252 COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 



Mr. RuTi/EDGE. The types of structures are different. The erection 

 of tower No. 3 required nine supplementary legs, which subsequently 

 had to be removed. The design of tower No. 4 did not require these 

 supplementary legs. I am not in a position to read the contractor's 

 mind, but apparently he thought that the various differences between 

 the two resulted in an equal, approximately equal, cost. 



Mr. Kendall. I believe I asked for your judgment, Mr. Rutledge. 

 I am sure you made some cost estimates when you put the bids out. 



Mr. Rutledge. We did make cost estimates, and I do not have 

 those in front of me. But as I recall, they were in the order of $500,000 

 more for tower No. 4 than tower No. 3. 



Mr. Kendall. Would you say that DeLong's bid for tower No. 4, 

 which was approximately $1,300,000 more than he had bid for tower 

 No. 3, was somewhat more realistic than the bids of J. Rich Steers 

 and Morrison-Knudsen ? 



Mr. Rutledge. I would not say that it is more realistic; no, sir. 

 The contractors' bid is, in my opinion, as realistic as one can get. 

 It is each contractor's opinion of how much it's going to cost him to 

 do the work, and he expects to make a profit on it. 



Senator Stennis. In keeping with the pattern of proceeding here, 

 if you will permit an interruption now, Mr. Rutledge and counsel, 

 I shall ask if Senator Saltonstall has any questions. 



Senator Saltonstall. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If counsel has 

 a few minutes more to complete his questioning, I will gladly wait. 

 If he will take a long time, then, I would like to ask a few questions 

 at this time. 



Mr. Kendall. I have a considerable amount more, Senator. 



Senator Saltonstall. I thank the chairman very much. 



Mr. Rutledge, there were just several questions I would like to ask 

 3'ou, as a layman. 



Now, you stated that this structure was designed for 50- to 60-foot 

 weaves, and that the stress, as I understand it, from those waves is very 

 much gi'eater than the stress exerted by 10- to 12-foot waves. As I 

 understand it, the third leg would be hit at the same time as the first 

 two legs by waves of 10 to 12 feet. 



]Mr. Rutledge. Yes, sir. 



Senator Saltonstall. And therefore, there would be a greater 

 stress on the tower from a bigger wave if they came together, some- 

 what like an undertow, and one wave would be contacting the other; 

 is that correct ? 



Mr. Rutledge. I don't believe, if I understand you correctly, sir, 

 that that's correct. The small waves create quite small stresses. 'But 

 it's quite possible for the crest of two small waves to hit the three legs 

 simultaneously, so that we double the small stress and we get a meas- 

 ured stress of approximately, according to Mr. Brewer's measurements, 

 in the order of 3,000 pounds per square inch. 



LARGE WAVE RESULTS IN GREATER STRESS 



On the other hand, when a 60-foot wave, one 60-foot wave, hits the 

 structure, we get stresses in the order of 20,000 pounds per square inch, 

 or seven times as much. 



