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Satellite)
When I first looked at the satellite image, I wondered why such a big elevator would be out in the middle of a farm field. Then I noticed the slip-form silos in the core. That means this elevator was established a long time ago. Since the silos are built on a diagonal, I zoomed out. Sure enough, you can see the land scars of an abandoned railroad. Whitaker is another example in Illinois where a railroad town has disappeared except for the grain elevator. I added a red rectangle to this map to indicate the location of Whitaker on the
Chicago, Milwaukee & Gary Railroad.
I learned about the Whitaker facility because on 1-8-2020 a 58-year old manager with 40 years of experience fell 70-75' to his death there. A second worker, who was trying to assist, also fell. Fortunately, emergency crews were able to save him.
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Screenshot (source)
Rescue crews were on the scene all afternoon, including a Medevac chopper, four ambulances, several police vehicles and a dozen fire trucks. |
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Eric Berg commented on a share
Whitaker depot, 1938. |
It does require the response of a few firetrucks because they manually pull the rope that raises the basket. But 12*4 = 48 firefighters seems like overkill.
Three additional photos
tweeted by Mike Lorber that I found in
an NBC5 report.
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Update:
The danger of grain engulfment |
FS posted an article on seven steps for safety for entering a bin
Martin S Hubbard: I was once a member of a team that recovered bodies out of grain bins. These were the result of people getting into Grain bins during or after some of the grain has been removed. Do not enter a grain bin that part of the grain has been removed. I would not even try it with a body harness and lanyard! |
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