We live in a great Country. An Engineering Marvel, dig a tree stump up, and see the amount of thought and effort just to complete this task with hand tools.
Early in the 1800s, constructing a Canal in the United States was a tremendous goal. A 360 mile long Canal construction project was conceived, being 40 feet wide at the surface, 28 feet wide at the bottom and four feet deep minimum. The sheer volume of earth and rock to be moved was staggering. It all had to be moved by raw muscle power of men and animals — with the aid of blasting powder, and carried out by amateurs.
The chief engineer was a country lawyer with a little bit of surveying experience.
As the construction progressed, the amateurs developed into outstanding engineers. Work was sped up by devices invented on the spot. One was a horse drawn scraper to loosen and move earth.
There were many large tree stumps that had to be uprooted, so they created a giant horse-powered windlass on 16 foot wheels to uproot stumps left by the clearing crews.
These amateurs also created a endless screw machine where a single man could tear down an entire tree with its roots.
These self-taught amateur engineers created derricks, powered by a horse on a tread mill to hoist rubble from a deep cut — through rocky ridges.
With man/horsepower, they completed a 802 foot long stone aqueduct —which saved a time consuming construction of locks. This construction had a total of 18 aqueducts, most of them built on stone piers with wood on top.
After the completion 1825, people from Europe came to see the famous set of five double locks that dropped/raised the boats 76 feet. More than double the height of any building in the City of Newberry.
The 360 mile long canal, (from Newberry to almost Richmond, Virginia) was the completion of the Erie Canal, New York.
Many of these workers after the completion of the canal, attended the “Erie School of Engineering” and graduated and took the lead in building canals and railroads here in the United States.
(*reviewed from Stories of the Great America West 60-61)
We live in a great country. We have opportunities available just like they did 200 years ago. We just have to find ways to work toward our goals.
My wife’s dad, Percy B.., a high school graduate, WWII Vet, Europe, came back, wanting to be an Aeronautics engineer. Percy went to work in Aeronautics plants as a machinist and progressed to become a Aeronautics Engineer early 1980s without a college degree.
Our 13 children have taken opportunities fulfilling their goals and dreams. Many have attended and completed college, some became business owners, top sales representatives, and some have the hardest task — teaching the grandchildren to complete goals, seek opportunities to be successful. All supporting themselves.
I remember years back when my boys would become a bit over the top, needing to release some extra energy. I would cut down one of the 40 trees, to be removed around the house. They would have the opportunity, for their goal, to remove the stump with pick/shovels and hand saws. Overtime, they did figure how to do things easier and faster. When we got to the 40th tree instead of a week to remove a stump, it took a half day. Currently, one owns a custom tree removal company and two work for a local tree removal/custom tree trim company. All seem to be a success.
As Pastors say “In conclusion”
An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening at church service when she was startled by an intruder. As she caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables, she yelled, “STOP!, than said, ACTS 2:38!” (Repent and be baptized, in the name of the Lord, so that your sins may be forgiven).
The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done. As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar, “Why did you just stand there? All the elderly woman did was yell scripture at you” “SCRIPTURE?!”
Replied the burglar, “She said she had an AXE and TWO 38’s.”
Till next time!