Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-02-19
A MONSTER DAM.
Golfer Dam at Clinton Practically
Completed.
Gigantic Undertaking of Metropolitan
Water Commission to Cost
100000.

Clinton, Feb, 1S--It Is expected that
by Saturday the Golfer dam used in
connection with tho metropolitan water
works at Clinton will be practically COM
pleted, the last piece OF work that ia be-
Ing done preparatory to filing the pond
back of the cofferdam, being the placing
Of boom across the pond in order to
prevent Ice from going down the hume
This boom is made Of logs securely
held together by heavy iron links, the
boom being anchored to the river banks
1t is the intention of the officials of
the board to close the gates at the
fume tomorrow, and, if their calcula-
tons do not miscarry, they expect to
see the water at the same level in the
new pond by Monday morning, as it
used to be in the old mill pond previous
to the demolition of the Lancaster mill
dam. If the pond fills between tomor-
row and Monday, the pump which has
been used to fill the mills pipe line will
be discontinued, as the height of the
water In the new pond will be sufficient
to furnish an adequate pressure in
sending the supply to the canal
1t will be at least another week before
the waters of the Nashua will be turned
ready to receive them There will be no
ceremony at this time, although it is
expected that the metropolitan water
board will be present. 1t Is supposed
that the amount of water which will be
sent down the tunnel for the present
will not exceed, even if it equals, one
fourth the quantity of water that for
merly came down the river or even
one-fourth the quantity that will come
over the wasteway when the water is at
the desired height in the new pond.
Now that the work at the dam is
practically completed, the employees of
the board will devote their energies to
the erection of the various storage
houses and the carpenter shop, which
are to be the headquarters of the dam
equipment during the coming years of
construction. There will be four build
ings altogether. The engineering force
of the board located at Clinton has
practically completed the work on the
aqueduct, and during the next year the
efforts Of the engineers will be centered
upon the details of the dam, reservoir,
roads, railroad relocation, bikes, etc. No
details of the dam are yet ready for the
public or for the prospective bidders
There is frequent inquiry made by the
large firms throughout the country who
are DESTROYS Of figuring on the struct-
ure. 1t is quite probable that in the list
of bidders will appear the names of
many firms who rave not as yet bid up
on any of the contracts that have been
awarded, these firms being those that
endeavor to secure the largest public
works contracts and let the smaller ones
alone. The dam contract is of course
the largest and costliest of any, as the
work may cost about $2,000o00. Small
firms do not care to bid upon it, on ac-
count of the difficulty to furnish the
bond required by the board for the
faithful performance of the work.
About the first Of next month the
work of surveying the swamp and ter
ritory above the head of the reservoir
in the vicinity of Oakdale and along the
line of the Central Massachusetts rail
road, from Oakdale to Jefferson, will
begin. This is to be done so as to de-
wise plans for changing the drainage OF
the towns along the line of the road
The majority of the engineers will be
employed in the vicinity of Clinton dur
ing the coming season, as the larger
part Of the engineering work will be
done at points not far distant from the
! dam site