Quote:
Originally Posted by rowan
I love old school tunnels done brick by brick. Something that size must have taken an eternity to build.
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Absolutely!
Consider the fact that it was built decades of years ago, without any type of 'advanced' technology, apart from determination and manpower, and the powerstation itself is directly adjacent to one of the most powerful rivers around..
Then, imagine digging 8 stories below that, and below the water table..
Then, below that, two huge tunnels, over 15', converging then travelling directly to the fall curtain just over a mile or so away..
Directly below the river, each redbrick placed hand by hand.
To blow the final section to the falls, all attempts from inside out failed, so eventually some climbers with balls the size of basketballs climbed the FALLS side and planted explosives on the outside of the tunnel, and they blew it in.
Amazing stuff.
Also interesting to note: The generators placed in here were the first ever AC generators designed and built by Nikola Tesla!