Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-29
POWER OF HoUSAToNIC.
How It Will Be Harnessed Up and
 Carried to Waterbury.

years, the man who might have proph- esied that the Housatonic river would be harnessed up by man to furnish electricity to run trolley cars fifty miles away would have been laughed to scorn. He would not have been accorded the courtesy even of being a dreamer, but would have been branded as a fool without further ado.
 But at Bulls Bridge, about ten miles west of New Milford, the pie turesque Housatonic river, at a point where 1t rippies it's course through beautiful valley at the base of the Schaghticoke mountains, is being har- messed up for this very purpose
 This undertaking by the New Mill. ford Power Co,, which is chartered by the general assembly and owned orig inally by Nicholas CStaub of New Mil- ford, is one of the most interesting en- gineer1ng feats under way in Connec- ticut.
 At the point where the dam is being constructed the river is about fifty yards wide. The dam is about POO yards above the Bulls Bridge falls, which though not stupendous in their grandeur and size, are nevertheless pretty.
 FrG,n the dam canal is being dug on the east side of the river This canal will be two miles long. At it's terminus is located the power house The most difficult digging for the ca nal is at the dam. Here it is neces- sa1y to cut through a ledge of lime. stone which at places is forty feet deep but the larger part of the canal runs through easier digging. Most of the eKcavating is now completed, for the force of 800 laborers make head way rapidly. The average depth of the canal will be about thirteen feet. It is intended to make the canal very permanent in its construction and be- fore the water is turned in the earth work will be lined with rip-rap of stone. The work on the canal was started October 1, 1902. and it is said by the promoters that the canal will be ready to turn the water in by. July. This seems scarcely possible. judging by the present condition of the canal and the great amount of work there is yet to do on if. most of which isl through the hardest digging the engi- neers have encountered.
 The residents of Bulls Bridge de clare that the works will not be in run ming order before year from July. Not brick has been laid for the pow CT house. Tn fact nothing has been done except the excavating for the foundation.
 The methods employed in taking care of the water while digging this canal is somewhat different from that used in most undertaking of this sort. The usual way is to take care of the water while excavating by the use of waste pipes, but in this canal flood gates are used, which turn the water back into the river.
 Between the dam and the power house there are two ponds, and it is be- lieved that the floating ice, especially the anchor ice, can be taken care of by these ponds and keep the turbine wheels clear of trouble from this source.
 Above the power house is a 1argel reservoir from which a steel riveted pipe, thirteen feet in diameter-big enough to run a train of cars through and 400 feet long leads down to the two direct connected turbine water wheels which are to generate the cleo tricity. The horse power will depend entirely upon the condition of the Housatonic river. At what is consid- cred low water the engineer has es- timated that 5000 horse power ought to be obtained and, figuring that as the low point. it will run up to 5000 horse power at the high mark.
 A clever device is used to check the water when it is shut off from the tur- sbine wheels. It is a hundred foot stand pipe. Were the water shut off suddenly from the turbine the pressure of the great thirteen foot steel lead pipe would be likely to be- strained in every inch of its 400 feet. To obviate this strain by the backing up of the water the stand pipe, which is five feet in diameter, is used. The water Is forced up this stand pipe by the pressure and when it is finally fore ed to the top of the pipe it flows over the sides and down the pipe back into the river, As the fall of the water from the head of the canal to the ter minusais about 110feet the 100 foot high stand pipe cares for the overflow when the water Is shut off from the turbines very easily.
 The dam across the Housatonic river is built on an arch with a radius of 104.6 feet. The power house will bel constructed of stone and steel and con- crete. The main building will be 115I by AS feet and the annex AS by A feet.
 From the power house the pole lineI is being constructed to Waterbury. Ttl runs straight across the country from Boardn1an's Bridge about three miles north of New Milford.
 The manager of this great and novel undertaking is w. s. Norton. He and his family live in large white farm house within a stones throw of thel dam The office of the company is in the old building known as the furnace store It takes it's name from the old furnace. the fires of which were drawn some thirty-fve years ago because of the scarcity of charcoal
 Every noon and at quitting time, the blasts are fired. This is done by electricity and the shower of rocks foIIs i com mos rsaf11nI close l