Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-24

slant later away swings the granite mass,
the mighty steel cable track far above loses
its graceful curve, and stretches out as taut
as fiddle-string. Then a rope cable that
pulls the little truck along the aerial track
is paved out, and away go the tons of
granite as easily and noiselessly and as
rapidly as skilled bicycl:st spins over the
ground on his wheel
ONE HOLDS HIS BREATH
Almost for fear the cables will part and The
stone go crashing down upon the men far
below. But it is handled to a nicely, the
block pauses directly over the spot where
Il is wanted, the drum engineer knowing
Just how to pay out his rope by signals
from convict foreman far below in the
river bed. When the swinging motion
ceases the sign is given and down comes
the stone and is swung into just the spot
where needed.
THE FIRST STONE,
On the higher terrace of the new founda-
ton on Thursday last the first stone of the
dam was laid. A key bolt was fastened
INTO center hole of the block. attachment
made to long armed derrick, cement
bed was prepared, and the signal given.
There was rush of water, whirr OF
wheels, bsS of rope, rattle of blocks and
then the great fiat piece of granite swung
over the spot, was slowly lowered into the
cement 1t just the angle desired, and as the
key was knocked out and tackle released
the first stone was declared laid. Warden
Aull smiled from his heavy brows TO the
tip of his long thick beard. He smiled all
over indeed-gratulation satisfaction,
beamed from every pore of his face Mr..
Livermore smiled and wruug his hands and
said, AT last, after many years; at last" :"
and then he told in graphic words how
lo1g he and his brother had waited and
waited tor this great event that means so
much for Sacramento" "Yes," added
Warden Aull, land the influence of which
she is already feeling"
THEY SMILE.
Engineer Humbert smiled; his eve
glasses fairy beamed with satisfaction, his
stout chest heaved with content and glad
ness; the corvict engineer who waved his
hand this way and that until the stone
sank into the soft embrace of the cement,
smiled; his black eyes showed that while
dividends would never be paid in his name
from the dams financial results he never
theless was proud of the laying of
the first stone; the three hundred convicts,
black, grey. brown and white, paused a
moment and leaned on their shovels and
picks and they smiled-the whole lot,
u,
and stood dOtting the cliffs and side hills
all around and shifted their guns with
new spirit, as the rays OF the setting
sun shot from their polished arms
shafts OF light across the slowly y-darkening
| canyon, where the god Of day disappears
an hour and a half earlier than on the
plains Of the valley.
LITTLE INTERESTED PERSONALLY
| AS they were, even the newspaper men
smiled; one went so far as TO chatter some
| thing about being level aud square, but an
ancient Free Mason near by gave him dig
| in the ribs that silenced his ignorance OF
| the prOpreties. 1t was q great event-one
| that will become historic in the annals of
Sacramento county, and will be looked
back 70 by all present, convict and free
alike, as sfone-laying of the highest i'm
| portance to California, since it means the
| utilization of the greatest water power in
| the State.
1t Was only a moments pause, and then
| the sharp commands of foremen and
! bosses and engineers and overseers rang out,
! and the 300 men " fell to- with a will, and
in few moments more another terrace
| was hlled with cement, and the whistle
blew snd the procession OF convicts formed
aDd marched IF past the counting posts
| and the days work was done,
TO RETURN
| To the dam. At its easternmost extremity
| 1t will form one side of the mouth of the
great canal, here 10 feet wide. In this
| mouth will be put four headgates, each
20 feet in width; a little distance below the
| mouth will narrow and five headgates be
set, each II ieet wide. Midway between
these two, aud SET into the dam wall itself,
| will be the sand gate discharglng sand
| accommodations down the bank and into
| the river. From the lower headgates the
canal proper will begin. It has heretofore
been described fully in the RECoRD-UNIoN
| and further than to say that it is to be
made ten feet broader than at first anticipa-
| ted, giving top breadth OF 90 feet, and
that The State is to get seven feet fall of
water instead of six feet at the prison.
nothing needs 10 be added The first sec
ton of the canal will be built to Robbers
! Rayine", almost half mile down river
beyond or south of the prison. When it
is completed to that point, say by next fall.
the Water Power Company will have
| motive power to sell, and Sacramento can
| by electrical wire avail of it il she wishes.
1t is sufficient 10 say now, that the company
has several applications from manufacture
| ing companies tor all the power when the
| anal reaches Folsom. But it is by no
| means determined that it will all be rented
or sold. Some of it will surely be retained
| at Folsom for the purposes of the Water
Power Company.