>An interesting note on Mothball & Haul, one of the tracks for this year's IPTW
>event. George Pullman was a building contractor prior to his involvement with
>railroad sleepers.

>Pullman, arriving in late 1855 to raise buildings, opened an office and shop
>on Madison Street west of LaSalle, not far from the river and the Chicago and
>Alton railroad tracks. When in April 1858 the Tremont Hotel, the city's
>finest, was lifted, Pullman was first in his field and consequently was
>awarded the contract. Under his supervision, heavy timbers were propped along
>the cellar's walls and ceiling, and a thousand men and five thousand
>jackscrews were placed in position to lift the four-story brick hotel. Pullman
>stood at a distance giving directions to foremen who relayed them to the
>workers in and around the building. On his command the men turned the
>jackscrews a set number of notches. At intervals the process was repeated, and
>quickly the structure rose. Within an hour it was at the desired height.
>People and furniture had remained in the hotel undisturbed. The cost of moving
>the building was reported as high as $45,000.
>
>Stanley Buder, _Pullman, An Experiment in Industrial Order and Community
>Planning, 1880-1930_, Oxford Univ. Press, 1967.

And 'they' say that the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse cannot be moved by rail to
a new site without destroying it.

Bah, ye of little faith.  It's not like the thing is going to suffer from
whiplash when they move it....

______________________________________________
Dan Becker,  Executive Director            "What's this? Fan mail
Raleigh Historic                                     from some flounder?"
Districts Commission                             - Bullwinkle J. Moose

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