No let-up in Indonesia mud flow despite concrete plug - Reuters

[Eugene]

No let-up in Indonesia mud flow despite concrete plug

By Heri Retnowati

1 hour, 35 minutes ago

SIDOARJO, Indonesia (Reuters) - A torrent of mud that has inundated villages
on Indonesia's Java island shows no signs of abating despite efforts to plug
it by dropping hundreds of concrete balls into its source, an official said
on Tuesday.

The mud has displaced about 15,000 people following an oil-drilling accident
in May in Sidoarjo, an industrial suburb near Surabaya city in the east of
Java island, and destroyed toll roads, railways tracks and submerged
factories.

In the latest move to brake the mudflow, scientists have dropped 296
clusters of concrete balls linked to steel cables into the mouth of the
eruption.

But scientists involved in the effort said it was too early to say whether
the work was a success.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070313/wl_nm/indonesia_mud_dc

[youngdem]

1. As an occassional shotgun hunter, I eagerly await the inevitable throat clearing

It should be interesting to see how far these balls go.

;-)

[phantom power]

2. Now that you mention it, wasn't there a cannon load made of balls+chains?

[youngdem]

4. Egads, that sounds horrible. There must have been, though...

If it could fit in the end of a cannon, I'm sure it was shot out of one at one time or another. Proper shot was very expensive and tough to come by.

[phantom power]

5. I think they were specifically designed for destroying ship riggings or masts.

Like a large bolo shot out of a canon. Very nasty, like most weapons of war.

[Nihil]

6. Yep - chain shot

Saw some of it on HMS Victory ... glad I wasn't on the receiving end ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_shot

[kestrel91316]

3. I'm thinking they just need to find a way to capitalize on this, maybe

a tourist attraction? Because it looks like it's going to continue for a long time regardless of what they do.

It could be the Indonesian version of Old Faithful in Yellowstone NP.

[Javaman]

7. You know...

when I get a bad case of the trots the first thing that comes to mind is a butt plug...

Somehow I had a feeling this wasn't going to work.