Tuesday, November 25, 1986/The Battalion/Page 5
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Fightin’ Texas Aggie bonfire
It stands as a symbol of the spirit that can ne’er be told
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Story
and
photos
by John Makely
Texas A&M bonfire is scheduled
to go up in llames tonight, warming
i not only the cold night air but also
the Aggie desire to “Beat the hell
| outta t.u.” in the annual Thanksgiv-
| ing day football game against the
| University of Texas.
Thousands of Aggies have
worked for nearly eight weeks, cut
ting the oak trees and building the
bonfire, which sits on Duncan Field.
During the last week before the
fire’s lit, students work one of two
shifts from either 6 p.m. to midnight
or midnight to 6 a.m. hauling, stack
ing and wiring the logs to the cen-
terpole.
Bonfire cut started Oct. 5 just out
side of Roan’s Prairie and netted
about 9,000 trees. On Oct. 30, the
centerpole was raised, and crews be
gan the process of wiring the logs to
it.
The stack stands 55 feet above the
ground when finished. This height
limit was set by the City of College
Station to prevent students from at
tempting another 109-foot bonfire
such as the one built in 1961.
The 45-foot diameter stack will be
topped off Tuesday afternoon with
the burnt orange outhouse, which
has been called a t.u. frathouse, com
plete with an Austin city limits sign
donated by an Austin sign company.
Later, just before the redpots lead
the band around stack, a crew from
the Texas A&M Fireman’s Training
School will spray 500 gallons of die
sel fuel on the stack. They try to en
sure an even burn.
Unfortunately after all this action
and a little rain, Duncan Field is
usually on the muddy side, so you
may want to wear your rubber boots.
Clockwise from top:
• Senior redpot Brian
Lehne (left) and junior red-
pot Steve Lawton go over
stack procedures during a
break.
• Tightening the line on the
perimeter poles is a greasy
job.
• Cadets in Squadron 16
carry a log to the trucks at
the cutting site.
• Freshmen from company
B-l crowd into the cen
terpole hole.
• Junior redpots Ned Mur
phy (left) and J.D. Steward
help position the centerpole.