h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hiya FS!
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First query: >>In 1514 King Henry VIII granted Trinity House (incorporated by Royal Charter) authorisation to prove pilot services to London<<

did you mean to "approve" instead of "prove" there? Otherwise I am not sure what is meant.



GB

>>The channel requires ships to pass the key well to the north of the channel through bridge. They then turn south east for a while before making a 13 degree turn to the east to align themselves with the narrow, safe passage under the bridge.<<

to the north of the channel through bridge ... safe passage under the bridge

Can you clarify what you mean "through bridge"

>>Within second the bridge was down and 35 people died, many of them on a cross country bus.<<

*a* second? A few seconds?

>>Was this an act of God, or pilot error? This Researcher cannot say. He did see the white squall a few minutes later, before hearing the news report.<<
Who saw the white squall? The pilot, or you (the Researcher)? If you mean you, it sounds like you were on the ship. Were you a witness to this tragedy? I have read that one man, Wesley MacIntire, fell from the bridge in his vehicle and landed on the ship and managed to escape before it fell into the water. Truly a miracle

>>Still under the command of her 3rd officer she slammed onto the rocks of Bligh Reef, slicing her bottom open and spilling some 53,000 gallons of crude oil into the Sound.<<

53,000 gallons - I am not sure where that figure is from but two sources I have checked state:

"In March 1989, the Exxon Valdez tanker hit a reef and spewed 11m gallons of crude oil into the sound's pristine waters" (BBC News website)

"The size of the spill is estimated to have been 40,900 to 120,000 m3 (10,800,000 to 31,700,000 US gal), or 257,000 to 750,000 barrels" (Wiki)

In answer to your first question, instead of 'prove' I think I meant to say 'provide' there had been pilot services provided on the Thames, but they were unregulated.

'Through the bridge' I'm sorry but that is me. When I usually pass a bridge in a sailboat the roadway is raised, so I go through it rather than 'under' the bridge. As the Skyway is, and was, a fixed bridge 'under' probably reads better.

Yes, a few seconds, or even in less than a minute will work fine.

>>Who saw the white squall?

To answer your question, I was about 15 miles away. I was living on a sailboat at the time and our common practice was to take our morning toilet and shower at the public facilities, about a hundred yards, or meters away on the open pier. When I got ready to return to my boat I was stopped by a white squall that reduced visibility to almost zero. I waited several minutes for it to pass. When I got back to my boat the first reports of a a major problem on the bridge were beginning to be reported on the local television news. I am convinced it was the same squall, but I don't want to include any of this.

Apparently MacIntire managed to ride a section of the roadway in his pick-up truck onto the front of the ship and climb out before the wreckage slipped into the bay.

There was another man who stopped his car on the very edge of the remaining pavement, walked back to safety, and then returned to retrieve his golf clubs from his trunk (boot)


I believe this was my source for the Exxon Valdez http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/%3FFA=facts.QA , but the important fact is that it was a LOT of oil

Thank you for your interest

F S

Ok reading again she carried 53 million gallons, but only spilled about 11 million

F S

>>spilling some 53,000 gallons of crude oil into the Sound.<<
changed to "spilling some 11 million gallons of crude oil into the Sound." (and I have read that some the oil has still not been cleaned up and some wildlife have never returned

I have fixed all the rest thank you

He went back for his golf clubs and hopefully headed straight for his church to get on his knees and thank God for the miracle!

Thanks for writing such a fascinating entry
I have been lucky enough to have voyaged on cruise ships and always made a point of waving off the pilot who assisted the ships out of their waters.

If you will read the recommended entry through and approve my changes, I will return it to the Eds for final polish

GB

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