The Elbert County tribune., 1907-06-27
POWER PROJECT
RESERVOIR TO HOLD $4,000, 900
CUBIC FEET OF WATER.
GREAT DAM NEAR BOULDER
Three Hundred Men Are Now WORKING
On Dam 20 Be f4o Feet
Hiqh.

now working In Boulder canon on tho
great reservoir projects OF the Central
colorado Power Company or the cleo
tric and hydraulic. as 1t is better
known. The plan OF the company is
stupendous, and when completed Bout
der county win 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-
Dire-driven engines. On the oiher hand
the plant of the Northern Colorado
poration of the Westenghouse
Electric Company. located at La
fayette, will be In operation by the
emo of this month and will get big
start over the hydraulic company,
which Will mot be in operation before
the lst of June, 1908, aud maybe later.
Reservoir at Nederland.
The plan of the hydraulic and EIec-
trio company includes the erection OF
n gigantic reservoir at Nederland. the
piping OF the water fyom this dam to n
second reservoir at Magnolia, and then
the water will be conducted over tho
mountain and drop 300 feet to tho
power plant below. which Is located On
Boulder creek. about a mile above Four
Mile creek.
Sulphide flats. where the Nederiand
dam will be built, is located on Bonl-
der creek, about mile above the tung-
sten camp. The valley at this point
ZiOanq n h.u
about three-quarters of a 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 tho
water in the reservoir. At the east
ena of the site the valley narrows I'M
til the water rushes through n 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 n
rock and dirt core, and will be 100
feet thick at the bottom. Trestles ars
nearly completed on both sides OF the
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 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 ara
now at work digging out a trench
which will be sixty-three feet wide Mt
the bottom and eight feet deep. Its
length is 1850 feet. and large gatea
at the upper end will be operated by
electricity. only being opened in food
time or when the dam Is threatened.
Tho Cidac viii ha ri
raped ad then covered with cement
viii Be t4o Feet High.
The dam itself will be 140 feet high.
and LOO feet long. 1t will back tho
water for about two miles, and will
inbound 520000,000 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. A
flume 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.
n otSti uhd ttiutnl pipe VIII tObftf
the Waterfront this reservoir to a sec
ond one. to be erected on the hill east
OF Magnolia. This will be q storage
reservoir, and little water will be taken
in from the surrounding hills the maIn
supply coming in the pipe line. Two
miles of steel pipe. weighing 100000
pounds, and strong enough to support
a pressure of 800 pounds to the square
inch, will carry the water from here 10
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 ma
row to forty-four inches at the bottom.
wnere it will be turned into immense
Pe1ton type water wheels, which VIII
generate 10000 horse power. A large
space has been cleared here for tho
power plant which is to be built on tho
hillside along the Boulder creek.
The magnitude of the work can bs
seen by the material that will be en-
ployed in the construction. Over $780,
OOo worth of machinery will be used.
including three seventy-ton steam
SnCVeIS, SIX locomotives, lou cars, Stett
concrete mixers and rock crushers cap
able of daily output OF 800 yards OF
concrete, and several derricks.
Railroad Builds Spur.
The Colorado G. 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 10
racaiva oYppliaa eqvqraf 1aya GAR
lier than at present, and the work will
be vastly facilitated.
When the work is completed Boul-
der s-ptutv will hapiu naw era n