Its up.
The bronze derrick portion of the Oilworker Monument was lifted into place Wednesday morning and crews are spending the day attaching crossbeams before welding the large bronze corner posts to the monument base.
Two cranes from Huddleston Crane lifted the large derrick pieces into place with help from General Production crews and the crew of Waren Sauer, the fabricator who made the derrick.
The cranes then held the two pieces while the crossbeams were bolted to the structure in preparation for welding.
By afternoon, the derrick was standing on its own.
The derrick was supposed to stand 34 feet tall but it may be a little taller when finished, said Charlie Beard, a committee member who is working closely with Sauer of the design, construction and assembly of the derrick.
It's a major milestone for the monument, which will be dedicated on Oct. 15 and will include three eight-foot bronze statues by sculptor Benjamin Victor.
It's also surpassing expectation of the committee that has worked for four years to fund, design and build the monument.
“I think its awesome,” said Vic Killingsworth, who conceived of the idea and chairs the committee. “It's sometimes hard to visualize what something is going to look like before its done. But this is far more than we expected. I think the people of Taft are really going to be pleased.”
Assembling and erecting the derrick, which weighs as much of 20,000 lbs., is progressing rapidly.
“We're not ahead of schedule but its going good, though,” Charlie Beard said.
The committee plans a ceremony Friday morning at 10 a.m. At the monument site to mark the completion of the first stage and have a major announcement about a donor as well as honor some of the major sponsors of the project.
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Its up.
The bronze derrick portion of the Oilworker Monument was lifted into place Wednesday morning and crews are spending the day attaching crossbeams before welding the large bronze corner posts to the monument base.
Two cranes from Huddleston Crane lifted the large derrick pieces into place with help from General Production crews and the crew of Waren Sauer, the fabricator who made the derrick.
The cranes then held the two pieces while the crossbeams were bolted to the structure in preparation for welding.
By afternoon, the derrick was standing on its own.
The derrick was supposed to stand 34 feet tall but it may be a little taller when finished, said Charlie Beard, a committee member who is working closely with Sauer of the design, construction and assembly of the derrick.
It's a major milestone for the monument, which will be dedicated on Oct. 15 and will include three eight-foot bronze statues by sculptor Benjamin Victor.
It's also surpassing expectation of the committee that has worked for four years to fund, design and build the monument.
“I think its awesome,” said Vic Killingsworth, who conceived of the idea and chairs the committee. “It's sometimes hard to visualize what something is going to look like before its done. But this is far more than we expected. I think the people of Taft are really going to be pleased.”
Assembling and erecting the derrick, which weighs as much of 20,000 lbs., is progressing rapidly.
“We're not ahead of schedule but its going good, though,” Charlie Beard said.
The committee plans a ceremony Friday morning at 10 a.m. At the monument site to mark the completion of the first stage and have a major announcement about a donor as well as honor some of the major sponsors of the project.
