Original subtitles

Narrator: an apparent paradise Still feared by locals today...

And the legend of her death Still haunts the island,

And some of the locals Refuse to visit this place.

*

Narrator: ...A pioneering complex

Marked with both glory And tragedy...

*

*

*

...And a shipping juggernaut That met a dramatic end.

Scott: this ship is clearly one That means business,

But it should not be On these rocks.

*

Narrator: engineering marvels Now abandoned,

Ruins shrouded in mystery.

Within these decaying structures Are the echoes of history.

Within these decaying structures Are the echoes of history.

They speak of death And destruction,

But also human ingenuity And endeavor.

Each haunted shell Ready to be unmasked

And tell its own unique story.

-- captions by vitac -- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

*

*

In the brandenburg district West of berlin

Is a unique complex that once Attracted the world's attention,

Now left to decay in obscurity.

*

Auerbach: few germans realize That the site even exists.

It's almost as if it's been Forgotten on purpose.

Narrator: a silent swimming pool Expectantly awaits guests.

Nusbacher: There is nothing quite so eerie

Nusbacher: There is nothing quite so eerie

As standing where there Ought to be 11 feet of water,

And instead, there is nothing

But a still, chill air.

Narrator: a lone pommel horse Sits in an empty gymnasium.

Meadows stretch out

In front of carefully positioned Huts with verandas.

When you look at this place

In all of its green and grassy, Low-rise glory,

In all of its green and grassy, Low-rise glory,

It feels as though you're seeing A purpose-built

Company town.

Narrator: stark blocks, Reminiscent of barracks,

And murals with a military feel

Interrupt this communal utopia.

They're ugly, and really,

These are buildings That you don't want to keep.

Auerbach: the walls are covered With newspapers.

Auerbach: the walls are covered With newspapers.

When you get closer, you notice Something strange about them --

They're not in german.

Narrator: the architecture is Split into two distinct styles,

Yet all the buildings Appear to be united

In their motivation.

Nusbacher: what this place Conveys is a sense

To take people's lives And mold them.

It's all about people Coming together for a purpose,

But it is not at all clear What that purpose is.

But it is not at all clear What that purpose is.

*

Narrator: in 1934, this site,

Sprawling across 136 acres,

Was set to be repurposed.

The man placed in charge of the Project was wolfgang fuerstner.

It was a pioneering concept

And would play a central role In an era-defining event

That would capture The imagination

Of people across the world.

Of people across the world.

Yet just days after the project Was complete,

Fuerstner would walk down From his house to the lake,

Stand on this jetty, And take a pistol to his head.

*

*

What drove this man to suicide

Just days after What should have been

Just days after What should have been

The proudest moment of his life?

Jan bejsovic is an expert On the location's history

And is fighting to preserve This unique complex.

*

*

*

*

This is the olympic village

For the 1936 berlin games.

When adolf hitler became Chancellor of germany in 1933,

He inherited the games,

Secured by his predecessor, The weimar government

That he had worked So hard to destroy.

This site would house athletes Flocking in

From competing nations Across the globe.

Now in 1936,

Now in 1936,

He has an opportunity To show to the world

A new and rebuilt, Completely new kind of germany.

*

Nusbacher: this is gonna be An opportunity for hitler --

Who's been in power For three years --

To show off the fact

That depression-era Germany is gone,

The weimar republic is gone,

And the olympics are gonna Show that to the whole world.

And the olympics are gonna Show that to the whole world.

*

Narrator: To successfully demonstrate

That a new, rejuvenated germany

Had emerged Out of the great depression,

Hitler looked to the los angeles Olympics of 1932

For inspiration.

*

*

*

*

This led to the creation

Of the first-ever Permanent olympic village,

Built to last the test of time,

With modern facilities Enjoyed and exploited

By nearly 5,000 athletes,

Including the likes Of german boxer max schmeling

And track and field star Jesse owens.

*

*

*

*

The athletes were further Impressed by the fact

The athletes were further Impressed by the fact

That they could see Their colleagues performing

Live on the big screen.

*

*

*

And hitler didn't shy away from Promoting his military, either,

And hitler didn't shy away from Promoting his military, either,

As the artwork in the village Media center illustrates.

*

*

*

*

Despite flaunting its newfound Military strength,

The world's leaders Were buying into the image

Of a renewed Yet peaceful germany.

Furthermore, this pioneering Complex was proving

An unmitigated success With the athletes.

*

So why would fuerstner, creator Of this magnificent village,

Take his own life?

*

Narrator: Just outside berlin in germany

Are the remains of the world's First permanent olympic village,

Built for the 1936 games.

Having convinced the u.S.A. And great britain to compete

After both threatened To boycott the games,

Hitler had exactly The audience he wanted.

Only the soviet union And her allies

Only the soviet union And her allies

Followed through On their threats to stay away.

And hitler successfully Showcased german engineering

And cutting-edge technology,

Such as the first-ever Live television broadcasts,

As well as further innovations To the games themselves.

The nazis were hugely into Torchlight parade,

And the nazis introduced The idea of the olympic torch

Going from greece All the way to berlin.

Going from greece All the way to berlin.

Narrator: While the glitz and glamour of The olympics dazzled the world,

The racial purification Of germany

Was continuing Discretely out of view.

While the germans allowed jews To participate in the games,

They were, behind the scenes, Rounding up gypsies

And continuing To pass anti-semitic laws.

Narrator: Captain wolfgang fuerstner,

The man who had helped make the Olympic village such a success,

Was one such victim Of the aryan purity laws.

Was one such victim Of the aryan purity laws.

It turned out that he had A jewish grandfather,

And he was taken off The project in the end.

*

*

The nazis tried to cover it up, Saying it was a car accident.

The nazis tried to cover it up, Saying it was a car accident.

Narrator: however, journalists Uncovered the truth.

Demoted from his role And, as a career officer,

Knowing he would be dismissed From the army

For his jewish ancestry, He chose suicide.

*

The village had served Its purpose,

And the complex was handed Back to the german army,

As was always intended --

A ready-made military base.

But with the tumultuous Years ahead,

But with the tumultuous Years ahead,

Their stewardship Wouldn't last long.

*

*

*

A new soviet Military base emerged.

For a period after the war,

For a period after the war,

Auerbach: The soviet counterintelligence Agency, smersh,

Established themselves here,

Hunting for ex-nazis.

And rumors abound that The underground heating system

And the swimming pool were used For interrogation and torture.

Narrator: since the collapse Of the soviet union,

This complex has been left To disintegrate.

*

Now the site is being repurposed Once again --

Now the site is being repurposed Once again --

This time, developed Into modern apartments.

Auerbach: you can actually see The long jump pit

Where jesse owens --

One of the greatest american Athletes of all time -- trained,

And also where the boxer Max schmeling

Did his prep In the lead-up to the big day.

And now it's all about To be demolished.

Narrator: Rebuilt as contemporary homes,

The site has found a new future,

One that perhaps will help Erase memories

One that perhaps will help Erase memories

That many would rather forget.

*

Off the coast of the caribbean Country trinidad and tobago

Is a lush island With a sick history.

*

Meigs: when you see this island From the water,

It looks like a lovely, Tropical vacation spot,

A nice place to build a resort.

Bell: But as you get a bit closer,

Bell: But as you get a bit closer,

You see these colonial-style Buildings on the shore

Are a little bit dilapidated.

They're falling apart.

Narrator: a once grand house Sits by the sand,

Forlorn and neglected.

A broken pier reaches Out over the water.

Inland, further remains Emerge from the jungle.

Bell: some buildings Look like they were part

Of an old hospital complex Or a religious site, perhaps.

It's clear there was some kind Of a large compound here.

It's clear there was some kind Of a large compound here.

Narrator: One part of the site suggests

That those who came here Never left.

Bell: you see graves, But not just a few.

There's a whole graveyard.

Clearly, an entire community

Once lived on this Now-uninhabited island.

Narrator: whatever happened To this community,

It led to fear and uncertainty Among the local population.

*

Bell: some local fisherman are, To this day,

Bell: some local fisherman are, To this day,

Still too frightened To venture onto the island.

*

Narrator: 100 years ago, this island

Off the caribbean country Trinidad and tobago

Was a popular vacation spot.

It was previously A fishing village

And a holiday paradise Where people came to relax,

But it became something More sinister.

Narrator: in 1924, the island Changed forever

When trinidad's British rulers used it

When trinidad's British rulers used it

To try and solve a problem That was plaguing the territory,

And a new community arrived From the capital, port of spain,

As michael forde, Local expert, explains.

*

*

*

*

These sickly new arrivals Were the unlucky victims

Of a century of dramatic change In trinidad.

A colony of great britain,

Where slavery was abolished In 1833,

Trinidad's landowners Needed more laborers

To work on their sugar And cocoa plantations.

A flood of immigrants poured Into trinidad and tobago,

But with them came An influx of leprosy.

But with them came An influx of leprosy.

Narrator: this was one of the World's most-feared diseases.

*

Leprosy was this devastating And really tragic disease.

It's caused by a bacterium That lives in the skin.

Develops slowly over many years.

It does nerve damage.

It can cause blindness, And, in severe cases,

It causes this terrible Disfiguration

Of people's faces Or other parts of their body.

Narrator: the disease of leprosy Had existed in the caribbean

Narrator: the disease of leprosy Had existed in the caribbean

For centuries.

But as migrants from across The world arrived in trinidad,

By the late 1800s, It had become an epidemic.

*

Bell: The colonial government opened A leprosarium in the late 1860s,

But on one occasion, 300 patients fled the facility.

Narrator: fears grew That this terrifying illness

Was out of control.

Painful, incurable, And contagious, it was believed

Painful, incurable, And contagious, it was believed

That the only way To stop the spread of leprosy

Was to keep those who suffered From it away from everyone else.

*

In trinidad, the authorities Decided to act

And began rounding up The sufferers.

These lepers were taken From their homes,

Torn from their families And forced onto a boat --

Sent away to live In total isolation.

Narrator: and this is where They were brought to --

Narrator: and this is where They were brought to --

The chacachacare leper colony.

Opened in 1924,

It was designed To house 300 patients

And provide everything They would need to survive here

With only minimal contact From the outside world.

This is a completely Self-contained medical facility

With living quarters, Hospital, laundry.

*

*

*

Narrator: But although the colony appeared

To provide the lepers With all they required,

Not everything was as it seemed.

Life was not easy For these patients.

Men and women were kept In separate camps,

So there was none of the normal Romantic or family life

That people expect As part of the human experience.

That people expect As part of the human experience.

And you also had to work,

But you were only paid 25 cents for the whole day.

Meigs: water was very short.

They only had rainwater They collected.

Auerbach: You weren't even allowed to swim Except up to chest height,

And if you broke those rules,

You could be sent into Even further isolation.

Narrator: and worst of all,

Once you had been sent To chacachacare,

You could never leave.

*

They were allowed no visitors,

No contact with their families Or even the mainland.

No contact with their families Or even the mainland.

Meigs: So even though they were in

Something that looks like A tropical paradise,

Their lives were actually closer

To kind of a hellish half-life

Where they couldn't go back,

They couldn't see Their families,

But they also couldn't start Any kind of new life

That would be a semblance Of what they'd lost.

*

Narrator: who would volunteer to Care for this dying population,

Narrator: who would volunteer to Care for this dying population,

And does the answer help explain

Why chacachacare Is still so feared today?

*

Narrator: off the coast Of trinidad is a tropical island

Once utilized as a leper colony.

The island is still feared By locals,

Who avoid it at all costs,

And the site's religious remains Offer a clue as to why.

Auerbach: so, they were cared For by a group of dominican nuns

Brought from france, And these nuns had to live

Under the same conditions As the lepers.

Under the same conditions As the lepers.

It was incredibly dangerous,

And they suffered Along with their patients.

Two of the nuns caught And died of leprosy.

Meigs: and one of them actually Committed suicide,

Which is definitely Not something

You're supposed to do If you're a nun.

And the legend of her death Still haunts the island.

Some of the locals refuse To visit this place,

Not because it used to be A leper colony,

But they're afraid of the ghost

Of the nun Who committed suicide.

*

*

Narrator: it seemed The inhabitants of chacachacare

Were doomed To disfigurement and death.

But then a new group of visitors Arrived on the island,

And things began to change.

In 1942, the u.S. Stationed

1,000 u.S. Marines On chacachacare.

*

*

*

For the first time, there was Electricity at the leper colony.

The authorities began Relaxing the rules,

And the male and female patients Were allowed to mix.

In the outside world, Things were changing, too.

Meigs: by the middle Of the 20th century,

Treatments for leprosy Were getting better.

A combination of antibiotics Can actually treat the disease

And reduce the symptoms.

Narrator: as leprosy finally Became a treatable disease,

Narrator: as leprosy finally Became a treatable disease,

It was no longer necessary to Keep its sufferers locked away.

Meigs: also, the dominican nuns Were a declining group.

There weren't a lot of new People coming into the order

To replace the aging nuns

Who, by this time, Were dying off

Or needed care themselves.

So, eventually the colony Was shut down.

Narrator: chacachacare Was a prison no more.

The last patient left On july 23, 1984.

The entire structure Was abandoned

The entire structure Was abandoned

And left over to the elements.

*

Narrator: Today, there are plans

To redevelop The island for tourism.

But chacachacare Is still feared,

Tormented by its deadly past,

And its future Remains uncertain.

*

In south africa, Near the port city of cape town,

In south africa, Near the port city of cape town,

On a dramatic stretch of Coastline is a sight to behold.

*

Barratt: in this area Of incredible natural beauty --

It's got an amazing ocean And a rocky backdrop,

And then suddenly, it hits you Right between the eyes.

That absolutely Should not be there.

Bell: you're suddenly confronted By this extraordinary sight.

Bell: you're suddenly confronted By this extraordinary sight.

This huge ship lies beached On the rocky coastline

With this enormous crane Reaching up for the skies.

Narrator: only part of this Giant machine is still visible

Above the crashing waves,

Yet the rusting crane and turret Suggest a sophisticated vessel.

*

Scott: this ship, obviously, Is built for a specific job.

You've got the huge crane At one end,

But this beautifully Designed ship

But this beautifully Designed ship

Should not be on those rocks.

Barratt: At sea, things go wrong.

Things go wrong all the time,

And that's why, For hundreds of years,

There's been a healthy Salvage industry

Where ships That run into trouble

Get rescued and recycled.

Something's gone wrong here.

This crane has clearly been here For some time.

Why has no one rescued it?

Bell: first and foremost, There's obviously been

Some kind of disaster here.

You just want to know How this mighty vessel

You just want to know How this mighty vessel

Has ended up stranded On these rocks.

*

Narrator: This vessel has been battered By the waves since 1994,

When south african salvage Expert captain nick sloane

Received a distress call.

Sloane: So, we were busy in false bay,

Hiding with the supertanker.

So, false bay is a perfect Place of refuge

For large ships in distress.

And we knew the storm Was coming,

And we knew the storm Was coming,

So we suspended all operations

In case we lost control Of the supertanker.

And then cape town port control Called us up

and said that the bos 400

Was drifting onto the coast.

Narrator: this is the bos 400.

A french-built vessel known as A lay barge or crane barge,

It served a highly Specific role.

Scott: it is basically A pipe-laying vessel.

So that beautiful engineering Is designed

So that beautiful engineering Is designed

So it can lift up, move,

And then lay giant pipeline.

Barratt: If you're building an oil rig From scratch, you'd call it in.

It's a one-off machine, And it traveled the world,

Building huge structures

In difficult Marine environments.

Bell: this was One of the most powerful

Crane barges ever built.

In its prime, it was An engineering marvel,

Touring the globe, Helping to construct

Touring the globe, Helping to construct

Some of the most ambitious Projects anywhere in the world.

This giant beast was capable Of lifting 1,200 tons

And was valued At over $70 million u.S.

narrator: yet the bos 400 was now in perilous waters

That captain sloane Knows all too well.

So, you got these frontal storms That come all the way

Across the south atlantic From brazil.

They're already full storms When they hit the coast.

They're already full storms When they hit the coast.

And then they hit the warmth From the agulhas current,

And those storms That are already bad

Go crazy with all The extra energy.

So, you don't want to be stuck In a winter storm

Off south africa.

Scott: this treacherous stretch Of coastline

Is known for its changeable Weather and its violent storms.

In fact, cape point is known

As the cape of storms.

Narrator: With no propulsion of their own,

Crane barges rely on tugboats.

and pulling the bos 400 directly into the line of fire

and pulling the bos 400 directly into the line of fire

was a russian tug, the tigr.

So, the barge is not designed To move under its own power,

And for that, you need a tug --

A small, powerful, Maneuverable boat --

And that does the hard work.

Narrator: But there was another problem.

*

Despite dragging this Giant barge with a huge tow wire

Nearly 4,000 feet in length,

The tug had lost Its main engine.

The tug had lost Its main engine.

*

Narrator: in 1994, the bos 400 --

One of the largest crane barges In the world --

Was caught in a storm,

And the tug crew Pulling this mighty vessel

With a 4,000-foot tow wire Had lost its main engine.

*

With just the backup engine,

You've got a lot less power And maneuverability,

You've got a lot less power And maneuverability,

Not to mention the fact

That you could be left With no engine at all.

And as it turned out, This was no ordinary storm.

*

Narrator: The crew had no idea,

But they were heading down A blind alley.

The port of cape town Was closed,

But the tug still continued

To make her approach inshore To cape town.

They then started to try And turn around,

And that's when they got Into real trouble.

And that's when they got Into real trouble.

The tug crew had actually been Radioed repeatedly,

But because Of their poor english,

They didn't understand, So they carried on.

And they tried to turn around To get further back out to sea,

And during that operation, That's when the wire --

The tow wire -- Sank to the seabed

And snagged on the reef.

Narrator: the crew on both ships Were now in grave danger.

Nick's salvage team Was in a race against time,

As this juggernaut Floundered towards the rocks.

As this juggernaut Floundered towards the rocks.

Sloane: We ran around from false bay

To try and see If we could get a line on,

But, you know, In those weather conditions,

Even with a helicopter,

There was no way We could get close to her.

If you look at this now -- It's summer season.

You got maybe a 1-meter, 1-1/2-meter swell.

But in the winter storm,

Boy, the swells are actually Almost up above the crane house,

So that's the type of swell You're talking about.

The swells were so severe that the bos 400,

The swells were so severe that the bos 400,

Despite its enormous size,

Was actually disappearing Completely behind the waves.

Narrator: it was simply too Dangerous for the salvage team

To attempt to reattach The tow line.

*

Sloane: And we just had to sit there and Watch her slowly break apart.

The helicopters Took the crew off,

And then mother nature Took care of her,

And she ended up On top of the pinnacles

That went straight Through her bottom,

That went straight Through her bottom,

And then she was fast On the reef.

*

Narrator: while the crew Were airlifted to safety,

Their ordeal was far from over.

On arrival into the port Of cape town,

They were all rounded up, Questioned,

And detained by the authorities

While the disaster Was fully investigated.

And that wasn't The end of the story.

A vessel of this magnitude Wasn't going to be left

Without major salvage attempts.

*

*

There was a first attempt To try and get closer,

And we had to abort, Wait for better weather.

Then we sent in smaller boats,

And we sent people onboard By helicopter to assess her.

The tanks right on The bottom of the ship,

They were all breached.

If you don't succeed In that first 24 hours

On the south african coast, Then it's very unlikely

That you're going To succeed later on.

Narrator: an american company Later launched

Another salvage operation, But to no avail.

Another salvage operation, But to no avail.

A long-running Court case ensued,

And some of the tug crew Were held for a full six years

Before they were allowed to Return home to their families.

In the investigations That happened after the event,

It was found that this tugboat Was underpowered

And, quite frankly, Just not up to the job.

Sloane: there was about An $80 million insurance claim,

And that's why they arrested the tug, the tigr,

And held the owners responsible.

But they didn't have that type Of money or insurance,

But they didn't have that type Of money or insurance,

So it was a total loss

And a disaster from The french construction company

And from the underwriters.

Narrator: the tugboat Was eventually auctioned off,

But unfortunately, It's simply too dangerous

To salvage the remains Of this powerful barge.

*

Today, the bos 400 is not just a unique spectacle for hikers --

It may well have a future After all.

It may well have a future After all.

Sloane: there's not much of The barge that has survived --

The core structure Of the foundation of the crane.

In the next four or five years,

I wouldn't be surprised If she topples into the water.

Maybe it'll add Some value, yeah,

As a recreation/sport area,

And you'll find A artificial reef,

And a whole ecosystem Will grow up on top of her.

*

*

Narrator: in the green fields Of southwest england

Is a valley littered With a set of unusual ruins.

*

Auerbach: sweeping over the Stunning cornwall countryside,

You come across A grand stone viaduct

That spans a river valley.

But as you get closer,

You see that there's something Different about this one.

You see that there's something Different about this one.

Right next to it, there's These series of tall columns

That are clearly a lot older

And have obviously got Some kind of story to tell.

*

Narrator: did the structure That once stood here collapse?

Or was it destroyed Deliberately?

The ruins mirror the structure That still stands.

The mystery deepens As you look up,

And you see That the columns just end.

There's no bridge there anymore.

There's no bridge there anymore.

Narrator: on the surface,

This may look like An easy place to build,

But not all is as it seems.

On the valley floor, you can see It's quite muddy, a bit boggy.

It doesn't really look that Stable of a surface to build on.

Look at these tidal mud flats.

Look at the depth Of the earth here.

This is not going to be A simple place

To accomplish such A feat of engineering.

*

Narrator: the structure that Once stood here was ridiculed,

Narrator: the structure that Once stood here was ridiculed,

Attacked, And eventually destroyed,

But its story Is inextricably linked

To that of one of the world's Greatest ever engineers.

*

The current viaduct carries The railroad across this valley.

Back in the 19th century, Steam trains were driving

The united kingdom's Booming economy.

And cornwall was home To a thriving mining industry.

And cornwall was home To a thriving mining industry.

But without a railroad,

This region was at risk Of being left behind.

If they wanted to keep That business

And keep that trade alive, What they needed was a railway

To connect into The other main lines

And ultimately continue All the way up to london.

Auerbach: now, railways, when You're dealing with flat ground,

It's easy enough. Just lay down the tracks.

But that's not the case In cornwall.

You've got river valleys. You've got steep hills.

You've got river valleys. You've got steep hills.

This is going to be A more complicated exercise.

Narrator: and this particular Valley was key to the route.

There were dozens of bridges To build,

Miles and miles of track to lay.

But if they couldn't cross This valley,

All of that was for nothing.

You have to get Across the valley,

And the viaduct Is the answer to that.

*

Narrator: these are the remains Of the first carnon viaduct.

Narrator: these are the remains Of the first carnon viaduct.

The plan was to build A vast bridge, 750 feet long,

Supported on 11 stone pillars.

But was this a design failure?

Local historian Bob richards explains

The challenges Its engineer faced.

*

Richards: this was actually One of the deepest valleys

They had to cross On the whole route.

And so, this viaduct itself,

The track bed was some 96 feet

Above the valley floor.

Above the valley floor.

Auerbach: When you're building a viaduct,

You want something That's stable,

You want it flat, And you want it to last.

And that's not an easy thing To accomplish here.

You have soft, muddy land

That's over 20 feet thick In some places.

The water level was higher In those days,

And it's also tidal. Not only did this

Make construction Conditions difficult,

It also put different stresses And strains on the structure.

It's almost as though Everything was against them.

It's almost as though Everything was against them.

*

Narrator: this was an almost Impossible feat of construction,

And to have any hope Of being completed,

It needed a colossus Of engineering to build it.

*

Narrator: in the countryside Of cornwall, england,

Stands the remains Of the first carnon viaduct.

In the mid-19th century,

A bridge was needed to carry A railroad across this valley.

But the valley's vast size And unstable ground

Made this An engineering nightmare.

Made this An engineering nightmare.

At the time, there was only Really one person

Who could solve This particular problem --

Isambard kingdom brunel.

Narrator: brunel was one of Britain's greatest engineers.

He was responsible for many Of the innovative railroads,

Steam ships, Tunnels, and bridges

That underpinned the country's Industrial revolution.

But could he construct a viaduct

To span this treacherous valley?

He had a solution, But what he was proposing

He had a solution, But what he was proposing

Was considered by some to be Both extreme and dangerous.

Why not complete the top Of the viaduct with wood

Instead of stone?

Much cheaper, Easier to work with,

And you'll be done much quicker.

But people wondered, Would a wood structure

Hold the weight of a train?

*

Narrator: Brunel designer timber trestles

That fanned out From the stone pillars

To support a wooden deck Which would carry the railroad.

To support a wooden deck Which would carry the railroad.

*

It was an innovative design,

And by using timber Instead of stone,

Brunel would save The railroad company money.

But this was high unusual For the time,

And brunel's plans Were ridiculed in the press.

*

Barratt: in 1860, This is cutting-edge stuff.

It's scary.

People don't know It's gonna work.

They haven't seen it.

To modern eyes, we see A big, stable structure,

To modern eyes, we see A big, stable structure,

But to everyone else back then, This is the future.

Narrator: brunel's imaginative Design was a real risk,

And today, A new viaduct has replaced it.

Auerbach: we have these Stone piers, stumps, really,

With nothing on top of them.

Did the wood survive?

Did it collapse?

What happened?

Barratt: Don't underestimate timber.

It might not look as solid And as heavy as masonry,

It might not look as solid And as heavy as masonry,

But actually, It's incredibly strong.

And if it's used In the right way,

You can transport Incredible loads across it

Quickly and safely.

Narrator: in fact, Brunel's wooden design worked.

But this success wasn't just Down to what was on the surface.

The stone piers going down Under the ground to the bedrock

Were what took the real weight Of the construction,

And the wooden fan design on top

And the wooden fan design on top

Spread the weight evenly

Across the whole Of the 750-foot expanse

Of the viaduct itself.

Narrator: The fact that these pillars

Were built out of hard rock Deep in the ground

Was what made The structure so strong.

To achieve this, brunel had made Use of an ingenious invention

That he'd worked with before.

Barratt: He sinks these caissons, These round steel rings,

Barratt: He sinks these caissons, These round steel rings,

Into the riverbed

And then pumps out All the mud and silt,

Which then enables your laborers To get down there

And build proper masonry Foundations.

Narrator: using caissons Kept the foundations dry

And meant thy could be Placed deep

Underneath the unstable earth On the surface.

While this soft ground May have once been a concern,

Brunel's design Certainly overcame that issue.

These columns Aren't going anywhere

These columns Aren't going anywhere

For a very long time.

Narrator: this victorian Masterpiece carried trains

For 70 years.

But sadly, its creator Never saw its operation.

Brunel died before It was completed.

So, what signaled the end For this epic invention?

Although it lasted An incredibly long time,

Its major downfall Was the cost of maintenance

And particularly That top timber section.

And particularly That top timber section.

Narrator: by the 1930s,

The railroad authorities Decided to replace it

With a newer stone structure.

However, brunel's construction

Was one of the last original Timber viaducts in cornwall

To remain in service.

*

Today, the modern viaduct Carries tourists

Along a branch line.

But brunel's columns Still stand alongside it.

But brunel's columns Still stand alongside it.

Richards: anything that Isambard brunel got involved in

Was built to last,

And these are a fine example Of his engineering genius

And a fine example of the Workmanship that went into them,

The fact that they're still here

150, 160 years after they were Initially constructed.