Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-09-30
A BIG ELECTRIC PLANT.
The Bethel Enterprise one of the
Best of its Kind in Vermont.

| IL would nave been well for any who la
Dor under the impression that the electric
plant in process OF erection below Bethe
Is likely to be inadequate for the purpose
intended, or that the plant is being con.
structed with an idea OF cheapness, rather
than substantially, had they accompanied
the representative Of this paper on tour
OF inspection Tuesday.
A mile and quarter south of Bethel
the White river, which is there very
considerable stream, including as it does
the Randolph and Gaysville branches, with
other numerous feeders, passes through a
narrow defile between the hills. On the
west side the river washes the bottom of a
steep and almost inaccessible slope hun
dred feet in height. On the other side is
the high railroad embankment and imme-
! diately east OF that bill. The spot is an
ideal one for the development Of water.
/ power. The river descends here in rapids.
On the 2Sth OF July last the first blow
was struck toward the building of a dam
at this point. A Golfer dam was constructed
and sunk aud the water pumped out so as
/ TO expose the river bed and leave it open
/ for preparation. The base of the dam was
laid six feet beneath the bottom of the
river, resting on rock about third of the
distance across and on sound gravel bed
/ the remainder.
Then began the task OF building the
dam proper. The logs were brought from
the Myron Morse place in Gaysvile ana a
/ portion of them v ere fioated part of the
way down Here they were hewed and
matched and finally fitted in place 10 the
style known as crib work and the inter-
walls between them filed with small pieces
of rock
D ufba don, u,bop onrnpIatad ipoIua;nr, itp
pier and hulkhead and fianking crib work,
| will be 240 feet in length. A cross section
OF it shows ii TO be in the form OF pyra-
mid with fiattened top. Its up-and down
| river width is so feet at the base and it is
/ 20 feet high. A fall of sixteen feet is Sc
cured, the water flowing down the lower
incline to an apron IA feet wide.
/ To show the strength OF the dam a sum-
mary OF the materials may be interesting.
/ About 200 900 feet of round timber is used
| in crib work. The up-riyer slope is plank
Z ed with 3 inch hemlock plank of which
some 10000 feet is used. This is covered
I for distance OF fourteen feet down from
/ the top with 1-2-inch hard wood plank
I ing The down river slope is covered with
/ two thicknesses OF tine latter. The apron
/ is OF hardwood planking inches thick.
/ In eli some $4,000 feet OF hard wood is thus
employed. Besides this, % 600 feet OF 2
/ inch spruce and 10000 feet Of inch spruce
! are employed for various purposes. About
/ II tons OF g. inch round iron spikes, IL
tons ship spikes, 2 tons s. and l0-inch
/ round spikes and one ton nails and small
spikes are used. The work also calls for
I 100 barrels Portland cement, half ton OF
dynamite for blasting and about l5O yards
I OF granite. This estimate is Just for the
dam, not including the station. Ship
spikes 1894 in. are used for fastening
he planking to the timbers and rs inch
spikes OF variable lengths for holding the
4 timbers. The work al once strikes one as
being substantial throughout.
The west end OF the dam, which fits
against the steep hillside, is 10 be guarded
I against possible danger from washing out
by bulk head IA feet high.
The other end rests on solid roLki and
here the raceway is to be located. chan
mel is being dug and blasted through this
rock affording fiume IS feet deep and Y
feet wide. This is to be squared by crib
work on the side nearest the railroad and
| on the side next the dam a granite pier
I will be built extending Us feet parallel
| with the river The fumes will end at
two gates where the stream will be divid-
ed, each gate opening into round iron
1 penstock leading to the water wheels. On,
| iy one OF these streams Will be developed
at present-that TO be used for operating
the proposed Randolph circuit. This pen
stock leads to a wheelpit 3Ox2sx26 feet
/ also DUG out OF the rock-where will be
placed two twin wheels Of 262 horse pow
/ er, each running on the same SHAFT, 10
1 be used exclusively for Randolph. The
chance is thus left for two other wheels 70
/ he placed later IL called for for other pur-
noses. These wheels are controlled by
electric automatic regulators which give
constant power at all times except when
water is very low.
| The station house, 30k45, two stories, is
/ located right over the wheel pit. Ihere
/ Is also a 9x22 gate house. The station rs
\ Ia have hard wood floors and graveled
hopper roof and to be finished in natural
wood throughout 10 this will be two 100
/ kiloWat dynamos for Randolph's circuit,
| rith an initial voltage OF 5000. This will
/ he tsstepped up" to 10, 900 volts at the sta
1 tion and in that velocity transmitted to a
sub-ststion ia some central location IN
1 Randolph where it will stepped down
| lage circuits.
will there be water enough Well, there
was 900 horse. power Tuesday and the riv-
I er was rather low. The prospect that IL
will ever get down below 25O-to whlch
amount Randolph has the first exclusive
rights very remote.
Mr. / NJ. Frost is The designer OF this
nlant. which is being built by the Bethel
Electric Light and Power company. He
| is the regular electrician OF the company
and yeTy competent one. The dam Is
being built under direction Of Mr., ~. {.
Waite OF North Adams, Mass, who mas
had a wide experience. The cost OF lhe
,.h,ia .,1l = ,,ient- dam and station complete
will be not less than S2O,OOO.
Al present the work has progressed 20
tbe poiut Of having the dam ready for
nlanking and the raceway is being blasted
out. About 60 men ana - ,su teams, =, wv wv
Moved. ID will probably be Jan. lst next
before the last stroke IS given; =,
The dam sets the water back 70 an IN
creased depth OF four or five feet at the
Bethel bridge 5000 feet up the river. ine i,iio
nond Is therefore we'll nigh exhanstless
aDa also makes a nice place for boating:
The whole undertaking is an enterprise
/ ,.orfbv III the men who have conceived
If and seems destined to play an lmpor-
tant part in the future OF White river Val
| ley.