The Southern Pacific's Laws water tank at Laws, California was in the process of being stablized and collapsed into a pile of parts. Fortunatly no one was injured

This from Jim Saylor, caretaker at the site, via the SPNG list:


To all S. P. N.G. members , at 11:35 am this morning While Trying to
Straighten & Stabalize The 103 year old water Tank at Laws, ca.
The Tank Twisted & fell to the Ground.The Way the Tank was constructed
was basicly held together by gravity. Those of you who want to see
the tank Rebuilt as it was before 1953 need to speak up, The tank
will need new lumber, Most of the metal is salvageable It will take
some work to reengineer it so It will not fall if rebuilt, I
personally would like to see the tank rebuilt & the inside
fiberglassed So it could hold water. I did get pictures & it will be
a few days before I can get them developed.
The Miricle & blessing was this tank fell where noone was hurt
& nothing else was damaged.It is amazing the tank didnt fall from the
earthquakes, & High winds long ago, i will Keep everyone posted, Jim
Saylor caretaker, Laws Museum

I haven't seen pictures, but you may be able to reuse much of the wood, if it wasn't damaged in the collapse. Fiberglassing the inside of the tank will cuase it's early dimise by dry rot. Water tanks will last many, many decades if kept full of water. The trick to filling tanks that have been empty a while is to set a sprinkler in them, gradually soaking the wood so it will swell and seal those major cracks. The nice thing about this system, is that as the cracks close up, the tank begins filling. You do have to make certain none of the board are out of alignment, and until the tank tightens up, it can become unstable, as you found out. OUCH. Bullet holes have to be plugged though! The redwood most of these tanks were made of is amazing stuff.
I sure hope you can find the support to put the tank back up. Meantime, don't let anyone toss out any of the parts, wood or metal!

Amazingly, this is EXACTLY the way one gets an older wood boat to swell as well. THANK YOU for noting that fiberglassing the inside is a HORRIBLE idea. Basic science should tell you that putting a "living" object that is designed to give inside something that doesn't just doesn't work.

Sadly, I'm on a two -year project of rebuilding the keel of a 1934 Swedish-built 30 square meter that would have been JUST FINE if some yahoo hadn't fiberglassed its bottom in the 1960's. Thankfully, they left everything above the waterline varnished Mahogony. Guess what; the unfiberglassed wood, circa 1934, is still in great shape --- all 110 board feet below the waterline, including some of the "dead wood" (mariners named for the Oak frame members) had to be replaced. Its complete FALACY that fiberglass extends wood's life --- the flex of the wood will crack the fiberglass anyway.

Why is that we always think we know better than the guys who built the things to last 100 years in the first place? #sigh#

A shot of Lil Singva below. Wood cars, wood boats, old trucks, and tractors; Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment. ;- )

"If the lord wanted fiberglass boats, he would have made fiberglass trees."



T.J.

PM-Man,

I guess that you know you have something quite unusal there!

The only other 30 SQ Meter class member that I have seen, is an L F Hereshoff boat at the Museum of American Yachting in Newport R.I. My friend used to own her and the boat used to do very well on Western Long Island Sound. Her owner moved inland and gave her to the museum. Sorry I do not recall the name off the top of my head.

You are right about boats and fiberglass not mixing well!

I have seen roofs on rail cars treated with 'glass and it seems to work; but then cars in a museum are not as active as a boat that is being sailed.

Ted Miles

Ted-

We have a fleet of seven left; three of which are currently in sailing condition, two close to it (including mine), and two, well, maybe miracles can happen.....

Interestingly enough, we have three of the four 30's that sailed at Marblehead in the 1935 Championships; not bad. All of ours were built in Sweden, some by famed Architect Knud Reijmers: Lil Singva in 1934; Pow Wow in 1935; Moose in 1935; Evintea in 1936; Valiant in 1935; Viking in 1938; and Nagala in 1948.

Below is our website if your interested. Its pretty much pictures, but give you a sense of the old girls. We'll be doing histories one of these days:

http://www.phyc.org/Fleet/30_square_meter.htm

There has been quite an exchange of emails today on the sp narrow gauge email group about the collapse of the tank and reported comments regarding it. It is reported that some of the locals involved with the Historical Society may be proposing to rebuild the tank at a reduced the size by reusing the timbers and wood. Members of the email group have expressed that it should be rebuilt as an exact replica even new wood would have to be used. Hopefully a measured and well thought out approach will be made -- the water tank with its companion oil tank and turntable are a major part of the Historic Site.

The 11-acre site is owned by the County of Inyo but maintained by the Bishop Museum and Historical Society. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. The local Historical Society has brought in many buildings and other artifacts from across the Owens Valley.

Posted to the email group:


For information about the Laws Depot site see:
Laws Railroad Museum & Historic Site