The Ordway new era., 1907-06-28
POWER PROJECT
RESERVOIR TO HOLD 25o,ooo, 900
CUBIC FEET OF WATER.
GREAT DAM NEAR BOULDER
Three Hundred Men Are Now Working
On Dam to Be 14o Feet
hioh

NOW WORKING In Boulder canon ON tho
great reservoir projects of the Central
Colorado Power Company or the cleo
trio and hydraulic. as 1t is better
known. The plan of the company is
stupendous. and when completed Boui-
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 Il 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.driven engines. On the olher hans
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
cna OF this month and will get big
start over the hydraulic company.
which will not be in operation before
the lst OF June. 1908. and maybe later.
Reservoir at Nederland.
The plan of the hydraulic and Elcc-
trio company includes the erection OF
n gigantic reservoir at Nederland, the
piping of the water from this dam to n
second reservoir at Magnolia, and then
the water VIII be conducted over tho
mountain and drop 300 feet to the
power plant below. which is located on
Boulder creek. about a mile above Four
Mile creek.
Sulphidc flats. where the Nederland
dam will be built. is located on Boul-
der creek. about n mile above the tung-
sten camp. The valley at this point
widens out, forming 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
water in the reservoir. At the east
enu OF the site the valley narrows un-
III the water rushes through pas
sage In the hills that is less than 100
feet across.
At this spot the dam will be erected.
| II will be built of concrete. with
rock and dirt core. and will be 120
| feet thick at the bottom. Trestles ara
| nearly completed on both sides of the
I dam. on which cars will be run 10
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 II viii
| 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 Mt
the bottom and eight feet deep. Its
| length Is 1850 feet and large gateu
! at tho upper end will be operated by
electricity, only being opened In hooS
,t-h FL hp iG fhrpntpn
| The sides and bottom will be rip
raEped ad then covered with cement.
Will Be 14o Feet High.
The dam itself will be 1i0 feet high.
| and 100 feet long. II will back tho
water for about two miles. and Will
| imround 520,O00.000 cubic feet of wa
| ter About $50 men are now working
| on the main dam. and more are being
pui to work as fast as they can DO
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.
hume at the bottom of the dam VIII
carry away the regular flow OF inc
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
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 man
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 10
the mower plant, 1900 feet below IN
the canon.
A tramway alongside of the pipe line
will transport a load Of eight tons, anu
will be operated by three plants OF ma
chinnery. 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 na.'-
row to forty-four inches at the bottom.
Where 1t will be turned into immense
Pelion type water wheels. which VIII
generate 10000 horse power. A largo
space has been cleared here for the
power plant, which is to be built on inc
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 $5O.-
OOe worth of machinery will be used.
Including three seventy-ton steam
shoyels, 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
spur into the reservoir. the track be-
ing about two miles long When this
is fnished the companY VIII be able 10