Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-05-24
WORK BEGUN ON DAM
Loring N. Farnum Co. Of Boston
Has Contract for Construction
j. G. White Co. Of New York Has Engl-
neering contract-Slnking Shafts and
Building Laborers' Camp.

The preliminary work on the dam
across the Connecticut river between
Hinsdale and Vernon assumed a more
definite shape this week and by the end
Of next week things will be happening
there which will convince the most skep-
teal that the big dam is really to be
built. The contract for the engineering
work has been let to the j. G. White COM
pany of New York and the contract for
the construction work to the Loring n.
Farnum company of Boston, the firm
which bid on the village water works.
C. S. Hewns, engineer for the Farnum
company, arrived in town Tuesday and
will remain here until the dam is finished
He is at present located at the Brooks
House but expects to move his family
here shortly. Under his direction the
preliminary work began to take on a
more tangible form at once and the force
of men under him have been making
good progress considering the magni-
tude of the undertaking.
The first and greatest problem to be
decided is where to locate the dam and
the power house. This cannot be done
until the river bed and the shores have
been thoroughly sounded to see where
the dam can be built with greatest econ
omy The rock formation is peculiar,
the strata standing on edge and rising
near the surface or disappearing abruptly.
The gang of we'll drivers went to work
yesterday and will be at work driving
wells TO the rock bottom for at least
two weeks before the most satisfactory
site can be determined.
The first we'll driven yesterday morning
was on Hookers neck on the New Hamp-
shire shore. The we'll was sunk 6 feet
without striking rock and Mr.. Hewns
called it off. The second well was driven
200 feet from the first and struck solid
rock at "a feet from the surface This
showed plainly the uneven character of
the rock bottom and the difficulty in Sc
curing good bed for the dam. These wells
will be driven on the shores on both
sides and all along the river bed in that
locality.
The construction work began yesterday
when the frame work of the shanty
which will lodge the 300 laborers was par
TALLY erected on the Vermont shore. This
shanty will be completed in week and
1t is probable that few of the laborers
will be there by the last of next week.
In the meantime Mr.. Hewins is locating
a good supply of pine and hemlock tim
Der which can be used on the Golfer
dam. All of this can be cut from the
farms on which options have been Sc
cured and the work of cutting 1t and
bringing 1t TO the dam site will begin
promptly. About a million feet will be
required
The plans for construction include a
broad gauge spur track from the Central
Vermont railroad which will run out on
the dam and end on trestle where rock
can be dumped off the end. There will
also be a narrow gauge railroad in OPP
Grafton across the river for carrying ma
terials from shore to shore.
Mr.. Hartman Mr.. Ayling of the firm of
Barber & Ayling, the Boston banking
house which is largely interested in the
construction of the dam, and several other
Boston men, came to town last night
meeting here by appointment Superintend-
ent Nash of the New London division,
and this morning the party went to Yer
non to look over the ground and make the
plans for the spur track and sidings
which will be built for the construction
work. Mr.. Moore of Monson, the manager
of the granite quarries, is also with the
party to arrange to supply the granite
from the Dummerston quarries for the
concrete work. When the work is fully
under way 1t will be necessary to have
trackage and other facilities to handle 200
tons day of broken rock.