February 2, 2006: The joys of early morning
Loading D-24 with Mickey and his ABS team
Sunrise and unbuilding
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_4403_sunrise.jpg)
During the building of the Ravenel bridge I discovered that between December
and late February, the sun is sufficiently south that the early morning
light reflects gold off the Ravenel edge girders
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_4399_golden_bridge.jpg)
Joe Duffy and his phone + Mickey and his coffee
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_4410_joe_duffy_mickey_coffee.jpg)
I just can't get enought of the early morning golden sun
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_4417_sunrise.jpg)
Mickey's team
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_4423_team.jpg)
with the Pearman and Grace skeletons in the background
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_4424_team.jpg)
and on our way to the worksite - more golden Ravenel Bridge
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_4435_golden_ravenel.jpg)
and early morning reflections
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_4467_skeletons_ravenel.jpg)
It all starts with a hole - top (left) and bottom (right)
36' deep that will be loaded with explosives and gravel. (Sometime, try to
focus on the bottom of a 36 ft hole.)
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7277_hole.jpg)
The ABS team has been drilling using a John Henry (right) with a 4"
cross-bit and a smaller drill (left)
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_4482_d26_drill_site.jpg)
I met John Henry - a drill on steroids mounted on an excavator
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7297_john_henry.jpg)
Meet John Henry
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7298_john_henry.jpg)
The drill that avoids steriods
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7300_drill.jpg)
Looking toward Mt. Pleasant - the drilling site with
early morning continuing its elegant beginning
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7360_drill_site.jpg)
Sparky caught a nice shot of what is happening
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_sparky_070_sign.jpg)
Ken, Mickey and Brett laying out what I refer to as the ignition system
but these red and yellow tubes are known as shock tubes
developed
in Sweden in 1967.. Shock tubes are long small plastic tubes that are
coated with a thin film of explosive material. When ignited at one end,
the shock wave generated by the explosive material travels about about
2000 m/sec or about 1 mile/sec. Delays can be incorporated into the
shock tube system in order to control the detonation sequence.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7382_d24_layout.jpg)
Loading the first hole - Mickey holding the shock tube:
A nice image of "who's boss today, Mickey (right) or Ken (left).
Brett, kneeling, knows that it doesn't matter - and I smile.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7385_loading.jpg)
After Ken measures the depth of the hole Mickey is ready to drop a dynamite
cylinder into the hole
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7479_loading.jpg)
down it goes
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7480_loading.jpg)
then pouring in some gravel between loads
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7501_rock.jpg)
Ken makes another measurement
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7503_rock.jpg)
down goes the next charge
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7510_loading.jpg)
Mickey with the iginition line
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7527_loading.jpg)
more loading and filling
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7568_loading.jpg)
Mickey tamping the explosives and gravel
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_sparky_079_mickey.jpg)
Next Mickey ties in the shock tubes which establishe the detonation
sequence. Today, the ignition will start at each end (north and south)
and move inward toward the center. See the
single frame video images:
for visual confirmation
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7594_tie_in.jpg)
a closer look at tieing the lines together
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7596_tie_in.jpg)
then connecting the primary line that will link the north and south ends
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7618_tie_in.jpg)
Sparky captured me as I was learning from Mickey about how he ties in
the sequencing lines
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_sparky_060_frank_tie_in.jpg)
and me photographing Mickey during the tie-in
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_sparky_105_frank_tie_in.jpg)
With the sequencing down, the little Testa that could (Brutus) picks us up
and takes us to our photo spot
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.oldcooperriverbridge.org/small/feb_02_7664_brutus.jpg)
Next watch the ignition and results:
ignition