East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-07-20
HIGHEST DAM
IN THE WORLD
BIG RESERVOIR AT THE
SHOSHONE PROJECT
Tunnel Connected With the Scheme
VIII BE 1900 Feet Long-Total
Height of Dam VIII BE 3OS Feet
viii Ir'igate 10000 Acres.

The secretary of the interior is ad-
vertisng for bids for the construction
of the Corbett diversion canal, i'm the
shoshone project, Wyoming. This
tunnel is to be approximately 1000
feet long. The auxiliary work will in
clude the excavation of about $4,000
cubic yards of material in open cut
These works are located about 10
miles from Cody. The proposals will
be received at Billings, Mont, and
will be opened on September G, 1905,
Particulars may be obtained by ad-
dressing the chief engineer, Washing
ton, D. c., or the engineer in charge,
j. Ahern, Cody, Wyo,
Just below the junction of the north
and south forks of the Shoshone river
i'm north central Wyoming, in a solid
granite canyon, with perpendicular
walls several hundred feet in height,
the engineers of the United States
reclamation service propose to con-
struct the highest dam in the world.
With total height of 30S feet above
the bedrock, a bottom width of SIS feet
and a top width of $50 feet, this
mammoth structure will create a res
ervoir with a storage capacity of $780,
900 acre-feet.
All the details of construction have
been carefully worked out and now
the secretary of the interior is adver-
tising for bids for constructing the
dam. These proposals are to be re-
ceived at Billings, Mont, and opened
on September 5, 1905. Proposals for
the spillway. outlet and road tunnels
will be opened at the same time, and
particulars may be obtained from the
chief engineer at the Washington Of
flee. or from jeremiah Ahern, the en-
gineer in charge at Cody, Wyo.
This work is OF unusual interest. be-
cause of the unusual engineering feat
ures necessitated by the natural con-
ditions of the canyon. In order to
obtain bedrock foundation the dam
will have to be constructed 6S feet
below the bed of the river. In order
to provide spillway to allow ex-
| cessve floods to pass the dam, tun-
mel will be constructed around the
dam through the solid granite of the
mountains. to discharge in the can
yon several hundred feet below the
/ dam.
! This tunnel will have a capacity OF
! $4,000 cubic feet per second. suffic.
lent to carry the largest floods of the
stream. There will be two outlet tun.
nels each 1-2 miles long, one taking
| its supply directly from the reservoir
/ for the high line canal covering TO-
| 900 acres of high land in the upper
/ valley, and the other diverting water
! from the river l6 miles below the
| dam for the low line canal. to supply
! the remaining portion. The canals
will decrease in size with distance
| from the tunnels. as distributing
/ bitches are taken out. It is probable
that about $4,000 acres of land on the
south side of the river now belonging
to the state under the terms of the
/ Carey act will be acquired and in
cluded i'm the project.
The soil is very productive and hay,
wheat, oats. barley and the harder
vegetables can be produced abund-
antly with an ample water supply
The c. B. & Q. railroad is tributary
to the lands.
The secretary Of the interior set
aside S4,O0O,00O from the reclamation
fund with which to initiate this work
| and ii is estimated that 100000 acres
of public land on the north side of the
river can be reclaimed.