Saturday, March 31 (1945)

Shut down was actually effective. Found all jobs progressing nicely. Quietest shut down ever. Worked most of the day trying to get pump pit detailed. Got all the really big jobs done. Day cool and clear. Ross sick w sore throat and Wood borrowed by Col. Fox.

Friday, March 30 (1945)

Weld OK. but hear power house is about to shut down. Worked all day on plans for shut down. Holt out with infection following athlete's foot. Jim Main in to say good-bye. got new location for pressure relief valve on Queens. Got nearly all current stuff laid out ex pump parts. Worked on that till 10OM and then came home. Shut down scheduled for 4 AM.

Thursday, March 29 (1945)

Nice day but - Up to 11 AM busy on laboratory overhaul. Then found P.P.2 down! Therms couple well broken off in pipe. Tried to chip out back weld and unscrew. Had to give it up by 1 PM. No progress at all. About 1PM got permission from Roberts to cut out and weld. Then found no welding bosses and no rods. Finally, about 4 PM found we had some suitable plate. Elkins could get no rods till 7:00PM but Plott managed to borrow some moly rods from Carbide. Got to work finally at 5:20. took nearly two hrs to make the weld. One hr, more to heat treat at 9:45 got word, that well back in OK.

Wednesday, March 28 (1945)

Another lovely day. Action started slowly but about noon I was called to hot meeting relative to return of condensate and Tuscon man flew in relative to windows. Hot session. We got very much the worst of it. Must put in more apparatus. Ho Hum. Hot evening.

Tuesday, March 27 (1945)

Marvellous spring day. red heds dog wood, wild crab, wild cherry, apples all in bloom. Tulip trees budding and even oak showing a little fringe here and there. At plant a general feeling of let down. Started day with a big drive for new condensers butthink Buck was here and it all sort of frittered out. Actually boondoggled in afternoon. Home early. Patton is reported approaching Nuremberg and we are landing on islands only 380 miles from Tokyo.

Monday, March 26 (1945)

Day began uneventfully. As more units went on & the condenser began to show signs of load and then on 75 gpm pump quit. Thus overloaded horizontal tank and trouble started. I kept pretty well out of the way. Later, Main (Jim) got things under control but somebody bypassed a trap and just raised hell with the whole systems. C.W. took charge and tried to install new pump. Finally got it in and then fond it had not been packed! Home with Plott & Mann.

Sunday, March 25 (1945)

Note: This is Saturdays events/ Found condenser nearly ready. Crew dead tired. By noon everything seemed under control. Went to Comb Engr (Wlasj and Weidner) Chattanooga. Saw some very fine machinery and some interesting boilers. Home about 10 PM.

Saturday, March 24 (1945)

Up at usual time and to work. Plant getting started again slowly. Spent most of the day getting details of 4" cut over lined up. Air compressor shows desire to move off its foundations. Whole thing shakes. Had them tighten bolts to make it all shake together. Home at 4:00. Saw Zane Grays Nevada (Note this should be for Sunday 25, Not Saturday

Friday, March 23 (1945)

Whew. We got a day of grace as the Power Plant is slow in coming up. Worked all day and most of the evening on new condenser set up. Had to help the men lay the stuff out since most of them had never done so before apparently. It was quite a job. C.W. came down in the evening and remembered we could ? in valve at silver queens. that will help. In general however, the does not expedite. He constantly has bright ideas which distract the men.

Thursday, March 22 (1945)

Missed Plott. Walked into plant to find it stone cold. Shut down from end to end. no cooking eat in Cafe! Power house just naturally out. Chance to straighten out condenser . I developed a scheme for doing it, but never got started. Orders from Hq to pull whole thing and by the time I got there it was a wreck. By 2PM discovered that it did not leak at all. Drop in pressure had been die to thermal changes. By 4PM had it back on foundations and were again at work fixing up new devices. C.W. just about took charge and at midnight we had not accomplished much.

Wednesday, March 21 (1945)

Another strenuous day. 6"main steam lines to racks Nos 1 and two developed leaks. Luckily above the valve. Worked a whole with Main relative to condensate tank. Found pressure of 11# with no blast through seal!!! In PM tried to get Beddoe lined up on new pressure freeze off system. So busy with miscellaneous nick nacks of jobs, never got anything much done. Weather has turned cold and raw.

Tuesday, March 20 (1945)

Wattaday. Started out to get going on new 4". Instead of four inch location being success, C.W. gave me hell for letting Bedow put up so much scaffolding. All kinds of troubles going on. Finally found that condenser seemed to have too much and too cold water in bottom. Looked like a leak. Tested it. Showed pH of 7.6 looked rather bad. then broke connections and found on hydraulic test that we did have a leak. Not a very large one however. Hooked up and came home.

Monday, March 19 (1945)

Plott picked me up in the morning which was very pleasant. At the plant everything still topsy turey. Dodge and Mich Supt from Power plant. Sherlock Holinesing for contaminator of condensate. Roberts trying to put a 2000 lb test n a rack. I tried to find a hole to drop our new 4" header to the solver queens through - and did not find it. Did finally figure a way to make one through. Beautiful bright cool summer day.

Saturday, March 17 (1945)

Another hot "cooker." Spent morning at plant trying to figure up a way to connect my new freeze water header - silver green main. Also got involved in the dog house milker. And had to get it redesigned. Another PH scare. Home early. Walked to Elsa Gate and back. Still a hot night. Judas trees are out.

Saturday, March 17 (1945)

Day started hot and sultry and sprinkled a little. Jones men came back and tried to do some more excavating. About noon tore open the 10" fire protection main! Perfect! Never saw so much mud in such a small place since I left France.Nothing else of note except that Roberts wants me to take over all interior construction. Inspectors started.

Friday, March 16 (1945)

Wattaday. Sultry with sunshine and then showers. Getting hotter. Peach trees in bloom and pear trees coming out. Jones men came early. Asked nobody anything started to work with big carry all and tore up gas line and grazed steam line to Lab 2. Got them stopped before long. Then had to answer phone and carious questions all day long. Got automatic business under better control and worked out final scheme for steam distribution and for cut over cold freeze water. Worked late with March. Home hot and tired.

Thursday, March 15 (1945)

RED LETTER DAY. All racks on! They weren't able to hold it for steam simply no hay bastante, but for a while the old monstrosity actually functioned. Lots doing. Got a few small jobs worked off and then hit two wonderful new ones. A. Windows in the main process bldg! Also addition on Jones place. Also a new lumber shed. Wella wella soella well. Nice day. Shoulder still too stiff for base ball. May go to Chattanooga.

Wednesday, March 14 (1945)

Nondescript. Just one thing after another. Finally got what looks like agreement on automatic milker. Not much else. Spent most of the evening writing to Dave Neisiwanger and Dee Joslin. Very dark cloud looked like big storm but no rain.

Tuesday, March 13 (1945)

Didn't have to go up. So wide awake at 5:20! Loafed till late breakfast and then loafed some more till Tully and some Lt. Met me and drove me over to the Administration area. Heard extraordinary talk on color in factories. It made me think of the "Nature Man" listening to the earthworms sing. Had some sound ideas however. Out to plant to find things normally hectic. Another horrible class. Miller having hell of a time with inspection problems. Late in PM found all. Pressure valves in BP3 section probably ruined. Somebody let in H.P. on the main W sectionallizing valve closed. Oh. Walked home from west town along ridge.

Monday, March 12 (1945)

Another day. Dark and lowering but only a splatter of rain. Worked as hard and as fast as I could but it its a difficult task. Martin sick and his orders more or less balled up. Jones people came in to begin moving shacks out of the way for our new steam plant. Got my income tax. Letter from Dave Neiswanger. Got a certain amount. Worked hard on inspection organization. Dodge is back. Damned glad to see him.