Deep Thought: Things That Collapse, and Why
Created | Updated Apr 6, 2024
Deep Thought: Things That Collapse, and Why
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Was Du ererbt von Deinen Vätern hast, erwirb es, um es zu besitzen.
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
On 26 March – Tuesday of Holy Week, 2024 – at 1:30 am local time, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore harbour. It had been struck by an out-of-control container ship that got away from the pilots. As I write this, they're still looking for the construction crew that was on the bridge when it collapsed.
When I say the bridge 'collapsed', I'm not employing hyperbole. One section of the bridge didn't fall into the water: the whole bridge did. Within seconds of the support's being struck. The sight – now viewed millions of times, no doubt, because it was captured on video – was both horrifying and curiously elegant.
Somebody on Twitter immediately posted, 'Climate change or terrorism?'
No, children, those are not the only two alternatives. My response was, 'What kind of bridge collapses like that?' I went looking. First stop, W*k*p*d**. 'The Francis Scott Key Bridge was. . . ' They'd already switched tenses, '. . . a steel arch continuous through truss bridge spanning the lower Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor. . .'
That explained it. A continuous through truss bridge. When the support went, the stress was transferred along the bridge. The whole bridge collapsed. This is a catastrophe. The bridge was part of I-695, the city part of I-95. That's a major national artery. Thank God it happened at night and not during rush hour.
Should bridges of that type be protected against being struck by large ships? Yes, they should have dolphins – pilings – to come between the ships and the bridge supports. The Francis Scott Key Bridge had dolphins, but not enough of them, and not in the right places, obviously.
At this point, I'm at the end of my knowledge. I'm a history and sometime science writer, also novelist and editor. What I'm not is a civil engineer. My dad was a civil engineer, though, so I know to look at engineering journals for more information by experts. They say the bridge should have been better protected. I also gleaned from looking things up that my dad's firm didn't win the bid to fabricate that bridge: theirs wasn't the low bid. But the bridge was well-built for 1977.
The problem probably lies in the words 'container ship'. The container shipping revolution took off in the 1980s, after the bridge was built. Over time, cars get bigger, trucks get heavier, ships grow in size. Traffic becomes more intense. Bridges need maintenance. Bridges that were wonders in their day may not be up to the loads of tomorrow.
'What you have inherited from your fathers [and mothers], earn it so that you possess it.' Goethe's advice is wise. That's why we have infrastructure bills. Before you jump on the bandwagon of the newest, latest thing, take a good look at your legacy technology. Put in the effort at maintenance.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of h2g2. In 1999, h2g2 was cutting-edge technology. Nobody had done anything like this before. A quarter of a century on, we're still here. We're hanging on. We've done some remarkable things. I just had occasion to count: we've published 10 hardcopy books. We have thousands of Entries on all kinds of subjects. We connect with each other around the globe.
But we're going to need a few dolphins. No, not the 'so long, and thanks for all the fish' kind. The kind that go 'grr' and chase container ships away. We'll be talking more about that in the coming months. In the meantime, want to help? Buy a book. And keep spreading the word about what a cool website we have.
How do we keep civilisation from collapsing? I don't have the definitive answer, but I do know that it helps to make sure as little as possible gets lost of what already works. Like a good bridge. Or a good website.
