The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-06-29
POWER PR0JECI
RESERVOIR TO HOLD 25o,ooo ooo
CUBIC FEET OF WATER.
GREAT DAM NEAR BOULDER
Three Hundred Men Are Now Working
On Dam to Be 14o Feet
High.

great reservoir projects of the Central
Colorado Power Company or the elec.
trio and hydraulic, as it is better
known. The plan Of the company Is
stupendous. and when completed Boul-
der county will have one OF the great
est power plants in the world
The greatest interest centers in the
work OF the new company. as it is be.
ing backed by the General Electric
Company. which hopes to supply the
entire northern section OF the state
with cheap power, produced by tur-
biEe-drivep engines On the other han.
the plant of the Northern Colorado
Power Company. subsidiary cor
poration of the Westenghouse
Electric Company. located at La
emo of this month and will get a big
start over the hydraulic company,
which will not be in operation before
the 1st OF June, 1908, and maybe later
Reservoir at NederIand.
The plan of the hydraulic and Eiec-
tric company includes the erection OF
n gigantic reservoir at Nederland, the
piping Of the water fsom this dam to a
StCOuu IeSeTNOIT dl MdSuOlid, anu tnt1
the water will be conducted over the
mountain and drop 1900 feet to the
power plant below, which is located On
Boulder creek, about a mile above Four
Mile creek.
Sulphide fats, where the Nederland
dam will be built, is located on Bou!-
der creek. about mile above the tung-
sten camp. The valley at this point
widens out, forming a natural basin
about three-quarters of mile across.
the old road to Eldora formerly ran
through the gulch along the creek. but
has now been moved back on the hill
side, ten feet above the level Of the
wafer in the reservoir. At the east
emo of the site the valley narrows un-
til the water rushes through a pas
sage in the hills that is less than 100
feet across.
At this spot the dam will be erected.
1t will be built of concrete. with
rock and dirt core, and will be 720
feet thick at the bottom. Trestles ars
nearly completed on both sides Of the
Gam, on which cars will be run TO
dump the materials. The hills curve
gradually in front of the dam, but are
not high enough to hold back the water
that will be impounded, SO that 1t will
be necessary to raise the wall about
twenty-five feet above them. The hill
OF. the south forms almost a natural
spillway in which about forty men are
now at work digging out trench
which will be sixty-three feet wide at
the bottom and eight feet deep. Its
length is 1850 feet. and large gates
at the upper end will be operated by
electricity, only being opened in food
time or when the dam is threatened.
The sides and bottom will be rip
raped ad then covered with cement.
viii Be 14o Feet High.
The dam itself will be 14O feet high.
and 100 feet long. 1t will back tho
water for about two miles, and will
inbound 520000000 cubic feet of wa
ter. About $50 men are now working
on the main dam, and more are being
put to work as fast as they can be
taken. Spring water is carried to the
camp in pipes, and an electric light
plant is being installed, SO that both
night and day shifts can be run.
fume at the bottom of the dam VIII
carry away the regular flow of the
creek, the company intending to oper-
ate solely with the flood waters,
enough coming down the canon in the
spring to fill the reservoir in a short
time.
A steel and cement pipe will convey
the water from this reservoir to a sec
ond one, to be erected on the hill east
OF Magnolia. This will be storage
reservoir, and little water will be taken
in from the surrounding hills, the nam
supply coming in the pipe line. Two
miles of steel pipe. weighing 100000
pounds. and strong enough to support
pressure of 500 pounds to the square
inch, will carry the water from here TO
the power plant, 1900 feet below in
the canon.
A tramway alongside of the pipe line
will transport load of eight tons, and
will be operated by three plants of ma
chinnery. This tramway is early com
pleted, and large force is engaged in
laying the pipe, which will be sixty
inches in diameter at the top, and na:-
row to forty-four inches at the bottom,
wlere it will be turned into immense
Pelton type water wheels, which Will
generate 10000 horse power. A large
space has been cleared here for the
power plant, which is to be built on the
hillside along the Boulder creek.
The magnitude of the work can be
seen by the material that will be en-
ployed in the construction. Over $780,
00e worth Of machinery will be used,
including three seventy-ton steam
shovels, six locomotives, $50 cars, steel
concrete mixers and rock crushers cap
able Of a daily output of 500 yards OK
concrete, and several derricks.
Railroad Builds Spur.
The Colorado & Northwestern rail!
road has found 1t necessary to build a
spur into the reservoir. the track be-
ing about two miles long. When this
is finished the company will be able TO
receive its supplies several days ear
lier than at present, and the work will
be vastly facilitated.
When the work is completed Boul