The Lamar register., 1907-06-26
POWER PROJECT
RESERVOIR TO HOLD 25o,ooo,ooo
CUBIC FEET OF WATER.
GREAT DAM NEAR BOULDER
Three Hundred Men Are Now Working
On Dam to Be $40 Feet
Hiqh.

great reservoir projects of the Central
Colorado Power Company or the cleo
trlc 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-
bire-driven engines, On the other hand
the plant of the Northern Colorado
Power Company, subsidiary cor
poration of the Westinghouse
Electric Company, located at La
fayette. will be in operation by the
eno OF this month and will get big
| start over the hydraulic company,
which will not be in operation before
the list of June, 1908, and maybe later.
Reservoir at Mcfarland.
The plan of the hydraulic and Elec-
trio company includes the erection OF
n gigantic reservoir at Nederland, the
piping of the water from this dam to a
| second reservoir at Magnolia and then
the water will be conducted over the
mountain and drop 1900 feet to the
power plant below. which is located On
Boulder creek, about mile above Four
Mile creek.
Sulphide flats. where the Nederland
dam will be built, is located on Boul-
der creek, about mile above the tung-
sten camp. The valley at this point
widens out. forming a natural basin
| n nf
the old road to Edora 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
| water 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 72O
| feet thick at the bottom. Trestles are
nearly completed on both sides of the
| dam, on which cars will be run TO
dump the materials. The hills curve
| gradually in front of the dam. but are
| rot 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 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 fool
| time or when the dam is threatened.
The sides and bottom will be rip
| "a q, with lny
viii De 't4o Feet High.
| The dam itself will be 140 feet high,
and LOO feet long. 1t will back the
water for about two miles. and will
inbound 52O,0OO,O00 cubic feet of wal
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.
iume 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 short
| time.
| A steel and cement pipe will convey
|
ond one. 10 be erected on the hill east
OF Magnolia. This will be a storage
reservoir, and little water will be taken
in from the surrounding hills. the man
supply coming in the pipe line. Two
miles of steel pipe. weighing 100000
| pounds. and strong enough to support
l. 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
chimney. This tramway is early com
| pleted. and a large force is engaged in
laying the pipe. which will be sixty
inches in diameter at the top, and MAJ
| row to fortyfour inches at the bottom,
where it will be turned into immense
| Pelion type water wheels. which viii
| generate 10000 horse power. 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 6e
seen by the material that will be en-
| ployed in the construction. Over $780,
O0G worth of machinery will be used.
| Including three seventy-ton steain
shovels. six locomotives. $50 cars, steel
l
able of a daily output of 500 yards of
concrete, and several derricks.
Railroad Builds Spur.
The Colorado & Northwestern rail-
road has found it necessary to build
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-
der county will begin new era o.
prosperity, as many mines that can
not be operated at present on account
OF the difficulty of obtaining cheap
power will be able to open up at once.
1t is also expected that several fac
tories will be built, either in Boulder
or the adjoining towns of the county.
and that an immense amount Of money
viii. be invested. The struggle between
the two rivals will rebound to the ben
eft of the citizens of Boulder, as 1t viii,
result in much cheaper power than is
now furnished.