Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-12
THE FOLSOM CANAL.
THE GREAT WORK GOING FOR.
WARD SATISFACTORILY.
How the Water-Power Will be Uti-
ized-Sacramento to be Sup
Piled With Electric Power.

Sacramento:
Although for some time past considerabl
work has been done on the canal of IN
FOLSOM Water-power Company. il has el
oeen OF preliminary character, the official
OF the company getting everything in read
, mess TO take advantage of the low-wste
stage OF the American river in August an,
september The railroad has been extender
unul now there is an unbro5en rail connec
tioh with the road from Sacramento to Fol
SON. and running along the line of the pro
posed canal to the point of the dam, abov,
the grounds of the State Prison. At thi.
| point wing dam has been built down Il
The river, and the railroad has its terminn,
at this dam. In conjunction with tbi,
| Wing dam tlume three feet deep apG
tWenty-four feet wide is in course of con.
| s.ructlon, which will be used to draw of
the water from the river channel, in orde,
| 10 allow OF the laying of the foundation Of
| the dam proper. This temporary finn
| has fall of seven inches in every one hnn.
| dred feet, and will be amply sufficient for
the purpose intended for at least eighty
days. When this flume is completed the
lncioslng portion of the dam will be built
The size of the foundation will be increased
until IT has width of forty five feet, and TO
do this II will be necessary to 90 down
- i'St it4iOtiSil Tue u Otis OF The
rlver-bed t. The original ledge. The seen.
age o. the river will be removed IN the
meantime by immense pumps driven
either by water or steam.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANAL.
One bank of the canal will be formed bv
the high, vertical walls of granite. while
the other Will be composed of immense
blocks of granite, which ere uuarried al
most on the spot. At only one point will
much cutting have to be done for the canal.
and this is at point where the cliffs run
out in Y shape. The granite taken from
this cutting will be utilized in the bank of
the canal, so that while there is a cutfinp
made through the cliffs, in reality it onlv
amounts to the quarrying OF rock there
and 10 additional labor is used 1t is on
this work that the greater part of the con-
Vlcls are at present employed, either in
removing the soil from the lodges of granite
or IN drilling holes for the blasts. The ar
uhclal bank or wall of the canal will be
nineteen and one-half feet in width at the
bottom and ten feet at the top.
The dam, which is intended to not only
prevent the wastage of the water in the
present channel, but which will also be
used as storage reservoir, will contain be-
tween 10000 and -, 900 cubic yards of ma
sorry. being 40 feet wide at the base, % feet
wide on top, and 500 feet long The expec.
tation of Governor Waterman that this
dam would be finished this ear will NOT
however, be realized, as there are not suf
hclent men available to any WAYS near
complete it. At present there are in the
nelghborhood OF two hundred convicts
employed on various matters connected
with the dam and canal, but the esti-
mates made contemplate force of from
m Nf, !
be profitably employed. Thus, to Law thirty
cubic yards of the dam per day (the under
standing being that the work is to be prose-
cuted from both ends at the same time(. 158
men VIII be necessary; at work on the tenn
porart dam, tiume and sand bags, 20 men
IN canal at quarry, 100 men; getting out
sand and working on railroad line. % mer
making grand total on the dam and its
immediate connections of 80 men. In adj
dition to these, 200 men can be used to
good advantage in building the canal wall,
or, IN other words, for the speedy prosecu-
ton OF the work not less than 500 men
should be IN constant operation. One rea-
son tor this is that the men can work on
the foundations of the dam for only about
eighty days in the year, or just prior to the
beginning of the seasons rains. During
these eighty days what work is done will
nave to be carried on, in great degree, as
a finished work, as the heavy freshets
would tear the dam ont if there were any
weak spots about it, The temporary dam
and fume will also have to be taken out
before the river begins to rise, to prevent
these being carried away by the floods.
the reason the dam is so long is because it
Will be section of circle in shape, and
by presenting this great length it is be-
lieved there will be less danger from floods
lnrinO tho haauNr (raS a,,j -, 4
the storage capacity will be greater.
CHARACTER OF THE LABOR EMPLOYED.
Up to the present time there has been no
trouble with the convict labor, the men an
parently being well satisfied with their
treatment. Their working hours are not as
long as those of free laborers. but the
amount OF work performed by them has
been very satisfactory TO the officials of the
canal company, who report that they 90
about their work with a cheerfulness that
is remarkable. All the labor is furnished
by the Board of Prison Directors from
among the convictS, with the exception of
The engineers and boss masons, who are
employed by the canal company. The men
are, moreover, learning trades that NAV be
Of use to them when they leave the prison
walls. at present working as carpenters.
stone-dressers and tending der
ricks, while quite number are employed
in the rigger loft and the blacksmi;h-sbop.
A number of derricks are already in posi- |
lion for the placing of granite blocks in the |
canal wall, while cable line is being con- |
structed across the dam, which will allow |
Of blocks being taken from one side to the |
other. The power for working all these ap-
planes is supplied by steam engines and |
water motors, the water supply for the lat |
Ter being furnished by the NatOma Water |
company.
Already the company has received nu. |
nerous inquiries from the East concern |
ng the power that will be developed by |
he canal, and also regarding the trans |
mission of this power by means of cleo |
richly to neighboring towns. 1t is con- |
ended by various companies which are |
engaged in the manufacturing of electrical |
motors and machinery that of the power
,iven from the water to the dynamos, 20 |
Der cent can be transferred from Folsom
o Sacramento. In other words, of 5000
horsepower at Folsom, $500 horse power
AN be delivered in Sacramento. This |
bower would be particularly valuable to
len lists. jewellers, electro platers and others
yho do not need much power, but who
'ould use with profit power ranging from
horse power to horsepower.
THE POWER AVAILABLE.
But although only $500 horse-power will
)e transmitted to Sacramento by 5000
horse power motor at Folsom, in reality
his power will be double. as it will run
hight and day. In this manner power
which will be used in running machinery
~ day can be utilized at night for driving
he plant of an electric light company.
That the power thus furnished will be
heap can be seen from the fact that in
Eastern cities water power successfully
'ompetes with steam power where the cost
II fuel is low, the comparisons being made
IN basis of 81 so per cord for wood, and
3 per ton fo' coal. In addition to other
advantages, Sacramento being level town,
: is thought by many the power can be
lsed in the city street railroads, thus afford
ne much better means of transportation
han the horse cars now in use. At pres
mt the manufacturing interests OF Sacra-
n ento do not use over /, 000-horse- power q
lay, but the fact that the new power is
heap will undoubtedly increase the manu-
acturing interests of the Capital city of the
tate.
Another item, which is looked upon BY
he canal promoters as merely incidental
ne, is the fact that for three months in the
ear the bed of the American river will be
Try, or SO nearly so as to permit of mining.
There is no doubt in the minds of all min
ng men that the bed of this river is par
icularly rich in gold, it having drained one