- Title: PA-53
- Summary: BOULDER DAM (pt.2): Shows the beginning of construction on the Hoover Dam/Boulder Dam project in southern Nevada. Footage of Boulder City, the model housing community built to provide residences for project workers. DAREDEVIL WORKERS RISKING THEIR LIVES.
- Description:01:00:17 - TITLE: "CONSTRUCTION OF MAIN COFFERDAMS ABOVE AND BELOW THE DAM SITE FOLLOWED SWIFTLY - ENTAILING HANDLING OVER A MILLION YARDS OF ROCK AND EARTH FILL IN RECORD TIME". 01:00:19 - MLS VARIOUS SHOTS DUMP TRUCKS DUMPING FILL, BULLDOZERS MOVING EARTH, TRACTORS PULLING HUGE EARTH AND STONE CRUSHING UNITS, HARD HAT WORKERS, AT BASE OF ROCKY CLIFFS. AERIAL PAN OF AWESOME, BUSY, WORK SITE, DWARFED BY THE JAGGED CLIFFS AROUND THEM. 01:01:16 - TITLE: "AS THE JOB PROGRESSED, CANYON WALLS WERE TRIMMED OF ALL LOOSE ROCK. (USING TNT). AERIAL SPECTACULAR VIEW HUGE EXPLOSIONS ON BOTH SIDE OF CANYON CLIFFS CAUSING GREAT CLOUD OF DIRT AND ROCKS WHICH SETTLES INTO VALLEY. 01:01:46 - TITLE: "HIGH SCALERS SWARMED OVER THE 1.000 FOOT CLIFFS PREPARING ABUTMENTS FOR DAM". 01:01:54 - LS VARIOUS TILT DOWN SHOTS SHOWS SPECTACULAR VIEWS OF "HIGH SCALERS" (DAREDEVIL HARD HAT WORKERS) WITH JACK HAMMERS HANGING DOWN ROPES USING JACK HAMMERS TYO SCALE THE CLIFF SIDE OF JAGGED ROCKS, TO PREPARE THE ABUTMENT FOR DAM.( LOOK LIKE ANTS CRAWLING ALONG CLIFFSIDE). MLS CLOSER SHOTS SHOW HIGH SCALERS HANGING FROM ROPES, CHIPPING OFF CHUNKS OF ROCK ROCK (WHICH FALL INTO VALLEY BELOW) WITH JACK HAMMERS, MOVING FROM SIDE TO SIDE BY SWINGING ON THE ROPES. 01:02:48 - MS HIGH SCALER LOWERS HIMSELF DOWN ROPE TO ANOTHER LOCATION. GROUPS WORKING TOGETHER, SWINGING FROM SIDE TO SIDE AS THEY WORK."THESE MASTERS OF THE ROPE, DRILL AND PINCH BAR, MADE IT SAFER FOR OTHER WORKERS WHO WERE TO FOLLOW ON CONSTRUCTION BELOW" . 01:03:20 - MS GOOD SHOT WORKER LITERALLY WALKING UP SIDE OF CLIFF AS HE HANGS ONTO ROPE. TILT IP MORE HIGH SCALERS AT WORK ON THE 1000 FT. CLIFF. daredevils, mountaineers, oddity. 01:04:07 - LS ABOVE SHOTS OF TWO MILLION YARDS OF MATERIAL LEFT BY THE EXCAVATING DONE BY EXPLOSIVES AND HIGH SCALERS' WORK. ABOVE VIEW WORKERS BEGIN THE CLEAN- UP JOB AT BASE OF CLIFFS. AERIAL PAN VIEW WORKERS AND DUMP TRUCKS AND OTHER MACHINERY DOING CLEAN-UP. CU DERRICK BUCKET SCOOPS UP ROCK AND SOOT. ABOVE VIEW HUGE DERRICK AT WORK FILLED DUMP TRUCK WITH ONLY ONE BUCKET OF DEBRIS. 01:05:01 - TITLE:" THEY DUG DOWN NEARLY 150 FEET BELOW THE OLD RIVER LEVEL INTO BEDROCK". VARIOUS SHOTS HUGE DERRICKS SCOOPING OUT BUCKETS OF EARTH AND DUMPING THEM INTO DUMP TRUCKS AS THEY DIG DEEPER TO THE BEDROCK. PAN TO LONG LINE OF DUMP TRUCKS RIDING TO THE SITE IN B/G. 01:05:09 - TITLE: "THE CONTRACTORS BUILT A SYSTEM OF NINE BELTWAYS ACROSS THE CANYON, TO HANDLE CONCRETE FOR THE DAM AND OTHERT STRUCTURES, ALSO TO TRANSPORT MEN, MEN, MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT. LS AERIAL VIEWS CABLE WIRES STRUNG BETWEEN CLIFFS, AND CABLE CARS WITH MEN AND MATERIALS, RAPIDLY ROLLING ACROSS HIGH ABOVE CANYON. MS TWO LARGE CABLE CARS READY TO ROLL ACROSS. MS HUGE MOTORS HANDLING CABLES IN CABLE HOUSE AND WORKER AT THE CONTROLS. 01:07:21 - GIANT TRAY OF ROCKS WITH WORKER STANDING ON PILE IS LIFTED, MAN AND ALL BY HUGE OVERHEAD CRANE, WITH MAN ON PILE DIRECTING CRANE WITH HAND SIGNALS. LS MORE THAN FIFTY HARD HAT WORKERS PILE INTO RAFT-LIKE FLAT BED UNIT WITH HAND RAILS ON ALL FOUR SIDES, WHICH IS LIFTED FROM TOP OF MOUNTAIN AND LOWERED TO THE CANYON FLOOR. ANOTHER SUCH CONVEYOR STOPS ALONG CLIFF WALL TO PICK UP "HIGH SCALERS" HANGING FROM ROPES, AND TRANSPORTING THEM TO CLIFF TOP. ANOTHER SUCH CONVEYANCE TRANSPORTS WORKERS ALONG CABLES FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER AS DOES CABLE CARS. 01:09:40 - AERIAL VIEW SUPPLIES BEING TRANSPORTED BY RAIL OVER BRIDGE AND THROUGH TUNNEL CARVED OUT OF MOUNTAIN. MS TRAIN CARRYING SUPPLIES THROUGH TUNNEL OPENING. POV INSIDE TUNNEL LOOKING OUT. MS HUGE BUCKET OF CEMENT IS LIFTED FROM FLAT CAR BY OVERHEAD CABLE CABLE CAR, TRANSPORTED ALONG CABLES TO DEEPEST GROOVE OF THE RIVER BEDROCK AND POURED. "THE FIRST CONCRETE POURED IN THE DEEPEST GROOVE OF THE RIVER BEDROCK - JUNE 6, 1933". ABOVE VIEWS BUCKET BEING LOWERED INTO GROOVE, EMPTIED INTO FORMS, AS WORKERS WATCH. AFTER EMPTYING, GANG OF WORKERS SPREAD AND SMOOTH OUT CONCRETE WITH SHOVELS AND BROOMS. VARIOUS ABOVE SHOTS , WORKERS DOING SAME. 01:11:20 - TITLE: "AT UNSEEN OUTPOSTS, SIGNAL MEN DOWN IN THE FORMS COMMUNICATED WITH CABLEWAY WORKERS AT TOP RIM OF CANYON, CONTROLLING THE COMPLEX MOVEMENT OF EVERY BUCKET OF CEMENT WITH ACCURACY". LS OVERHEAD CRANE LIFTS BUCKET OF CEMENT FROM FLAT CAR AT TOP RIM OF CANYON AND LOWERS IT INTO CANYON. MS GOOD SHOT BUCKET EMPTYING CEMENT INTO GROOVE AS HARD HAT WORKER WATCHES IN F/G. WORKERS IN ANKLE DEEP CEMENT, IMMEDIATELY START TAPPING DOWN AND AGITATING THE POURED CEMENT TO REMOVE AIR POCKETS WITH HAND HELD AGITATORS AND SHOVELS. 01:12:38 - VARIOUS VIEWS CRANE LIFTING HUGE CEMENT MIXERS FROM FLAT BED TRUCKS, CARRYING THEM OVER EDGE AND LOWERING THEM INTO CANYON. DAREDEVIL HARD HAT WORKER RIDES STANDS ATOP MIXER, RIDES IT TO BOTTOM OF CANYON. WHERE IT IS POURED. VARIOUS VIEWS MIXER SPINS AS IT POURS CONTENTS INTO FORM. DARING WORKER WATCHES AS HE HANGS ON HUNDREDS OF FEET OF GROUND. 01:13:37 - TITLE" THE BASE OF THE DAM WAS KEYED INTO BEDROCK, FILLING THE BOTTOM TO A THICKNESS OF 650 FEET". 01:13:58 - VARIOUS ABOVE VIEWS HUGE REFRIGERATION PLANT BUILT TO SUPPLY CHILLED WATER THROUGH 60 MILES OF PIPE TO COOL EVERY BLOCK OF CONCRETE IN THE STRUCTURE. VIEWS INSIDE PLANT. VARIOUS SHOTS HARD HAT WORKERS BUILDING FORMS FOR THE BLOCK, EACH FIVE FOOT HIGH. PAN BLOCKS LAYED, STACKED, ONE ON TOP THE OTHER. AERIAL VIEW SAME. "DAY AND NIGHT THE POURING CONTINUED WITHOUT STOP". ABOVE VIEW BY DAY AND BY NIGHT. 01:16:01 - MS PAN WORKERS POSING WITH THEIR SHOVELS, TO SIGN "UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, BOULDER DAM PROJECT, POURING ONE MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF CONCRETE IN DAM SEVEN YEARS AFTER START OF PROJECT JUNE 6, 33 TO JAN 7, 1934....". "THE DAM WAS CONSTRUCTED OF AN INTRICATE PATTERN OF BLOCKS - WACH KEYED TO THE NEXT". ABOVE VIEWS SAME, TILT UP TO TOP OF CANYON AND CABLE CARS GOING BACK AND FORTH. "IN TWELVE MONTHS TIME TWO MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF CEMENT WERE PLACED IN THE DAM. VARIOUS AERIAL SHOTS OF WORK IN PROGRESS INCLUDE CRANES LOWERING BUCKETS OF CEMENT, MEN STANDING, WORKING IN CEMENT, RAIL CARS CARRYING BUCKETS TO AND FRO SITE. 01:18:04 - ABOVE SHOT WORKERS CROWDED IN CONVEYANCE BEING LOWERED TO WORK SITE. 01:18:37 - LS CAMERA FOLLOWS BUCKET OF CEMENT AS IT IS LIFTED FROM RAIL CAR, MOVES HIGH ABOVE CANYON TO CENTER AND LOWERED INTO HOLE MADE ON BEDROCK, THEN POURED INTO FORM. AERIAL VIEW SAME, SHOWING ENORMITY OF THE PROJECT. TILT UP WALL OF CONCRETE AS DAM TAKES SHAPE. 01:20:21 - "TITLE: "AS DAM WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, WORK WAS GOING FORWARD AT THE ARIZONA AND NEVADA SPILLWAYS". ABOVE VIEWS CONCRETE BEING POURED AT SPILLWAYS. "THE SPILLWAYS CAN HANDLE ..................." A FOURTH MORE THAN THE MAXIMUM FLOW OF THE RIVER" AERIAL PAN VARIOUS SHOTS OF SPECTACULAR SPILLWAY PROJECT. "SPILLWAY WATER WILL PLUNGE 580 FEET DOWN TO THE OUTER DIVERSION TUNNELS". VARIOUS SHOTS SPILLWAY TUNNELS. 01:23:04 - VARIOUS SHOTS WORKERS (1933)BUILDING FOUR INTAKE TOWERS, TO DELIVER WATER THROUGH PENSTOCKS TO POWER PLANT AND TO CONTROL THE STORAGE OF WATER. MS WORKER HOSING DOWN WORK SITS. VARIOUS SHOTS TOWERS IN VARIOUS STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION.
- Collection: Historic Films
- Producer:Historic Films
- Transmission Date:01/01/1931
- Rights:On request
- Decade: 1930s
- File Name: PA-53