Okay, we are changing states again. From Kansas City Mo to Kansas City Kansas and down 69 to Fort Scott. Our first fort I think. Pretty impressive. I'm sure in the 1840's the buildings were just as white and clean. Found out that the saying "sleep tight" comes from rope mattresses. You needed to tighten the ropes frequently so your bed did not become a hammock. Saw a jail with wooden platform that slept 7 or 8 men ata time. Very cozy. It reminded me of my overnight trip to Angel Island with Jenny's class. We did a civil war reenactment and had to sleep on wooden platforms all together and get up at 2:30 am for guard duty. Posture with punishment. Very strict. Saw the hospital, check out the flag and the powder magazine in the middle of the parade ground. The stable held 80 horses and supplies. Each barrack had its own dining hall and kitchen. I liked the supports under the stairs. Went into powder magazine and noticed the barrels did not have metal strappings. The town of Fort Scott is right across the street. It was so charming. I really did feel as if I were on Main Street USA. It is exactly what I thought Marceline would look like. It was my favorite small town so far. Went to the Fort Scott National Cemetery. Pretty interesting. The men's names were on one side and the backs said "his wife" sometimes without a name for her. Even the modern stones were this way. There was a section for black civil war soldiers and memorial section for soldiers buried at sea, unidentifiable , confederate soldiers and union soldiers. The union soldiers graves were placed diagonally to the confederate since they had a different point of view. I did not take many picures because service was beginning.
We continued south on 69 and zig zagged to West Mineral, Kansas and Big Brutus. Thank you Jim for the suggestion. This huge creature was visible way before we got to it. For those of you that like statistics, here goes. Worlds largest electric shovel. purchased in 1962 for 6.5 million dollar. 16 stories high. Made to remove the overburden dirt covering the coal seams. Did not dig coal. weighs 11 million pds. The dipper capacity was 90 cubic yards, enough to fill railroad cars. Worked 24 hours a day for 11 years. Last month it worked, April 1974, the electric bill was $27,000.00. It took four cables, 3 1/2 in. thick and powered by eight 500 Horsepower motors to lift the bucket. The cables weighed 25 pounds per foot. When Brutus was moving at the staggering, maximum speed of .22 mph. it could only be entered through the elevator in the center. The elevator was stationary and the deck moved around it. I can walk faster than that. Climbing up inside it was exciting. It was kind of like being on a huge ship or a submarine.
Brutus would remove the dirt, pile it on the side and then when the coal had been removed, swivel
around slowly and replace the dirt. The Ballast tanks weighed 1.7 million pounds to counterweight the full bucket. incoming power cable carried 7,00 volts of 3 phase alt. current. It is so huge, my mind almost couldn't believe it. Thanks again Jim for the suggestion. Maybe more later if I have any energy left in my fingers. If not, talk to y'all tomorrow. Donna
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