COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 79 



motion on Texas tower No. 4. The proximate cause of the dis- 

 aster is a nice thing for lawyers to argue about. They argue these 

 cases in court all the time. But it seems to me that if you say the 

 proximate cause of the collapse was Hurricane Donna, I think this 

 would be an error. It seems to me the thing was cumulative, just based 

 on the facts presented here, to which there seems to be no dispute, 

 Mr. Chairman. 



That is all. 



Senator Stennis. Thank you. Senator Jackson. 



Counsel, were you through ? 



Mr. Kendall. I have about one more question, Mr. Chairman. 



Captain, are you familiar with the fact that it is shown in the 

 study to develop the design criteria, the weather reports over the 

 past 20 years — this is prior to the design of the tower — showed 

 that there was a maximum wind of 128 miles an hour, and that the 

 computed average of the 10 percent highest waves during easterly 

 storms was 66 feet ? 



Captain Albers. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. Well, if you only designed for a wind of 125 miles 

 an hour and 35 -foot waves 



Captain Albers. A 35-foot breaking wave, sir. We designed for a 

 60-foot nonbreaking wave. 



Mr, Kendall. Well, were you not designing for a 60-foot, non- 

 breaking wave, and here is the record to show there had been 66-foot 

 nonbreaking waves. 



Captain Albers. That is correct, sir. 



Senator Stennis. That is correct ? 



Captain Albers. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. So the actual experience showed that the weather, 

 the wind and the waves, had exceeded the design criteria over a period 

 of 20 years? 



Captain Albers. Not simultaneous, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. Well, they have been exceeded at some time or other, 

 whether in combination or not. You have had experience of winds 

 of more than 125 miles an hour ? 



Captain Albers. That is correct, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. And nonbreaking waves of more than 60 feet ? 



Captain Albers. That is correct. We applied our criteria simul- 

 taneously, though. The wind and the wave simultaneously. In addi- 

 tion, we had considerably more strength in the steel than we used up 

 in our design. We used normal working stresses. 



Mr. Kendall. Do you know what Hurricane Donna did ? 



Captain Albers. I have been told ; yes, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. "What is your information about the wind velocity ? 

 Wasn't it 132 miles an hour? 



Captain Albers. Yes, sir ; but I have no idea how it was measured. 



Mr. Kendall. And about 50-foot breaking waves ? 



Captain Albers. I have been told that ; yes, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. That is all I have, Mr. Chairman. 



Senator Stennis. I have just a very few questions. Senator Jackson, 

 before I come to you again. 



