Yale Cordage Helps Make History at Niagra Falls
Yale Cordage, a Saco-based custom and specialty rope manufacturer that designs application-specific ropes, announced today that its Ultrex rope was used last night in setting up high wire world-record holder Nik Wallenda’s historic attempt to be the first person in the world to walk directly over the Niagara Falls. ABC televised the event live on June 15 2012.
Yale Cordage’s Ultrex rope was purchased as a component of the hoisting and securing process for a special 2-inch cable weighing nearly 7 tons –– across which Nik Wallenda will attempt to walk a total of 1800 feet, starting from Goat Island in the United States and finishing in Queen Victoria Park, Canada. Hanes Supply, Inc., a contractor and industrial supplier, purchased the rope on behalf of O’Connell Electric, a full service electrical contractor, who will be installing the special cable. Once the cable is safely in place, the Ultrex rope will be removed and the Yale Cordage team will be able to observe the spectacle.
Ultrex was selected due to its weight-to-strength ratio, being light enough to fly across the gorge with a helicopter, while still carrying the 75,000-pound break strength needed to hoist Mr. Wallenda’s special cable. “Steel products with comparable strength to Ultrex would be far too heavy to transport via helicopter,” said William Putnam, vice president, Yale Cordage.
