PDF - 9Mo - Grande Dixence SA

GD. P.25Working conditions on the dam were harsh. And sowere conditions at the sites where the collecting workswere being constructed. Living conditions inevitablysuffered from the rigours of high altitude, the risks ofavalanche and rockfalls and the discomfort of tunnelworking. In the heroic mythology of great constructionprojects, the driving of the Bricola, P4 (Arolla collector)and Stafel tunnels occupy prime positions.In the valleys of Valais Canton, old folk still talk aboutMellichen and the Alphubel, inhospitable places wherefood had to be brought in by helicopter in the winter andwhere two hundred and fifty men were attacking themountain simultaneously on ten fronts. They also rememberthe Stafel siphon where the supporting beamssplit as though they were matches. A tunnel where it wasimpossible to move forward more than 50 centimetreswithout being forced to shore up the roof…Of course, the bonuses, a feature always associatedwith mining work, were a motivation for the men whoformed the rock assault force. But to be a good miner,it was still a question of showing yourself to be a hardworker, capable of boldness and tenacity. The mountainpeople of the Valais, who formed the majority ofthese elite troops, prided themselves on having thesequalities. The drilling teams often comprised peoplefrom the same region, and even the same valley. Theywere a particularly sought after labour force that laterwent on to drive the Swiss motorway tunnels.