[WRE UPDATE | PROJECT]
Eric Jensen & Terry Delmar of O’Connell Electric discuss layout of the cable anchoring system.
IBEW Local 1249 Lineman Randy Fletcher and Dennis Morgan work together to attach a pendulum to the cable 1,500 feet above the base of the canyon.
Cable resting on support saddle prior to fi nal tensioning.
All Photographs courtesy of O’Connell Electric; Photographer: Keith Meehan; RK5 Construction Marketing
The strength is in the rope, integrity is the rope. So we just sat back, white knuckled
the walk and cheered him on. -Kim Konyar, Wirerope Works Design Engineer
balance pole, his custom leather shoes made “with a lot of love” by his mother, Delilah, and the expertise of O’Connell Electric. “I’ve trained all my life for this,” Wallenda explained
to reporters just before embarking on his June 23 walk, which was televised live by the Discovery Channel. Millions of viewers from 178 nations collectively held their
breath as Wallenda slide-stepped one foot in front of the other, appearing calm and focused. Fletcher watched from a pyramid set up on one side of the gorge, where Wallenda would fi nish. “It was unbelievable. Prior to the event, there was all kinds of chatter and excitement, but the second Nik stepped onto the wire, you could hear a pin drop,” he said. WNEP16, a local Pennsylvania new station, quoted
Wirerope Works Design Engineer, Kim Konyar, about their role in Wallenda’s walk, “T e strength is in the rope, integrity is the rope. So we just sat back, white knuckled the walk and cheered him on.”
78 JULY-AUGUST 2013 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
As Nik Wallenda progressed, 35-mile-per-hour wind gusts caused the pendulums to wobble and sway, which sent the wire into a momentary spasm. Wallenda settled himself into a kneeling position, saying into his headset: “I’m just waiting for the wire to stop bouncing.” Such precautions are an integral part of his training.
He regularly conducts rescue drills to simulate a mid-air emergency. In his pre-walk interview, Wallenda explained: “If there are any issues, I’ll go down to the safety of that wire. T e wire is a safe haven. I’ll go down and hold that wire until a helicopter or safety basket comes to save me.” T ose safety baskets would be the very same ones Fletcher
and his crew used while setting up the wire. “It would only take a few minutes for us to get him,”
Fletcher notes. “In the meantime, Nik has ways he can sit down and wrap himself around the wire until we rescue him.” “I’m glad we didn’t have to, that’s for sure,” Fletcher adds
with relief. Fortunately, a real-life rescue wasn’t necessary. In under 23
minutes, Wallenda reached the rim of the canyon, jog-hopping the last several feet along the wire and into the history books. ❙
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