The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-10-04
GOLFER DAM
ALMOST DONE
Contractors Hope to Finish
It in Three Weeks
SKELETON UNEARTHED
Bones Thought to Be Those Of an In
dian Uncovered Tuesday Afternoon
Topography Vastly Changed Dur
ing Past Several Weeks.

Let a person who has not visited
the Connecticut river dam site for sew.
eral weeks take trip to the place
now and he would hardly realize that
he had ever been there before, so al
tered is the topography. Only little
of the high bluff on the east side OF
the river has survived the onslaughts
of the big hydraulic pumps and their
powerful streams of water. A cut
fully 100 feet wide has been made
through this promontory and 1t IS
possible now to stand near the stone
crushing plant and see the river as II
curves TO the eastward some distance
below the Golfer dam. Immense piles
of broken stone have arisen here ana
there about the works, waiting to feed
the capacious nav of the crusher
which is already set up and ready to
be put in operation. Near 1t the two
concrete mixers are in place and VIII
be started as soon as the bottom OF
the river is pumped dry and ready for
the foundation of the dam. 1t is diff
fcult to realize at first just how vast
an amount of earth has been washed
and hauled away to make room for
the dam. The narrow gauge railroad
which formerly extended from point
near the end of the bluff back past
the blacksmith shop has been remov'
ed. and the roadbed, instead of being
several feet below the adjoining land
as was the case only few weeks
ago. now rises above the surrounding
soil All traces of the road which ex-
tended along the southern slope OF
the bluff have disappeared and there
is no longer a horse-car road ON top.
A powerful stream of water is still IN
use but ii is being used to"remove the
soil from the face of the rocks at the
north of the bluff. This soil is car
ried to the river just above the Golfer
dam through a flume.
The downstream crib of the Golfer
dam has been laid and partially tili'
ed and the planking on its lower slde
is very nearly completed. A crest
five or six feet in height will be built
around the top of the dam for pro
lection in case-of high water and the
contractors hope to begin pumping
the water from THE inside within two
weeks. A narrow gauge road extends
around the top of the crib-work and
is used to haul materials for construc-
tion. Since the rain of Monday the
river has been so high that it has been
flowing over the top of the planklng
on the upstream crib and through
the inside of the coffer-dam. 1t was
found necessary early in the week to
raise the foot bridge several feet IN or
der to bring it out Of the water
The contractors and the men repre-,
senting the financial interests behind
the enterprise agree that the work IS
progressing Just as well as can be ex.
pected. although naturally they would
| like to see it farther along before
cold weather sets in. If there is no
! interference from extreme high water
and this seems now to be remote
contingency-th work of laying the
| foundation for the dam itself ought
TO begin within three weeks. Much
more work remains to be done in the
way of removing the soil from the
bluff but this is not urgent and can
be done with ease by means OF the
big pumps. ,o
A skeleton which is thought to De
that of an Indian was unearthed Tues
day afternoon about four feet below
the surface of the ground short dis
tance south of the stone-crushine
plant. The skeleton was complete with
the exception of the lower jaw and
was living east and west From the
shape of the skull and because this
spot is known to have been place
frequented by the Indians it is the
general opinion that the skeleton II
that of an aborigine.