Q: How was the wire strung across the Little Colorado River Gorge when Nik Wallenda walked across it last month?
—Andy Sims, Douglasville
A: The 2-inch-thick steel cable that Wallenda used to walk across the 1,400-foot gap weighs 2½ pounds a foot and was too heavy to be flown across the gorge by a helicopter. A crew from O'Connell Electric, in Victor, N.Y., flew a synthetic rope from one side of the Little Colorado River Gorge to the other. They attached the cable to the rope, and using a pulley system, pulled the steel cable across the gorge, which is near the Grand Canyon. The cable anchors were buried 150 feet in the ground. A metal basket was used to carry crew members across the wire so they could attach weights every 60 feet. Those weights helped steady the wire from winds during Wallenda's 22-minute walk on June 23. The same O'Connell Electric crew also installed the cable for Wallenda's walk across Niagara Falls in 2012.
Q: In Florida, Casey Anthony’s trial had 12 jurors and George Zimmerman’s trial had six jurors. Why the difference?
—Larry Milam, McDonough
A: There are six jurors in felony cases and 12 jurors for death-penalty cases in Florida, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported. Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Casey Anthony was on trial for first-degree murder two years ago, a death-penalty case regarding the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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