CHAPTER NINETEEN
The Mount Lowe Monument
 |
| That which finally did the Mount Lowe Railway in was its decaying state. The buildings became unstable and crumbling, and the Forestry Service referred to them as "hazardous nuisances." It was true that people were getting hurt climbing about the ruins. In one instance a lady had fallen through a section of weakened floor on the Incline Powerhouse. The rebar kept her from falling through into the basement where the bullwheel mechanism was located–at least a twelve foot drop–but she broke her hip and required being rescued by helicopter. |
|
In 1959 the Forestry Service, as part of its rigorous drive, prepared to dynamite the last standing structures of the MLR–beginning with the annex of the Mount Lowe Tavern. The whole project matched the Forestry Service's master plan to reclaim the mountains and return all signs of man's presence back to dust. Other parts of the demolition included chain sawing all the power poles down and bulldozing rails, bridges, signs and concreteabutments into the canyons. The process was not a popular one with contemporary aficionados, and given another 30 years or so, we could have seen the more modern preservation movement step in to save the buildings. |
|
The same fate would befall the Incline Powerhouse. Fortunately the Forestry Service saw to it that some sort of monument to the railway be preserved. Piece by piece the bullwheel was disassembled from its pintle where it had stood for 45 years. |
 |
|
It was moved outside and away from the powerhouse building where it was reassembled in a form…
|
 |
|
…much like that in which it stood in the building. The large idler wheels which were perched just above the bullwheel in the powerhouse were placed in their respective positions and a cable remnant was threaded through the bullwheel and draped over the idlers. |
 |
|
In 1963 A helicopter flew the crated granite marker (as seen at the top of the page) back to top up to Echo as news crews and other officials prepared the dedication of the monument. |
 |
 |
| On April 14, 1962 (almost 101 years to the day since Professor Lowe's famed balloon flight into South Carolina), the Incline Powerhouse, the last standing structure of the Mount Lowe Railway, was blasted into historical eternity leaving a huge pile of concrete rubble. When it came to a hazardous nuisance, though, few Mount Lowe buffs understood the difference between this hazard and what was there before. Not too surprisingly, this pile of rubble has been picked over by souvenir seekers to the point of depletion. |
| This concludes the portion of the slide presentation, Mount Lowe: The Big Show. Though the Mount Lowe Railway looks forsaken, it did not go forgotten. A multitude of enthusiasts, collectors, historians and local citizenry help maintain the memory with periodic, if at least annual visits. Each year events are marked by their centennial. The last chapter celebrates that. |