The Night the Entire Universe Worked Together for a Common Goal

The night the entire Universe worked together for a Common Goal

September 6, 2013

In the 1980′s I worked on the Upper Still Water dam project. This dam is located in a high mountainous area. Extreme working conditions were not uncommon. Dangerous , steep mountain terrain resisted our efforts every day.For three years those of us who worked there, faced and fought that unfriendly environment.

Today this huge concrete wall greets it’s visitors as a monument to hundreds of men who struggled to construct it. This massive structure became my schoolroom for life’s lessons.

The first order of business was to remove the trees from the area to make the footprint of the dam. Then came the process of removing all of the rocks and loose material down to sheer bedrock. We excavated high on the steep mountain slopes and the deep mud through the valley bottoms. Every day was a struggle and the struggles were met with human mindset and determination. Eventually, determination won out and progress towards filling the massive excavation with hundreds of thousands of tons of concrete began.

This dam was the first dam in the United States to be constructed with rolled concrete material. The technology of rolled concrete was very unforgiving. The moisture content was very low and the temperature had to be exact. This material was carried from the batch plant to the dam site on conveyor belts. Each batch on the belt had to be exactly one truckload, no more or no less. Every part of the operation had to be perfect. Timed spacing between batches had to be such as to allow the next truck to pull under the belt.

You can see that any deviation in scheduling could cause a big mess, shutting down the entire operation for cleanup. I’m touching on a few of the  troubles that could interfere with the operation. Besides the things I have spoken of, there are many other troublesome  situations that could and did take place.

During this stage of building the dam, I was working as project foreman, overseeing the rock quarry and the crushing of the rock materials. My shift went from 8:00 o’clock p.m. to 6:00 o’clock a.m. I never saw the light of day while on the job. I hope I’ve manifested the improbability of anything ever going all right on the job for any period of time.

During the summertime of the last year of construction, I was called into the office. I was given the responsibility of filling in for the project manager during his vacation time. My job was to keep things together until he returned. As I went about getting to know some of my new responsibilities, I became impressed by the knowledge and abilities of the different division foremen. We quickly became friends and worked very well together.

Someone came up with the idea of putting together a perfect shift. The question arose, “What could we accomplish if we had a perfect shift?” I said, “Let’s see if we can make it happen in the next two weeks.” The challenge was on and the planning began.

First we got all the maintenance on the equipment caught up. Then we stockpiled plenty of sand and gravel close to the hoppers. We filled the huge bins with ice to cool the concrete. We made sure all the computers were working properly. We planned a new rotating system for the haul trucks and shortened the spaces between the batches on the conveyor belt.

Finely came the night when everything was ready.I announced over the radios, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”….and the movement was on its way. Everyone was focused and manning their posts. Our planned organization was carried out to a tee. The night  shift finished without a flaw. Records were smashed as hundreds of tons of concrete was placed on the dam. We were so pumped that we went for it again the 2nd night and even exceeded our previous night’s tally.

Yes, the moon gave us light and the stars in the Heavens watched as men’s minds and efforts excelled to greatness. The lessons I learned that night were, if you give men an opportunity and unite them with a common goal and then set them free, there’s no end to what they can accomplish.

We have all the tools we need, as well as great leaders who have already been there. We have no excuses.