Last week we were able to remove the other cap square of the carriage along with the nine bolts that were maintaining it. Another significant copper alloy part removed!

See Gary below having almost removed the cap square in the left image and the surface underneath it once removed, on the right.

Our second goal of the week was to attempt the removal of the last main copper alloy parts, the wheels (see blue print below).

Having gently removed their axels last fall using hydraulic jacks, we were convinced that a little pressure on the wheels would crack the concretion surrounding them and release the pieces… So here is the installation on the starboard forward wheel:

But… it did not move, not even one millimeter… Even after increasing the pressure on it. Nope, nothing moved. We tried the port forward wheel as well, thinking we might have a better chance on this side, but nothing moved at all either.

So… since giving up is of course not an option, we will try harder this week and will let you know how things are going promptly.