HOMECOMING Built to Burn

THE ANNUAL BONFIRE ON THE GREEN, first lit to celebrate a baseball win more than a century ago, is a much-loved centerpiece of Dartmouth Night. Last year's tragic collapse of Texas A&M's traditional homecoming bonfire prompted Dartmouth engineers and officials to examine the safety of the Colleges bonfire. The consensus: Dartmouth's structure is "as safe as a bonfire could be," says engineering professor Francis Kennedy, who had a hand in the design of the structure some 25 years ago.

Several factors distinguish the Colleges bonfire from Texas A&M's. A report port issued by an independent team of five specialists investigating the A&M tragedy attributed the collapse to human error. Unmonitored students failed to use a steel support cable on the lowest tier of the tower, exceeded the 55-foot height limit, and stacked the logs incorrectly. They also left gaps in the important lower tiers and built the structure on a slope, causing it to lean in the direction it later fell. These lapses resulted in 12 deaths and 27 injuries. In June, Texas A&M announced a two-year suspension of its fire as it works out plans for a smaller, better organized and ultimately safer event

Dartmouth's bonfire could be a model for the Aggies. It is built to rigid standards under strict supervision. The pea-greeners who do all the heavy lifting must adhere to a specific design and follow stringent safety rules. They must wear hard hats and gloves. Upperclassmen and Steve Erickson, assistant director of physical education, supervise construction. Since the mid-eighties the bonfire height has been held to 62 tiers, about half the height of A&M's tower. And in contrast to the vertical piling of irregularly sized logs at A&M, Dartmouth uses precisely measured logs stacked horizontally and systematically around a center axis. The diameter of each level and the size of each log decrease with height. The smaller, thinner logs on the topmost tiers burn fastest and collapse into the interior of the structure.

The College takes special precautions on Dartmouth Night to ensure the safety of the 10,000 spectators. Fiftyseven police officers and firemen with a fire engine and ambulance stand ready to control the crowd and handle any accidents. Hanover's fire chief personally checks for high winds before allowing the fire to be lit. "Although our structure is much different than the A&M structure, we have taken the opportunity this year to reexamine every aspect of the bonfire event," says Linda Kennedy, chair of the bonfire committee.

Despite these efforts, risks remain. The new student fad of traversing the roped boundaries and attempting to touch the fire is one of them. "We are working to see that such student activities will not continue much longer," Kennedy promises. "We'll continue to look for ways to make the bonfire even safer in the future."

Hard Hat Area Students play it safebuilding last year's bonfire structure.

QUOTE/UNQUOTE "The Dartmouth bonfire is as safe as a bonfire could be," ENGINEERING PROFESSOR FRANCIS KENNEDY