FOCT TOWERS

The 75 foot towers were used as phototowers, The prime User was
Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier. Standard radar towers using standard design were considered, but in addition to not being designed
with the special requirements of photography as a basis, they would be
subjected to excessive horizontal forces, These facts were presented

to Los Alamos by letter on April 22, 1949.

On July 28, 1949, a letter

from LASL set up the preliminary design specifications for six towers
and requested H & N to proceed with preliminary drawings, The preliminary tower design was submitted to AEC on September 13, 1949, and design comments by Los Alamos and Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier were

returned to H & N on October 5, 1949.

Authorization for purchase of six towers was received by H & N on
December 6, 1949, with the provision that the low bid not exceed the

estimated cost of $88,800.00.

Bids were requested and on Jamary 16,

1950, six firms submitted bids, the low bid being $76,470.00 by International Derrick and Equipment Co. The purchase order for the six
towers was released to the low bidder on March 31, 1950.
On May 15, 1950, the tower shafts were completed and ready for
shipment,. The tower cabs were entirely aluminum and by the time the
alumimium had been procured, the subcontractor was hampered by a labor
strike, The work was moved to the Union Steel Company's yard and com-

pleted by Union Steel Company on October 6, 1950.

As one of the towers was located at a site on the coral reef at
the Proving Ground, it was necessary to change the one tower so as to
include a battery roan at the 25 foot level. This design was made in

Los Angeles and the materials required sent to the field, where all
the necessary changes were made.

A small change in the original scope occurred on September 22,
1950, when E G & G requested that H & N purchase the rolling metal

doors that comprised the siding for two sides of each tower, Until
that time E G & G was to furnish them. H & N let bids and had the
doors in the field in sufficient time so that the User was not delayed in his installation work.

The mechanical design required for the 75 foot towers consisted

of an open type dumb waiter capable of handling a net working load
of 1500 pounds at a hoisting speed of approximately 40 fpm, powered

by an electric hoist mounted on the ground, outside of the tower base.

The dumb waiter platform was guided by bronze guide shoes, riding on
standard 15 pound elevator guide rails, mounted on the outside of the
tower. The guide shoes were mounted on the substructure of the platform. The platform was provided with instantaneous safety rail grips
to prevent the platform fram dropping in the event of hoisting cable
failure or a slack cable condition. This safety device was designed
after considerable study and investigation of devices used in standard

54.50

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