108 COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 



deteriorate so quickly. Because if these collars that they put on did 

 not hold, then the whole structure was working and the sea continually 

 worked on it. Because there is one thing we can all be sure of, the 

 ocean is not going to get tired. You will get tired or metal or any- 

 thing else will tire before the ocean will get tired. That is just the 

 problem you had, it worked on it and 



OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS 



Senator Stennis. So that from that point on, it appears, trouble 

 follow^ed on the heels of trouble, so to speak, until the final culmina- 

 tion and collapse. Were the use of Dardelet bolts, and the fact that 

 you had pin connections rather than welding, other contributing 

 factors? 



Mr. DeLong. The pins in the ultimate would cause trouble, because, 

 as I say, the sea works on it at all times, causing an impact at the 

 clearance. The original clearance, I understand, was one sixty-fourth. 

 I do not know whether that was enlarged or not, but even at one 

 sixty-fourth, we w^ere absolutely against it. We are against pin con- 

 nections in the ocean, and if the tolerance, as we call it, was increased, 

 it aggravated the situation, or would aggravate it, that much more. 



Senator Stennis. The next added burden which was imposed on the 

 tower was the addition of above-t he-water bracing, is that correct? 



Mr. DeLong. This was contrary to the entire theory of the plat- 

 form design and constiTiction. 



Senator Stennis. It is contrary to the conception of both tower 

 No. 2 and tower No. 4 ? 



Mr. DeLong, Because tower No. 4 has the same basis, somewhat 

 the same as tower No. 2 when you take it from the ocean floor and 

 take it from this level. 



Senator Stennis. All right. Confronted with the facts as they 

 were, when this additional bracing was put in above the water, what 

 was the sound course to follow there? Was there any repair that 

 could have been made, that you think would have been sound? 



METHOD OF REPAIR SUGGESTED 



Mr. DeLong. Mr. Chairman, for me to answer the question or make 

 a,ny such statement is something like Monday morning quarterback- 

 ing. We do not know enough of the situation. Wlien bracing 

 started to give way and so forth, I think that you knew that you were 

 on, as I would say, a short fuse. You were headed for serious trouble, 

 and the only way that it could be done is actually a replacement of the 

 bracing. Then you would have to start in at the top, build up around 

 the legs, up above the water, start sinking them down, the same thing 

 you have there. But you would have the sleeve over the legs, then go 

 down with burners and cutting torches and cut these out as you keep 

 sinking. Then progressively from the top, you would work down to 

 the bottom and replace your bracing structure that was giving 

 trouble. 



After you had it all done, you would grout it in between this leg 

 that is coming down and this leg, and you would have a solid 

 structure. 



