Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-11-01
A MODEL PLANT.
Baker and Judson Has a Beau
tiful Establishment.

work on Lock and Dam Number Ill Is
as Regular and Smooth as Clock
| Work-Some Features Noticed by a
Scribe in a Hasty Visit to the site OF
the Improvement.
Thursday afternoon representa-
| tive Of this paper was shown over lock
and dam number IL by Mr.. E. Brown
Baker OF the firm OF Baker s. Judson
who have the contract for the con-
struction OF this work. The dau IS
located at the old Morgan mill below
Ellington and the lock is on the west
| side Of the river.
| Driving up To the site the first thing
that struck attention was the manner
| in which material was taken to the
work. Two cables cross the river one
of them being 1900 feet long which is
the longest span of cable In the Uni
| ted states. Under this the sand boats
are taken and unloaded into carriers
which run across the river and dump
the sand into bins close by the mixer
The sand that is used comes from
Cheat river. The handling is small
matter with the scheme that is used
Stone is taken over on the same car
riers, This comes from the Dean and
Hoffman quarries at Ellington and is
dumped into chute which opens di-
rectly under the cable and the carriers
are filed directly from this. The
wagons are self bumpers so that very
little time or labor is required In
handling this.
Cement is taken out on private
siding and another cable runs from
this to the west side The cement is
taken over on this cable. 1t is one OF
the features of the job. On the east
side the cable is anchored on another
cable which parallels the river so that
the end may be moved one hundred
feet up or down the river On the
west side the drums and machinery
operating the carriers are on NOV
able base which can be taken on a
track to any part of the work.
This arrangement enables the ma
terial which is being used to be placed
directly on any part of the lock or
dam walls without being handled by
hand. This effects tremendous
saving in time and money. Work
was in progress on the outside lock
wall when the work was visited The
foundation for the inside wall was
finished and concrete was now going
into the other wall.
The mouths of the bins containing
sand and stone were close together
Out poured the sand, then the stone
and last cement was dumped on the
MIXTURE which contained about two
yards. This was in carrier which
as soon as filled was hoisted by steam
power to the mixer which stood
within few feet OF the bins. The
cement is stored in house only few
feet the other side of the mixer from
the bins.
On reaching the top of the hopper
the stuff which is to make concrete
was dumped into huge cylinder
which has twenty four cannon balls
In it. 1t: is then revolved for four
minutes having water added to it in
the meantime through perforated
pipes 10 the center Of the cylinder.
The mixer stops A few strokes
and out comes the concrete into
carrier which is placed on car. A
fine looking horse hauls it out under
the cable. The ropes are lowered and
attached and out swings the carrier
over the work. A signal when il is
directly over where it is wanted and
down it goes forty or fifty feet to the
foundation. 1t is then dumped into
place and rammed by workmen until
water stands on its surface
But fifty men are employed on the
whole work but they put in every six
minutes two yards of concrete.
Everything works as smoothly as
clock work and everywhere can be seen
the planning Of Mr.. Baker and the
executive ability Of Superintendent
Mccormick who has charge of the
construction.
Power for the work comes from
battery of boilers. These are back of
the rest OF the machines. One eighty
and two forty horse power engines
stand back there. But one fireman is
engaged. Steam is run all over the
job from these engines and furnishes
the power that is needed on every
part of the work.
Water is supplied from tank bed
on the hillside and this runs to every
part Of the Job, A blacksmith shop
which makes all of the bolts, cuts all
I of the treads and does everything that
may be needed is a part Of the outfit.
Pieces OF all Of the iron and wooden
parts needed on the job arr constantly
kept on hand so that il anything
breaks there is no delay but the de-
fective part is immediately replaced
with a new one.
Mr.. Baker stated that he expected
To have the lock and dam completed
by this time next fall. They have
worked longer into the fall at con-
creting than was expected by many
bit will go ahead and Will concrete
tins Winter making use OF a scheme TO
keep the stuff warm by turning steam
pipes into it and heating it.
The men who have been employed