HUGE FUEL TANK

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29264, 23 July 1960, Page 12

HUGE FUEL TANK

Removal Task At Airport

The removal of a 40.000 gallon, 25 ton, 40ft long 15ft diameter fuel storage tank in one piece is being' carried out at the Christ-

■church airport. The excavation of the tank, which" buried by the Army many years ago, was started early in the week. If work proceeds to schedule it should be transported to its new site about' half a mile away by midday tomorrow, said Mr B. Ryan, a partner in the contracting firm. Many problems were encountered in the excavation work. Because of the large hole that had to be made, it was not possible to use mobile cranes to lift the tank, said Mr Ryan. Four heavy bulldozers tried unsuccessfully to pull the tank from the ground and finally two 30-ton hydraulic jacks were used to lift it, he said. Wire ropes were tied round the tank and when it was jacked above ground level it was rolled clear of the hole.

An overhang of 16ft on each side of the large transporting vehicle is likely to create more problems when the tank is moved this morning. Because the largest mobile crane available in Christchurch has a lifting capacity of only 10 tons, an attempt will be made to lift the tank on to the transporter with heavy bulldozers equipped with hydraulic lifting gear. Located on the-xight-hand side of the entrance to the circular roadway leading to the airport terminal buildings, the huge tank will be moved to a point between the north-east corner of the airport and Orchard road. It will be used as a fuel storage tank for the United States Air Force and National Airways Corporation freight aircraft.