COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 149 



wear. My only point, sir, is that with the information I had at hand, 

 there was no exceptional wear or any evidence of excessive wear 

 evident. 



Now, wear — a drop of water falling on stone will, theoretically, 

 wear a little of it away. But you may not see it. 



Senator Saltonstall. Well, let me ask this, Mr. Chairman, as a 

 final question. 



We had a witness here the otlier day, Mr. DeLong, who testified 

 that he would not do this job in the manner that it was done, lifting 

 up the legs and so on, and that he had no use for pins as such, and that 

 if this were going to be done, it had to be a welding job. Now, did you 

 recommend pins to straighten out this difficulty ? 



Commander Foster. Xo, Senator Saltonstall ; I was not involved in 

 the design stage of this tower. 



Senator Saltonstall. But you did believe that the pins and the 

 bolts would do the job of keeping the tower safe? 



Commander Foster. I had no reason to question it, sir. 



Senator Saltonstall. In other words, in your opinion, it was the 

 decision of the contractor, and when he said he believed tliis was 

 satisfactory and would keep the tower safe, you approved that sug- 

 gestion or recommendation? 



Commander Foster. This refers to the change in tolerance of pins, 

 sir? 



Senator Saltonstall. Would you repeat that, please ? 



Commander Foster. Does this refer to the change in tolerance be- 

 tween the pin and the hole ? 



Senator Saltonstall. No ; it refers to the fact that pins were used 

 rather than welding, as I understand it. 



Secondly, of course, it would refer to the increased tolerance of the 

 pin, which you approved. As a layman, I would suppose the more the 

 tolerance, the more opportunity for wear. 



Commander Foster. As to the first, that decision was made before 

 I got on the job. As to the second 



Senator Saltonstall. How could it have been made before you got 

 on the job? 



original design called for pin connections 



Commander Foster. The design was complete and the contract was 

 let. The contractor was building a pin-connected tower when I got 

 on the job. 



Senator Saltonstall. But the pins were put on the braces that were 

 separated when the tower was being put up. The admiral is nodding 

 his head negatively. If I am wrong in that conception, I would like to 

 know. 



Admiral Church. The collars were not pin connected, sir. They 

 were connected by the Dardelet bolts, and later by the T-bolts. 



Senator Saltonstall. I could not hear that. 



Admiral Church. The collars on the braces were not pin connected. 

 They were connected by the Dardelet bolts, and later by the T-bolts on 

 the second repair. 



Senator Saltonstall. Then the question of pins rather than welding 

 came in the original design ? 



