262 COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 



Mr. Kendall. So you did suggest some modifications of his scheme 

 and told him to do it in another way ? 



Mr. KuTLEDGE. No, sir; we did not tell him do it this way. We told 

 him- 



Mr. Kendall. You suggested that he do it this way ^ 



UNNECESSARY WELDING TO BE ELIMINATED 



Mr. RuTLEDGE. No, sir. We told him that welding, unnecessary 

 welding to the permanent members, would have to be eliminated. 



Mr. Kendall. Did you give him a letter on that ? 



Mr. Rutledge. We sent a marked drawing. I don't recall a letter, 

 sir. 



Mr. Kendall. Let's go back just a minute, Doctor. 



Mr. Rutledge. Yes. 



Mr. Kendall. When you eliminated the temporary platform or ap- 

 proved the elimination of the platform you did that ? 



Mr. Rutledge. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. You approved the substitution of the permanent 

 platform? 



Mr. Rutledge. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. You knew then, at that stage, that that would neces- 

 sitate the lashing down of the upper braces, did you not? 



Mr. Rutledge. We kne^\' that the upper braces would have to be 

 folded down ; yes, sir. 



]\Ir. Kendall. Therefore, when you approved the substitution of the 

 permanent platform for the temporary platform, you approved the 

 lashing down or folding down of those braces ? 



Mr. Rutledge. We knew that they had to be folded down. Getting 

 them to the site and getting them in the ultimate design position was 

 the contractor's responsibility. 



Mr. Kendall. But if you had knowledge of the fact that they had 

 to be folded down when you approved of the substitution of the per- 

 manent platform, you're not suggesting that that didn't constitute 

 an approval of the folding down of those braces, are you ? 



Mr. Rutledge. No, sir. We knew that the braces had to be folded 

 down. 



Mr. Kendall. And in j^ractical effect, you approved it ? 



Mr. Rutledge. Of the folding down ; yes, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. Mr. Ran testified last week that you further approved 

 the submitted method of lashing down, and later changed that meth- 

 od. Is that true ? 



Mr. Rutledge. It is true that there is a drawing in 1956 for the 

 lashing down, which is stamped approved with respect to tlie perma- 

 nent structure. 



Subsequent to that drawing, during the actual erection of the struc- 

 ture, because of a large amount of indiscriminate welding to the per- 

 manent members, we issued an advice to the officer in chai-ge of con- 

 struction that all indiscriminate welding, temporary welding to per- 

 manent members, should be eliminated. 



Mr. Kendall. "Wliich members of your firm were out at the site 

 when the tower was towed for erection, and at the time it was deter- 

 mined that there was damage to the lashed down braces ? 



