The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Author: Thornton Niven Wilder
Publisher: Aegitas
ISBN: 0369408888
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 75

Book Description
The story is based on a fictional disaster that occurred in Peru on July 20, 1714. A rope bridge woven by the Incas on the road between Lima and Cuzco collapsed when five people were crossing it. They all fell into the river from a great height and were killed. Brother Juniper, a Franciscan friar who was about to cross the bridge himself, witnessed the tragedy. Being deeply pious, he saw in what happened a possible divine providence. Did the dead deserve to have their lives cut short in such a terrible way? The monk tries to learn as much as he can about the five victims, finding and questioning people who knew them. As a result of years of investigation, he compiles a voluminous book with all the evidence he has gathered that the beginning and end of human life are part of God's plan... The Bridge of San Luis Rey won the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, and remains widely acclaimed as Wilder's most famous work. In 1998, the book was rated number 37 by the editorial board of the American Modern Library on the list of the 100 best 20th-century novels. Time magazine included the novel in its TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

Railroad Wrecks

Author: Edgar A. Haine
Publisher: Associated University Presses
ISBN: 9780845348444
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Book Description
"This book recounts the most serious railroad accidents worldwide from 1853 to the present time. Relevant specifics of these disasters have been researched and summary narratives written. The central purpose of this volume is to record the horrendous details surrounding railroad calamities and, more importantly, to investigate, analyze, and derive beneficial knowledge about wreck causes and deduce corrective courses of action, setting forth successful principles of accident prevention that might be useful and applicable in rail operations everywhere. The ultimate purpose therefore has been to determine universal railroad safety doctrines, the application of which will lessen the frequency and severity of future rail accidents and thereby reduce death tolls, passenger and employee injuries, and the attendant financial and material losses." "Covered herein in concise form are the accounts of 70 major rail disasters in the United States and 111 train catastrophes in various foreign countries. Included for quick reference are two tabulations showing pertinent particulars for all the railroad disasters treated in this volume. The reader, if he peruses this long list of wreck narratives, will acquire a unique understanding of the widespread incident of rail accidents and, perhaps, arrive at a personal judgment on how to best further the noble cause of accident prevention. Certainly, he will gain an eye-opening view of the dreadful scope of the long-term operational misfortunes that have plagued the mighty "Iron Horse."" "More than one hundred photographs taken at the scenes of the accidents illustrate this volume." "A substantial introduction elucidates the history of railroading in relation to death-dealing mishaps, operating safeguards, railroad personnel, the human factor, the grade crossing dilemma, rail unions and worker discipline, safety research efforts, code of railroad working rules, alcohol and drug problems, the Harriman safety awards, the legendary rail cabooses, and accident prevention guidelines." "The eleven-part appendix includes a historical/statistical review of safety on the United States railroads and reports on the horrendous Louisville & Nashville Railroad hazardous materials spillage at Crestview, Florida, on 8 April 1970. Also summarized are the rail accident prevention philosophies practiced on four foreign railway systems."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Tay Bridge Disaster

Author: Robin Lumley
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752499602
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 387

Book Description
On Sunday, 28 December 1879, the 5.27 mail and passenger train from Burntisland to Dundee went out across the world's longest bridge on a black, fierce night, only to be dashed to pieces in the River Tay as the bridge collapsed during one of the worst storms in Scottish history. The Tay Bridge Disaster remains to this day the worst catastrophic failure of a civil engineering structure in Britain – the land equivalent of the Titanic sinking. In this book, author Robin Lumley brings a poignant human perspective to the fateful night in 1879 that shook Britain and the world of engineering to their core and sent a nation into mourning for the seventy-five souls lost to the dark, freezing waters of the River Tay. Packed full of personal tales and offering technical appendices for those who wish to further their specialised knowledge, Tay Bridge Disaster: The People's Story is a must-read for anyone interested in this tragic event in Scottish and British history.

Metallurgy and Corrosion Control in Oil and Gas Production

Author: Robert Heidersbach
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119252385
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 371

Book Description
Details the proper methods to assess, prevent, and reduce corrosion in the oil industry using today's most advanced technologies This book discusses upstream operations, with an emphasis on production, and pipelines, which are closely tied to upstream operations. It also examines protective coatings, alloy selection, chemical treatments, and cathodic protection—the main means of corrosion control. The strength and hardness levels of metals is also discussed, as this affects the resistance of metals to hydrogen embrittlement, a major concern for high-strength steels and some other alloys. It is intended for use by personnel with limited backgrounds in chemistry, metallurgy, and corrosion and will give them a general understanding of how and why corrosion occurs and the practical approaches to how the effects of corrosion can be mitigated. Metallurgy and Corrosion Control in Oil and Gas Production, Second Edition updates the original chapters while including a new case studies chapter. Beginning with an introduction to oilfield metallurgy and corrosion control, the book provides in-depth coverage of the field with chapters on: chemistry of corrosion; corrosive environments; materials; forms of corrosion; corrosion control; inspection, monitoring, and testing; and oilfield equipment. Covers all aspects of upstream oil and gas production from downhole drilling to pipelines and tanker terminal operations Offers an introduction to corrosion for entry-level corrosion control specialists Contains detailed photographs to illustrate descriptions in the text Metallurgy and Corrosion Control in Oil and Gas Production, Second Edition is an excellent book for engineers and related professionals in the oil and gas production industries. It will also be an asset to the entry-level corrosion control professional who may have a theoretical background in metallurgy, chemistry, or a related field, but who needs to understand the practical limitations of large-scale industrial operations associated with oil and gas production.

Understanding Collapse

Author: Guy D. Middleton
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110715149X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 463

Book Description
In this lively survey, Guy D. Middleton critically examines our ideas about collapse - how we explain it and how we have constructed potentially misleading myths around collapses - showing how and why collapse of societies was a much more complex phenomenon than is often admitted.

Historical Atlas of Oklahoma

Author: John Wesley Morris
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780806120010
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 167

Book Description
Presents an historical atlas of Oklahoma and includes over fifteen hundred entries on places, organizations, individuals, natural features, and events significant to the region along with eighty-three maps and material on state geography, commerce, industry, and cultural development.

When the Dancing Stopped

Author: Brian Hicks
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743280083
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 369

Book Description
Documents the story of the luxury liner that burned off the coast of New Jersey in 1934, revealing how the Morro Castle's captain died under mysterious circumstances seven hours before the ship caught fire and how many of the crew abandoned ship.

Mathematical Models for Suspension Bridges

Author: Filippo Gazzola
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319154346
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
This work provides a detailed and up-to-the-minute survey of the various stability problems that can affect suspension bridges. In order to deduce some experimental data and rules on the behavior of suspension bridges, a number of historical events are first described, in the course of which several questions concerning their stability naturally arise. The book then surveys conventional mathematical models for suspension bridges and suggests new nonlinear alternatives, which can potentially supply answers to some stability questions. New explanations are also provided, based on the nonlinear structural behavior of bridges. All the models and responses presented in the book employ the theory of differential equations and dynamical systems in the broader sense, demonstrating that methods from nonlinear analysis can allow us to determine the thresholds of instability.

To Engineer is Human

Author: Henry Petroski
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1250228077
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 275

Book Description
“Though ours is an age of high technology, the essence of what engineering is and what engineers do is not common knowledge. Even the most elementary of principles upon which great bridges, jumbo jets, or super computers are built are alien concepts to many. This is so in part because engineering as a human endeavor is not yet integrated into our culture and intellectual tradition. And while educators are currently wrestling with the problem of introducing technology into conventional academic curricula, thus better preparing today’s students for life in a world increasingly technological, there is as yet no consensus as to how technological literacy can best be achieved. " I believe, and I argue in this essay, that the ideas of engineering are in fact in our bones and part of our human nature and experience. Furthermore, I believe that an understanding and an appreciation of engineers and engineering can be gotten without an engineering or technical education. Thus I hope that the technologically uninitiated will come to read what I have written as an introduction to technology. Indeed, this book is my answer to the questions 'What is engineering?' and 'What do engineers do?'" - Henry Petroski, To Engineer is Human

The Mothman Prophecies

Author: John A. Keel
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466834838
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Book Description
The New York Times bestseller long regarded as a classic in the literature of the unexplained—the basis of the 2002 film starring Richard Gere. “The Mothman remains a potent piece of American folklore.” —CNN West Virginia, 1966. For thirteen months the town of Point Pleasant is gripped by a real-life nightmare culminating in a tragedy that makes headlines around the world. Strange occurrences and sightings, including a bizarre winged apparition that becomes known as the Mothman, trouble this ordinary American community. Mysterious lights are seen moving across the sky. Domestic animals are found slaughtered and mutilated. And journalist John Keel, arriving to investigate the freakish events, soon finds himself an integral part of an eerie and unfathomable mystery. “An essential read. Even if you just enjoy good suspense, when Keel talks of his own experiences with Men in Black, stolen evidence, and intimidation via eerie phone calls and visitations, you’ll want to keep reading.” —Strange Horizons