered not to cause or permit any steps to be taken to register another company with an offending name which could interfere, due to its similarity, with the goodwill of the applicant. Finally, Harrods Limousine Ltd. was ordered to pay Harrods' costs for the litigation.
-- Controversy
Asma al-Assad, the wife of the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, used an alias to shop at Harrods despite economic sanctions imposed by the European Union that froze funds belonging to her and her husband.
The Bungled Jungle is the collaborative effort of two silly people, Pat and Suzanne.
Each sculpture is an original creation--no molds are used -- everything is one of a kind.
The process starts with a metal/wood or plastic armature that is then built up with layers of rubber, plastic, metal, plaster and clay...each piece will have approximately 13 separate materials interlayered.
It takes between 2 weeks to a month or more of daily dabbling to complete each sculpture--depending on its size and complexity.
Not only are these monsters/beasts and varmints lovely to look at, they also come with COMPLETE DENTAL COVERAGE.... AND can be used as personal flotation devices in case of flooding.
The Arizona Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, a 12-stage theater, a 30-acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament and a feast -- all rolled into one non-stop, day-long family adventure!
Sun 27 June 2010 - Margate Raft Race from Nayland Rock to Harbour. - The Bay, Margate Main Sands. - Hartsdown Technical College 6th to finish, on their rather makeshift looking vessel. - Nearly There.
A Coast Guardsman kicks up onto the ice while conducting self-rescuing training at U.S. Coast Guard Station Alexandria Bay, New York, March 16, 2021. The Coast Guard Station provides law enforcement, search and rescue, as well as training throughout the surrounding areas up to the U.S./Canada border. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Bernardo Fuller)
After L539 departed south from L'Anse we headed south to Herman to this little trestle that I have been eyeballing for months now. As soon as we got off of US41 the snow storm swept in from the south and just started to dump on us. I strapped on the high flotation snow shoes and made my way along the creek about 50 yards. I found a hollow spot under the snow and fell into the water, got my snowshoe stuck on something and filled my boots up with frigid water. I made it this far so I waited about 6 more minutes and out pops L539.
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
by navema
The Niagara Falls are voluminous waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. State of New York. The falls are between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.
Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: the Horseshoe Falls (about 173 ft tall, 2,600 ft wide), which today is entirely on the Canadian side of the border, and the American Falls (between 70–100 feet tall, 1,060 feet wide) on the American side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island.
Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than 6 million cubic feet of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.
The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 19th century.
There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the falls. "Niagara" is either derived from the name given to a branch of the locally residing native Neutral Confederacy, who are described as being called the "Niagagarega" people on several late 17th century French maps of the area. Or, it comes from the name of an Iroquois town called "Ongniaahra", meaning "point of land cut in two".
In 1848, demand for passage over the Niagara River led to the building of a footbridge and then Charles Ellet's Niagara Suspension Bridge. This was supplanted by German-born John Augustus Roebling's Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge in 1855. After the American Civil War, the New York Central railroad publicized Niagara Falls as a focus of pleasure and honeymoon visits. With increased railroad traffic, in 1886, Leffert Buck replaced Roebling's wood and stone bridge with the predominantly steel bridge that still carries trains over the Niagara River today. The first steel archway bridge near the falls was completed in 1897. Known today as the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, it carries vehicles, trains, and pedestrians between Canada (through Canadian Customs Border Control) and the U.S.A. just below the falls. In 1941 the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission completed the third current crossing in the immediate area of Niagara Falls with the Rainbow Bridge, carrying both pedestrian and vehicular traffic between the two countries and Canadian and U.S. customs for each country.
On the Canadian side, Queen Victoria Park features manicured gardens, platforms offering spectacular views of both the American and Horseshoe Falls, and underground walkways leading into observation rooms which yield the illusion of being within the falling waters. The observation deck of the nearby Skylon Tower offers the highest overhead view of the falls, and in the opposite direction gives views as far as distant Toronto. Along with the Minolta Tower (formerly the Seagrams Tower, currently the Konica Minolta Tower), it is one of two towers in Canada with a view of the falls.
The Whirlpool Aero Car, built in 1916 from a design by Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres y Quevedo, is a cable car which takes passengers over the whirlpool on the Canadian side. The Journey Behind the Falls —accessible by elevators from the street level entrance – consists of an observation platform and series of tunnels near the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. Elevators descend 150 feet through bedrock to tunnels that lead and to the Cataract Portal and the Great Falls Portal which is one third of the way behind the massive sheet of water. One can walk on to the Upper and Lower Observation Decks at the very foot of the Falls.
There are two casinos on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara. The former is situated in the Fallsview Tourist Area, alongside many of the area's hotels, whilst the latter is adjacent to Clifton Hill, on Falls Avenue, a major tourist promenade.
The Maid of the Mist is a diesel-engined steamship boat that takes passengers from the Canadian docks, past the base of the American Falls, then into the basin of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Operating from late April/early May (weather dependent) to October 24 each year, the Maid departs every 15 minutes, and the ride lasts approximately 20 minutes. Two 600-passenger boats, Maids VI and VII, are each 80-feet long.
OVER THE FALLS:
In October 1829, Sam Patch, who called himself "the Yankee Leapster", jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and survived; this began a long tradition of daredevils trying to go over the falls. On October 24, 1901, 63-year-old Michigan school teacher Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to go over the falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt; she survived, bleeding, but virtually unharmed. Previous to Taylor's own attempt, on October 19 a domestic cat named Iagara was sent over the Horseshoe Falls in her barrel to test its strength. Contrary to rumors at the time, the cat survived the plunge unharmed and later was posed with Taylor in photographs. Since Taylor's historic ride, 14 other people have intentionally gone over the falls in or on a device, despite her advice. Some have survived unharmed, but others have drowned or been severely injured. Survivors of such stunts face charges and stiff fines, as it is illegal, on both sides of the border, to attempt to go over the falls.
Other daredevils have made crossing the Falls their goal, starting with the successful passage by Jean François "Blondin" Gravelet in 1859. These tightrope walkers drew huge crowds to witness their exploits. Their wires ran across the gorge, near the current Rainbow Bridge, not over the waterfall itself. Among the many was Ontario's William Hunt, who billed himself as "The Great Farini" and competed with Blondin in performing outrageous stunts over the gorge. Englishman Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel, drowned in 1883 after unsuccessfully trying to swim the rapids down river from the falls.
In the "Miracle at Niagara", Roger Woodward, a seven-year-old American boy, was swept over the Horseshoe Falls protected only by a life vest on July 9, 1960, as two tourists pulled his 17-year-old sister Deanne from the river only 20 feet from the lip of the Horseshoe Falls at Goat Island. Minutes later, Woodward was plucked from the roiling plunge pool beneath the Horseshoe Falls after grabbing a life ring thrown to him by the crew of the Maid of the Mist boat.
On July 2, 1984, Canadian Karel Soucek from Hamilton, Ontario successfully plunged over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel with only minor injuries. Soucek was fined $500 for performing the stunt without a license. In 1985, he was fatally injured while attempting to re-create the Niagara drop at the Houston Astrodome. His aim was to climb into a barrel hoisted to the rafters of the Astrodome and to drop 180 feet into a water tank on the floor. After his barrel released prematurely, it hit the side of the tank and he died the next day from his injuries.
In August 1985, Steve Trotter, an aspiring stunt man from Rhode Island, became the youngest person ever (age 22) and the first American in 25 years to go over the falls in a barrel. Ten years later, Trotter went over the falls again, becoming the second person to go over the falls twice and survive. It was also the second-ever "duo"; Lori Martin joined Trotter for the barrel ride over the falls. They survived the fall but their barrel became stuck at the bottom of the falls, requiring a rescue.
On September 28, 1989 Niagara's own Peter DeBernardi (42) and Jeffery James Petkovich (25) became the first "team" to successfully make it over the falls in a two person barrel. The stunt was conceived by Peter DeBenardi, who wanted to discourage the youth of the time from following in his path of addictive drug use. Peter was also trying to leave a legacy and discourage his son Kyle Lahey DeBernardi (2) from using addictive drugs. Peter DeBernardi had initially expected to have a different passenger, however Peter's original partner backed out and Peter was forced to look for an alternative, and Jeffery Petkovich agreed to the stunt. Peter claims he spent an estimated $30,000 making his barrel including; harness's steel and fiberglass construction with steel bands and viewing ports. Peter's Barrel also included a radio for music and news reports, rudders to help steer the barrel through the falls, oxygen, and a well protected video camera to record the journey over the edge. They emerged shortly after going over with minor injuries and were charged with performing an illegal stunt under the Niagara Parks Act.
Kirk Jones of Canton, Michigan became the first known person to survive a plunge over the Horseshoe Falls without a flotation device on October 20, 2003. While it is still not known whether Jones was determined to commit suicide, he survived the 16-story fall with only battered ribs, scrapes, and bruises.
A second person survived an unprotected trip over the Horseshoe Falls on March 11, 2009 and when rescued from the river, was reported to be suffering from severe hypothermia and a large wound to his head. His identity has not been released. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the man intentionally enter the water.
Bond (Daniel Craig) follows Vesper (Eva Green) to a secret meeting where she turns the money over, in cash, to a man named Gettler (Richard Sammel). Gettler and a few of his men retreat to a building being renovated and a gunfight ensues. Bond shoots and ruptures the flotation bags that hold the building above water-level and kills the men. He tries to save Vesper, locked in an old elevator, but is unable to after she commits suicide by drowning herself. Bond recovers her body and takes her above water but is unable to revive her. Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), who'd been watching the scene, is seen leaving with the suitcase full of money.
M-071 was one of eight Sud Alouette II helicopters purchased by Denmark - this being one of the original five delivered in 1962/63, with the later ones being delivered in 1967.
Originally with the air force, the fleet was transferred to the navy in April 1977, and this was one of three sold on to the Swiss operator Rhein Helikopter in 1983.
I remember these craft appearing at both the IAT of the era as well as the Lee-on-Solent shows, where their flotation gear was always a talking point.
Greenham Common, Berkshire
24th June 1979
Praktica LTL, Kodachrome
19790624 13224 M071 clean std
Older glass over wood Opti in good condition. Comes with a complete sailing rig, plus an extra newer sail, boom, and mast. Has inflatable flotation inside in the event of capsizing. Great boat for teaching kids to sail or just splashing around in. Dolly not included. Asking $700
Day five - Eastern end of the beach. These kids were using little flotation devices to stay safe in the waves.
S73-36423 (25 Sept. 1973) --- The Skylab 3 Command Module, with astronauts Alan L. Bean, Owen K. Garriott and Jack R. Lousma still inside, is hoisted aboard the prime recovery ship, USS New Orleans, during recovery operations in the Pacific Ocean. The three crewmen had just completed a successful 59-day visit to the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. The Command Module splashed down in the Pacific about 230 miles southwest of San Diego, California. Earlier in the recovery operations a team of U.S. Navy swimmers attached the flotation collar to the spacecraft to improve its buoyancy. Photo credit: NASA
Sun 27 June 2010 - Margate Raft Race from Nayland Rock to Harbour. - The Bay, Margate Main Sands. - Hartsdown Technical College 6th to finish, on their rather makeshift looking vessel.
This is me demonstrating the static brace at the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium in Grand Marais Michigan.
The Inuit would use the static brace to rest while at sea. They would lay on their side and use the flotation of their body and paddle to balance the boat. I found this skill very difficult to master, and I'm sure I could have never rested in this position.
Merlin HM Mk 1
AgustaWestland EH101
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AgustaWestland EH101
A Royal Navy EH101
Type Medium-lift transport/utility helicopter
Manufacturer AgustaWestland
Maiden flight 9 October 1987
Introduced 2000
Status Active service
Primary users Royal Navy
Marina Militare
Canadian Armed Forces
Royal Air Force
Portuguese Air Force
Royal Danish Air Force
Produced 1990s-present
Variants US101/VH-71
The AgustaWestland EH101 is a medium-lift helicopter originally developed as a joint venture between Westland Aircraft in the UK and Agusta in Italy for military applications but also marketed for civil use. The Royal Navy's MERLIN HM MK1 helicopters, are commonly regarded as the most advanced Anti Submarine Warfare helicopters in the world. In 1977, the UK Ministry of Defence issued a requirement for a new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter to replace the Royal Navy's Westland Sea Kings. Westland responded with a design called the WG.34 that was approved for development. Meanwhile, the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) was also seeking a replacement for its (Agusta-built) Sea Kings, leading Agusta to a series of discussions with Westland about the possibility of a joint development. This culminated in the joint venture being finalised in November 1979 and a new company (EH Industries) being formed to manage the project the following year. EH is an abbreviation for Elicottero Helicopter, incorporating both the English and Italian words for "helicopter." As the design studies progressed, EH became aware of a broader market for an aircraft with the same broad capabilities required by the British and Italian navies, leading to a more generalised design that could be customised for specific customers and applications. After a lengthy development, the first prototype flew on October 9 1987. EH Industries no longer exists, having been incorporated into the parent when the two companies merged.
The nomination 'EH101' is actually a typographical error that stuck: the aircraft was originally designated EHI (Elicottero Helicopter Industries) - 01
The aircraft was manufactured at the AgustaWestland factory in Yeovil.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Design
* 2 Weapons
* 3 Cargo Systems
* 4 Avionics
* 5 Operators
o 5.1 United Kingdom - Royal Navy
o 5.2 United Kingdom - Royal Air Force
o 5.3 Italy
o 5.4 Canada
o 5.5 United States of America
o 5.6 Japan
o 5.7 Portugal
o 5.8 Denmark
* 6 Specifications (Merlin HM.1)
* 7 External links
* 8 References
* 9 Related content
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Design
The military version of the EH101 is powered by either three Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshafts (UK, Canada, Japan, Denmark and Portugal), or three 1,491 kW General Electric CT7-6 turboshafts (Italy). Engine inlet particle separator systems provide protection when operating in sandy environments. Each engine is supplied by a separate self-sealing fuel tank using dual booster pumps. Each tank holds 1,074 litres of fuel. A fourth tank acts as a reservoir supply, topping up the main tanks during flight. A fifth transfer tank can be added to increase range, as can airborne refuelling. The engines power a 18.59 metre diameter five bladed main rotor. The rotor blades are constructed from carbon/glass with nomex honeycomb and rohacell foam, edged with titanium alloy. Computer control of the engines allows the EH101 to hover reliably in winds of over 80 km/h.
The modular aluminium-lithium alloy fuselage structure is damage and crash resistant, with multiple primary and secondary load paths. Active vibration control of the structural response (ACSR) uses a vibration-cancelling technique to reduce the stress on the airframe. The EH101 is rated to operate in temperatures ranging from -40 to +50 degrees C. High flotation tyres permit operation from soft or rough terrain.
The cockpit is fitted with armoured seats for the crew, and can withstand an impact velocity of over 10 m/s. Dual flight controls are provided, though the EH-101 can be flown by a single person. The pilot's instrument displays include six full colour high-definition screens and an optional mission display. A digital map and Forward Looking Infrared system display can also be installed.
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Weapons
A chin turret can be fitted with a 12.7mm machine gun. The stub wings have hardpoints for rocket pods. The EH101 is equipped with chaff and flare dispensers, directed infrared countermeasures, infrared jammers, missile approach warners, and a laser detection and warning system. The HM Mk1 model can carry 4 Sting Ray torpedoes or Mk 11 Mod 3 depth bombs, though at present cannot use Sea Skua missile.
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Cargo Systems
The military version EH101 can accommodate 30 seated or 45 standing combat troops and their equipment. Alternative loads include a medical team and 16 stretchers, and cargo pallets. The cabin floor and rear ramp are fitted with flush tie-down points, a roller conveyor for palletized freight and a cargo winch. The ramp can take a 3,050 kg load, allowing it to carry vehicles such as Land Rovers. A cargo hook under the fuselage can carry external loads of 5,440 kg. A rescue hoist and a hover trim controller are fitted at the cargo door.
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Avionics
The navigation system includes a GPS and inertial navigation system, VHF Omnidirectional Radio range (VOR) instrument landing system (ILS), tactical air navigation (TACAN) and automatic direction finding. The EH101 is equipped with helicopter management, avionics and mission systems linked by two 1553B multiplex databuses. A Smiths Industries OMI SEP 20 automatic flight control system provides dual redundant digital control, giving autostabilisation and four-axis auto-pilot operation.
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Operators
[edit]
United Kingdom - Royal Navy
The Royal Navy's final order was for 44 ASW machines, originally designated Merlin HAS Mk.1 but soon changed to Merlin HM Mk.1. The first fully operational Merlin was delivered on May 17 1997, entering service on June 2 2000. All aircraft were delivered by the end of 2002.
To date, six Type23 frigates have been refitted to accept the Merlin HM MK1, HMS Lancaster, Monmouth, Westminster, Northumberland, Kent and Richmond. The Merlin HM MK1 has also been cleared to operate from the Royal Navy's Aircraft Carriers, Amphibious Assault Ships and a number of RFA vessels including the Fort Victoria Class. The UK is considering the Merlin as a replacement for the Westland Sea King ASaC7 in the Airborne Early Warning (AEW) role.
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United Kingdom - Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force Merlin HC3
Enlarge
Royal Air Force Merlin HC3
The Royal Air Force ordered 22 transport helicopters designated Merlin HC3, the first of which entered service on December 11 2000.
The Merlin HC3 is operated by No. 28 Squadron RAF, based at RAF Benson. The type breaks new ground for the RAF in being equipped with an inflight refuelling capability, however due to the lack of a suitable UK tanker aircraft, this capability is not cleared for use.
The first operational deployment was to the Balkans in early 2003. They are currently deployed to southern Iraq as part of Operation Telic.
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Italy
The first Italian Navy production helicopter (M.M.I. 01) was first flown on the 4th October 1999 and was officially presented to the Press on the 6th December 1999 at the Agusta factory. Delivery to the Italian Navy started at the beginning of 2001. The Italian Government has signed a contract to procure 16 EH101 helicopters that will be delivered to the Italian Navy in the following variants:
* 8 anti-surface and anti-submarine (ASW) aircraft;
* 4 early-warning (AEW) aircraft;
* 4 utility aircraft (see [1]).
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Canada
Canadian CH-149 Cormorant
Enlarge
Canadian CH-149 Cormorant
Canada has had a troubled history with the EH101. Following the lead of the UK and Italy, the Canadian government placed a $4.4 billion (CAD) order in 1987 for 48 (later 42) EH101s to replace the Canadian Armed Forces's CH-124 Sea Kings and CH-113 Labradors. These were to be assembled in Canada under the designations CH-148 Petrel (33 originally, reduced to 28) and CH-149 Chimo (15) in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and air/sea search and rescue (SAR) roles respectively. The whole programme was cancelled, however, after a change of government in 1993, leading to the payment of $500 Million in cancellation penalties.
In 1998, the Canadian government announced that the CH-113s would now be replaced by a new search-and-rescue variant of the EH101, carrying the designation CH-149 Cormorant. Unlike the Petrel/Chimo contract, these 15 aircraft were to be built entirely in Europe. The first two aircraft arrived in Canada in September 2001 and entered service the following year.
The first operational CH-149 flight occurred in 2002 when a Cormorant of 442 Squadron performed a medevac from a merchant ship 200 km offshore in Hecate Strait. An even more dramatic demonstration of Cormorant capabilities occurred in late 2002 when a 103 Squadron CH-149 successfully flew a 1,200 km round-trip rescue mission to a container ship off Newfoundland. Two refuelling stops at the Hibernia oil platform were required.
On July 13, 2006, a Canadian CH-149 Cormorant crashed of the coast of Nova Scotia killing 3 personnel and injuring 4 during a joint search and rescue exercise. This helicopter belonged to 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. At this point, the Military investigators have ruled out mechanical failure of the tail rotor and all normal operations have been restored.
When it became obvious that the Sea Kings were in need of immediate replacement, the EH101 was again part of a Canadian competition (the Maritime Helicopter Project), versus the Sikorsky H-92, for a total price tag of $5 billion. The Sikorsky entry won the competition on July 23, 2004; it is to be known as the CH-148 Cyclone.
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United States of America
Main article: VH-71
In 2001 AgustaWestland signed a deal with Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter Textron to market the aircraft in the US under the designation US101. It competed for and won the VIP and "Marine One" Presidential transport roles currently carried out by H-3 Sea King or the smaller VH-60 White Hawk. In doing so, it beat the Super Hawk, Sikorsky's contending entry, and became the first non-Sikorsky helicopter to fulfill the Marine One role since 1957. The order is for 23 aircraft, to equip the Marine One squadron, HMX-1. The US101 will be built in the United States and fitted with largely American systems and equipment, General Electric turboshafts for example. These aircraft will be given the military designation VH-71A.[1]
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Japan
The Tokyo Police became the first civil customer for the type when they purchased a single example in 1998. In 2003, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ordered for 14 aircraft to use in the MCM (Mine Cleaning Mission) and transport role. MCH-101, JMSDF's temporary name, is going to replace MH-53E, for MCM and S-61, for support of the Japanese Antarctic observations.
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Portugal
The Portuguese Air Force acquired [2] 12 aircraft in three different versions: 6 in SAR, 4 in CSAR and 2 in SIFICAP (Fisheries Control) configurations. All versions are NVG capable, the CSAR versions adding a "Defensive Aids Suite" (DAS), weapons carriage and "Air to Air Refueling" (AAR), while the SIFICAP carries the APS-717P radar.
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Denmark
Rescue 09 a Danish Air Force Search and Rescue EH101
Enlarge
Rescue 09 a Danish Air Force Search and Rescue EH101
In 2001 Denmark announced the purchase of EH101 for SAR duties (8 units) and tactical troop transport (another 6 units). The last of the 14 EH101's will be delivered in 2006 and will become operational early 2007.
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Specifications (Merlin HM.1)
Image:Aero-stub img.pngThis aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.
General characteristics
* Crew: 4
* Capacity:
o 30 seated troops or
o 45 standing troops or
o 16 stretchers with medics
o Up to 4000 kg on external hook
* Length: 74 ft 10 in (22.81 m)
* Rotor diameter: 61 ft 0 in (18.59 m)
* Height: 21 ft 10 in (6.65 m)
* Disc area: 2992 ft² (271 m²)
* Empty weight: 23,150 lb (10,500 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 32,188 lb (14,600 kg)
* Powerplant: 3× Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca RTM322-01 turboshafts, 2312 shp (1725 kW) each
Performance
* Maximum speed: 167 knots (192 mph, 309 km/h)
* Range: 750 nm (863 mi, 1389 km)
* Service ceiling: 15,000ft (4575 m)
* Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s)
Armament
* Guns: 2× general purpose machine guns
* Bombs: 2200 lb (960 kg) of bombs and rockets
Avionics
* GPS navigation system
* VHF Omnidirectional Radio range (VOR) instrument landing system (ILS)
* Tactical air navigation (TACAN)
* Smiths Industries OMI SEP 20 automatic flight control system
For an explanation of the units and abbreviations in this list, please see aviation-related units.
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External links
Wikinews
Wikinews has News related to this article:
* Three die in crash of Canadian Search and Rescue Helicopter
* US Navy chooses US-Europe US101 helicopter to be next Marine One
* Portuguese Air Force Merlin helicopters enter service
* EH101 VVIP
* EH101 Martime
* EH101 SAR
* EH101 Utility
* US101
* Lockheed-Martin/Augusta-Westland/Bell-Textron Team US101 website
* Lockheed-Martin Official US101 website
* RAF page
* Canadian Air Force page
* Manufacturer website
* Portuguese Air Force Official Website
* Area Militar - Unnofficial PALOP Military Website
[edit]
References
1. ^ A New Presidential Ride, Popular Science
2. ^ Portuguese Air Force Merlin helicopters enter service, Wikinews
[edit]
Related content
Comparable aircraft
* NHI NH90
* Sikorsky S-92
Related lists
* List of ASW aircraft
* List of helicopters
* List of military transport aircraft
* List of utility aircraft
* List of active Canadian military aircraft
* List of active United Kingdom military aircraft
See also
* European defence procurement
To replace various helicopters in service at the time, namely the SH-34 Seahorse, the US Navy awarded Sikorsky a contract to develop a helicopter that would combine several roles into one airframe: hunter/killer antisubmarine warfare, cargo transport, and search and rescue. It would also have to be capable of amphibious operations and had to be able to operate from smaller ships as well as aircraft carriers. Sikorsky’s HSS-2 Sea King was the response, and it first flew in March 1959. The HSS-2 had a distinctive “boat” hull for water landings, including flotation bags in the sponsons, good visibility from the cockpit, and a folding tail section for stowage. In the antisubmarine role, the HSS-2 was equipped with a dipping sonar unreeled from the forward hull, 21 sonobuoys, and a MAD “bird” capable of being deployed from the port sponson. In 1962, the type’s designation was changed to SH-3A.
The SH-3 would remain in US Navy service for the next 50 years. During Vietnam and the Third World War, it operated in plane guard duties for carriers, the first aircraft to launch and the last to recover; it also served in SAR duties from the carriers and smaller ships, flying over water and often over land to rescue downed pilots. In this role, the SH-3 is probably responsible for the rescue of more people than any other aircraft type. Dedicated SAR helicopters often were equipped with heavy or light machine guns. Other versions were converted to UH-3 utility helicopters and VH-3 VIP transports. The latter are the last Sea Kings in US service; the US Navy began replacing the aging SH-3 following the First Gulf War, with ASW/SAR SH-3s mostly gone from fleet service by 1997. Cargo and utility variants remained in service until 2006. Besides its service in the US armed forces, Sea Kings were heavily exported to 17 air forces, including license-built versions made by Westland (Sea Kings), United Aircraft of Canada (CH-124), Agusta (AS-61), and Mitsubishi (HSS-2); foreign variants are used both in traditional roles for the Sea King, as well as antishipping duties, troop transports, minesweeping, and even AEW. It remains in service worldwide.
The USS Yorktown (CVS-10) carried a squadron of SH-3s for ASW work during the 1960s, usually HS-4 on the West Coast. During its Vietnam service, as North Vietnam had no submarines, the Yorktown used its SH-3s for search and rescue. Though HS-4's helicopters were painted in standard US Navy gray over white during Vietnam, a number were armored and armed with door guns and painted overall gray. The Yorktown's "normal" SH-3s used the callsign Fetch, but the gray SAR birds were known as Big Mother. (The most famous SH-3 was "Fetch 66," which picked up the crew of Apollo 8 from the Yorktown in December 1968, and subsequently picked up other Apollo missions on other carriers.)
As such, the markings on this SH-3 are somewhat confusing. Before 1964, the Yorktown's SH-3s were painted overall engine gray with high-visibility red panels, before switching over to gray over white. This scheme is close to engine gray, but uses the smaller insignia of the Big Mothers. However, the Big Mothers used subdued lettering and did not carry the large white numbers seen here.
My dad controlled quite a few SH-3 rescue missions as a radarman aboard the Yorktown from 1964 to 1969, and got to ride in a SH-3 once. Whatever its color scheme, it was nice to see one of these in May 2014. Bureau Number 149932 was originally built as a SH-3G.
Press Launch Car
The Dunsfold Collection
Alfold - Surrey
England - United Kingdom
June 2015
The Discovery was launched in 1989 and this car started life as a V8-engined press vehicle. When Land Rover sponsored Cowes Week on the Isle of White, someone decided that a ‘nautical theme’ was needed and a 90” was built with flotation aids – it caused such a stir that is was decided to convert a then-new Discovery to do the same.
This vehicle for some reason was selected for conversion, although why a V8 petrol-engined car was chosen remains a mystery! It was quickly converted to a 2.5TDi and the floor sealed. An outboard motor was installed and the necessary hydraulics fitted and in no time an amphibious Discovery was born. The roof was cut off for access and safety reasons as the doors obviously will not open when the flotation bags are fitted. The inner skins around the doors were glued in place. The following year it was at Cowes week and was sailed every day and performed brilliantly.
It was later given to a German museum and laid unused until 2011 when it was repurchased by JLR and loaned to us. It went to the Geneva Motor Show in 2012 and 2104 and took media and other guests out onto the lake. It is very good on the water with excellent control, although the brakes don’t work well!
There is probably no better way to spend 7 Euros if you are looking to spend an afternoon bobbing up and down in a ring of dayglo rubber in the Mediterranean and then an evening lying in a bed of sand and sweat because you got seasick.
30 January 2012 - Maui, Hawaii
XvolutionMedia.com
Jeff Rowley Tames the T-Rex of Surf
Jaws bites - Big wave surfers, Jeff Rowley, Greg Long, Shaun Walsh and Albee Layer ‘paddle-in’ to gigantic 15 metre (50 foot) plus waves at Peahi “Jaws” and cement paddling in as the new frontier in big wave surfing.
Rowley and friends were on Maui, Hawaii waiting for the monster surf to hit the Peahi, "Jaws" reef and produce the worlds biggest surfable waves.
On one of the biggest waves of the day, Rowley took off underneath the pitching lip of the wave.
“As the wave was coming I knew I was in the right position, I didn't want to waste any energy paddling just turn around and go".
“It just picked me up perfectly, It felt like I was riding a magic carpet with my heart in my mouth".
In doing so Rowley's ride has skyrocketed into two categories of the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave awards; "Ride of The Year" and "Monster Energy Monster Paddle In".
“Everything I have worked hard and trained for all my life helped me pull off a ride like this”.
Rowley specialises in Breath Enhancement Training to stay maximum time underwater without oxygen and maintain calm in extreme situations.
Rowley's special 10’2” (3 metre) Channel Islands surfboard designed for monster waves, was dubbed by fellow surfers as the 'Magic Carpet'.
"My board has been hammered by waves and rocks, but I trust it with my life".
On one of the biggest waves of the day, Rowley suffered a horrific wipeout and was pounded so deep he was forced to pull his emergency inflatable airbag wetsuit with mini scuba tank, to return to the surface.
'It was like being caught in a giant cement mixer, it pushed me so deep my ears were hurting and I didn't think I was coming up, I'm lucky I was able to inflate" Rowley said.
Rowley continues his personal ‘Charge For Charity’; a quest to paddle-in to a 50-foot wave and overcome his fears whilst raising money for Breast Cancer Australia.
“I am grateful to everyone who has supported my Charge For Charity, I'm overcoming my fears which are nothing compared to fighting a life threatening disease or illness”.
Rowley remains on Maui with more giant surf forecast in the coming weeks.
The 2011/12 XXL awards will be announced on Friday May 4 2012 in Anaheim, California.
-
Jeff Rowley is an extreme sports athlete specialising in paddle-in surfing the biggest waves in the world. Visit www.jeffrowley.com and follow Jeff's adventures as he pushes the limits of paddle in surfing to new heights.
To donate to Rowley’s ‘Charge for Charity’, visit www.everydayhero.com/charge_for_charity
Like Rowley on facebook: www.facebook.com/jeffrowleyathlete
Follow Rowley on twitter: www.twitter.com/jeff_rowley
Read Rowley’s blog on Tumblr: jeffrowley.tumblr.com
View Rowley’s photo gallery on Flickr: www.flickr.com/jeffrowley
Visit Rowley’s official website: www.jeffrowley.com
To become a sponsor, to partner or request an interview with Rowley, contact Xvolution Media at info@xvolutionmedia.com
See also smallcraftadvisor.com/
SCAMP (Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project)
Features offset centreboard, water ballast, massive flotation.
Sleeps one on 8'-3" berth or two on 6'-6" double
Incredible storage
LOA 11'-ll", Beam 5'-4", Draft (up) 7", water ballast 173 lb.
Approx weight including rig 420 lb.
Designed by John Welsford with additional development by Kees Prins
DD or duplex drive tanks, nicknamed "Donald Duck tanks", were a type of amphibious swimming tank developed by the British during the Second World War. The phrase is mostly used for the Duplex Drive variant of the M4 Sherman medium tank, that was used by the Western Allies during and after the Normandy Landings in June 1944.
DD tanks worked by erecting a canvas 'flotation screen' around the tank, which enabled it to float in water. 'Duplex drive' refers to the fitted propellers allowing propulsion through water, which supplemented the usual track propulsion used when the flotation screens were lowered upon landing to fight as an ordinary tank.
The DD tanks were one of the many specialized assault vehicles, collectively known as Hobart's Funnies, devised to support the planned invasion of Europe.
Operation Tiger was an eight days long general repetition for D-Day, which took place in 1944. During this operation, 749 American soldiers lost their life as result of blunders and a German assault with E-Boats.
The memorial displays the following text:
This American Sherman DD tank is a silent witness of the disaster of operation Tiger. Next to the tank stands a memorial stone with the following text:
"THIS AMERICAN TANK TOOK PART OF THE D-DAY PRACTICE LANDINGS AT SLAPTON BEACH IN 1944 WHERE IT WAS AT SEA AND THERE REMAINED UNTIL ITS RECOVERY IN 1984
IT STANDS AS A MEMORIAL TO THOSE AMERICAN LIVES LOST DURING THE COURSE OF THE D-DAY PRACTICE LANDINGS AT SLAPTON BEACH IN 1944. THEIR SACRIFICE WAS NOT IN VAIN. BE THEY EVER IN PEACE"
A series of shots taken during the 1970's and 1980's in the Highlands Fabricators yard at Nigg Bay, Scotland.
This is a late 70's ...? shot of the early B.P. Magnus jacket. in this shot the flotation tanks are being layed.
Thanks to Billy Winton for allowing me to post these.
Not sure what the side braces are. Perhaps they keep the car from tipping over? Or perhaps for skiing? Perhaps one could attach flotation devices?
2023 RM Sotheby's Auction Preview, Monterey: 1973 Aston Martin V8 "The Living Daylights"
A Coast Guardsman uses ice picks while kicking his feet during self-rescuing training at U.S. Coast Guard Station Alexandria Bay, New York, March 16, 2021. The Coast Guard Station provides law enforcement, search and rescue, as well as training throughout the surrounding areas up to the U.S./Canada border. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Bernardo Fuller)
Seen here is Bucyrus # 822, a very large shovel engaged in bulk mining at the Continental Mine (= Continental Pit) in Butte, Montana. The town is known as the “Richest Hill on Earth” and "The Mining City". The Butte Mining District has produced gold, silver, copper, molybdenum, manganese, and other metals.
The area's bedrock consists of the Butte Quartz Monzonite (a.k.a. Butte Pluton), which is part of the Boulder Batholith. The Butte Quartz Monzonite ("BQM") formed 76.3 million years ago, during the mid-Campanian Stage in the Late Cretaceous. BQM rocks have been intruded and altered by hydrothermal veins containing valuable metallic minerals - principally sulfides. The copper mineralization has been dated to 62-66 million years ago, during the latest Maastrichtian Stage (latest Cretaceous) and Danian Stage (Early Paleocene). In the supergene enrichment zone of the area, the original sulfide mineralogy has been altered.
The Continental Mine targets a low-grade copper and molybdenum deposit on the eastern side of the Continental Fault, a major Basin & Range normal fault in the Butte area with about 3500 feet of offset. The mine's rocks consists of disseminated copper sulfides plus copper- and molybdenum-bearing hydrothermal veins that intrude the BQM. Minerals at the site include chalcopyrite, molybdenite, malachite, azurite, tenorite, and cuprite. The latter four minerals are secondary copper minerals, produced by alteration of the primary copper sulfides.
When I visited in 2010, the Continental Mine was making 50,000 to 52,000 tons of ore each day. This mine can operate down to an ore grade of 0.1% copper. Most of the mineralization is disseminated copper, but veins are also present. Two stages of mineralization occurred in the Butte area - a porphyry copper system and a main stage system with large veins. The bottom of the porphyry copper system is ~ less than 12,800 feet below the surface. Veins peter out at 5600 to 5800 feet below the surface. At the Continental Mine, veins are small - they're veinlets less than 6 inches wide.
This mine has 14 shovels and 15 trucks. The large Bucyrus # 822 shovel is operated by one person and can load a 240-ton truck in three passes. The mine's benches are forty feet tall. Blasting is done with ANFO - ammonium nitrate and fuel oil. 0.65 pounds of explosives are used per ton of rock. The mine uses ~45 megawatts of power per day, which is about the same as the city of Butte itself.
Continental Mine ores are crushed in two stages. The crushed ores are then sent to the mill, where they are ground down to the fineness of talcum powder. Flotation and lime are used in procesing. Sulfides are collected. 1% of the mined material goes to the concentrator. 99% of mined material becomes tailings. The tailings powder is wet (33% solid and the rest is water) and piped uphill to a pond. The tailings pond water has a pH of 10. Water from the pond is recycled to make tailings slurry. 27 million gallons a day enters the pond. An earthen dam around the pond is designed to withstand a powerful earthquake.
Scientific Name: Sus inflata
Family: Blowhog
Olimar's Notes:
This species of blowhog uses internally generated hydrogen to inflate a flotation bladder and hover above the ground. The creature's electrified pulse creates a sash of color that flows along the surface of its body, making it a particularly beautiful blowhog species. Precisely how it is able to internally stabilize its highly explosive hydrogen and simultaneously generate electricity remains a mystery. The puffy blowhog blows leaves and grass around to eat the insects underneath. It maintains midair buoyancy by using its fins and releasing air through blowholes. This enables it to float effortlessly, even in the breeze. In times of danger, the puffy blowhog can decompress its flotation bladder for a rapid escape from predators.
Louie's Notes:
Slice this creature's feather-light skin into triangles, deep-fry until crispy, and salt generously. Makes the perfect scooping chip to accompany fresh mango salsa!
For more photos and details about this creation, click here!
Photo and Creation © 2009 Filip Johannes Felberg
Olimar and Louie's Notes © Nintendo
Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the international border of the two countries. It is also known as the Canadian Falls. The smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls lie within the United States. Bridal Veil Falls is separated from Horseshoe Falls by Goat Island and from American Falls by Luna Island, with both islands situated in New York.
Formed by the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined falls have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America that has a vertical drop of more than 50 m (160 ft). During peak daytime tourist hours, more than 168,000 m3 (5.9 million cu ft) of water goes over the crest of the falls every minute. Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as measured by flow rate. Niagara Falls is famed for its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Balancing recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 19th century.
Niagara Falls is 27 km (17 mi) northwest of Buffalo, New York, and 69 km (43 mi) southeast of Toronto, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York. Niagara Falls was formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path over and through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean.
Horseshoe Falls is about 57 m (187 ft) high, while the height of the American Falls varies between 21 and 30 m (69 and 98 ft) because of the presence of giant boulders at its base. The larger Horseshoe Falls is about 790 m (2,590 ft) wide, while the American Falls is 320 m (1,050 ft) wide. The distance between the American extremity of Niagara Falls and the Canadian extremity is 1,039 m (3,409 ft).
The peak flow over Horseshoe Falls was recorded at 6,370 m3 (225,000 cu ft) per second. The average annual flow rate is 2,400 m3 (85,000 cu ft) per second. Since the flow is a direct function of the Lake Erie water elevation, it typically peaks in late spring or early summer. During the summer months, at least 2,800 m3 (99,000 cu ft) per second of water traverse the falls, some 90% of which goes over Horseshoe Falls, while the balance is diverted to hydroelectric facilities and then on to American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. This is accomplished by employing a weir – the International Control Dam – with movable gates upstream from Horseshoe Falls.
The water flow is halved at night and during the low tourist season winter months and only attains a minimum flow of 1,400 cubic metres (49,000 cu ft) per second. Water diversion is regulated by the 1950 Niagara Treaty and is administered by the International Niagara Board of Control. The verdant green color of the water flowing over Niagara Falls is a byproduct of the estimated 60 tonnes/minute of dissolved salts and rock flour (very finely ground rock) generated by the erosive force of the Niagara River.
The Niagara River is an Important Bird Area due to its impact on Bonaparte's gulls, ring-billed gulls, and herring gulls. Several thousand birds migrate and winter in the surrounding area.
The features that became Niagara Falls were created by the Wisconsin glaciation about 10,000 years ago. The retreat of the ice sheet left behind a large amount of meltwater (see Lake Algonquin, Lake Chicago, Glacial Lake Iroquois, and Champlain Sea) that filled up the basins that the glaciers had carved, thus creating the Great Lakes as we know them today. Scientists posit there is an old valley, St David's Buried Gorge, buried by glacial drift, at the approximate location of the present Welland Canal.
When the ice melted, the upper Great Lakes emptied into the Niagara River, which followed the rearranged topography across the Niagara Escarpment. In time, the river cut a gorge through the north-facing cliff, or cuesta. Because of the interactions of three major rock formations, the rocky bed did not erode evenly. The caprock formation is composed of hard, erosion-resistant limestone and dolomite of the Lockport Formation (Middle Silurian). That hard layer of stone eroded more slowly than the underlying materials. Immediately below the caprock lies the weaker, softer, sloping Rochester Formation (Lower Silurian). This formation is composed mainly of shale, though it has some thin limestone layers. It also contains ancient fossils. In time, the river eroded the soft layer that supported the hard layers, undercutting the hard caprock, which gave way in great chunks. This process repeated countless times, eventually carving out the falls. Submerged in the river in the lower valley, hidden from view, is the Queenston Formation (Upper Ordovician), which is composed of shales and fine sandstones. All three formations were laid down in an ancient sea, their differences of character deriving from changing conditions within that sea.
About 10,900 years ago, the Niagara Falls was between present-day Queenston, Ontario, and Lewiston, New York, but erosion of the crest caused the falls to retreat approximately 6.8 miles (10.9 km) southward. The shape of Horseshoe Falls has changed through the process of erosion, evolving from a small arch to a horseshoe bend to the present day V-shape. Just upstream from the falls' current location, Goat Island splits the course of the Niagara River, resulting in the separation of Horseshoe Falls to the west from the American and Bridal Veil Falls to the east. Engineering has slowed erosion and recession.
Future of the falls
The current rate of erosion is approximately 30 centimeters (0.98 feet) per year, down from a historical average of 0.91 m (3.0 ft) per year. At this rate, in about 50,000 years Niagara Falls will have eroded the remaining 32 km (20 mi) to Lake Erie, and the falls will cease to exist.
Preservation efforts
In the 1870s, sightseers had limited access to Niagara Falls and often had to pay for a glimpse, and industrialization threatened to carve up Goat Island to further expand commercial development. Other industrial encroachments and lack of public access led to a conservation movement in the U.S. known as Free Niagara, led by such notables as Hudson River School artist Frederic Edwin Church, landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted, and architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Church approached Lord Dufferin, governor-general of Canada, with a proposal for international discussions on the establishment of a public park.
Goat Island was one of the inspirations for the American side of the effort. William Dorsheimer, moved by the scene from the island, brought Olmsted to Buffalo in 1868 to design a city park system, which helped promote Olmsted's career. In 1879, the New York state legislature commissioned Olmsted and James T. Gardner to survey the falls and to create the single most important document in the Niagara preservation movement, a "Special Report on the preservation of Niagara Falls". The report advocated for state purchase, restoration and preservation through public ownership of the scenic lands surrounding Niagara Falls. Restoring the former beauty of the falls was described in the report as a "sacred obligation to mankind". In 1883, New York Governor Grover Cleveland drafted legislation authorizing acquisition of lands for a state reservation at Niagara, and the Niagara Falls Association, a private citizens group founded in 1882, mounted a great letter-writing campaign and petition drive in support of the park. Professor Charles Eliot Norton and Olmsted were among the leaders of the public campaign, while New York Governor Alonzo Cornell opposed.
Preservationists' efforts were rewarded on April 30, 1885, when Governor David B. Hill signed legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, New York's first state park. New York State began to purchase land from developers, under the charter of the Niagara Reservation State Park. In the same year, the province of Ontario established the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park for the same purpose. On the Canadian side, the Niagara Parks Commission governs land usage along the entire course of the Niagara River, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.
In 1887, Olmsted and Calvert Vaux issued a supplemental report detailing plans to restore the falls. Their intent was "to restore and conserve the natural surroundings of the Falls of Niagara, rather than to attempt to add anything thereto", and the report anticipated fundamental questions, such as how to provide access without destroying the beauty of the falls, and how to restore natural landscapes damaged by man. They planned a park with scenic roadways, paths and a few shelters designed to protect the landscape while allowing large numbers of visitors to enjoy the falls. Commemorative statues, shops, restaurants, and a 1959 glass and metal observation tower were added later. Preservationists continue to strive to strike a balance between Olmsted's idyllic vision and the realities of administering a popular scenic attraction.
Preservation efforts continued well into the 20th century. J. Horace McFarland, the Sierra Club, and the Appalachian Mountain Club persuaded the United States Congress in 1906 to enact legislation to preserve the falls by regulating the waters of the Niagara River. The act sought, in cooperation with the Canadian government, to restrict diversion of water, and a treaty resulted in 1909 that limited the total amount of water diverted from the falls by both nations to approximately 56,000 cubic feet per second (1,600 m3/s). That limitation remained in effect until 1950.
Erosion control efforts have always been of importance. Underwater weirs redirect the most damaging currents, and the top of the falls has been strengthened. In June 1969, the Niagara River was completely diverted from American Falls for several months through construction of a temporary rock and earth dam. During this time, two bodies were removed from under the falls, including a man who had been seen jumping over the falls, and the body of a woman, which was discovered once the falls dried. While Horseshoe Falls absorbed the extra flow, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studied the riverbed and mechanically bolted and strengthened any faults they found; faults that would, if left untreated, have hastened the retreat of American Falls. A plan to remove the huge mound of talus deposited in 1954 was abandoned owing to cost, and in November 1969, the temporary dam was dynamited, restoring flow to American Falls. Even after these undertakings, Luna Island, the small piece of land between the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, remained off limits to the public for years owing to fears that it was unstable and could collapse into the gorge.
Commercial interests have continued to encroach on the land surrounding the state park, including the construction of several tall buildings (most of them hotels) on the Canadian side. The result is a significant alteration and urbanisation of the landscape. One study found that the tall buildings changed the breeze patterns and increased the number of mist days from 29 per year to 68 per year, but another study disputed this idea.
In 2013, New York State began an effort to renovate Three Sisters Islands located south of Goat Island. Funds were used from the re-licensing of the New York Power Authority hydroelectric plant downriver in Lewiston, New York, to rebuild walking paths on the Three Sisters Islands and to plant native vegetation on the islands. The state also renovated the area around Prospect Point at the brink of American Falls in the state park.
Toponymy
Theories differ as to the origin of the name of the falls. The Native American word Ongiara means thundering water; The New York Times used this in 1925. According to Iroquoian scholar Bruce Trigger, Niagara is derived from the name given to a branch of the local native Neutral Confederacy, who are described as the Niagagarega people on several late-17th-century French maps of the area. According to George R. Stewart, it comes from the name of an Iroquois town called Onguiaahra, meaning "point of land cut in two". In 1847, an Iroquois interpreter stated that the name came from Jaonniaka-re, meaning "noisy point or portage". To Mohawks, the name refers to "the neck", pronounced "onyara"; the portage or neck of land between lakes Erie and Ontario onyara.
History
Many figures have been suggested as first circulating a European eyewitness description of Niagara Falls. The Frenchman Samuel de Champlain visited the area as early as 1604 during his exploration of what is now Canada, and members of his party reported to him the spectacular waterfalls, which he described in his journals. The first description of the falls is credited to Belgian missionary, Father Louis Hennepin in 1677, after traveling with the explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, thus bringing the falls to the attention of Europeans. French Jesuit missionary Paul Ragueneau likely visited the falls some 35 years before Hennepin's visit while working among the Huron First Nation in Canada. Jean de Brébeuf also may have visited the falls, while spending time with the Neutral Nation. The Finnish-Swedish naturalist Pehr Kalm explored the area in the early 18th century and is credited with the first scientific description of the falls. In 1762, Captain Thomas Davies, a British Army officer and artist, surveyed the area and painted the watercolor, An East View of the Great Cataract of Niagara, the first eyewitness painting of the falls.
During the 19th century, tourism became popular, and by the mid-century, it was the area's main industry. Theodosia Burr Alston (daughter of Vice President Aaron Burr) and her husband Joseph Alston were the first recorded couple to honeymoon there in 1801. Napoleon Bonaparte's brother Jérôme visited with his bride in the early 19th century. In 1825, British explorer John Franklin visited the falls while passing through New York en route to Cumberland House as part of his second Arctic expedition, calling them "so justly celebrated as the first in the world for grandeur".
In 1843, Frederick Douglass joined the American Anti-Slavery Society's "One Hundred Conventions" tour throughout New York and the midwest. Sometime on this tour, Douglass visited Niagara Falls and wrote a brief account of the experience: "When I came into its awful presence the power of discription failed me, an irrisistible power closed my lips." Being on the Canadian border, Niagara Falls was on one of the routes of the Underground Railroad. The falls were also a popular tourist attraction for Southern slaveowners, who would bring their enslaved workers on the trip. "Many a time the trusted body-servant, or slave-girl, would leave master or mistress in the discharge of some errand, and never come back." This sometimes led to conflict. Early town father Peter Porter assisted slavecatchers in finding runaway slaves, even leading, in the case of runaway Solomon Moseby, to a riot in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. Much of this history is memorialized in the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center. After the American Civil War, the New York Central Railroad publicized Niagara Falls as a focus of pleasure and honeymoon visits. After World War II, the auto industry, along with local tourism boards, began to promote Niagara honeymoons.
In about 1840, the English industrial chemist Hugh Lee Pattinson traveled to Canada, stopping at Niagara Falls long enough to make the earliest known photograph of the falls, a daguerreotype in the collection of Newcastle University. It was once believed that the small figure standing silhouetted with a top hat was added by an engraver working from imagination as well as the daguerreotype as his source, but the figure is clearly present in the photograph. Because of the very long exposure required, of ten minutes or more, the figure is assumed by Canada's Niagara Parks agency to be Pattinson. The image is left-right inverted and taken from the Canadian side. Pattinson made other photographs of Horseshoe Falls; these were then transferred to engravings to illustrate Noël Marie Paymal Lerebours' Excursions Daguerriennes (Paris, 1841–1864).[55]
On August 6, 1918, an iron scow became stuck on the rocks above the falls. The two men on the scow were rescued, but the vessel remained trapped on rocks in the river, and is still visible there in a deteriorated state, although its position shifted by 50 meters (160 ft) during a storm on October 31, 2019. Daredevil William "Red" Hill Sr. was particularly praised for his role in the rescue.
After the First World War, tourism boomed as automobiles made getting to the falls much easier. The story of Niagara Falls in the 20th century is largely that of efforts to harness the energy of the falls for hydroelectric power, and to control the development on both sides that threaten the area's natural beauty. Before the late 20th century, the northeastern end of Horseshoe Falls was in the United States, flowing around the Terrapin Rocks, which were once connected to Goat Island by a series of bridges. In 1955, the area between the rocks and Goat Island was filled in, creating Terrapin Point. In the early 1980s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers filled in more land and built diversion dams and retaining walls to force the water away from Terrapin Point. Altogether, 400 ft (120 m) of Horseshoe Falls were eliminated, including 100 ft (30 m) on the Canadian side. According to author Ginger Strand, the Horseshoe Falls is now entirely in Canada. Other sources say "most of" Horseshoe Falls is in Canada.
The only recorded freeze-up of the river and falls was caused by an ice jam on March 29, 1848. No water (or at best a trickle) fell for as much as 40 hours. Waterwheels stopped, and mills and factories shut down for having no power. In 1912, American Falls was completely frozen, but the other two falls kept flowing. Although the falls commonly ice up most winters, the river and the falls do not freeze completely. The years 1885, 1902, 1906, 1911, 1932, 1936, 2014, 2017 and 2019 are noted for partial freezing of the falls. A so-called ice bridge was common in certain years at the base of the falls and was used by people who wanted to cross the river before bridges had been built. During some winters, the ice sheet was as thick as 40 to 100 feet (12 to 30 m), but that thickness has not occurred since 1954. The ice bridge of 1841 was said to be at least 100 feet thick. On February 12, 1912, the ice bridge which had formed on January 15 began breaking up while people were still on it. Many escaped, but three died during the event, later named the Ice Bridge Tragedy.
Bridge crossings
A number of bridges have spanned the Niagara River in the general vicinity of the falls. The first, not far from the whirlpool, was a suspension bridge above the gorge. It opened for use by the public in July 1848 and remained in use until 1855. A second bridge in the Upper Falls area was commissioned, with two levels or decks, one for use by the Great Western Railway. This Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge opened in 1855. It was used by conductors on the Underground Railroad to escort runaway slaves to Canada. In 1882, the Grand Trunk Railway took over control of the second deck after it absorbed the Great Western company. Significant structural improvements were made in the late 1870s and then in 1886; this bridge remained in use until 1897.
Because of the volume of traffic, the decision was made to construct a new arch bridge nearby, under and around the existing bridge. After it opened in September 1897, a decision was made to remove and scrap the railway suspension bridge. This new bridge was initially known as the Niagara Railway Arch, or Lower Steel Arch Bridge; it had two decks, the lower one used for carriages and the upper for trains. In 1937, it was renamed the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge and remains in use today. All of the structures built up to that time were referred to as Lower Niagara bridges and were some distance from the falls.
The first bridge in the so-called Upper Niagara area (closer to the falls) was a two-level suspension structure that opened in January 1869; it was destroyed during a severe storm in January 1889. The replacement was built quickly and opened in May 1889. In order to handle heavy traffic, a second bridge was commissioned, slightly closer to American Falls. This one was a steel bridge and opened to traffic in June 1897; it was known as the Upper Steel Arch Bridge but was often called the Honeymoon Bridge. The single level included a track for trolleys and space for carriages and pedestrians. The design led to the bridge being very close to the surface of the river and in January 1938, an ice jam twisted the steel frame of the bridge which later collapsed on January 27, 1938.
Another Lower Niagara bridge had been commissioned in 1883 by Cornelius Vanderbilt for use by railways at a location roughly approximately 200 feet south of the Railway Suspension Bridge. This one was of an entirely different design; it was a cantilever bridge to provide greater strength. The Niagara Cantilever Bridge had two cantilevers which were joined by steel sections; it opened officially in December 1883, and improvements were made over the years for a stronger structure. As rail traffic was increasing, the Michigan Central Railroad company decided to build a new bridge in 1923, to be located between the Lower Steel Arch Bridge and the Cantilever Bridge. The Michigan Central Railway Bridge opened in February 1925 and remained in use until the early 21st century. The Cantilever Bridge was removed and scrapped after the new rail bridge opened. Nonetheless, it was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame in 2006.
There was a lengthy dispute as to which agency should build the replacement for the Niagara Railway Arch, or Lower Steel Arch Bridge in the Upper Niagara area. When that was resolved, construction of a steel bridge commenced in February 1940. Named the Rainbow Bridge, and featuring two lanes for traffic separated by a barrier, it opened in November 1941 and remains in use today.
Industry and commerce
The enormous energy of Niagara Falls has long been recognized as a potential source of power. The first known effort to harness the waters was in 1750, when Daniel Joncaire built a small canal above the falls to power his sawmill. Augustus and Peter Porter purchased this area and all of American Falls in 1805 from the New York state government, and enlarged the original canal to provide hydraulic power for their gristmill and tannery. In 1853, the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Mining Company was chartered, which eventually constructed the canals that would be used to generate electricity. In 1881, under the leadership of Jacob F. Schoellkopf, the Niagara River's first hydroelectric generating station was built. The water fell 86 feet (26 m) and generated direct current electricity, which ran the machinery of local mills and lit up some of the village streets.
The Niagara Falls Power Company, a descendant of Schoellkopf's firm, formed the Cataract Company headed by Edward Dean Adams, with the intent of expanding Niagara Falls' power capacity. In 1890, a five-member International Niagara Commission headed by Sir William Thomson among other distinguished scientists deliberated on the expansion of Niagara hydroelectric capacity based on seventeen proposals but could not select any as the best combined project for hydraulic development and distribution. In 1893, Westinghouse Electric (which had built the smaller-scale Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant near Ophir, Colorado, two years earlier) was hired to design a system to generate alternating current on Niagara Falls, and three years after that a large-scale AC power system was created (activated on August 26, 1895). The Adams Power Plant Transformer House remains as a landmark of the original system.
By 1896, financing from moguls including J. P. Morgan, John Jacob Astor IV, and the Vanderbilts had fueled the construction of giant underground conduits leading to turbines generating upwards of 100,000 horsepower (75 MW), sent as far as Buffalo, 20 mi (32 km) away. Some of the original designs for the power transmission plants were created by the Swiss firm Faesch & Piccard, which also constructed the original 5,000 hp (3.7 MW) waterwheels. Private companies on the Canadian side also began to harness the energy of the falls. The Government of Ontario eventually brought power transmission operations under public control in 1906, distributing Niagara's energy to various parts of the Canadian province.
Other hydropower plants were being built along the Niagara River. But in 1956, disaster struck when the region's largest hydropower station was partially destroyed in a landslide. This drastically reduced power production and put tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs at stake. In 1957, Congress passed the Niagara Redevelopment Act, which granted the New York Power Authority the right to fully develop the United States' share of the Niagara River's hydroelectric potential.
In 1961, when the Niagara Falls hydroelectric project went online, it was the largest hydropower facility in the Western world. Today, Niagara is still the largest electricity producer in New York state, with a generating capacity of 2.4 GW. Up to 1,420 cubic metres (380,000 US gal) of water per second is diverted from the Niagara River through conduits under the city of Niagara Falls to the Lewiston and Robert Moses power plants. Currently between 50% and 75% of the Niagara River's flow is diverted via four huge tunnels that arise far upstream from the waterfalls. The water then passes through hydroelectric turbines that supply power to nearby areas of Canada and the United States before returning to the river well past the falls. When electrical demand is low, the Lewiston units can operate as pumps to transport water from the lower bay back up to the plant's reservoir, allowing this water to be used again during the daytime when electricity use peaks. During peak electrical demand, the same Lewiston pumps are reversed and become generators.
To preserve Niagara Falls' natural beauty, a 1950 treaty signed by the U.S. and Canada limited water usage by the power plants. The treaty allows higher summertime diversion at night when tourists are fewer and during the winter months when there are even fewer tourists. This treaty, designed to ensure an "unbroken curtain of water" flowing over the falls, states that during daylight time during the tourist season (April 1 to October 31) there must be 100,000 cubic feet per second (2,800 m3/s) of water flowing over the falls, and during the night and off-tourist season there must be 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,400 m3/s) of water flowing over the falls. This treaty is monitored by the International Niagara Board of Control, using a NOAA gauging station above the falls. During winter, the Power Authority of New York works with Ontario Power Generation to prevent ice on the Niagara River from interfering with power production or causing flooding of shoreline property. One of their joint efforts is an 8,800-foot-long (2,700 m) ice boom, which prevents the buildup of ice, yet allows water to continue flowing downstream. In addition to minimum water volume, the crest of Horseshoe falls was reduced to maintain an uninterrupted "curtain of water".
In August 2005, Ontario Power Generation, which is responsible for the Sir Adam Beck stations, started a major civil engineering project, called the Niagara Tunnel Project, to increase power production by building a new 12.7-metre (42 ft) diameter, 10.2-kilometre-long (6.3 mi) water diversion tunnel. It was officially placed into service in March 2013, helping to increase the generating complex's nameplate capacity by 150 megawatts. It did so by tapping water from farther up the Niagara River than was possible with the preexisting arrangement. The tunnel provided new hydroelectricity for approximately 160,000 homes.
Transport
Ships can bypass Niagara Falls by means of the Welland Canal, which was improved and incorporated into the Saint Lawrence Seaway in the mid-1950s. While the seaway diverted water traffic from nearby Buffalo and led to the demise of its steel and grain mills, other industries in the Niagara River valley flourished with the help of the electric power produced by the river. However, since the 1970s the region has declined economically.
The cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara Falls, New York, United States, are connected by two international bridges. The Rainbow Bridge, just downriver from the falls, affords the closest view of the falls and is open to non-commercial vehicle traffic and pedestrians. The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge lies one mile (1.6 km) north of the Rainbow Bridge and is the oldest bridge over the Niagara River. Nearby Niagara Falls International Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport were named after the waterfall, as were Niagara University, countless local businesses, and even an asteroid.
Over the falls
The first recorded publicity stunt using the Falls was the wreck of the schooner Michigan in 1827. Local hotel owners acquired a former Lake Erie freighter, loaded it with animals and effigies of people, towed it to a spot above the falls and let it plunge over the brink. Admission of fifty cents was charged.
In October 1829, Sam Patch, who called himself "the Yankee Leapster", jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and survived; this began a long tradition of daredevils trying to go over the falls. Englishman Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel, drowned in 1883 trying to swim the rapids downriver from the falls.
On October 24, 1901, 63-year-old Michigan school teacher Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to go over the falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt; she survived, bleeding, but otherwise unharmed. Soon after exiting the barrel, she said, "No one ought ever do that again." Days before Taylor's attempt, her domestic cat was sent over the falls in her barrel to test its strength. The cat survived the plunge unharmed and later posed with Taylor in photographs. Since Taylor's historic ride, over a dozen people have intentionally gone over the falls in or on a device, despite her advice. Some have survived unharmed, but others have drowned or been severely injured. Survivors face charges and stiff fines, as it is now illegal, on both sides of the border, to attempt to go over the falls. Charles Stephens, a 58-year-old barber from Bristol, England, went over the falls in a wooden barrel in July 1920 and was the first person to die in an endeavor of this type. Bobby Leach went over Horseshoe Falls in a crude steel barrel in 1911 and needed rescuing by William "Red" Hill Sr. Hill again came to the rescue of Leach following his failed attempt to swim the Niagara Gorge in 1920. In 1928, "Smiling Jean" Lussier tried an entirely different concept, going over the falls in a large rubber ball; he was successful and survived the ordeal.
Annie Edson Taylor posing with her wooden barrel (1901)
In the "Miracle at Niagara", on July 9, 1960, Roger Woodward, a seven-year-old American boy, was swept over Horseshoe Falls after the boat in which he was cruising lost power; two tourists pulled his 17-year-old sister Deanne from the river only 20 ft (6.1 m) from the lip of the Horseshoe Falls at Goat Island. Minutes later, Woodward was plucked from the roiling plunge pool beneath Horseshoe Falls after grabbing a life ring thrown to him by the crew of the Maid of the Mist boat. The children's uncle, Jim Honeycutt, who had been steering the boat, was swept over the edge to his death.
On July 2, 1984, Canadian Karel Soucek from Hamilton, Ontario, plunged over Horseshoe Falls in a barrel with only minor injuries. Soucek was fined $500 for performing the stunt without a license. In 1985, he was fatally injured while attempting to re-create the Niagara drop at the Houston Astrodome. His aim was to climb into a barrel hoisted to the rafters of the Astrodome and to drop 180 ft (55 m) into a water tank on the floor. After his barrel released prematurely, it hit the side of the tank, and he died the next day from his injuries.
In August 1985, Steve Trotter, an aspiring stuntman from Rhode Island, became the youngest person ever (age 22) and the first American in 25 years to go over the falls in a barrel. Ten years later, Trotter went over the falls again, becoming the second person to go over the falls twice and survive. It was also the second "duo"; Lori Martin joined Trotter for the barrel ride over the falls. They survived the fall, but their barrel became stuck at the bottom of the falls, requiring a rescue.
On September 28, 1989, Niagara natives Peter DeBernardi and Jeffery James Petkovich became the first "team" to make it over the falls in a two-person barrel. The stunt was conceived by DeBenardi, who wanted to discourage youth from following in his path of addictive drug use. The pair emerged shortly after going over with minor injuries and were charged with performing an illegal stunt under the Niagara Parks Act.
On June 5, 1990, Jesse Sharp, a whitewater canoeist from Tennessee paddled over the falls in a closed deck canoe. He chose not to wear a helmet to make his face more visible for photographs of the event. He also did not wear a life vest because he believed it would hinder his escape from the hydraulics at the base of the falls. His boat flushed out of the falls, but his body was never found. On September 27, 1993, John "David" Munday, of Caistor Centre, Ontario, completed his second journey over the falls. On October 1, 1995, Robert Douglas "Firecracker" Overacker went over the falls on a Jet Ski to raise awareness for the homeless. His rocket-propelled parachute failed to open and he plunged to his death. Overacker's body was recovered before he was pronounced dead at Niagara General Hospital.
Kirk Jones of Canton, Michigan, became the first known person to survive a plunge over Horseshoe Falls without a flotation device on October 20, 2003. According to some reports, Jones had attempted to commit suicide, but he survived the fall with only battered ribs, scrapes, and bruises. Jones tried going over the falls again in 2017, using a large inflatable ball, but died in the process. Later reports revealed that Jones had arranged for a friend to shoot video clips of his stunt.
On March 11, 2009, a man survived an unprotected trip over Horseshoe Falls. When rescued from the river he suffered from severe hypothermia and a large wound to his head. His identity was never released. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the man intentionally enter the water. On May 21, 2012, an unidentified man became the fourth person to survive an unprotected trip over Horseshoe Falls. Eyewitness reports show he "deliberately jumped" into the Niagara River after climbing over a railing. On July 8, 2019, at roughly 4 am, officers responded to a report of a person in crisis at the brink of the Canadian side of the falls. Once officers got to the scene, the man climbed the retaining wall, jumped into the river and went over Horseshoe Falls. Authorities subsequently began to search the lower Niagara River basin, where the man was found alive but injured sitting on the rocks at the water's edge.
Tightrope walkers
Tightrope walkers drew huge crowds to witness their exploits. Their wires ran across the gorge, near the current Rainbow Bridge, not over the waterfall. Jean François "Blondin" Gravelet was the first to cross Niagara Gorge on June 30, 1859, and did so again eight times that year. His most difficult crossing occurred on August 14, when he carried his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back.[114] His final crossing, on September 8, 1860, was witnessed by the Prince of Wales. Author Ginger Strand argues that these performances may have had symbolic meanings at the time relating to slavery and abolition.
Between 1859 and 1896 a wire-walking craze emerged, resulting in frequent feats over the river below the falls. One inexperienced walker slid down his safety rope. Only one man fell to his death, at night and under mysterious circumstances, at the anchoring place for his wire.
Maria Spelterini, a 23-year-old Italian was the first and only woman to cross the Niagara River gorge; she did so on a tightrope on July 8, 1876. She repeated the stunt several times during the same month. During one crossing she was blindfolded and during another, her ankles and wrists were handcuffed.
Among the many competitors was Ontario's William Hunt, who billed himself as "The Great Farini"; his first crossing was in 1860. Farini competed with Blondin in performing outrageous stunts over the gorge. On August 8, 1864, however, an attempt failed and he needed to be rescued.
On June 15, 2012, high wire artist Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk across the falls area in 116 years, after receiving special permission from both governments. The full length of his tightrope was 1,800 feet (550 m). Wallenda crossed near the brink of Horseshoe Falls, unlike walkers who had crossed farther downstream. According to Wallenda, it was the longest unsupported tightrope walk in history. He carried his passport on the trip and was required to present it upon arrival on the Canadian side of the falls.
Tourism
A ring-billed gull flies by a rainbow over the Horseshoe Falls
Peak visitor traffic occurs in the summertime, when Niagara Falls is both a daytime and evening attraction. From the Canadian side, floodlights illuminate both sides of the falls for several hours after dark (until midnight). The number of visitors in 2007 was expected to total 20 million, and by 2009 the annual rate was expected to top 28 million tourists.
The oldest and best known tourist attraction at Niagara Falls is the Maid of the Mist boat cruise, named for an alleged ancient Ongiara Indian mythical character, which has carried passengers into the rapids immediately below the falls since 1846. Cruise boats operate from boat docks on both sides of the falls, with the Maid of the Mist operating from the American side and Hornblower Cruises (originally Maid of the Mist until 2014) from the Canadian side. In 1996, Native American groups threatened to boycott the boat companies if they would not stop playing what they said was a fake story on their boats. The Maid of the Mist dropped the audio.
From the U.S. side, American Falls can be viewed from walkways along Prospect Point Park, which also features the Prospect Point Observation Tower and a boat dock for the Maid of the Mist. Goat Island offers more views of the falls and is accessible by foot and automobile traffic by bridge above American Falls. From Goat Island, the Cave of the Winds is accessible by elevator and leads hikers to a point beneath Bridal Veil Falls. Also on Goat Island are the Three Sisters Islands, the Power Portal where a statue of Nikola Tesla (the inventor whose patents for the AC induction motor and other devices for AC power transmission helped make the harnessing of the falls possible) can be seen, and a walking path that enables views of the rapids, the Niagara River, the gorge, and all of the falls. Most of these attractions lie within the Niagara Falls State Park.
The Niagara Scenic Trolley offers guided trips along American Falls and around Goat Island. Panoramic and aerial views of the falls can also be viewed by helicopter. The Niagara Gorge Discovery Center showcases the natural and local history of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Gorge. A casino and luxury hotel was opened in Niagara Falls, New York, by the Seneca Indian tribe. The Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel occupies the former Niagara Falls Convention Center. The new hotel is the first addition to the city's skyline since completion of the United Office Building in the 1920s.
On the Canadian side, Queen Victoria Park features manicured gardens, platforms offering views of American, Bridal Veil, and Horseshoe Falls, and underground walkways leading into observation rooms that yield the illusion of being within the falling waters. Along the Niagara River, the Niagara River Recreational Trail runs 35 mi (56 km) from Fort Erie to Fort George, and includes many historical sites from the War of 1812.
The observation deck of the nearby Skylon Tower offers the highest view of the falls, and in the opposite direction gives views as far as Toronto. Along with the Tower Hotel (built as the Seagrams Tower, later renamed the Heritage Tower, the Royal Inn Tower, the Royal Center Tower, the Panasonic Tower, the Minolta Tower, and most recently the Konica Minolta Tower before receiving its current name in 2010), it is one of two towers in Canada with a view of the falls. The Whirlpool Aero Car, built in 1916 from a design by Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres Quevedo, is a cable car that takes passengers over the Niagara Whirlpool on the Canadian side. The Journey Behind the Falls consists of an observation platform and series of tunnels near the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. There are two casinos on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.
Touring by helicopter over the falls, from both the US and the Canadian side, was described by The New York Times as still popular a year after a serious crash. Although The New York Times had long before described attempting to tour the falls as "bent on suicide" and despite a number of fatal crashes, the "as many as 100 eight-minute rides each day" are hard to regulate; two countries and various government agencies would have to coordinate. These flights have been available "since the early 1960s."