The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project: An Oral History of the Greatest Construction Show on Earth

4. Life on the Job

126 4 LifeontheJob the daily life of a Seaway or power dam worker was long, challenging , and sometimes dangerous. The working conditions on the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project have been described by workers as brutal and unforgiving. Workers and contractors toiled in mud, water, and extreme temperatures atop high concrete walls to complete the most ambitious waterway and power plant ever attempted. Laborers, carpenters , and members of concrete crews began their day by reporting for one of three eight-hour shifts to pour concrete, build forms and house foundations , or transport gravel and other supplies. During this time span each dealt with large equipment, poor weather conditions, and a hazardous working environment littered with debris and populated by men from all trades. After their shift ended, many went to one of the local bars for a drink, and then returned home to catch a few hours of sleep before starting the whole process again. Contractors strongly encouraged their men to work extra hours, because there was always a deadline that needed to be met. All levels of workers from engineers to laborers often worked overtime to review new plans, or to complete a concrete pour or painting job. A June 1958 Ontario Hydro accident report revealed that 22,967,424 hours had been logged on the Canadian side of the power dam. This intense schedule caused workers to be less alert and cautious around large machines and at extreme heights. Tragically these circumstances resulted in the deaths and injury of dozens from a fall, electrocution, drowning, or improper use of unfamiliar equipment. In the early days of the project, according to Jacques Lesstrang, “it became apparent to the people of both the United States and Canada that without international cooperation—not between Life on the Job   |   127 governments, but between men, sick, tired, covered with marine clay and concrete dust, men bruised and cursing and cold—the project could not have been completed on time, if indeed at all.”1 The weather made the day-to-day lives of engineers, tradesmen, and laborers difficult. At the beginning of the project workers attempted to complete concrete lock walls and dredge canals even when faced with frozen ground and water. However, some conditions made these prospects impossible. In the winter of 1955 floating river ice interfered with tugboats and equipment being used on the construction of the cofferdam, and jams caused high water levels. As the project continued, contractors realized the impact of subzero temperatures on concrete integrity after inspectors deemed sections of the Eisenhower Lock inadequate. Based on this discovery, Corps and PASNY officials halted the pouring of concrete on the American side for three months every winter. Dragline operators also could not break through the thick surface ice and delayed their operations until spring. In the spring of 1956 mild temperatures and heavy rain caused a sudden thaw and muddy conditions, making roads slippery for truck drivers and work sites soggy messes for masons and laborers. On December 4, 1956, 175 laborers, some of them suffering from frostbite , walked off the Barnhart Island site when the mercury dropped to twenty-three degrees below zero. For two years these men had braved heavy wind and bone-chilling temperatures without adequate clothing or shelter. They had been pushed to their limits and refused to continue to risk losing a finger or limb to meet an impending deadline. In February 1958 PASNY reported numerous blizzards that threatened to interfere with the scheduled completion date. After three years men and machines broke down and contractors lost many supervisors and skilled workers who, anticipating the end of the project, had moved on to other construction sites. Uhl, Hall, and Rich, the Corps, and their contractors offered their remaining employees pay raises as incentives to delay their exodus until 1959. As the local representatives of their agencies, the engineers who worked for Uhl, Hall, and Rich, the Corps, and Ontario Hydro struggled along with the contractors to deal with design and cost changes and daily dilemmas that arose. Engineers on all major construction projects face 128   |   The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project change orders. However, in hindsight the higher than normal amount on the Seaway and Power Project can be traced to the fact that the Corps of Engineers did not complete detailed plans of any of the locks, dams, or dredging projects before the contractor bid for each site. Instead...