Arizona republican., 1906-10-16

clear back over it. It will be readily seen therefore, that the face or the dam having been constructed. between it and a point forty or fifty feet back and in which section the big work is now going on, there is a sort of a hole ten or twelve feet deep in which the men are now working. It also makes clear the other statement that the trench being cut is more to prevent seepage than it is for added strength. for the pressure against the completed dam will only force it back the harder against this natural shoulder in the bed rock.
 While working in this hole. made so by one artificial side. there is only room for a limited number of men and furthermore. the derricks employed have to divide their time between re- moving the debris and placing the per- manent rock on the foundation. When this hole is filled the derricks can be spread and work will proceed with greater dispatch.
 The channel is cut in the rock more than half way across and over a sec tiOn perhaps thirty feet long some where in the center of the river bed. it has been filled and construction over it is in progress. The cutting toward the north side continues and on the south side, or toward the south end. as indicated above, the dam rears it's head for 9 feet though that is not enough yet to bring it up to water lev el in the natural channel. About nine ty barrels of cement are used each day in construction so it is apparent that no time is being lost.
 The greatest trouble the contractor is having just now is to secure compe- tent skilled labor. for just al this time three-fourths of the men employed are necessarily of that kind; that is, skilled stone men, derrick men. etc. It is not a matter of wages, or any difficulty of that sort, but merely because most men of the kind required are either family men who prefer the attractions of life near some city where there is more or less amusement. Married men find difficulty in inducing their families to go to Roosevelt to live, there being few advantages of a social nature to attract the women and beside they do not want to tear up their homes and move so great a distance from familiar surroundings as would often be neces- sary. The result is that the men tire of living away from their families and al the end of a month or so throw up their jobs and leave.
 At this stage of the construction, while most of the work is that of lay ing the face of the da5n, it can be readily appreciated that nearly all the rock required is faced stone, that which has to pass through the hands of d cutter. for but very little of the heavier wall in the rear is now being laid. It takes lots of time and labor to prepare this rock. Again, the quar- ries are on the hillside at the end of the dam, which will eventually be the spillway. The rock is fine. but it can only be moved so fast, and it would not be economical even with a thou sand stone men, to blast it out and move it off few hundred yards and then have to cart it all back again. ! But as the days go by these things VIII constantly adjust themselves. There l will be daily propOrtionately less of the | rock used go into the face of the dam, | more common laborers can be used in | handling the other material the area under construction will be increased, l the quarries will be larger, the der 1 Ticks will be daily more and more 1 available for construction, and less l needed for other purposes. Up to this | time only forty to forty-five quarry | men have been employed. There will l be work at once for a few more quar- | rymen and a constantly increasing | number.