Arizona republican., 1908-01-15
BIG GALES FOR HE SLUIClN6 TUNNEL
. Description That Gives an Idea of the Magnitude of This Single Fea- ture of the Storage Project.

The following from the Los Angeles Times gives considerable information concerning the details of the construc- tion of the big gates in the sluicing tunnel at Roosevelt. that are soon to be placed:
 A big crew of Los Angeles workmen will leave here within a week to per form one of the most important tasks in connection with the great Tonto Basin dam near Roosevelt, Arizona. through which several hundred thou sand arid acres are to be reclaimed un- der one of the biggest of the federal irrigation projects. They are to place in position the ponderous gates that were manufactured in Los Angeles by the LlewelIyn Iron Works, at a cost of s200,000 to the government. and are the main mechanical features of the stupendous project.
 Work on the dam has progressed to stage that permits of the installa- tion of the gates, through which the local concern will fulfill it's contract with the government. an undertaking which fell to it in competition with some of the largest factories in the country.
 At almost the last minute, the gov ernment had the misfortune to smash one of the costly parts of the equip ment. an immense bronze casting, and this is being replaced at great cost at the Los Angeles foundry. Fortunately for the local manufacturers, the acci- dent occurred after the casting had lzls ,,I the loss will fall on the United States.
 Six Great Gates.
 The gates, of which there are six, are to be used in great sluicing tun- ne at the side of the dam-a water passage that is 10x13 feet ia size for most of it's length. widening out into a roomy chamber at the point where the gates are to be installed.
 There are two sets of three gates each, and each gate has an opening measuring 1-2X10 feet. One set will be known as the service gates and wpl be in constant use. except when repairs may be needed; then the other set. provided for cases of emergency, will come into play.
 Each of the six gates weighs ten tons. There are more than 400 tons of material in all. Seventy tons of bronze is used in the working faces of the gates. this provision being re- quired because of the large proportion of salt carried by the water. which would cause corrosion of the iron if that material alone were to be used. It is in the casting of the bronze work that Los Angeles comes in for a good deal of distinction, because these are the largest bronze castings ever made on the Pacific coast. It simply shows that the city is getting up toward the top in the manufactur ing line.
 The gates are of what is known to engineers as the Stoney type. They will operate under the heaviest pres sure of any of the same type in use : in the world. There will be a depth of 230 feet of water above the gates a tremendous pressure. The gates will be operated by hydraulic cylinders and will be easy of manipulation. It will take probably sixty days to , install the gates. when the Llewellyn works will receive the last payment on it's contract The work will be in charge of Walter Taylor. vice president of the local concern, and will be under the supervision of the United States engineers at the head of the big pro- ject.
 The Tonto Basin dam is at the june tion of the Salt river and Tonto Creek, and near it is the town of Roosevelt, which came into being with the start of work on the dam, and which will be wiped out entirely when the great reservoir is completed. There is a big cement plant at that point. built to supply material for use in building the dam: otherwise. because of the remote ness of the spot. the government would have had to pay something like s7 a barrel for cement.
 [ Hard Fighting Task. It was a good deal of a task to get the 400 tons of material for the gates from Los Angeles to the dam. Roose- welt is seventy miles from Mesa, a railroad station on the Southern Pa cific, fifteen miles beyond Phoenix. From Mesa all the material was hauled ! by government wagon trains to the damsite. the manufacturers simply de- | livering their product at the railroad station. Many wagons broke down under the load of the heavy castings. but this was a matter of no local con- eern.
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