Ten World Engineering Feats-- Part 2: Interstates, Cable and a Dam

3.  THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM

President Eisenhower  spearheaded the  passage of the Federal-Aid Highway  Act of 1956 which authorized the largest public works project in history.  The construction of 41,000 miles of expressways with controlled ramp access and no at grade intersections, just overpasses.

4.  TRANSATLANTIC CABLE

In 1854, American Cyrus West Field secured a charter to lay a telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean floor.  After four failed attempts, British and American ships succeeded in laying the nearly 2,000 mile cable linking Ireland and Newfoundland in 1858.

5.  HOOVER DAM

Built by over 21,000 workers, the 60 story dam is the world's largest concrete structure at the time it was dedicated in 1935.  It caused the great growth of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix.

--CootDam

CS Hooper: World's First Purpose-Built Cable-Laying Ship

From the Marine Insight site by Sharda.

I came across this while looking up what C.S. stood for (which is Cable Ship) in connection with the C.S. Minia.

The ship was operated by the British engineering company Hooper telegraph Works and the C.S. Hooper was regarded as the first purpose-built ship to lay cable. It was named after company owner William Hooper.

Built 1873 and 103 metres long by 17 metres beam. It could carry almost 89,000 cubic feet of cable when rolled up into cable lines.

When not in use layibng cable, it acted as a cargo ship.

--Cooter

The CS Minia-- Part 1: Contracted to Find Titanic Bodies

From Titanic Items. com. //// Saturday, I wrote about Charles Melville Hays, an important railroad man who was one of the Titanic's victims in 1912 and I read that his body was recovered by the CS Minia, a ship I'd never heard of before, even in connection with the Titanic. Further research was needed. //// The CS Minia (Cable Ship, I had to look that one up) was contracted to relieve the CS Mackay-Bennet which had recovered the bodies of 306 Titanic victims along with flotsam fron the wreck, but was forced to suspend operations to return to Halifax as it had run out of embalming fluid. //// The Minia was able to find just 17 bodies after arriving at the sinking site April 26th. //// It is reported that several Minia crewmembers made ornate objects such as picture frames, document boxes and furniture out of Titanic flotsam. //// More to Come. --Cooter