Wednesday, February 22, 2012

“…that he lay down his life for his friends”

Chosen for its elevated location on 32 acres of parkland known as Kings Domain is a shrine. It is a quiet setting to remember 60,000 Australians who lost their lives in the Great War. Located in Melbourne, Australia, the Shrine of Remembrance was paid for mostly by public contributions. Its design is based on one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the tomb of Mausolus (the Mausoleum) at Halicarnassus. It is a massive pyramid shaped structure with wide steps and classic porticos.

Each of more than 200 memorial trees bear plaques dedicated to individual Army units, naval vessels, or Air Force squadrons who fought in the Great War. They mark the service of sacrificed generations.

The War Horses Memorial is a granite horse trough located near the entrance which marks the contribution of horses to Australian battles. Nearly one million horses died during the First World War.

The Driver and Wipers Statue reflects personal experience of war. The Driver is holding a whip with bridles for two horses, wearing jodhpurs, spurs and a protective gaiter on his lower right leg. He has a steel helmet for protection against shrapnel. The Wipers statue illustrates a war-hardened British infantry soldier from the Front, standing guard with standard issue .303 rifle, bayonet fixed. He is dressed for winter and has a gas mask around his neck. Bullets have left their mark on his helmet.

Shrine guards keep watch over the Shrine 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They dress in WWI uniform of the 4th Australian Light Horse, complete with emu feathers tucked into Slouch Hats.

Internal Features

At the entry court yard are the words “Lest We Forget” etched into a wall. The red shapes near the entrance represent the first living thing to grow in the ravaged battle fields of Europe at the end of World War I. Recall the famous poem, In Flanders Field, by Lt. Colonel John McCrea, MD?

The Crypt is a regimental memorial housing the flags of the units and battalions which took part in the First World War. It also contains the imposing “Father and Son” sculpture representing two generations of Victorians who served in the two World Wars separated by only 21 years.

The Sanctuary is the heart of the Shrine. “Bring your wounded hearts here tell your anguish”. Thousands do each year. The Stone of Remembrance, in the center of the sanctuary is symbolic of the gravestone for Victorian service men and women buried overseas in unmarked graves. The marble stone is sunk below the floor. One must bow one’s head to read the inscription: GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN. The words are borrowed from John 15:13: “No greater love hath man that he lay down his life for his friends”. It is arranged so that at 11:00 AM on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, a natural ray of sun light shines from an aperture in the roof onto the Stone of Remembrance. It illuminates the word Love. Can you imagine the effort and the hundreds of pages of astronomical and mathematical calculations to ensure the aperture was positioned so the sun would pass at the right time for the next five thousand years?

Around the Sanctuary walls are twelve frieze sculptures depicting the armed services at work and in action during the First World War. The 16 columns surrounding the Stone of Remembrance are like sentinels. They are made of marble and believed to be 300 million years old. Fossilized shellfish and coral can be seen in the marble. Each column measures 18 feet 8 inches high and 7.3 tons.

The Ambulatory surrounding the sanctuary has 42 bronze caskets containing Books of Remembrance with the names of all Victorians who enlisted and served. They are listed without rank.

The Balcony allows views of the Shrine reserve, the bay and many of Melbourne’s landmarks.

External Features

The World War II Memorial includes the Forecourt, Flagpoles, Eternal Flame and Cenotaph. At the pinnacle of the 41’ high Cenotaph are 6 service men in battle dress of the Navy, Army and Air Force, carrying a bier on which lies a dead comrade. The names of the theatres of war where each of the services fought in the Second World War are inscribed on the Pillar. The Eternal Flame was lit in 1954 and is always burning, symbolizing eternal life for those who served.

The Remembrance Garden – Post 1945 Memorial on the western side of the Shrine recognizes those who served in conflicts and peace keeping operations after the Second World War. The names of the conflicts are engraved in stone.

At the northeast corner of the Shrine is the Gallipoli Memorial. It is a small bronze statue of “The Man with the Donkey” representing “valor and compassion of the Australian soldier”. It is known as “The Man and his Donkey” as no individual is recognized by name at the Shrine. However, it is said to be modeled after Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick who took water to the front and brought wounded to the rear. A Turkish Pine was grown from a lone seed to commemorate the original Lone Pine at Gallipoli the site of intense fighting in 1915.

The Legacy Garden of Appreciation features red Flanders poppies. The sculpture of the mother and her children symbolize the work of caring for widows and dependents of veterans.


Sculptural and Architectural Features

Representing freedom is the statue called, “The Symbol of Glory” that sits atop truncated (pyramid) roof the Shrine of Remembrance. It is based on an ancient Greek trophy, the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates that still stands in Athens.

The northern tympanum represents “The Call to Arms” with a winged Goddess, symbolic of Mother Country, calling her children to defend her. The southern tympanum relives “The Homecoming” and Australia at peace. At the center are a youth and the horses of Neptune, representing the return from overseas.

These words are found on the western wall:

LET ALL MEN KNOW THAT THIS IS HOLY GROUND, THIS SHRINE, ESTABLISHED IN THE HEARTS OF MEN AS ON THE SOLID EARTH, COMMENORATES A PEOPLE’S FORTIUDE AND SARIFICE. YE THEREFORE THAT COME AFTER, GIVE REMEMBRANCE.

Billy

At an American Society of Civil Engineer’s Dinner honoring a few of the outstanding individuals in our profession, my long time friend, George, remarked that when you look for the old, wise, usually gray and/or balding heads, they are us. He lamented the fact that that there was a time when if you had a design or construction problem, you could and would seek someone who had more experience or in-depth knowledge about a particular subject. All you had to do was speak clearly, be specific and provide detail. As we have gotten older, we learned from those who mentored us, some of our co-workers and our own experiences.

Billy called the other day. The conversation went like this. “Hank, I turned in my papers. I’ m retiring. A couple of more weeks and I leave for good. With this recent”, he paused for a few seconds; “it is time for my wife and I now. I can’t do any more for the kids.” I replied, "You’re right Bill. It is time. If not now, when?”

We had talked about this a few months before and that this is the third time he has retired from the airport. Billy retired twice only to go back to work on a part time basis in order to help his kids financially through some difficulties. He couldn’t do any more for his daughter who was diagnosed with a form of incurable cancer only a month before she was to be married. She and her fiancĂ© were married. She passed away shortly thereafter.

Billy won’t let anyone talk him into coming back again. He and his wife will spend more time together at their second home upstate as well as doing some traveling.

I had met Billy about seven years ago while working at JFK International Airport. Bill is an engineer from the old school of civil engineering and heavy construction, the school that seems to me to be passing from existence with each man’s retirement. That school required that you did the job right the first time and that you got the job done, the legacy of Robert Moses. All jobs get done but it is in how they get done that counts whether planning, design and/or construction. It is men like Billy whom I respect. He is a man’s man. He says what he means and means what he says.

Billy has been involved with either the original construction of the runways, taxiways and aprons and certainly most of their reconstruction since the airport was first known as Idlewild. I remember one time when Billy wasn’t happy with how concrete was being cured. He took the tools from the laborer’s hands and spray cured an entire panel. He handed it back and said, “That is how it is done.” He didn’t say another word. You understand a man who says something once and doesn’t have to say another word because that is the way it has to be and it will be that way. There are few men like this in our profession and when one like Billy retires his knowledge and experience go with him.





Bunky, another old airport hand couldn’t make it to Billy’s second retirement as he is battling heart disease and cancer. Bunky knows where all the bodies are buried. All you have to do is listen to gain his insight. We met for breakfast one bright sunny Saturday morning when Bunky asked a favor. “Sure Bunky, anything you want.” Bunky continued, “After people say all their insincere speeches, and he is given gifts, ask Billy to sit in a chair so everyone can see. Tell him you have a gift from me. He’ll sit there not knowing what to expect. Wait a second, and then give him a big, old sloppy kiss on the cheek.” “You got it Bunky!” And so it came to be to much hilarious laughter.

At the airport, we often compared notes, adding perspective to the various aspects of our projects. Along with Ray, who has spent over forty years at JFK and has decided to work two days a week, we were able to discuss strategy in how to accomplish a particular goal, get around an obstacle, or simply to get a contract enforced in order to produce a quality project. It is said by those who can not compare to these men, that if it isn’t Ray’s way it is no way. It would be wise if wags who make similar statements tried to learn half as much as Ray, Bunky or Billy has forgotten.

The wake before the funeral for Billy’s daughter had to have been attended by over one thousand people. One had to park several blocks away. There were three polite, young police officers who opened and closed the main doors for everyone who entered or left. The place was jammed with people who wanted to pay their respects to the family. I ran into several fellows who I worked with at JFK. They asked about the Captree Bridge reconstruction project and the shorter commute but they were really there for Billy.

Billy’s brother and I talked for quite a while. He was an electrical engineer when he worked at JFK and was a great help during construction of the aircraft deicing facility. He too knew how to get the job done and do it well. While waiting on line to express my condolences, I spoke with others who have the utmost respect for Billy and his family. Your thoughts are that it is so sad and unnatural for a parent to bury a child. What do you say to a parent who buries his daughter? I shook Billy’s hand and said a few words. Billy gave me a bear hug and a big, old sloppy kiss on the cheek, a reminder of the gift from Bunky, several years past. Without saying a word, his action said thanks for being here for me and my family. I only wished I could have done more.


Hank Hessing

Engineer’s Week: A Perspective

As school children, we once celebrated Presidents Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays in February. I remember our West Islip High School geometry teacher, Mr. Finn, reminding us it was easy to recall the square root of three (1.732) any time you need it because it was the year George Washington was born, 1732. Today there are many celebrations in February. For example, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) celebrates Engineer’s Week. But what is being celebrated? I believe it is the intellectual achievements of individual men that we honor.

I had the opportunity to join Steinman, Boynton, Gronquist and Birdsall in 1978, probably the best bridge design firm in the world. Mr. Steinman, who had designed the Henry Hudson double-deck arch bridge, had passed away long before I joined the firm that carried his name. He was a man of genius, which showed in many different ways. One was in his prediction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge failure, a catastrophic event that is shown in most civil engineering schools today. D. B. Steinman predicted its failure before it was constructed. For his efforts, however, he was told to mind his own business! In one of his books I found in the office library, I read a description and saw sketches of a series of bridges that he suggested to be built, including a suspension bridge from the eastern end of Long Island to Connecticut. There is a fascinating film documentary about his efforts to obtain financing for the Sault Saint Marie Bridge, Michigan. And he wrote poetry.

Mr. Boynton designed the Tagus River suspension bridge in Lisbon, Portugal. When he was retired, he’d stop into the office once in a while just to see what was new. Another of his projects was the redesign of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1948 that required removing train service and rail tracks. He saved the city a lot of money by reusing the existing steel wherever possible.

Mr. Gronquist was retired as well. He told me that Mr. Steinman kept him on the drafting boards for fifty years before he was allowed to run his own project. To me, that is the definition of an old-line bridge engineering design firm.

Mr. Birdsall, an honorary member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, also known as “Mr. Bridges”, was an active partner. He had many patents for wire rope as he had previously worked at Roebling Wire for many years. Recall that John and his son Washington Roebling designed and built the Brooklyn Bridge. It was Roebling’s use of wire rope that led to the construction of long span suspension bridges.

In the late 1970s, the firm was selected to inspect and prepare the rehabilitation design for the Brooklyn Bridge and the Queensboro Bridge, two of the four East River crossings. Management could not believe that the firm was not selected for all four structures. It is understandable. Two of the five active partners had done their theses on the Williamsburg Bridge when they were in college. Even though the firm did not get that bridge, there were literally days spent discussing the effects of wracking caused by train dynamics and the requirement for and how to stiffen the bridge. Names from the past were brought into their discussions. Al Zuckerman, for example, a partner and Chief Engineer, mentioned Otto Lilienthahl, a civil engineer who was interested in flight. Lilienthal pioneered wind tunnel experiments used on scale models to verify results of aerodynamic calculations. Both conditions had to be addressed by the designer. To be the Chief Engineer of an engineering firm is quite an honor. With the depth and breadth of Al’s knowledge, it was easy to understand why he was so highly esteemed.

There were five associates in the firm. One of them was Zwi Cannor, a soil and hydraulics expert. The story oft repeated was that a bridge abutment being constructed was experiencing movement. D. B. Steinman sent the young engineer to take a look. Zwi suggested the use of batter piles to stop the sliding. Milton Elkow, another associate, predicted the failure of the Hartford Civic center roof due to an inadequate connection detail. His warning was not addressed. When it failed, he was invited to design new connections. Another of Milton’s projects was the design of a truss bridge used by mining trucks that traveled on 36-foot-diameter wheels. The idea was one truck would cross fully loaded while another crossed traveling empty. These trucks are so huge that there are no design standards for them. Previously, no one had designed a two-lane structure for this use, as all others were single lane bridges. Interestingly, he suggested erecting the truss on the ground and flipping it into position using its pin connection. Adam Worth, still another associate, retired shortly after I joined Steinman. He was the chief designer for the Sault Saint Marie Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time it was erected in 1955. Before he left, he gave me his highway design book.

Another way for a young engineer to learn was to check a more experienced engineer’s calculations. This is where he or she can get insight into the methodology used to solve interesting problems. Al Zuckerman asked me to check some of Karl Ulstup’s structural calculations. I knew this would be challenging and expand my knowledge. I started going through the calcs and decided I needed to see the reference books Karl used. I went to the office library and found them written in German and Swedish. This reminded me of our Stony Brook University chemistry professor who lectured that if we were to be engineering science majors, we had best learn German, Russian and/or Japanese and at least one other foreign language. I took the German texts home and my wife, who majored in German, helped me. The only engineer I knew who was fluent in Swedish was an electrical-mechanical engineer, Robert Sebris, who had retired and moved from West Islip to South Carolina. I went to Karl who patiently explained what was in the references and why he chose the Swedish texts. When Al retired, Karl was named the Chief Engineer.

Henry Hanwerker, an associate, was placed in charge of the inspection and design of both the Brooklyn and Queensboro bridges. This is how highly regarded he was: the partners knew he could manage both projects concurrently. The inspection of the Queensboro weighed heavily on Henry. He determined that the outer roadways had to be closed to repair the supporting cantilevered connections. The City wouldn’t buy into closing the roadways due to the impact on vehicular traffic. Henry decided to take several City decision makers out for a walk on the bridge. He explained that if the connections were allowed to continue to erode, there would be catastrophic failure and no vehicular traffic could or would cross the bridge. This wasn’t obvious to them. To make his point, Henry threw a three-pound (laborer’s) hammer through a connection and again asked the City to close the bridge. This is how the outer lanes of the Queensboro Bridge came to be closed for steel repairs. An avid soccer fan, Henry suggested we see Pele and Beckenbauer play (on the same team) at Giants’ Stadium. It was a beautiful sunny day and the two stars controlled the game. The other nine players on their side had a wonderful view of the game, as did we.

A subtlety learned at this old-line bridge engineering firm was that if you were asked by a partner or an associate to work on one of their projects, you were considered to be in good standing. I’ve been fortunate to work as a civil engineer my entire career, to learn from some of the best, not only engineering, but many interesting and subtle things in life. I learned at Steinman that long span bridges can be imagined, planned, designed and built by man. It is this intellectual achievement of individual men that is honored during Engineer’s Week.




Henry W. Hessing