72 COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 



Captain Albers. Above tlie sea level at the time. There are other 

 things that affect the sea level other than waves. 



Mr. Kendall. You mean tides and other increase in the water depth, 

 and so forth? 



Captain Albers. The water can blow in on these reefs and pile up 

 on them, and increase the average level of the ocean. 



Mr. Kendall. But we are talking about a wave 20 feet above the 

 actual then existing level of the ocean? 



Captain Albers. That is correct, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. And it is not a wave 35 feet above the level of the 

 water ? 



Captain Albers. That is right. 



Mr. Kendall. Was there any controversy, Captain, in the use of 

 weld connections in Texas tower No. 4? 



Captain Albers. Not that I remember; I do not remember any con- 

 troversy on that subject. 



Mr. Kendall. You do have some remembrance of that design? 



Captain Albers. Yes. 



Mr. Kendall. Do you know, in the original design, how much 

 tolerance was allowed ? 



Captain Albers. The drawings called for one sixty- fourth of an 

 inch. 



Mr. Kendall. Was that increased during construction? 



Captain Albers. I am unable to answer that, sir. It was not in- 

 creased during my tour on the job. 



Mr. Kendall. Do you know of any substantial changes that were 

 made in construction or erection procedures at the time you were on 

 the job? 



Captain Albers. Yes. 



Mr. Kendall. What were those? 



DEVIATIONS FROM ORIGINAL DESIGN 



Captain Albers. The original design called for a pile foundation 

 rather than the sinking of the caisson, as you saw in the picture. 

 Originallj^, there was to be a temporary work platform installed in 

 the position of the permanent deck, and this was to be installed before 

 the tower was rotated over. Its principal purpose was to carry the 

 equipment to drive the piles. 



Senator Stennis. Carry it where? 



Captain Albers. Lift the equipment up on it so that the equip- 

 ment would have some place to sit in order to drive these piles 200 

 feet under water. 



Mr. Kendall. Why did you eliminate the work platform? Could 

 not it still have been utilized in the erection process ? 



Captain Albers. It served no real useful purpose in the procedure 

 as we adopted it. 



Mr. Kendall. Well, it did mean, did it not. that this heavy perma- 

 nent platform had to be jacked up on these legs and erected prior to 

 any imbedding of them, and prior to any stiffening of the lining of the 

 legs with concrete? 



Captain Albers. That is true. 



Mr. Kendall. Would not that exert additional force and stress not 

 calculated originally ? 



