To be presented at the 32d Annual Convention of

the American Institute of Electrical Engineers,

Deer Park, Md., June 29, 1915.

Copyright 1915. By A. I. E. E.
(Subject to final revision for the Transactions.)

FOUNDATIONS FOR TRANSMISSION LINE TOWERS AND

TOWER ERECTION
I—Notes on Investigation of Types of Foundations—Digging
Holes for Foundations—Concreting Foundations—Erect­
ing Towers

BY J . A. WALLS

ABSTRACT OF P A P E R
Concrete tower foundations of m u s h r o o m t y p e , requiring no
forms or back filling, as used in recent Baltimore-Holtwood
transmission line, are found to be cheaper a n d stronger t h a n
steel tripod foundations previously used in a similar line along­
side.
I t was found t h a t mushroom t y p e concrete foundations
could be built with a smaller construction force and a t lower
cost, and more rapidly, t h a n certain t y p e s of concrete founda­
tions requiring forms and back filling.
T h e procedure of'digging holes and concreting of mushroom
t y p e foundations is described.
Method of erecting transmission towers by the use of a shear
leg is described in some detail.

T HE FOLLOWING notes relate to the transmission lines

of the Pennsylvania Water & Power Company.
the first Holtwood-Baltimore Line (No. 12) the steel tripod
On

stub, Fig. 1 was used with suspension towers and a concrete

foundation, Fig. 2, with anchor towers.
On the Holtwood-Lancaster Line mushroom type concrete
foundations were used for both suspension and anchor towers.
Lifting tests made on steel tripod stubs, steel single leg stubs,
(with fins at top and bottom Fig. 4) and under-cut mushroom
type concrete stubs (the lift being not vertical but inclined, and
parallel to the direction of the tower leg, though in service the
horizontal component would be somewhat greater than this)
showed that the tripod type pulled out of fresh ground at about
32,000 pounds; the single leg at about 23,000 pounds; while the
mushroom concrete type showed no signs of lifting or cracking
of soil up to the limit of capacity of the testing outfit, i. e.}
70,000 pounds. The shifting of the single leg stub was more than
one inch at 50 per cent of its ultimate loading; the tripod stub
Manuscript of this paper was received April 28, 1915.
1167
1168 WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS [June 29

movement at 50 per cent ultimate loading was J in. in the vertical

direction and ^ in. in the lateral direction.
Experience in the field indicated greater difficulty in securing
exact setting with the tripod stub than with the concrete stub,
so in view of the greater strength of the concrete stub, its lesser
liability to displacement when pivoting on it in tower raising,
and the consequent lessened chance of unequal stressing of the
tower legs, due to lack of fit of the tower shoes with the founda­
tions, together with certain other construction advantages,
determined the use of concrete stubs for both suspension and
anchor towers on the second Holtwood-B al timore Line (No. 56).
The reason for the massive construction adopted, it should be ex­
plained, is that this latter line is a short and important trunk line

-19.r—, »|
FIG. 1—STEEL TRIPOD TYPE FOUNDATION

of very heavy construction, i. e., 15,000 pounds and 30,000

pounds breast pulls for suspension and anchor towers respectively
carrying two circuits of 30,000 kw. per circuit and insulated for
110,000 volts.
Investigations were made on four types of concrete founda­
tions to determine which type of foundation would best suit our
conditions. Concreting was done with a hand mixer. The
earth was hard red clay with a few small boulders.
The mushroom type, without forms, was constructed by dig­
ging a post hole, approximately 16 in. in diameter, 6 ft. in the
ground and under-cut at the bottom of the hole as shown in
Fig. 3. It was later found advisable to dig the post holes only
3 to 4 ft. deep and make a bell shaped expansion in the bottom by
1915] WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS 1169

the use of dynamite. The mushroom type, in good ground, is

cheaper to build, can be built more quickly than the other types
experimented with, and is especially satisfactory on account of
not disturbing the adjacent ground or necessitating backfill.
Cable to be bolted to Angle IrotK

®^

-Ì---A Distance Corner to Corner

F I G . 2 — M U S H R O O M T Y P E C O N C R E T E F O U N D A T I O N FOR H E A V Y T O W E R S

The next best type of foundation appeared to be the mush­

room type using steel forms. Considerable difficulty was ex­
perienced at the start with the latter type owing to the difficulty

Vr ,

8'3K17'10%1
9'6%19'lV

Manufacturer to give
Dimensions "a" and "b"
for 6 4 ' Towers.
Note:
2.5 cu. yd. Concrete per Tower
Max. Uplift 57,000 Lbs.
Max. Uplift on 4 0 ' Tower
FOUNDATION IN ORDINARY SOfL
50,000 Lbs.
Max. Uplift on 60'Tower
55,000 Lbs.

FIG. 3—MUSHROOM TYPE CONCRETE FOUNDATION

of keeping the forms properly lined up and vertical, since the

form had a tendency to float and cant when the concrete is
poured into it. It was found possible, to prevent this by back­
filling, slightly before pouring the concrete, the backfilling not
1170 WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS [June 29

being too much to prevent the withdrawal of the steel forms.

In this type and the following types, excavating by dynamite
did not prove successful.
Next in order in point of cost and rapidity of construction was
the mushroom type with wooden forms. Here
24 sets of forms are required, which are heavy
and difficult to assemble.
The least satisfactory type of base was the
trunkated pier with wooden forms. This pier
had a square base 2 ft. 6,inches each way and
a square top. 12 in. each way. Like the others
it was six feet high. The wooden forms are
heavy and hard to assemble in the field, although
a little less difficult to assemble than the forms
for the preceding type of base. As with the
preceding type of foundation, a three days'
supply of forms is required for a gang, i. e. 24
sets of forms involving, as extra men, a carpen­
ter, a foreman, and three helpers with team to
provide steady work for the concrete gang.
The type adopted on Transmission Line No.
II I If
56 was that shown in Fig. 3 and the actual cost
FIG. 4—STEEL
of this type on the line averaged per tower, as S I N G L E L E G S T U B
follows :
Hauling materials $13.20
Grading 2.27
Digging 4.92
Materials and concreting 28.50
$48.89
The type used on Transmission Line No. 12 shown in Figs. 1
and 2, averaged per tower, as follows (3 steel foundations to one
concrete foundation) :
Hauling materials $8.03
Grading · 4.80
Digging 11.34
Materials and concrete 30.08
$54.25
DIGGING HOLES
Tools. Each man in the digging gang is provided with the
following tools :
1 Long Handle Shovel,
1 Digging spoon with 8 ft. Handle,
1 one inch by 8 ft. telegraph digging bar,
1 Post Hole Digging Bar 6 ft.
 PLATE LI.
A. I. E. E.
VOL. XXXIV, NO- 6

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A R R A N G E M E N T OF H E A D P I N S [WALLS]

SIDE G U Y TACKLE [WALLS[

1915] WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS 1171

The foreman is provided with 40 per cent dynamite, exploders

and battery.
The foreman lays out and stakes the center of each hole. In
order to avoid the transportation of a templet, the laying out is
done as follows:
The engineer stakes the center of the tower and marks the tower
height on the reference stake; in addition to this two stakes are
put down in the direction of the line and two stakes acrosί the
line. These four stakes give the center line of the base. A cord
is strung across two of the stakes and the distance from the
center stake to a line through the center of two holes on the same
side measured by means of a stick cut to length. The point ar­
rived to is marked with a pin and the operation is repeated on the
other side of the center. By swinging the cord 90 degrees to the
other stakes two more points are located. By laying out two
sticks of a length equal to half the
base width of the tower from two ad­
; •Center of Stub jacent points found in the first opera­
tion, and then swinging them till their
ends meet, the center of one corner is
' located. The operation is best under-
sto*· stood from the accompanying sketch.
In this way two men can lay the
base out in less than five minutes
and no heavy tools are required. One
man is provided for each hole, and the
foreman is able to take care of three
to four gangs. When a man starts a new hole he first makes
a circle, approximately 16 in. di am. around the pin, and the
foreman sees to it that he keeps his hole inside this circle.
The hole is dug about three feet deep using the post hole
bars to loosen up the soil, and a long handle shovel to scoop
it out. If the soil at this depth is too hard to scoop out with
a spoon a hole about two feet is punched in the center and the
hole shot with about one half stick of dynamite. The dyna­
mite will loosen up the soil and works down and sideways so
as to form the bell. After the shooting, the loose dirt is scooped
out with a spoon. Under ordinary conditions one man can
dig from two to three holes a day in this manner, In some
places rock has been encountered. Sometimes this rock is
soft enough to be dug out with a bar, in other places it has to
be drilled and dynamited. Three to four shots generally opens
1172 WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS [June 29

the hole. It has been tried to blow holes open with dynamite
in the following way:
A hole is punched about four feet deep by means of a bull
point and one half stick of 60 per cent dynamite lowered to
the bottom of the hole. One half stick of 40 per cent dynamite
is suspended in the hole about 8 inches above the bottom stick
and another half stick of 40 per cent with a fuse cap about
20 inches from the top. By this method one man has been
able to open a hole in 45 minutes, but due to unfavorable soil
encountered, this method was not generally followed.

CONCRETING
The concrete mixture used for the foundations is made in
proportions varying from 1:2:4 to 1:3:5. The cement is good
quality Portland cement. Test samples taken from various
lots show that the cements meet the specifications of the American
Society for Testing Materials. Three-quarter-inch stone and
sand were shipped in carload lots to various stations along the
line. Four head teams were used for hauling the material from
the railroad stations, each team being capable of hauling from
f yard on bad roads to 1.5 yards on good roads. The distri­
bution was kept well ahead of the concreting gang, 1.5 yards
of stone and 3.4 yards of sand being dumped at each tower
site. This amount was increased about 50 per cent at every
fifth tower, so as to make up for occasional shortages. The
cement was delivered in bags, and had to be distributed as
the work proceeded. In most cases no storage room was avail­
able at the railroad stations and, therefore, the cement had to
be stored in farmer's barns along the line, 100 to 200 bags being
stored at each place. A team following the concreting gang
could pick up the cement at these barns and could distribute
the bags directly ahead of the work. This procedure kept the
loss due to wet weather at a minimum.
The equipment for a gang of men engaged in transmission
line work must necessarily be made as light as possible on ac­
count of the small amount of work to be done at each place.
This is especially true of the concreting gang, as those men
invariably spend more time in moving than in concreting.
The time required for mixing and pouring the concrete is
about three quarters of an hour, while moving and setting
up takes about one hour. The move from tower No. 312 to
No. 313 at Big Gun Powder crossing may be given as an ex-
1915] WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS 1173

aggerated example of the time required for moving. The teams

had to make a detour of about five miles at this place and it
required eight hours to move the concreting outfit between the
two towers, a distance of 1100 feet.
A 2.5-cu. ft. hand mixer had done excellent work on the Lan­
caster transmission line and such a mixer was, therefore, pur­
chased for the work on line No. 56. This mixer runs on two
wheels and weighs about 1000 lb. with loading platform. The
wheels are provided with separate axles and a few days work
showed the necessity of strengthening these axles, which was
done with a heavy flatiron strap φn each side of the mixer.
This mixer is still in good condition after being hauled 40 miles
over rough ground. Water was hauled in a steel tank mounted
on a two horse wagon. The tank was made of J-in. steel plate,
which proved to be unnecessarily heavy.
Water was taken from small streams and creeks and was
drawn up by means of a 4-in. boat pump. A more efficient
way would be to mount a small lever suction pump equipped
with 10 to 15 feet of hose on the tank wagon. With such a
pump the water could be reached without driving the wagon
too close to the soft banks of the stream.
Smaller tools needed by the concreting gang are:
4 wheelbarrows
4 concrete buckets
4 barrels for water
2 digging spoons
3 shovels
1 digging bar
1 concrete chute for the mixer
1 level board
1 24-in. carpenters level
1 cross cut saw
1 maul hammer
1 set of carpenters tools
In addition to this, a small amount of blocking and running
boards must be carried.
The smallest number of men needed for efficient handling
of this work is one foreman with nine men, with from one to
three teams depending on the length of haul of water and cement.
The men would be distributed as follows:
One man wheeling stone
sand
Two men wheeling concrete
1174 WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS [June 29

One man hauling water and cement

Two men turning mixer
One man loading wheelbarrow with concrete
One man tamping
The teams hauling water, cement and assisting in moving.

Two or three additional men can and have been used to

advantage in this gang. When placing concrete these addi­
tional men seem unnecessary being mostly occupied with load­
ing sand and stone in wheel-barrows and bailing water from
one barrel to another, this latter operation being necessary on
account of the difficulty in moving the water wagon or a full
barrel. The real benefit of these men is, however, shown when
moving. Let us consider, a case where two teams are avail­
able for moving. As soon as the last batch of concrete is mixed
a number of men will start loading the tools on the wagon.
But before this, two men have been sent ahead to set the forms
and place supports for the templet. Ten men are needed to
move the templet and this leaves one man in a gang of thirteen
to help the teamsters clean up the place and unload at the
next tower. At the new set up the foreman will use four men
or five men in lining up the templet. One man handles the level
board and four men move and block up the templet in position
and then place the anchor bolts. In the meantime the Other
men have completed the unloading, blocked up the mixer to
such a height to permit a wheelbarrow to be placed under the
chute and laid out the running board so as to make everything
ready for the placing of concrete.
With only one team available, two trips must be made for
the tools, and with a smaller number of men, one part of the
job must wait for the other. It is, however, to be noted that
the records do not show any saving in money, but the speed
is increased. Naturally the larger gang will make a better
showing in rough country where the moving is hard, than on
a level stretch with good going. Two men and a team were
sent back occasionally to strip forms, bringing them ahead,
distributing them where needed.
Originally buckets were used for removing the concrete from
the mixer, but this proved to be inefficient as concrete could
be mixed faster than it could be removed. .A portable in­
clined runway was, therefore, made by means of which the
mixer could be elevated enough to permit the placing of a
wheelbarrow under the chute. When water was found in the
 PLATE LU.
A. I. E. E.
VOL. XXXIV, NO. 6

BACK GUY TAKING W E I G H T [WALLS]

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ERECTING T O W E R WITH G I N P O L E R I G [WALLS]

1915] WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS 1175

holes it was removed with a boat pump. This worked all

right in such places where the holes filled slowly, but in a few
instances the water would fill in very fast and the holes could
not be kept dry. It would be well to carry a short length of
six-in. sheet iron pipe for such cases. The concrete could then
be poured through the pipe without draining the holes and
there would be no chance for the water to wash the cement out
of the mixture. At the last end of the job a broken boat pump
was used for this.
No bed plates were on the job when the work was started,
and it was, therefore, tried to finish the first group of piers
with help of dummy plates. This proved to be a very slow
process and did not provide a very good seat for the plates.
The dummies were then abandoned and until the plates ar­
rived, piers were left about eight inches below the final grade.
As soon as the plates arrived, an instrument man with his rod
man and one laborer were sent back to finish the foundations,
the bond between new and old concrete being obtained by
means of toxement.
When bedplates are on hand at time of making the piers,
the concrete is poured to within an inch of the top of the bolts
and the instrument man gets his grade by hammering the
plates down in the soft concrete, and is relieved from carrying
cement and mixing concrete.
All material used for concreting during cold weather was
heated, the piers were built up to ground line only and covered
with sand to prevent freezing. When warm weather arrived
men were sent back to finish these piers.

ERECTING TOWERS
Whenever possible the towers are assembled on the ground
in a horizontal position. A rigging gang follows the assemblers
and erects the towers. This rigging gang consists of a foreman
with 11 men and a four-head mule team. The general scheme
of erection is to pivot the lower tower legs to the foundations
and then lift the head of the tower by means of a tackle running
from a point below the cross arms over a shear leg to a dead
end at a convenient distance ahead of the tower. The lifting
is done by hitching the mule team to the lead line.
Dead Ends. In average soil the dead end consists of heavy
iron pins, 2.5 in. diam., about 5 ft. long. Five of these pins
are used for the main tackle, three for the back guy, and one
1176 WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS [June 29

for the side guy. The pins are driven about three feet apart
and connected with a chain, as shown in the accompanying
sketch. The tackle is hooked in the front edge of the wedge.
Tackle. The main tackle consists of two 12 in. three-sheave
blocks reeved with 600 ft. of 1.25-in. hemp rope. Both the side
and the back guy tackles consist of 8-in. two-sheave blocks
reeved with f-in. rope. The side guy tackle need only be a
short one, but the back guy tackle is of the same length as the
main, so as to reach out to the shear leg.
Shear Leg. The shear leg is made of two 45-ft. spruce tim­
bers, measuring about six in. at the top. The height of the
lift is less than 43 feet as· the timbers are bolted two feet from
the top and the butts are spread about 16 feet. The pole tops
are shod on both sides with heavy steel plates, so as to prevent
splitting. The butts are grooved for kick lines.
Pivots. The light section 40-ft. towers are pivoted on a
f-in. case hardened machine bolt on each side, the bolts run­
ning through the leg angle and standard foundation shoe.
One tower was dropped and slightly
damaged on account of a faulty
foundation shoe breaking. This led
to the ordering of one pair of shoes
made of extra heavy angles and of
such a height that the tower leg
cleared the foundation plate by more than J in., while the
tower was being raised.
All extension and heavy towers are bolted to a hinge turning
on a 1.25-in. bolt. The hinge and bolt are supported by means
of a f-in. plate bent in channel shape with the web resting on
the foundation.
Setting up Rigging. Two men each at the main lift and
back guy select a spot in line with the tower and drive their
pins for the dead ends. Twenty pounds sledge hammers are
used for driving the pins. If the ground is too soft to hold
the pins, a dead man is buried. One man rigs up the side guy,
two men put the shear leg in place, fix the kick lines and fit
the shoes on the tower, while two more men put spreaders be­
tween the tower legs and attach the chains for the lifting tackle
and a sling for the back guy. The main lift is hooked to the
corner angles at the point where the braces in the first and
second panel below the cross arm meet. This brings almost
the full weight of the tower on the tackle. It was found un-
1915] WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS 1177

necessary to use any spreaders in the chains. The spreaders

used in the tower legs consist of two by four-inch green oak
bolted together so as to form four by four-inch. Two pieces
bolted together make a more elastic strut, less liable to break
if it falls down.
Lifting Shear Leg. With pins driven, shoes fitted, and the
shear leg in place, everything is ready to lift the shear leg. A
wooden cross piece, usually four by four inches, is placed
over the upper tower legs so as to give the shear leg a start.
The back guy tackle is hooked to a wire cable, running over
the cross piece to the top of the shear leg and a pair of mules
in the lead line lift the shear leg with main tackle and all. The
main tackle is used for steadying the rig as the lifting cable
•is made to such a length that the shear leg must be pulled a
little ahead before the chains can be hooked. The block of the
main tackle is placed right at the top of the poles. As soon
as the chains are hooked the tackle is slacked back and un­
hooked. The wire cable used for this lift is then lashed to the
tower, so as to prevent the shear leg from falling when the
main tackle lets go. Lifting the shear leg this way, besides
being the most convenient method, gives a good test on the
pins in the back guy.
Hoisting Tower. The shear leg being up and all rigging in
place, the four-head mule team is hitched to the main lead line.
Two men are stationed at each set of pins and no strain is taken
before these men have reported everything o. Jc. On the first
start the team goes just far enough to put full stress on the
pins, and then stops. If everything proves all right, the team
is ordered ahead and proceeds slowly until the men at the back
guy commence to feel the weight of the tower on their tackle,
when the team is stopped. This is the most critical point of
the erection as the tackles on both sides Of the tower must be
kept taut. In case of a line fouling, one step too many by the
team, is liable to pull the pins out or break a tackle, and the
tower will fall. The team is, therefore, moved a step at a time
only, at this stage until the weight of the shear leg is sufficient
to pull the tower over when the team is unhitched and the
tower let down with the back guy alone. The front leg being
about six inches from the foundation, the tower is held until the
spreaders are moved and one foundation shoe fitted to each
side. When the tower is lowered the remaining six inches,
these shoes are guided over the foundation bolts. In case the
1178 WALLS: TOWER FOUNDATIONS [June 29

special erecting shoe is used the tower is rocked ahead by means

of the main tackle and these shoes exchanged for standard ones.
The side guy is used for emergency only, and is kept taut
enough to take out the slack while the tower is going up, but
it is not allowed to take any stress. In case something breaks
this guy prevents the tower from falling onto line No. 12.
Moving. As soon as the main tackle is unhooked it is stretched
by the team so as to be ready for the next lift. The tackle
being stretched, a chain is slung around the shear leg and the
team drags it to the next tower. In. the meantime, the re­
spective men coil up their tackles and load them on a wagon,
together with pins, hammers, spreaders, and the like. While
this is being done, one man has put all the foundation shoes
on the tower with one bolt in each shoe. The final bolting up
of these shoes is done by two men behind the rigging gang
and counted as members of the same crew.