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Story of the Year (continued from page 40) benefits of water transport over land transport. We had multiple solutions, including our own fleet of tugs, barges, and cranes." Company lit- erature tells us "by the mid 1930s, scrap iron became the main business of Weeks ... " so besides equipment, Weeks also knew who to talk to. "We proposed that Weeks put out the solicita- tions to the steel recyclers." But before barges could be loaded, the area around Pier 25 needed more depth. "The dredging permit was issued in 45 minutes," Wittich recalls, "and the first emer- gency dredging commenced on September 13th. Around the 21st, sufficient dredging was com- pleted at Pier 25, and the site began developing into what you see today." Today, two giant Weeks cranes dominate the bulkhead. A Clyde Model 28 Gantry crane was chosen for its ability to move & turn quickly, in repetitive actions required for transferring mater- ial from shore to barge. Also at the site, a small- er Diesel Clyde, able to work within the tight confines of the available area. Another Weeks Clyde Model 28 and a Clyde Mod. 24 stevedoring crane work the East River site. The abrupt appearance of such a massive cri- sis also required the support of other contractors, including Great Lakes Dredge & Docks for dredging around the Pier 6 area in Manhattan, Donjon Marine as well as Kosnac for towing ser- vices, and Moran with its own contracts for the operation. How many other marine contractors and sub- contractors, how many truckers, how many guys with torches at the WTC site found themselves sucked into the operation without forewarning? Wittich reports that most crews work 12-hour shifts, and operations proceed 24/7. But an accu- rate final head-count probably escapes tabula- tion. A sense of scale comes out of Weeks' own appraisal of work to-date. By November 20, the company had offloaded "in excess of" 26,000 trucks. In their own or Dept. of Sanitation barges, they'd transported nearly 100,000 tons of struc- tural steel and 200,000 tons of debris. This had taken some 500 barge loads so far. Not Always Clockwork "It's on the inside again," said Capt. Hazard aboard the Gotham, finding his next load boxed- in by other barges at Brooklyn's Pier 6. What fol- lows is like a 15-puzzle on a giant scale, as cap- tain and crew decide which barges to move, in what order, to reach the designated load. These are cramped quarters, and East River currents are never much fun. But the path is carved smoothly, with hardly a bump. You'd need a crystal ball, of course, to predict which barges, destined for where, reach Pier 6 when. Wittich cites 400 trucks offloaded on an average day at the Pier 25 site, twice that on heavy days. At times, one or two trucks may arrive, at other times they line-up for blocks. A steady stream can't be expected from the WTC site — it's tough work down there, and still plen- ty dangerous. It takes patience, flexibility, and a lot of cooperation to make the whole thing work. "It was phenomenal the way everyone came together," said Wittich. "The City, State, and Fed- eral agencies, and a lot of contractors that are often fierce competitors — everyone worked together. Everyone understood it's a big job, a tough one, and at the base of it all, a tragic one. But everyone is united by the urgency to get it done." That's something to think about, too. "If the ter- rorist agenda was to break us apart," said Wittich. "Make us scared, send us running in panic — then they failed miserably. We became united — more than we were before." Meet SIM KMX) dog Heetabd 20.00 deg. Heed: sfcd 3000 deg. _Hge<: etbd 4QOO dog. Meet ettd 50X10 deg. HeetflbdWPfrg- He<* MM 7000 deg. BoaySOMO Body ©0000 Skxfy 00000 Body «0.000 £ * J f MotlelCntf a*ui- ^ I ^^ Vcntaic^cn^ cUl* KCtuifr J ^^ "T I I . J offree' Surface- — General H y dro Statics Ship Stability and Strength Software: GHS Full-featured naval architect's system GHS LOAD MONITOR Onboard system GHS/SALVAGE Salvor's system BHS Economy system BHS/YACHT Yacht designer's system CREATIVE SYSTEM S, INC. CREATORS OF GHS P.O. Box 1910 PortTownsend, WA98368 USA TEL (360) 385-6212 Fax (360) 385-6213 E-MAIL: sales@GHSport .com - Website: www.GHSport.com Producing Advanced Hydrostatics Software since 1972 Circle 207 on Reader Service Card or visit www.maritimereporterinfo.com ALUMINUM CATAMARANS AND UTILITY CRAFT Boats Under Const. (3) 65' Catamarans (2) 65' Landing Craft Combining Cajun know and modern CAD/CAM experience for quality aluminum boat construction. ISLAND BOATS, INC. ALUMINUM BOATBUILDERS 6806 HWY 90 EAST - NEW IBERIA, LA 70560 PH. 337.560.4483 - FAX 337.560.4473 email: islandboats@eatel.net Circle 223 on Reader Service Card or visit www.maritimereporterinfo.com December, 2001 43 A mosaic of Sanitation barges awaits loading at the Pier 25 site, while the Weeks tug Virginia with scrap pulls away for Brooklyn's Pier 6. (Photo: Don Sutherland.)
