How Do They Do It? (2006–…): Season 0, Episode 0 - Fugu, Freight Trains, Scottish Tartan - full transcript

Narrator: COMING UP
ON "HOW DO THEY DO IT?"...

HOW DO THE JAPANESE
CATCH, PREPARE, AND EAT

THE DEADLIEST FISH
ON THE PLANET?

HOW DOES A SINGLE FREIGHT TRAIN
DELIVER GOODS

TO THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT
LOCATIONS ACROSS AMERICA?

AND HOW DO THE SCOTS WEAVE
OVER 700 TYPES OF TARTAN

TO MAKE THEIR KILTS?

WE TAKE YOU AROUND THE WORLD
TO SHOW YOU HOW

ON "HOW DO THEY DO IT?"

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

HIROSHI YAMAGUCHI
HAS NERVES OF STEEL...



AND MONEY TO BURN.

HE'S SPENDING
A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS

ON A DELICIOUS DISH THAT COULD
KILL HIM IN MINUTES --

RAW SLICES OF PUFFER FISH
THE JAPANESE CALL FUGU.

THERE'S NO ANTIDOTE
TO THE POISON IN THIS PUFFER,

SO THE CHEF
MUST PREPARE THE FISH

IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY SO
HE DOESN'T KILL HIS CUSTOMERS.

HOW DOES HE DO IT?

THIS IS FUGU,
THE DEADLIEST FISH IN THE WORLD.

EACH ONE CARRIES ENOUGH
OF THE NERVE AGENT TETRODOTOXIN

TO KILL UP TO 30 PEOPLE.

THIS POISON IS 100 TIMES
MORE DEADLY THAN CYANIDE.

HUNDREDS OF JAPANESE PEOPLE
HAVE DIED FROM EATING FUGU,

AND YET IT REMAINS
A MUCH-SOUGHT-AFTER DELICACY.



EVEN FISHING FOR THIS
LETHAL PUFFER IS DANGEROUS.

YUKIHARA YAMAKAWA
HAS BEEN HUNTING THE DEADLY FISH

FOR 20 YEARS.

FUGU ARE INCREASINGLY RARE

AND LIVE AMONG REEFS AND ROCKS
ON THE SEABED.

YUKIHARA USES A SERIES
OF ENORMOUS FISHING LINES

BAITED WITH SPRATS
TO TEMPT THEM OUT.

AFTER A 2-HOUR WAIT,
YUKIHARA HAS CAUGHT SIX FUGU.

THAT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A LOT,

BUT THESE FISH CAN BE SOLD
FOR OVER $300 EACH.

AND IT'S YUKIHARA'S JOB

TO HANDLE ONE OF THE MOST
DANGEROUS CREATURES ON EARTH.

FUGU AREN'T JUST DEADLY
TO HUMANS.

THEY ALSO KILL EACH OTHER.

BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO STOP THEM,
BECAUSE A MASTER FUGU CHEF

INSISTS ON PREPARING THE FISH
WHILE IT'S STILL ALIVE.

YUKIHARA
EXPERTLY REMOVES THE TEETH.

WITH THE DAY'S CATCH
SAFELY STASHED IN THE HOLD,

THE FISHERMEN HEAD FOR HOME.

BACK IN PORT, IT'S TIME TO SEE
HOW MUCH THE FUGU WILL FETCH.

YUKIHARA TAKES HIS CATCH TO
SHIMONOSEKI'S HAEDOMARI MARKET.

HERE THEY HOLD THE BIGGEST
FUGU AUCTION IN JAPAN.

IT'S 1:00 IN THE MORNING,

AND A TEAM OF EXPERT
FUGU HANDLERS ARE HARD AT WORK,

PREPARING THE FISH FOR AUCTION.

THE FUGU ARE TRANSPORTED
IN VATS OF WATER

AND THEN TRANSFERRED
INTO BLUE CRATES AND CHECKED IN.

EACH VAT CONTAINS
ENOUGH POISON TO KILL AN ARMY,

SO THE HANDLERS
NEED TO BE CAREFUL.

THE FUGU CAN SURVIVE OUT OF
WATER LIKE THIS FOR A FEW HOURS.

ONCE THEY'RE SOLD, THEY WILL
GO STRAIGHT BACK INTO THE VATS.

IT'S A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS, AND
DURING THE PEAK WINTER SEASON,

UP TO $50 MILLION WORTH OF FUGU
IS TRADED HERE.

FOR THESE GUYS,
IT'S WORTH THE RISK.

BY 3:00 A.M., THE FISH ARE BEING
LAID OUT ON THE AUCTION FLOOR.

EACH BOX IS WEIGHED,

AND THE BUYERS START TO INSPECT
THE VARIOUS CRATES,

MAKING NOTES
ON WHICH FUGU TO BID ON

AND HOW MUCH
THEY'RE PREPARED TO PAY.

[ BELL RINGING ]

AT 5:00 A.M., THE BELL SOUNDS
TO START THE AUCTION.

WITHIN JUST HALF AN HOUR,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
OF FUGU HAVE BEEN SOLD.

THE FUGU ARE SENT OFF
TO JAPANESE RESTAURANTS,

WHERE THE CHEFS ARE WAITING

TO PREPARE THE DEADLY FISH
FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS.

Narrator: IN THE BACK
OF THIS FUGU RESTAURANT,

THE DEADLY PUFFER FISH
WAIT IN TANKS

UNTIL ORDERED BY A CUSTOMER.

PREPARING THE FISH
IS SO DANGEROUS,

IT REQUIRES
A SPECIAL GOVERNMENT LICENSE.

AS SOON AS A FUGU DIES, ITS
POISON SEEPS THROUGH ITS BODY,

SO CHEF MICHIO KITAGAWA

MUST PREPARE THE FISH
WHILE IT IS STILL ALIVE.

BUT HANDLING A WRITHING FUGU
IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS,

SO THE FIRST THING HE DOES
IS STUN THE FISH.

MICHIO THEN CHOPS OFF
THE FINS, THE NOSE, AND MOUTH.

[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

Narrator: AND THEN HE
BEGINS TO SKIN AND GUT THE FUGU.

IF MICHIO
WERE TO CUT HIMSELF NOW,

IT WOULD MEAN
ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH.

WITHIN SECONDS, HE WOULD
START STRUGGLING TO BREATHE.

THEN HIS HEART
WOULD GO INTO SPASM.

SOON AFTER, HE WOULD DIE...

WHICH IS MORE THAN CAN BE SAID
FOR THE FUGU,

WHICH IS STILL
SHOWING SIGNS OF LIFE.

IT TAKES THE CHEF MORE THAN AN
HOUR TO PREPARE JUST ONE FISH.

HE THOROUGHLY RINSES IT
FOR 30 MINUTES,

USING ABOUT 15 GALLONS OF WATER.

A NUMBER OF HOMELESS PEOPLE
HAVE DIED IN JAPAN

FROM PICKING OUT FUGU SCRAPS
FROM RESTAURANT DUMPSTERS.

THE SCRAPS ARE SECURELY STORED

UNTIL GARBAGE COLLECTORS
TAKE THEM AWAY TO BE BURNED.

NOW MICHIO STARTS CARVING THE
PUFFER INTO WAFER-THIN SLICES.

THESE ARE AMONG THE MOST
EXPENSIVE SLIVERS OF RAW FISH

YOU'LL EVER BE
TOO SCARED TO EAT.

THE RAW FUGU
IS BROUGHT TO THE TABLE.

IF THE CHEF HAS LEFT JUST
A THOUSANDTH OF A GRAM OF TOXIN

ON THE SASHIMI,
HIS CUSTOMER WILL DIE.

THIS IS THE ONLY FOOD

THAT THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN
IS FORBIDDEN FROM EATING.

BUT HIROSHI YAMAGUCHI
IS PREPARED TO TAKE THE RISK.

LOOKS LIKE
HE GOT AWAY WITH IT...

THIS TIME.

STILL TO COME,

HOW DO THEY SORT THOUSANDS
OF 65-TON FREIGHT CARRIAGES

AT AMERICA'S BUSIEST RAIL HUB?

JOIN US AFTER THE BREAK TO FIND
OUT HOW ON "HOW DO THEY DO IT?"

Narrator: THIS IS
THE BUSIEST RAIL HUB IN AMERICA.

EVERY DAY, 8,000 FREIGHT CARS
ROLL THROUGH THIS GIANT YARD.

WHEN IT COMES
TO GOODS DISTRIBUTION,

THIS IS
THE CLANKING HEART OF AMERICA.

BUT SORTING AND REDIRECTING

HALF A MILLION TONS
OF RAIL FREIGHT A DAY

IS A MAMMOTH
ENGINEERING CHALLENGE.

SO, HOW DO THEY DO IT?

[ HORN BLARING ]

THIS GIANT FREIGHT TRAIN
LEFT CALIFORNIA TWO DAYS AGO.

ITS CARGO IS DESTINED

FOR HUNDREDS OF LOCATIONS
ACROSS AMERICA.

IN ORDER FOR THE CARGO TO BE
DELIVERED TO THE RIGHT PLACE,

THE TRAIN'S 105 CARS
NEED TO SPLIT UP

AND THEN REATTACH THEMSELVES
TO 20 DIFFERENT TRAINS.

THIS HAPPENS HERE AT THE BELT
RAILWAY COMPANY'S HUMP YARD,

20 MILES
FROM THE CENTER OF CHICAGO.

HUMPMASTER CHRIS VOTTELER

IS IN CHARGE OF SORTING
THE 65-TON CARS.

ON AVERAGE, WE OPERATE
AROUND 1,000 CARS A DAY,

YOU KNOW, PER SHIFT -- 8 HOURS.

Narrator: WHEN OUR FREIGHT TRAIN
ARRIVES FROM CALIFORNIA,

THE ENGINE IS DECOUPLED

AND THE CARS ARE LEFT HERE
IN THE RECEIVING YARD.

YOU GET 15 CLEARED OFF OR NOT?

Narrator:
THE VARIOUS CARS

NEED TO BE ATTACHED
TO DIFFERENT ENGINES

TO TAKE THEM
TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF AMERICA,

AND THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN FAST.

AT THE CENTER OF THE YARD

STANDS A 115-FOOT-HIGH,
MAN-MADE MOUND CALLED A HUMP.

CHRIS GETS THE CARS UP THE HUMP

USING A MONSTER ENGINE
CALLED THE MOTHER.

INSIDE THE MOTHER IS
A 170-LITER V-16 DIESEL ENGINE.

THE MOTHER DRAWS EXTRA POWER
FROM A SECOND CAR.

THIS LOW-RISE POWERHOUSE
IS CALLED A SLUG.

TOGETHER,
THEY PRODUCE 3,000 HORSEPOWER.

THE MOTHER DOESN'T REQUIRE
A DRIVER ON BOARD.

IT'S OPERATED BY REMOTE CONTROL.

UNDER THE GUIDANCE
OF MEN LIKE STELIOS PARAS,

THE MOTHER'S JOB IS TO PUSH
LONG LINES OF FREIGHT CARS

TO THE TOP OF THE HUMP.

WELL, YOU SEE ALL THESE CARS
RIGHT HERE?

WE'RE GONNA COME BEHIND THEM,

AND WE'RE GONNA SHOVE THEM
UP THE HILL,

AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HUMP THEM.

Narrator:
CAUTIOUSLY, THE MOTHER AND SLUG

PUSH A LINE OF FREIGHT CARS
WEIGHING SEVERAL THOUSAND TONS

TO THE TOP OF THE MOUND.

AS THE FREIGHT CARS APPROACH,

THEY ARE MONITORED
FROM THE BRIDGE ABOVE THE HUMP.

THE COMPUTER NOW PARTLY TAKES
OVER CONTROL OF THE MOTHER.

AND WHAT I DO
IS I PITCH IT TO THE SYSTEM,

AND THE SYSTEM DECIDES
HOW FAST THE TRAIN SHOULD GO.

I MEAN, I STILL HAVE CONTROL
OF THE TRAIN IF I WANT TO STOP,

BUT THE SYSTEM
AND THE HUMP CONDUCTOR

HAVE CONTROL
OF THE SPEED OF THE TRAIN.

Narrator: ONE AFTER ANOTHER, AS
EACH CAR PASSES OVER THE HUMP,

THE PIN PULLER, STELIOS,
MUST DECOUPLE IT.

THE COMPUTER IS TRACKING
EACH FREIGHT CAR

AND TELLS STELIOS
EXACTLY WHEN TO RELEASE IT.

THERE IT IS -- 3-7-1.
THAT'S WHERE I PULL THE PIN.

Narrator:
THE COMPLEX JOB

OF SORTING THE CARS
INTO THEIR NEW TRAINS

IS NOW POWERED
ENTIRELY BY GRAVITY.

AS EACH CAR ROLLS DOWN THE HUMP,
THE COMPUTER SWITCHES POINTS

TO DIRECT IT
ONTO ONE OF 25 DIFFERENT TRACKS.

EACH CAR WILL THEN LATCH
ONTO A NEW LINE OF FREIGHT CARS.

HOWEVER, THE FREIGHT CAR
NEEDS TO MEET THE NEW LINE

AT NO MORE THAN 8 MILES AN HOUR.

IF THEY COME IN ANY FASTER,
THE INCOMING FREIGHT CAR

COULD DERAIL THE OTHER CARS
AS IT HITS.

TO REGULATE THE SPEED
OF THE DESCENDING CARS,

THE TRACKS HAVE BEEN FITTED WITH
MASSIVE BRAKES, OR RETARDERS.

THE COMPUTER WILL RAISE
THE RETARDER USING AIR PRESSURE

AND GRABS THE WHEEL, AND
THAT'S WHAT SLOWS THE CAR DOWN.

Narrator: BUT SYSTEM ENGINEER
RONALD WANDA

KNOWS THAT TOO MUCH BRAKING

CAN CAUSE THE HUMP YARD
TO GRIND TO A HALT.

IF WE SET IT TOO SLOW,

IT DOESN'T MAKE IT
ALL THE WAY DOWN THE TRACK.

IT'LL DIE.

IT'LL BACK UP THE WHOLE --
YOU KNOW, IT'LL BACK IT UP.

Narrator: THIS CAR
FULL OF HOT, MOLTEN SULFUR

IS REALLY GOING TO TEST
THE SYSTEM.

IT'S EXTREMELY HEAVY

AND WILL NEED MORE BRAKING FORCE
THAN LIGHTER CARS.

Paras: IF THEY HIT TOO HARD,
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE DAMAGE

AS WELL AS THE POSSIBILITY
OF AN EXPLOSION.

Narrator: AS IT STARTS TO ROLL
DOWN THE HILL,

PRESSURE PADS ON THE TRACK
ARE USED TO WEIGH THE CAR.

Wanda: IT JUST WEIGHED THE CAR
AT 126 TONS.

OKAY, SO THAT'S
AN EXTRA-HEAVY CAR.

Narrator: RADAR IS USED
TO CHART ITS INCREASING SPEED.

IT'S TRAVELING TOO FAST.

RONALD NEEDS TO ACTIVATE
THE RETARDERS.

THE ENTRANCE SPEED IS 12.2.
JUST ACTIVATED THE RETARDER.

AND IT JUST LEFT THE RETARDER,
AND THE ACTUAL SPEED WAS 8.8.

Narrator:
THE MOLTEN-SULFUR CAR

PASSES THROUGH
THREE SEPARATE RETARDERS

AND IS DIRECTED
THROUGH FIVE SETS OF POINTS

ON ITS THIRD-OF-A-MILE JOURNEY
DOWN THE HUMP.

BUT IT LOOKS LIKE RONALD HAS
KEPT ITS SPEED UNDER CONTROL.

WE HAVE IT CONFIGURED WHERE
IT'LL GET DOWN AND COUPLE UP

AT A 5-MILE-AN-HOUR
COUPLING SPEED

NO MATTER WHAT
THE LENGTH OF THE TRACK IS.

IT DOES A GREAT JOB.
DOES A GREAT JOB.

Narrator:
THE CAR JOINS THE OTHERS

ON TRACK 15
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HUMP.

THE ENGINE IS ATTACHED,

AND THE NEW PHILADELPHIA-BOUND
TRAIN HEADS OFF INTO THE SNOW.

IN JUST THREE HOURS,

THE FREIGHT TRAIN
FROM CALIFORNIA

HAS BEEN ATTACHED
TO 30 NEW TRAINS

HEADING ALL OVER THE U.S.,

KEEPING AMERICA ON TRACK
FOR ANOTHER DAY.

STILL TO COME, HOW DO THEY WEAVE
OVER 700 TYPES OF TARTAN

FOR SCOTLAND'S
ANCIENT WARRIOR CLANS?

JOIN US AFTER THE BREAK TO FIND
OUT HOW ON "HOW DO THEY DO IT?"

Narrator: THE HIGHLANDS,

THE ANCESTRAL HOME FOR MANY
OF SCOTLAND'S ANCIENT CLANS.

JUST AS A FOOTBALL TEAM
WILL HAVE ITS OWN UNIFORM,

THE DIFFERENT CLANS
WEAR DIFFERENT TARTANS,

LIKE THE STUART, THE BUCHANAN,
AND THE DRUMMOND.

THERE ARE OVER 300 CLANS,

EACH DEMANDING A TARTAN
WITH DIFFERENT, COMPLEX PATTERNS

IN A HUGE RANGE OF COLORS.

SO WHEN IT COMES TO WEAVING
HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT TARTANS,

HOW DO THEY DO IT?

IF YOU'RE IN SCOTLAND

AND DISTANTLY RELATED
TO AN ANCIENT SCOTTISH CLAN,

YOU MAY WANT TO
BUY YOURSELF A KILT.

IT TAKES 24 FEET OF TARTAN
TO MAKE A KILT,

AND TO BE AUTHENTIC,

THE WEAVE AND THE COLOR
HAVE TO BE JUST RIGHT.

THAT'S THE JOB
OF SPECIALIST WEAVERS

WHO WORK AT PLACES LIKE THIS --

THE LOCHCARRON MILL
IN THE SCOTTISH BORDERS.

HERE, THEY PRODUCE A STAGGERING

700 DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF TARTAN

AND MUST ENSURE
THEY HAVE THE RIGHT COLORS

FOR THE RIGHT CLANS.

IT'S DOWN TO RONNIE WILSON
TO CREATE

THE BEWILDERING RANGE OF DYES
FOR ALL OF THIS WHITE WOOL.

Wilson:
THE TARTAN THING IS ABOUT COLOR,

AND I'VE GOT THE MIXTURES OF
COLOR AND THE BLENDS OF COLORS.

SO, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.

THAT'S THE KEY POINT
OF THE WHOLE OPERATION.

[ BAGPIPES PLAYING ]

Narrator: CLANS USED TO CREATE
THEIR OWN DYES

BY USING DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS
OF PLANTS AND BERRIES.

BUT INSTEAD OF SCOURING
THE GLENS FOR RAW MATERIALS,

RONNIE TRIES TO ACHIEVE
THE SAME VARIETY OF COLORS

USING SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS.

Wilson: IT REALLY HAS TO BE
VERY ACCURATE.

THESE ARE DIGITAL SCALES,

AND THEY'RE ACCURATE
TO WITHIN .1 OF A GRAM.

SO, IF WE CAN GET IT
TO THAT ACCURACY,

THE SHADE SHOULD COME OUT OKAY.

RONNIE ADDS THE DYE SOLUTION,
OR LIQUOR, TO THE VAT.

BUT IT'S VITAL THAT THE COLOR
IS EVEN THROUGHOUT THE YARN.

THE WAY WE ENSURE
THAT WE HAVE A LEVEL DYE

IS THE LIQUOR IS PUMPED UP
THROUGH -- THROUGH THESE HOLES,

AND THAT WAY IT CAN BE PUMPED UP
THROUGH THE MIDDLE

OR FROM THE OUTSIDE
TO THE INSIDE.

THAT ENSURES THAT THE WHOLE
PACKAGE IS THE SAME COLOR.

Narrator: AFTER AN HOUR,

RONNIE EXTRACTS
A SINGLE TEST STRIP OF YARN

AND CHECKS THAT IT MATCHES
THE STANDARD SAMPLE.

THIS WOOL HAS PASSED THE TEST

AND HEADS OFF
TO THE WEAVING HOUSE

TO BE MADE INTO TARTAN.

WEAVER ANDY WEBSTER
TAKES THE NEW YELLOW YARN

AND ADDS IT TO THE LOOM.

THE LOOM AUTOMATICALLY
SELECTS THE RIGHT COLOR THREAD

AND ATTACHES IT
TO THE GIANT NEEDLE.

NOW THEY ARE READY
TO START WEAVING THE TARTAN.

EACH DIFFERENT TARTAN PATTERN,
OR SET,

IS WOVEN FROM
CRISSCROSSING COLORED THREADS

CALLED THE WARP AND THE WEFT.

THE WARP RUNS LENGTHWISE,

AND IT'S JIMMY HILL'S JOB
TO MAKE IT.

THE WARP THREADS MUST FOLLOW
THE EXACT SEQUENCE REQUIRED

TO CREATE THE TARTAN
THAT'S BEEN ORDERED.

ONCE JIMMY HAS PUT
EACH OF THE 240 COLORED YARNS

IN THE RIGHT ORDER,

HE THREADS THEM ONTO A REVOLVING
DRUM AT THE WARPING MILL.

WITH ALL THE THREADS TIED IN,
JIMMY STARTS THE MILL.

THIS WARP
IS PERFECTLY SEQUENCED,

BUT IT'S ONLY HALF DONE.

TO MAKE A SYMMETRICAL PATTERN,

JIMMY NOW
HAS TO COMPLETE THE SEQUENCE

BY CREATING A MIRROR IMAGE.

TO DO THIS, HE CUTS THE THREADS

AND THEN ROTATES THEM
TO INVERT THE PATTERN.

JIMMY NOW HAS TO JOIN
THE TWO HALVES

WITHOUT GETTING THEM TANGLED.

HE REPEATS THE PROCESS

UNTIL HE HAS A 6-FOOT-WIDE,
105-FOOT-LONG STRIP.

JIMMY'S WARP ISN'T YET CLOTH.

FOR THAT, IT NEEDS THE WEFT,
WHICH RUNS SIDEWAYS.

THE THREAD IS FED
FROM THIS MACHINE,

CALLED A WEFT ACCUMULATOR.

IT MUST BE KEPT
AT JUST THE RIGHT TENSION.

THE THREADS THEN PASS
THROUGH THESE WEFT SELECTORS.

EACH ARM
CONTROLS A DIFFERENT COLOR.

THEY WORK LIKE KEYS ON A PIANO.

A DIFFERENT TUNE MEANS
A DIFFERENT KIND OF TARTAN,

AND THEY ARE TOLD WHAT TO PLAY
BY A CENTRAL COMPUTER.

TO MAKE SPACE
FOR THE INCOMING WEFT THREADS,

THESE SHAFTS
SEPARATE THE WARP THREAD.

MEANWHILE, THESE WARP DROPPERS
CONSTANTLY MONITOR THE THREADS.

IF A WARP DROPPER DROPS,
IT MEANS A THREAD HAS BROKEN,

AND THE WHOLE WEAVING MACHINE
SLAMS TO A HALT.

EVERY DAY, THIS MILL WEAVES
650 YARDS OF TARTAN.

THAT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE
82 TRADITIONAL KILTS.

BUT THAT IS ONLY A FRACTION
OF THE MATERIAL NEEDED

TO CLOTHE MILLIONS
OF THE MODERN-DAY DESCENDANTS

OF SCOTLAND'S ANCIENT CLANS.

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