Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-06-08
INFERIOR CONSTRUCTION.
Dense Ignorance and Gross Careiessne IS
Exhibited in the Building OF the Cone
maugh Dam.

A. VI. Wellington, with F. ?. Hurt, asso-
ciate editor of the New York Engineering
News. have completed an examination of the
dam which caused the great disaster here.
Wellington states that the dam 10 every re-
spect was very inferior in construction and
of kind wholly unwarranted by good en-
gineering practices 30 years ago. Both the
original and reconstructed dams are of earth
only with no heart wall, only riprapped on
the slopes. The original dam was made in
rammed and wstered layers which still show
in the wrecked dam. The new end greatly
added to its stability but was to all appear
ances simply dumped in like an ordinary
railroad fill. or if rammed. shows no evidence
of good effect from it Much of the old
part is standing intact and adjacent parts of
the new work is wholly carried off. There
was no central wall of puddle or masonry in
either the new or the old dam. It has been
the invariable practice of engineers for
thirty or forty years to use one or the other
in building high 5ams of earth. It Is doubt
full if there j. single other dam or reser-
voir in any other part of the United States
over fifty feet high which lacks this central
vail
The reconstructed dam bears mark of
great ignorance or carelessness in it having
die than at Il Q ends 1t should rather have
been crowned in the middle, which would
have concentrated the overflow At the ends
instead of the centre. Had the break begun
at the end cut off the flow Of water would have
been so gradual that little or no harm might
have resulted. The crest of the old dam
was not raised in its reconstruction in ISL
The old overflow channel through the rock
.tll remains. Owing to the sag Of the cres;
in the middle of the dam only l-2 feet of
water vas in It instead of the feet necessary
to run the water over the crest. The rock
spill way il narrow at the best but was fur
ther contracted by the close grating to pre-
vent the escape Of fish. capped by good sized
timber, and to some slight degree also by the
trest foot bridge The originally discharge
pipes at the foot of the dam we're permanent
Is closed when reconstructed and thi. further
reduced the possible rate of maximum rate
Of discharges
No effect in all these differences of condi
ton made the ram much safer against eI-
ces.ive foods. apart from the interior con
struction. than the original dam would have
been with crest l-2 to feet high above
the bottom of the rock spill way instead of
feet large amount of old riprsppinz
and slope wall remains intact Of excellent
quAlity iE1Ots DOT appear thst Uelr vas any
great amount of leakage through the dam
before it broke. Destruction came from
water flowing over the top. Wellington said
that no engineer known and in good standing
, for such work could possibly have been en-
( gagged on it. since in the particulars men
[ toned he violated the most elementary and
/ universally understood requirements Of good
( practice. He did not believe any other dam
1 Of equal height had been constructed in this
country xhoily of earth without some kind
Of special protection against leakage or
erosion by water in the centre Of the dam.
/ Estimates of the original dam indicates it
was made of about half earth and half rock,
the riprzpping being merely a skin on each
face with more or less loose spots mired
with earth. The dam is 72 feet above water,
inside slope IL to |. outside slope q
feet wide. 1t is rock throughout one foo'