Elephant Butte NM

[eddeere]

Pictures of the low water level in the lake at Elephant Butte and a leaning water tower in Texas .

[70mackMB]

ls the water tower leaning from the wind or into it? Looks like the lettering on it is level tho! ha   .....Hippy

[Vladislav]

That watertower looks walking in the field

[eddeere]

I do not know the story on the tower , but it has been that  way for some time . If that was my tractor I would move it before the tower got it .

[Quickfarms]

I do not know the story on the tower , but it has been that  way for some time . If that was my tractor I would move it before the tower got it .

From a quick internet search

This water tower lies right alongside the former path of Route 66, which has since been paved over to create US Interstate 40. During the early and mid 20th century, passersby on the Mother Road were intrigued by the severe tilt of the tower, asking themselves what on Earth could have caused it. A crashing plane? An earthquake? A giant tornado?

In reality, it was the work of a heavy-duty vehicle and a bulldozer. Ralph Britten, a man who wanted to start up a truck stop and restaurant off Route 66 in Groom, bought the water tower from the town of Lefors as an ingenious marketing technique to attract new visitors. He towed the enormous thing 34 miles to Groom, wrote “Britten USA” on top, and then, using a bulldozer, elevated two of its legs off the ground, dangling them in midair without support, so that the water tower made an 80 degree angle with the ground.

This helped his business immeasurably. It would catch the eye of every passing motorist on the route for years, many of them becoming terrified that the tower was in the process of collapsing. This played right into Britten’s hand. Worried route-takers often swerved off the road and into his truck stop, shouting “watch out! That tower’s about to fall!” Britten responded that it had been like that for years, and then asked them to sit down and buy food and a drink.

Britten’s manipulation of the tower did, however, require sufficient knowledge of physics. If the water tower were completely empty or completely full, its center of mass would be directly in the middle of the can, making it topple when slanted. So Britten filled it only partially, so that the low level of water would place the can’s center of mass near its base, directly above the two supporting legs, keeping it aloft.

Unfortunately, after many years of success, Britten’s truck stop burned down in a devastating fire, closing down all sales. Despite this unfortunate event, the leaning water tower is still one of the most photographed oddities on the way out west.

[j hancock]

Beautiful countryside!  

[eddeere]

Thanks for the info on the tower . It had me confused . Nothing new for me .

[Hobert62]

Is the water level always that low?

[eddeere]

The lake is lower than normal for this time of year. They irrigate about 160,000 acres from it . The snow melt and water  up north fill it.

 

 

 

 

[Mack Technician]

Even the water looks dry in N.Mexico.

Different experience altogether up here. The woods roads are washed out and Bullhead Village (my pond) is flooding her banks onto my lawn. I'll be ice fishing on my lawn at the end of November.    

Edited October 18, 2018 by Mack Technician

[70mackMB]

On 10/15/2018 at 12:15 PM, Quickfarms said:

 

From a quick internet search

This water tower lies right alongside the former path of Route 66, which has since been paved over to create US Interstate 40. During the early and mid 20th century, passersby on the Mother Road were intrigued by the severe tilt of the tower, asking themselves what on Earth could have caused it. A crashing plane? An earthquake? A giant tornado?

In reality, it was the work of a heavy-duty vehicle and a bulldozer. Ralph Britten, a man who wanted to start up a truck stop and restaurant off Route 66 in Groom, bought the water tower from the town of Lefors as an ingenious marketing technique to attract new visitors. He towed the enormous thing 34 miles to Groom, wrote “Britten USA” on top, and then, using a bulldozer, elevated two of its legs off the ground, dangling them in midair without support, so that the water tower made an 80 degree angle with the ground.

This helped his business immeasurably. It would catch the eye of every passing motorist on the route for years, many of them becoming terrified that the tower was in the process of collapsing. This played right into Britten’s hand. Worried route-takers often swerved off the road and into his truck stop, shouting “watch out! That tower’s about to fall!” Britten responded that it had been like that for years, and then asked them to sit down and buy food and a drink.

Britten’s manipulation of the tower did, however, require sufficient knowledge of physics. If the water tower were completely empty or completely full, its center of mass would be directly in the middle of the can, making it topple when slanted. So Britten filled it only partially, so that the low level of water would place the can’s center of mass near its base, directly above the two supporting legs, keeping it aloft.

Unfortunately, after many years of success, Britten’s truck stop burned down in a devastating fire, closing down all sales. Despite this unfortunate event, the leaning water tower is still one of the most photographed oddities on the way out west.

 

And now we know the rest of the story! Thank you very much.   .....Hippy