The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-10
Something About the Magnitude Description and
Capacity Of the Big Enterprise.

feet along the top of the dam. These piers
are built to height which will be above
the highest freshets. and TO them &c
hinged timber gates, which are capable
of being lifted above the freshet levels
in foods, but which, when resting on the
masonry dam, will maintain the surface
of the water four feet above the ma
sorry crest.
The upper nine hundred feet OF the
canal is natural channel, enlarged by
excavation of earth and rock to an aver
age area Of waterway of LOO square 1eet.
The remaining 1900 feet, however, con-
sists Of a canal with concrete masonry
side walls and smooth lining of concrete
masonry on the bottom. 1t is expected
from $500 to 5000 cubic feet OF water can
be drawn through per second. without
the loss of more than twelve or fifteen
inches in the whole length.
THE PoWER-HOUsE.
The excavation for the power-house is
also very largely in the solid rock, the
amount of excavation done within the
lines of the power-house and the tail
race being about 19, 900 cubic yards. Under
the machine room the space to eNcaVated
rock is solidly filled with concrete ma
sonry, except where the draft tubes lead
off the discharge of the turbines These
tubes are 10 feet in diameter at the
wheels and II feet at the river end.
The extensive use of concrete masonry
is a notable feature of this work. rot
only the dam. canal masonry ana power
house foundations being constructed
Herewith, but also the walls and roofs
of the power-house, the switchboard gall
lery floor and even the outer shell of the
chimney.
la III of
about 10 feet square, and the immense
chimney towers 175 feet. The chimney is
II feet in diameter. The length of the
power-house when completed, however,
will be nearly 300 feet, and q duplicate
chimney will also be erected III con-
structing this plant $500 cubic yards OF
earth and $1,000 cubic yards Of rock eX-
cavation will have been done and 22,So0
cubic yards of concrete masonry used.
THE MACHINERY.
The present Installation Of machinery,
in technical terms, comprises four units,
each unit consisting of a pair OF al-lnch
turbine wheels on the same shalt, i5V
kilowatt continuous current generator
directly connected herewith, and Il
s'steeple" tandem compound engine, also
directly connected with the generator.
At present only three engines are INSTALL
ed, but provision has peen mace Iel the
fourth These engines are rated at 40
horsepower, best economy, but the ca
pacity7 can be doubled. Under the maxi
mum head of q feet the pair of wheels
will develop 400 horsepower The gen
orators are rated at $50 volts at no load
and $50 at full load. The condensinS plant
has a capacity to take care OF one-half
of the ultimate installation, or an aGsre-
crate Of 5000 horsepower. Two, double
batteries of boilers of 500 horsepower are
installed in the plant.
The switchboard is very extensive and
IS destined for a -ariety of service. In
the distributing system there have been
laid in the principal streets IL duct miles
o. underground conduits, starting from
the power house with 81 ducts.
About thirteen miles of underground
mains have been laid, while the overhead
feeders aggregate 5000 feet, besides about
50 900 of overhead mains. The total weight
of the copper SO far used amounts to Co.,.
Coo pounds.
Besides water-power provision for steam
has also been made. This provision will!
prevent the stoppage Of the plant, should
extreme frcshets occur.