From Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
bon·fire
Pronunciation: 'bän-"fIr
Noun
Dating from the 15th century, bonfire comes from the Middle English word bone fire, meaning a fire of bones. Today bonfire usually refers to a large fire built in the open air.
At Texas A&M, the term Bonfire, with a capital B, refers to the wooden pyramid structure which students build and later burn at a Thanksgiving pep rally. The Bonfire which collapsed on November 18, 1999 was never set on fire. The accident occured during the construction process.
The Texas A&M Bonfire usually consists of 7,000 to 8,000 logs which are stacked 55 to 60 feet high. The log pile is typically designed in concentric circles like a tiered wedding cake. Layers of logs are wired to a 100 foot long center pole. Serving as the chief support for the structure, the pole is actually two long telephone poles which have been fused together with bolts, wire and metal plates. One end on the pole is driven about 10 feet into the ground.
Constructing the bonfire structure requires about 125,000 hours of student labor plus the assistance of a crane and a professional crane operator. The Bonfire tradition at Texas A&M dates back 90 years, and thousands of spectators come each year to watch the structure burn.
How was the Bonfire Structure Built?
- Read detailed specifications in our discussion forum
More Info
- Is a Bonfire Architecture?
- Bonfire Collapse: Background Story
- Bonfire Collapse: Readers React
- Architecture Atlas: Texas
