The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
May 2 - The Three Gorges Dam
The ship ladder that we came down last night is located to the right side of the dam as you look up at it. Six at a time, all day and all night, they come.
The dam itself is the largest in the world, stretching almost a mile and a half from side to side. With the morning mist, it was impossible to see from one side to the other, but you can see that they are about ready to raise the water level the last 75 feet.
In addition to the ship ladder system, the project also includes a ship elevator! It comes out right where you see the floating pier extending from the back of the dam. My numbers may be off a bit, but the elevator essentially will float a ship of up to 30,000 tons in a box of water and haul the whole thing up (or down) the face of the dam in about 30 minutes. The first orange tower is the winch that will do the work. This piece of the puzzle isn't completed yet, but it should be rather amazing to watch.
© 2008 Restaurant Doctor
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