Firth of Forth Bridge

That Old Forth Bridge and me

Scotland Documentary – Firth of Forth Episode

On a stormy night of the 28 December 1879, the Tay River railway bridge in Scotland collapsed and many people were killed as the train in which they were riding fell into the river. The bridge was built from cast iron that was not as strong as it should have been, and the design of the bridge was not good enough for strong winds. Thomas Bouch, the designer of the bridge was ready to begin a different bridge, a suspension bridge, over another river mouth called the Firth of Forth.

But following the disaster, the government demanded different design standards for all bridges. It was around this same time that Henry Bessemers’ invention for melting iron, making it stronger by blowing oxygen through and burning out impurities, had been improved by the Siemens open hearth. In this way, iron became steel that was much stronger and more predictable.

So the engineers who designed buildings and bridges for the railways, Benjamin Baker and John Fowler, submitted a design for a bridge

http://access.teachersdomain.org/assets/wgbh/phy03/phy03_vid_bbcantilever/phy03_vid_bbcantilever_56_mov-ncam.html

over the Firth of Forth using the new steel. But their new design (for a long bridge) was not just to be the first all steel bridge, and instead of being a trussed beam bridge or a suspension bridge, it was an ingenious design called a cantilever bridge, and the Firth of Forth bridge became one of the wonders of the industrial world as the longest bridge in the world.
122 years later it is still the longest steel cantilever, second only to the Pont de Quebec that passes over the St. Lawrence River. Bridges:

Diagram1 beam and post bridge

diagram 1 beam bridge showing 2 support posts. The beam sags in the middle with compression and crumpling on the top surface while tension and splitting happens on the underside.

Diagram2 Trusses and distributing weight

diagram 2 Trusses that make the beam stronger by distributing the force around triangles. Note the trusses in the disastrous Tay bridge were so numerous and top heavy, they acted as sails and collected strong wind that finally “pushed the bridge over”

With the 'posts' or towers as fulcrums, the heavy arms stick out and act like a lever

diagram 3 cantilever design uses the ‘posts’ or towers as ‘fulcrums’ and the trussed beams stick out and act as ‘levers’ pushing the heavy middle up and prevent the sagging. imbed movie? The towers used for the Firth of Forth bridge were built using truss design so they could be made stronger without being too heavy, and balanced by heavy construction on either side of the river to support the ongoing construction far out over the river without collapse.

top parts pull the weight up (tension) bottom parts are under compression

diagram 4 Components of the trussed towers – compression on the underside, and tension on the tops counter acting the sag forces shown in diag 1 The construction details of the proposed engineering feat was published in Scientific American Journal supplement # 354 Oct 14th 1882 as follows:

The builder was William Arrol. The office and bunkhouse were at Inchgarvie Island Castle seen in the photo underneath the bridge and across the river. photo construction began in 1883 and the piers were in place by 1885. Two years work.

< http://architectural-engineering.blogspot.com/2007/06/firth-of-forth-railway-bridge.html&gt;

Some of the pier foundations had to be excavated from inside diving bells deep under water, and the workers such as James Henry Bellis went down into the sea through a series air-lock chambers that were each locked with compressed air. The same ‘pressure lock’ chambers are typically used to day by astronauts in space.

The bridge is over a mile and a half, using 54 thousand tons of steel, 6 and one half million rivets. The spans are 1710 feet long allowing a height of 361 feet for ships to pass under. More than 4000 men worked on the construction and 57 were killed.
The steel bridge needs to be painted to prevent rust, and the painting has been carried on day after day for the last 120 years continuously.

http://www.forthbridges.org.uk/railbridgemain.htm

Sources :
_____________________________________________________

http://architectural-engineering.blogspot.com/2007/06/firth-of-forth-railway-bridge.html

(People and events)

_____________________________________________________

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/firth_of_forth.html

(wonders of the world)

_____________________________________________________

http://access.teachersdomain.org/resources/phy03/sci/phys/mfw/bbcantilever/index.html

(video of Benjamin Baker design)

_____________________________________________________

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tay_Rail_Bridge

(Tay Bridge disaster and Sir Thomas Bouch)

_____________________________________________________

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantilever_bridge

(Principle of Cantilever)

_____________________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inchgarvie
(Castle on Island seen in distance under the bridge – original foundation for the Thomas Bouch bridge)

_____________________________________________________

http://en.structurae.de/photos/index.cfm?JS=158412

Photo

http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/photos.cfm?id=s0000024&min=20

Lots more photos

_____________________________________________________

http://access.teachersdomain.org/assets/wgbh/phy03/phy03_vid_bbcantilever/phy03_vid_bbcantilever_56_mov-ncam.html

Video of Baker/Fowler demonstration

______________________________________________________

http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/schoolzone/Info_structures.cfm

(good school structure site)

_______________________________________________________

http://www.forthbridges.org.uk/railbridgemain.htm
_______________________________________________________

cargo bridge game

Railroad Safety Appliance Act

Let’s take a look at “the good old days” when unions were powerless or non-existant and goverments did not interfere much with industry.. It is the direction the conservatively governing corporate free enterprise regressive politician would like to go.. IS going! Bangladesh is one modern day example of good old unrestrained capitalism.
But, a happy healthy society DEPENDS on public opinion doesn’t it?
🙂

“If there are human operators in the system, they are most likely to be blamed for an accident. This phenomenon is not new. In the nineteenth century, coupling accidents on railroads were one of the main causes of injury and death to railroad workers.”

___________________________________________
This taken from Scientific American Journal June 1896:

(1). In the seven years between 1888 and 1894, 16,000 railroad workers were killed in coupling accidents and 170,000 were crippled. Managers claimed that such accidents were due only to worker error and negligence, and therefore nothing could be done aside from telling workers to be more careful. The government finally stepped in and required that automatic couplers be installed. As a result, fatalities dropped sharply.

(2)According to the June 1896 issue of Scientific American:
Few battles in history show so ghastly a fatality. A large percentage of these deaths were caused by the use of imperfect equipment by the railroad companies; twenty years ago it was practically demonstrated that cars could be automatically coupled, and
that it was no longer necessary for a railroad employee to imperil his life by stepping between two cars about to be connected. In response to appeals from all over, the U.S. Congress passed the Safety Appliance Act in March 1893. It has or will cost the
railroads $50,000,000 to fully comply with the provisions of the law. Such progress has already been made that the death rate has dropped by 35 per cent.

* source:
(1)50 and 100 years ago June 1996, and at
(2)Scientific American Journal Vol 274 June 1896
and and at <http://sunnyday.mit.edu/book2.pdf&gt;
J Paul Bellis BLE 295

 

 

____________________________________________
Fast forward to 1903.
I did a little math.
The coupling related deaths have dropped from one railway employee every 3 hours and fifty-two minutes to one every 30 hours just from legislating the coupling equipment.
Still the number of railway employees killed from all classes of on the job accidents was one dead every 2 hours and twenty five minutes in 1903.
Keep in mind, the number of track miles and train ton miles had increased exponentially between 1896 and 1903,  and though the number of railway accidents resulting in death both employee and non-employee was one every fifty three minutes and twenty seconds, one railway employee was killed every 2 hours and thirty five minutes between June 1902 and June 1903.
This following section is from the book “Scientific American Reference Book. A Manual for the Office, Household and Shop”, by Albert A. Hopkins, A. Russell Bond. Also available from Amazon: Scientific American Reference Book.

“Railway Accidents 1902/1903

The statement of accidents to persons in the summaries in the statistical report under consideration are presented under the two general classes of accidents resulting from the movement of trains, locomotives, or cars, and of accidents arising from causes other than those resulting from the movement of trains, locomotives, or cars. These classes include all the casualties returned by the carriers in their annual reports to the Commission, whether sustained by passengers, employees, trespassers, or other persons, and for a number of reasons they are not in all respects comparable with others in the bulletins that are based on monthly reports.

The total number of casualties to persons on the railways for the year ending June 30, 1903, was 86,393, of which 9,840 represented the number of persons killed and 76,553 the number injured. Casualties occurred among three general classes of railway employees, as follows: Trainmen, 2,070 killed and 25,676 injured; switch tenders, crossing tenders and watchmen, 283 killed, 2,352 injured; other employees, 1,253 killed, 32,453 injured. The casualties to employees coupling and uncoupling cars were, employees killed, 281; injured, 3,551. For the year 1902 the corresponding figures were, killed, 167; injured, 2,-864. The casualties connected with coupling and uncoupling cars are assigned as follows: Trainmen killed, 211; injured, 3,023; switch tenders, crossing tenders and watchmen killed, 57; injured, 416; other employees killed, 13; injured, 112.

The casualties due to falling from trains, locomotives, or cars in motion were : Trainmen killed, 440; injured, 4,191; switch tenders, crossing tenders and watchmen killed, 39; injured, 461; other employees killed, 72; injured, 536. The casualties due to jumping on or off trains, locomotives, or cars in motion were: Trainmen killed, 101; injured, 3,133; switch tenders, crossing tenders and watchmen killed, 15; injured, 279; other employees killed, 82; injured, 508.

The casualties to the same three classes of employees in consequence of collisions and derailments were: Trainmen killed, 648; injured, 4,526; switch tenders, crossing tenders and watchmen killed, 17; injured, 137; other employees killed, 128; injured, 743.

The number of passengers killed in the course of the year 1903 was 355, and the number injured 8,231. In the previous year 345 passengers were killed and 6,683 injured. There were 173 passengers killed and 4,584 injured because of collisions and derailments. The total number of persons, other than employees and passengers, killed was 5,879; injured, 7,841. These figures include the casualties to persons classed as trespassing, of whom 5,000 were killed and 5,079 were injured. The total number of casualties to persons other than employees from being struck by trains, locomotives, or cars, were 4.534 killed and 4,029 injured. The casualties of this class were as follows: At highway crossings, passengers killed, 3; injured, 7; other persons killed, 895; injured, 1,474; at stations, passengers killed, 24; injured, 108; other persons killed, 390; injured, 501; at other points along track, passengers killed, 8; injured, 14: other persons killed, 3,214; injured, 1,925. The ratios of casualties indicate that 1 employee in every 364 was killed, and 1 employee in every 22 was injured. With regard to trainmen – that is, enginemen, firemen, conductors, and other trainmen – it appears that 1 trainman was killed for every 123 employed, and 1 was injured for every 10 employed.

One passenger was killed for every 1,957,441 carried, and 1 injured for every 84,424 carried. With respect to the number of miles traveled, however, the figures show that 58,917,645 passenger-miles were accomplished for each passenger killed, and 2,541,096 passenger-miles for each passenger injured.”

J Paul Bellis BLE

St. Patricks Day long ago…

Tonagh Blaris, * (note)
County Antrim,
Ireland
March 17 1897

St. Patricks Day

In the town of Lisburn, County Antrim, N. Ireland.

Two little green fairies came through the garden gate, it usually squeaked, but not this day.
It was way back, many years ago.
A man was lying on the grass, making love to a bottle of Irish Whiskey,
every once in a while,
he would stroke its fine skin and a cork would slip out.
So instead of losing its flavour, he would put the beautiful bottle up to his mouth, where the cork now wasn’t.
A look of pure joy would appear in his brown eyes..Ah!
He spotted the little green fairies–
But – what was that they were toting between them?
His eyes just wouldn’t focus quite right, but he’d find out.
So, grasping his beautiful little bottle, shoving it into an inside pocket,
he gently got up off the beautiful green grass.
He had to do it gently because, you see, his eyes,
the sun, I guess.
So, on his hands and knees, he slowly crawled towards the fairies.
Now, he had to find out what they had, but before he got near,
they had floated right through the door without opening it at all.
At All!
So down he went on the grass with his beloved bottle again.
He must have fallen asleep, for pretty soon, there was a neighbor waking him up.
She told him he had a little daughter.
He was thrilled, for he already had two sons.
So that little girl grew up into a strong husky woman who is now your poor old Nana.
She is a very happy Nana, who has seven wonderful grandchildren,
Pat, Paul, Jackie, Susan, David, Sandy and Lisa.
Now, your Nana is going into the kitchen to see if she can find a beautiful bottle
and her eyes will sparkle too!!

Written abt 1964-5 by our Nana-

Martha Bellis  b. March 17 1897 – d. October 2 1995

 

* Tonagh Blaris being a subdivision of Lisburn

Hello world!

Report from St Josephs Health Centre:

February 19 2003

Had a feeling this was not just a routine non stress test we have every Wednesday. It was too nice a day to go back out and enjoy it. Anyway this was not the usual room facing Grenadier pond.

For some suspicious reason, they ushered us through to a different room overlooking Lake Ontario.

More privacy from other patients, yet more RNs coming and going in addition to the one assigned us.

Noon : Doctor came in, said this is as good a time as any, and to my surprise, that we might try this without the knife. Whoa, I asked if there would be enough time to change our minds because as the first birth is taking place, breech twin b is in limbo changing life support systems.

“Yeah, good question, we’ll have about a 20 minute window” he says with lots of confidence.

Brenda being a brave soul. The consensus has the twins at about 5, 6 pounds tops.-NOT!

Hours and hours watching the ticker tape monitoring changes. I’m trying to maintain exterior composure, tell joke wrong to nurses, and pretend I didn’t catch it. “Whats the difference between an anal thermometer and a a a rectal thermometer?” (Meant to say Oral Thermometer.) Punch line: the taste. Brenda apologises for me.

Go for a sandwich. Much better. Ready for stand up comedy.

1800 : Come back to a more urgent atmosphere. Huh, just when my sense of humour is starting to roll. Some lowered voices, confusing preparations, Maggie, our primary RN says to be prepared for a lot of people coming in the O.R. with us. I say there will be alot more leaving. Ok I’m on my game.

1900 : Half a dozen nurses two doctors, introduce themselves, wisk Brenda away, leave it to Maggie to bring me in a short time later. I don scrubs, hat, mask, shoes and sit down and calculate the number of holes there are in the ceiling design and wonder if the tiles were cheaper to make with or without the holes. Interrupted.. time to go in…Nurses, lights, machines, my first comment was “Ah! I see you’ve got the new machine that goes PING!” Change of shifts more nurses. They’re all saying push at signs of contractions, I am concerned and make sure they know that twin B is breeched. They laugh and say they aren’t going ahead with this until the doctor gets here.

I nod, but to myself, still remember the ‘sourcerers apprentice’, they shouldn’t start something they can’t finish. Visions of sugarplums multipying out of control!

There is Maggie our primary nurse. She is supposed to be finished a 12 hr shift. All day she was talking about getting home to watch the final episode of ‘Bachelorette’, but no, shes not missing this off duty or not. I comment on “the 1930s vintage leg holders and say perhaps my dad made those” explaining that in those days the same fellow would be asked to whip somebody up a leg or an arm and go back to fixing the plumbing when done. I am sure they were wondering if I was joking or crazy.

In comes Dr Simms dressed in his plus-fours and stinking of gin. Just kidding, he was just coming from another delivery, and was accompanied by his apparently competent trainee. Presence of the chief of paedeatrics made me a little nervous, but her bobbin fresh mood told me she wasn’t here for gloom and doom just protocol. The anesthesiologist was ace on, a Respiratory Technician, 8 R.Ns,

an RPN, some RNs off duty, one RN orienting, a couple of nurse students, and myself at Brendas side, oh did I mention Brenda was there too? Turns out she does most of the work in all of this,

damn shes good! Although the machines going PING must be justified under the present political atmosphere. PING bip bip bip PING, adds to the drama you know.

Well, let the games begin, only two people not yet arrived, and they’re the stars of the show!

The hope was to have breeched twin B turn and reposition for delivery as twin A was enroute to the world at large. I suggested we tie them together like skiers in a snowstorm and they’ll find their way out. heh. At the same time, the anesthesiologist went to work topping up the epidural because Brenda now had full sensations.

I noticed with concern that the ticker tape graph showing contraction strengths were actually reducing.

Simms leaves the room with charge nurse following. He re-enters room, Nurse comes in with foreceps. Whew, I thought they were going to resort to cesarean, nope.

The room sounded like some kind of minor league hockey tournament with the many voices urging on their favorite team, I stand up as the excitement builds, gotta see this, hadn’t even noticed that my ticker tape machine has stopped, he shoots! he scores! A BOY! Time of first goal, 19:58

Welcome to the world James Daniel Bellis! A couple of seconds later he’s got his voice. He’s all there. He’s looking good. Some cheers some tears. Two nurses and Dr Radakovic (paediatrician) are weighing him in over at the scales..3081 gms~6lb8, length 51cm, hat size 34cm. now I’m splitting my attention between the joyous activity at the scales and the more serious mood with Dr. Simms frequently saying “time” and getting his answer from somewhere in the crowd. Twice glanced at the ticker tape machine.. why am I looking at that? I knew that stopped working long ago.Twice I even caught the good doctor breathing as if he were having a baby – we were all guilty of that.

In the final push I say, “come on out, your womb-mate is waiting for you”. Yes! A GIRL! Time: 20:14 Meghan Lori Bellis She’s a beautiful 3187 gms~7pound, L 51. And the crowd roars again. It went through my mind, I almost did, but thought it may not be protocol to start everybody clapping like they do when the airplane lands safely. Looks pretty crowded over there by the receiving table, I stay with Brenda, its not over for her. Glad I did, the rest is actually pretty fascinating, the two cocoons they made it here in, surprisingly well designed and built, for a temporary home.

They have made some space for me across the room, next thing ya know Ive got one in each arm.

Theyre looking at each other. “Guess this is the first good look at each other without looking through a bag” I say as I introduce them to the other and myself.

After the recovery, a procession down the hall, Brenda in the lead with Daniel, nurses escorting, me with Meghan, more nurses, and attendants with carts as we pass a blur of faces and congratulating voices in doorways of rooms and nursing stations.

Next three days in our own private room overlooking the lake, Maggie, and other nurses drop in from Labour and Delivery just to chat with Brenda and some of you who could make it, despite the short notice.

Had my own cott, just like being on a holiday, but busier than signing up for all the shore excursions on the itinerary. -night and day.

We’re all home now, settling in to a routine, but still being overwhelmed with all of your support, e-mails, cards, flowers, phone calls, visits, gifts, and mostly for sharing our Joy with us,

Thank You Very Very Much,

Love from Daddy, Mommy, James Daniel, and Meghan Lori Bellis.

(order of seniority only)

P.S. Thank You to Brenda, who just does everything right.

Paul

This is a new e-mail address and address book so I am missing lot of them, send if you can or feel free to forward.

The Economy

 

The conditions of bourgeois society are too narrow to comprise the wealth created by them. And how does the bourgeoisie get over these crises? On the one hand inforced destruction of a mass of productive forces; on the other, by the conquest of new markets, and by the more thorough exploitation of the old ones. That is to say, by paving the way for more extensive and more destructive crises, and by diminishing the means whereby crises are prevented.

Karl Marx

An economic recovery will require the country to recognize that the financial crisis cannot be solved without changing the underlying culture of debt and replacing “trickle-down economics” with “trickle-up economics.”

Deepak Chopra

On Intelligent Design Museums

Puzzling trying make an intelligent debate with those who by their own argument, are not he who is intelligent.

On intelligent design museums, there is a need for such places besides the wax museum and the Maury Povich live taping, for stupid morons to take their kids and still look smart on the way home.
Ever since the 24th of November 1859, Stupid morons have been in decline, to the present danger of becoming a minority in the heartland of America thanks to the intolerable conspiracy of sorcerers.

I for one, welcome the resurgence of idiots and look forward to being a God Damned genius along side them.
The new museums represent fair, equal, and fresh opportunities for boneheads to propagate in a New World Order.

Once upon a time, all it took was time honored traditions of sister marrying, but as Godless educators and scientists continued their pursuit of the apocalypse, interbreeding became possible and the imbecile population dwindled, additional effort was essential.

It has become increasingly difficult, for single syllable dolts to be accepted when they say they did not come from apes.
Their most supportive allies turn out to be the apes themselves, albeit booed by the DNA experts in Povichs’ audience.

And "THE RESULTS ARE IN!’ flashes on the screen.

My congratulations to every microcephalid who has ever dreamed of this glorious day. It shows dedication and good inbreeding.

What should an appropriate response be, to those who reject the intellectual property of the human species, evidence in nature, and who, by their own argument, are not he who IS intelligent? I don’t think there is a proper response.

And if you are particularly effective in countering their beliefs, God will place a gun in one of their hands to do his bidding.
Damn those Apes! – Heston, I think it was. Ironic he was hero to these bimbos.

In Summary :
Intelligent arguments can not be heard by those who consistently defer intelligence itself to a higher realm.
Looks like we are on our own again.

 

You do appreciate the humour..?  

😉

 

For a Good Time Call :

 

IMPORTANT NUMBERS FOR SPEED DIAL

1. NASA (713) 483-3111

2. White House(202) 456-1414

3. Kremlin (0107-095-295 9051)

4. Pope 011-39-6-6982

5. None of the above can save you from your long distance bill.

Important Event : Twins

Report from St Josephs Health Centre:

February 19 2003

Had a feeling this was not just a routine non stress test we have every Wednesday. It was too nice a day to go back out and enjoy it. Anyway this was not the usual room facing Grenadier pond.

For some suspicious reason, they ushered us through to a different room overlooking Lake Ontario.

More privacy from other patients, yet more RNs coming and going in addition to the one assigned us.

Noon : Doctor came in, said this is as good a time as any, and to my surprise, that we might try this without the knife. Whoa, I asked if there would be enough time to change our minds because as the first birth is taking place, breech twin b is in limbo changing life support systems.

"Yeah, good question, we’ll have about a 20 minute window" he says with lots of confidence.

Brenda being a brave soul. The consensus has the twins at about 5, 6 pounds tops.-NOT!

Hours and hours watching the ticker tape monitoring changes. I’m trying to maintain exterior composure, tell joke wrong to nurses, and pretend I didn’t catch it. "Whats the difference between an anal thermometer and a a a rectal thermometer?" (Meant to say Oral Thermometer.) Punch line: the taste. Brenda apologises for me.

Go for a sandwich. Much better. Ready for stand up comedy.

1800 : Come back to a more urgent atmosphere. Huh, just when my sense of humour is starting to roll. Some lowered voices, confusing preparations, Maggie, our primary RN says to be prepared for a lot of people coming in the O.R. with us. I say there will be alot more leaving. Ok I’m on my game.

1900 : Half a dozen nurses two doctors, introduce themselves, wisk Brenda away, leave it to Maggie to bring me in a short time later. I don scrubs, hat, mask, shoes and sit down and calculate the number of holes there are in the ceiling design and wonder if the tiles were cheaper to make with or without the holes. Interrupted.. time to go in…Nurses, lights, machines, my first comment was "Ah! I see you’ve got the new machine that goes PING!" Change of shifts more nurses. They’re all saying push at signs of contractions, I am concerned and make sure they know that twin B is breeched. They laugh and say they aren’t going ahead with this until the doctor gets here.

I nod, but to myself, still remember the ‘sourcerers apprentice’, they shouldn’t start something they can’t finish. Visions of sugarplums multipying out of control!

There is Maggie our primary nurse. She is supposed to be finished a 12 hr shift. All day she was talking about getting home to watch the final episode of ‘Bachelorette’, but no, shes not missing this off duty or not. I comment on "the 1930s vintage leg holders and say perhaps my dad made those" explaining that in those days the same fellow would be asked to whip somebody up a leg or an arm and go back to fixing the plumbing when done. I am sure they were wondering if I was joking or crazy.

In comes Dr Simms dressed in his plus-fours and stinking of gin. Just kidding, he was just coming from another delivery, and was accompanied by his apparently competent trainee. Presence of the chief of paedeatrics made me a little nervous, but her bobbin fresh mood told me she wasn’t here for gloom and doom just protocol. The anesthesiologist was ace on, a Respiratory Technician, 8 R.Ns,

an RPN, some RNs off duty, one RN orienting, a couple of nurse students, and myself at Brendas side, oh did I mention Brenda was there too? Turns out she does most of the work in all of this,

damn shes good! Although the machines going PING must be justified under the present political atmosphere. PING bip bip bip PING, adds to the drama you know.

Well, let the games begin, only two people not yet arrived, and they’re the stars of the show!

The hope was to have breeched twin B turn and reposition for delivery as twin A was enroute to the world at large. I suggested we tie them together like skiers in a snowstorm and they’ll find their way out. heh. At the same time, the anesthesiologist went to work topping up the epidural because Brenda now had full sensations.

I noticed with concern that the ticker tape graph showing contraction strengths were actually reducing.

Simms leaves the room with charge nurse following. He re-enters room, Nurse comes in with foreceps. Whew, I thought they were going to resort to cesarean, nope.

The room sounded like some kind of minor league hockey tournament with the many voices urging on their favorite team, I stand up as the excitement builds, gotta see this, hadn’t even noticed that my ticker tape machine has stopped, he shoots! he scores! A BOY! Time of first goal, 19:58

Welcome to the world James Daniel Bellis! A couple of seconds later he’s got his voice. He’s all there. He’s looking good. Some cheers some tears. Two nurses and Dr Radakovic (paediatrician) are weighing him in over at the scales..3081 gms~6lb8, length 51cm, hat size 34cm. now I’m splitting my attention between the joyous activity at the scales and the more serious mood with Dr. Simms frequently saying "time" and getting his answer from somewhere in the crowd. Twice glanced at the ticker tape machine.. why am I looking at that? I knew that stopped working long ago.Twice I even caught the good doctor breathing as if he were having a baby – we were all guilty of that.

In the final push I say, "come on out, your womb-mate is waiting for you". Yes! A GIRL! Time: 20:14 Meghan Lori Bellis She’s a beautiful 3187 gms~7pound, L 51. And the crowd roars again. It went through my mind, I almost did, but thought it may not be protocol to start everybody clapping like they do when the airplane lands safely. Looks pretty crowded over there by the receiving table, I stay with Brenda, its not over for her. Glad I did, the rest is actually pretty fascinating, the two cocoons they made it here in, surprisingly well designed and built, for a temporary home.

They have made some space for me across the room, next thing ya know Ive got one in each arm.

Theyre looking at each other. "Guess this is the first good look at each other without looking through a bag" I say as I introduce them to the other and myself.

After the recovery, a procession down the hall, Brenda in the lead with Daniel, nurses escorting, me with Meghan, more nurses, and attendants with carts as we pass a blur of faces and congratulating voices in doorways of rooms and nursing stations.

Next three days in our own private room overlooking the lake, Maggie, and other nurses drop in from Labour and Delivery just to chat with Brenda and some of you who could make it, despite the short notice.

Had my own cott, just like being on a holiday, but busier than signing up for all the shore excursions on the itinerary. -night and day.

We’re all home now, settling in to a routine, but still being overwhelmed with all of your support, e-mails, cards, flowers, phone calls, visits, gifts, and mostly for sharing our Joy with us,

Thank You Very Very Much,

Love from Daddy, Mommy, James Daniel, and Meghan Lori Bellis.

(order of seniority only)

P.S. Thank You to Brenda, who just does everything right.

Paul

This is a new e-mail address and address book so I am missing lot of them, send if you can or feel free to forward.