Timber....!
Timber....!
Well folks, I am back with another one of my Disney stories from my days working there at the park. Anyhow, I wanted to tell you guys about the day that the tree fell in Frontierland. I don't recall the exact year it happened but I can tell ya this much.I was the very first one on the seen when the accident occurred. This tree was located in front of the Golden Horse Shoe and next to the Mark Twain Landing. From what I know, the tree had been there since Walt himself purchased the land making it an original. It was huge but beautiful. Anyhow, it started around 400-430pm, when I was finishing up the rafts and ending my shift for that day. As I was writing in the hourly counts for the attraction on a log sheet as well as facing the Mark Twain dock, when suddenly I heard a sound that was very strange. I recall hearing a loud "POP!" and then a crunching sound. As soon as that happenedI saw the tree which was located next to the petrified tree stump to the left of the Mark Twain dock, start to tilt and then fall over. It crashed to the floor with such force that you could feel the vibration in the ground.
Standing on the raft dock with two other cast members who then turned their attention to toward the source of the sound and then comment was said by one of them "Are they really trimming branches during park hours". I then realized what the heck had happened. That the tree had up-rooted and fallen on the surrounding guest. I shot out of the raft dock landing, bolting towards the tree. As I ran past the front of the Fantasmic stage area, I yelled to all castmembers that I saw, to help. I finally had come to the tree where at this point no Disney employees had made their way to the area. I grabbed branches where I saw people trapped inside the monsters beast of a tree, but as I did sobranches just broke off. I decided to get under a large branch and try to squat it up using my legs to lifts a part of the tree. As I did so, the larger branch just buckled. None of the branches were alive! The tree was 100% dead and had been for awhile.
Now after I had tried to help get guests out, a manager by the name of Scott who was also a firefighter, began to help be break our way through the mess. While this was going on, other castmembers started to jump in and assist. Before you know it we had about ten of them digging toward injured folks that were trapped. Now mind you while this was going on, I realized that some younger guests were jumping into the fallen tree in order to claim an injury and try to gain from Disney. So I recall yelling at some newbie castmembers to lock off the area surrounding the tree facing Big Thunder Railroad. It turned into a riot. Employees were out numbered by young guests who were taking pictures as well as hiding in the tree.
I won't lie to you guyswhen something like this happens, some castmembers either don't know what to do or they take charge. Me, well I will put it this wayI started grabbing the kids by their shirts and throwing them out of the area while trying to find buried guest. I remember seeing the popcorn stand crushed under the main part of the shaft. Anyhow, we kept digging guest after guest out of the branches. We must have pulled out 15 plus guests. Some hurt and others just banged up. By this time, theme park management had called for medical help and emergency services which finally made their way on the stage. I recall the numerous ambulances lined right up to the Mark Twain dock. Also guest control was assembled and the surroundings where locked off. So for the next two hours, I sat with the guests that I helped out the tree who were all on wheelchairs or on the floor ready to be taken to St. Joseph's hospital in the City of Orange. I recall the tears and thanks from everyone who we had assisted. Then after about 4 hours of pictures and investigating, the maintenance team was brought in with chain saws to cut the tree to pieces. It took hours do to the size of the at least 150 year old oak tree.
Now it was later realized what caused the tree to die so rapidly. If you notice the next time you go through Frontierland, the textured concrete. It looks like dirt with wagon wheel marks and horseshoe prints in it. Well what happened was during this project some years before; the concrete was absorbed by the tree. Not to mention all the cleaning they do nightly. So with that, that old Oak tree died. I think the park knew one day it would fall or would have to be taken out because they had cabled the main shaft of the tree to the surrounding floor. That's the sound we heard was the pop of the cables breaking. Also, if the tree had not of landed on the popcorn stand like it did, the entire weigh of the tree would of crushed the guest who I later found out were standing in line for just that .Popcorn! Anyhowevery guest involved turned out to be fine. A few broken bones and cuts, but everyone was able to go home or continue their vacations. Modern Rome Basic Holiday Manual: Inns, Buffet, Cool Things, And Sights Absorbing Vallarta Pads Alternatives As Well As Realistic Suggestions For Travelers Lonely Christmas Waiting For Tiger Woods Want A Break? Vegas Trip Bundles Are Available At Great Rates! Get Information On How To Find Discou Increase in Drunk Driving During Summer Months Hawaii Voluntourism What's The Attraction of Baccarat? Fun Day Trips From Phoenix Tips to Buy a Travel Water Purifier Traveling To China? Five Useful Things To Keep In Mind On Your Journey You know it's Good--Callaway Black X-Tour Chrome Wedge Villas in Portugal - visit one of Europes tourist gems Buy Golf Clothes As A Gift This Christmas