From the ENR Archives: February 20, 1919

ENR is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. In connection with this milestone we will be showcasing early cover images on a monthly basis. This 1919 photo highlights a creative solution to a problem on a project in Quebec where a transmission tower foundation pile was being excavated. The derrick operator had trouble guiding the clamshell bucket over the cylinder due to high winds. Foreman Thomas Burham suggested adding the trap door. After that was implemented, the boom could be guyed in one position. And once the bucket loaded with fill had been brought up and the trap door closed, the spoil could be dumped on the closed door and would slide off.