Bridge to the u/w cement plant at Mansfield

[driftwood]

Can you post the photos she scanned?

Robert,

I would go ahead and post them but out here in Driftwood, I am on a dial up. You will really want to blow up the 5x11 panoramic of the shaker plant into two 8x10s The whole site is huge, hundreds of yards long.

BTW, I just went through the 1937 photos. There are many more years to look at. In addition, the archivist would like some photos of what we find along the way.

 

[driftwood]

I agree that much Kermantle would be a pain.

Alan, has a good idea. Make a standard U/W map with points and directions.
Especially any telegraph poles or solid objects.
Try to hold the site as close as possible to specific known distances.

Then again I am not against drilling into large limestone boulders and putting in vertical markers. A kind of "You are here" marker...

I am digging out my map now.

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

I am just starting to get a mental picture of what the construction site of Marshall Ford looks like so please bear with me, and correct me if I am wrong.

The concrete plant was on the south side of the dam opposite from Mansfield Park. The quarry/shaker plant was pretty dead center of the main basin at the bottom of Sometimes Islands. The towers connecting the two were high and widely spaced. I am pretty sure that they would have been dismantled since a 12x12 of that length is not something you just throw away. If that is the case then we are looking for the footings which on the big side will be 4'x4' and more probably 3'x3'.

Given what I have found to this point, we MAY be able to get a good enough fix on the locations of the towers to explore specific areas for artifacts. But that was not what I was looking for in the archives.

My next step will be to talk with the archeologists and see what they have in the way of maps with known sites.

I need is a description of the purpose of the "jungle gym" so I have an idea of what to look for in the photos.

 

[Crazyduck]

Any chance that LCRA has a site plan for the construction site?
The guys (in the pictures) that were doing the surveying gave me the idea.
For this type of site it would have to been laid out for the cement construction.
This would be in the official engineering package that should have been presented to LCRA.

My map currently is a fishing map that I am using to estimate locations and positions.
I agree with your statement of using footings for the location of known positions.
From prior comments here at least one telephone or bucket town has been fond intact.

As for positions I am really messed up with the lack of known landmarks- hence the site map.

Regards all, Andrew

 

[driftwood]

LCRA is a long shot, Brown and Root were the contractors and that is where the plans probably ended up.

A Lake Travis scuba trail is a wonderful idea. We are at the beginning of the project. The are great "treasures" in the lake that we can see in the photos. Right now, we have only the vaguest idea of where these "postage stamps" are. If there is enough interest, I will do the research and it will be up to the hard core divers to map it out for us.

 

[driftwood]

I received this email today from the archivist at the LCRA,

Hi Jeff,

I spoke with our head of hydro operations, Ryan Rowney, and he has agreed to come by the week after next to look through the Mansfield Dam construction photos and pull out any he does not want released for security reasons. So, if you can wait until then before you come to view later construction photos, that would be best.



Also, he told me "we need to tell folks is to not get too close to the dam, as we are still moving water downstream and we would hate to have anyone killed by being sucked through one of the turbines." So, if you would could mention this on the scuba board, that would be good.



Your posts on the scuba board have generated a lot of views of our photos on flickr. Thanks for giving fellow divers the link.



Jean

Good advice, stay away from the intakes. More importantly, we will have access to photos of site just before the lake was filled.

Keep looking at the Flickr link, you are letting the archivist know that her work is appreciated.

 

[Voodoo Reef]

VERY much appreciated!!!

It's not every day that you get to dive something with this kind of historical significance.

 

[texdiveguy]

VERY much appreciated!!!

It's not every day that you get to dive something with this kind of historical significance.

Move to the Great Lakes!

 

[Broken Finstrap]

I need is a description of the purpose of the "jungle gym" so I have an idea of what to look for in the photos.

I have dove a structure referred to as the "jungle gym" many years ago. It is one of those structures that is located in about 120 -130 feet of water when the lake is at normal levels. When I dove on it, the lake was somewhat low and it was at about 100 to 110 feet next to 3 big trees. It was always a challenge to find. Danny would decorate it on halloween with a skeleton with a bikini on it. It can be found across the cove off the point at the LCRA park next to the dam. We would snorkle over across the cove to the point and dive in that area.

 

[Voodoo Reef]

Move to the Great Lakes!

Won't happen.
Wife is NOT a fan of the cold and has already said we are never moving farther N. than Dallas.

A dive vacation is possible, but will take a lot of talking and bribing. Again, not a fan of the cold, therefore she has no desire to dive a dry suit.
"If it's too cold for a wetsuit, it's too cold for ME!"

 

[Zinc]

More specifically, you can get to the Jungle Gym by going North across the swimming cove at Masfield Park, then submerge and head aound 50' North of the cove, b/w 30/50' depth, while looking for an orange line running from the edge of the wall down to the jungle gym.

I marked the line w/ a white cookie and there is a sign in slate at the bottom of the line attached to the Jungle Gym.

Skeletons and other halloween decorations are still there. Very cool dive...

I have dove a structure referred to as the "jungle gym" many years ago. It is one of those structures that is located in about 120 -130 feet of water when the lake is at normal levels. When I dove on it, the lake was somewhat low and it was at about 100 to 110 feet next to 3 big trees. It was always a challenge to find. Danny would decorate it on halloween with a skeleton with a bikini on it. It can be found across the cove off the point at the LCRA park next to the dam. We would snorkle over across the cove to the point and dive in that area.