Posted on September 15, 2025
From the archives of The Dutra Museum of Dredging: The dredge Thor, constructed 1907
Built from iron and wood, dredge booms were under stress from the constant compression and tension of the working cycle. The swing and recovery of removing soils from the center of a river channel could produce a tension of 170 tons. Broken booms, such as pictured on Dredge Thor, were most commonly caused by neglected dry rot. When dry rot was found, the boom often was replaced with a larger one in order to lengthen the reach of the dredge.
