Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-03-06
Construction of Ele-
phant Butte Pro-
ject Underway
A GIGANTIC UNDERTAKING
Reservoir Will Be Largest
in the World When
Completed.

Engle, n NJ, March 6.--Work OF
construction has actually begun on
the Elephant Butte dam
The first construction gang. number.
ing about twenty men, arrived this
week and is now at work excavatlng
for the eastern abutment of the big
Idam.
The first work in line of construc-
ton will be to clear away all loose and
Hight material sand. soil gravel and
Irock, from the neghborhood Of the
1.-TWO ends of the big dam. and get down
to the naked solid rock; this is what
the first gang is now engaged in.
Besides the construction dam there
Us a surveying corps at work. number.
ing sixteen men The surveyors are
lmaking the final locations for the dam.
the spillway, and the temporary tun,
incl through which the river must be
diverted during construction.
To Divert the Entire Stream.
This tunnel is detail of which lit.
tie has been said II will be necessary
to start at a point well above the site
OF the dam and carry an immense tun.
mel long distance through the solid
lrock of the mountain rim, having ali
|outlet below the dam site The tun-
incl will carry the entire flow of the
Rio Grande during construction. and
Twill eventually become one Of the prln.
lcipal outlets Of the reservoir for ir.
rigation purposes. The reclamation
service does as little dead work" as
possible and this tunnel will be plan
med for permanent use as an outlet
for the river. 1t will be a costly and
|time consuming undertaking, but II
lis absolutely necessary before the dam
Iproper can be begun
| Transportation and Bl, I.;nq.
1t Is understood that efforts will be
made soon to secure the extension of
railroad to the dam site. The reclama.
ton service will go to work immediate.
|ly to establish permanent headquart
ers, for offices, living rooms of employ
les, commissary, etc. 1t will take
quite town to accommodate the
Thousands of workmen who will be
Iemployed on the work when every.
thing is under way
| The government is also looking in
to matters Of road building and the
engineers In the field are completing
the details of recconoisances already
made for branch line which will run
from the dam site to connection with
the Santa Fe railroad.
Pushing the Work.
1t Is understood that the bulk of the
land for the reservoir has been ac.
Iquired. 1t may take 60 days to com
| plete the securing of the site. some
10000 acres being necessary for the
government to acquire.
The general feeling here is that the
work of construction will proceed with
out Interruption Members OF the en-.
lgineering corps are known to have re.
Iceiyed instructions to hasten their
part of the work with all possible dis
lpatch. The government has been
prospecting for cement material and
lit is now known that there is excel
lent material within two miles OF the
site of the dam The government will
make plans to erect its own plant
fright at the dam site
! The chief engineer OF the reclama.
ltion service is expected here within
the next month to go over the entire
ground and determine myriad Of de.
tails preparatory to pushing the work
of construction.
To Cost 100000
The great Engle or Elephant Butte
dam which forms the largest and most
costly unit of the Rio Grande recla-
nation project is estimated to cost
| I$6,O00,OOO It will be arched up stream
on six degree curve to increase the
resistance against the pressure Of the
water, and the length of the crest will
be 1900 feet At river level the dam
will be 400 feet long, it being situated
at the mouth of long, deep, narrow
canyon. It's height from bedrock foun-
dation to the crest will be 275 feet.
Bedrock lies 65 feet below the sandy
bed of the river, and to get founda-
tion for the dam 1t will be necessary
to excavate to this depth and to
width Of 200 feet, for the concrete
structure of the dam itself will be
| 10 feet wide at the bottom.
| Anchored to Bedrock.
When bedrock is reached in the ex.
cavation, immense holes will be drill
ed and blasted into the rock and steel
Ipins or shafts foot or more In diam
eter will be imbedded in these holes
In the rock at close intervals and al
lowed to project above the surface 50