The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-16
THE STORY OF AUsTIN's DAM.
Experiment Undertaken Against the
Advice of Engineers.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
Austin, Tex, is a small town with ambi-
ton and civic pride out of all proportion
to its dimensions. The dam which gave
way on Saturday was the city's investment
to make it grow into a metropolis. The
Colorado river, which trickled by, was TO
be made to do the work of lighting the
town. supplying power for the street rail-
ways and for the many factories. which
would. as a matter of course, and beyond
the shadow of a doubt, spring up with ex-
ceeding rapidity in the greatly favored To-
cality. OF course, for a town OF Austin's
size il was a marvel of enterprise. the sec
ond largest dam in the United States, and
IL did not take long to mmen itself to
the minds of the citizens. Furthermore, II
would be in line with the tendency of mod
ern municipal progress. for it would be an
example of municipal ownership. The city
would light it's own streets with electricity
and sell power to the Street-railway COM
pany and to all other bidders. Such were
the ideas of the people of Austin when they
determined to construct the dam
The next thing was to find out how the
project appealed to engineers. IL dldn I
appeal to them. They thought little OF the
prospective glories of Austin and had not a
soul above facts and figures. They gener-
ally condemned the plan as impracticable:
Tbs character of the soil OF the valley Oh
the Colorado, they said, was such that no
dam would restrain the water. 1t would
percolate through the earth and find Its
way down the channel. Thus no sufficient
supply could be maintained to flow over the
dam. and there would be no water power.
Thus most of the experts reported, put
some were of a contrary opinion. and the
people of Austin were sanguine. They took
the advice that was most agreeable ana
built the dam and power house. The dam
cost 81. 900, 900. 1t was 1,143 feet long, sixty
feet deep and sixty feet across at the base.
The power house cost $500, 900, and 81 UUO
of the cost of this experiment is to-day In
outstanding bonds.
The works were finished three or four
years ago, and soon the predictions of most
of the engineers began to be realized. Inc
pride and nope of Austin was a failure.
The water of Lake Mcdonald, as the pent-
up Colorado was called. somehow escaped
and the surface of the lake was often be-
low the level of the dam. During last
summer and fall and much of the winter
the town was only spasmodically nghted.
The trolley cars ran when there were rains.
and stood still when there were no rains.
Many of the nights the streets We're In
total darkness. The people said the dam
was a thing to be proud of. 1t was a mu-
nicipal feat. 1t did not leak, but the soil
around ii did. The city did not have any
power to sell, nor was there an Influx OF
BUYERS of power. Taxes rose to unprece-
dented rates. Increased rentals emptied
houses all over the town. Business Jagged
and the interest on the bonds sold to pay
for the dam could not be paid, and 1t is
now six months overdue. The only way
out of the difficulties suggested was to
raise more money, if possible, and build a
steam power house to supplement the
water power for the electric plant when
the water was insufficient. Every time the
rain hello off for a period the Austin states
men grew eloquent over the duty of the
people TO build a steam power house 10
prevent the total loss of the capital In
volved in the city's venture The dam was
of little practical value to Austin. but its
loss leaves the city badly crippled and in
sore financial distress.