The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-12-24
UNSKILLED LABOR
HAS DONE ITS PART
Dam Project Now Requires the
Services of Skilled Men.
PowER-HousE STEADILY RISING

Steel Beams anu 0lIueIs Arc III Tldcs
and Brick Work Is Progressing Will
Rapidity-How the Wheels win b
Installed.
These winter days are seeing nc
halt in the progress of the new dam OF
the Connecticut River Power company
and the work has now assumed Sc
tangible shape that the project shows
its magnitude in the construction of
the power house on the Vermont side
of the river. The spectacular work is
practically completed. There will be
no more piling of logs. narrow escapes
by the drivers, blocking of ice, no
more of the anxiety attendant upon
the building of the Golfer dams. The
hum of drills boring deep into the bed
rock is now thing of the past; the
rough and hardy wOrkmen have placed
their mark upons the structure and
gone no one knows where. Some have
left for the logging camps to renew
their struggles in the forest; others are
boring in the tunnels in the big cities,
while the Italians and other natives
of southern Europe who have welded
pick and shovel in the hot sun have
left to spend the fruits of their hard
summer s labor among their country
men. Still others have tired of the
grinding work and at some pay day in
the past have gone on prolonged
sprees, and waking to consciousness in
penniless condition have wandered to
the east, west, north and south to be-
gin anew the toll attendant upon the
building of just such structures as
that which now spans the river at Yer
non. The work requiring the employ
ment of unskilled but hardy labor is
done, but the labOrers have left a mon
ument across the Connecticut.
Now the finer work, the installation
of the machinery. and the final
touches, requiring the employment OF
the most skilled mechanics, comes to
the fore, and in few more months
date for the closing of the mammoth
gates which will harness the power of
the great river can be given, it is safe
to say that before another summer
shall have come the last wire will be
connected and the big energy convert
er stand complete.
Every day sees some new piece OF
work accomplished. Two or three
weeks ago the brick work ON the pow
Orders for the structure were just be-
ing placed. Today, the walls have
risen on the lower side to at least half |
their height and corps OF masons is
employed in this work. The steel
frames have been lifted into place
forming a gaunt framework. These
have now been augmented by, the, roof
girders and soon these will be placed
in position. What few common labor
ers are still employed on the works are
engaged in filing in against the west
ern abutments Of the power house.
Here there are a number engaged in
dumping loads of earth against the
walls, filing in and forming water
tight embankment for use when the
work is completed A road will be
built to give access to the power house,
assures will be the foundation for the
grounds which are to adjoin the COM
pleted structure.
The top of this abutment wall is on
a level with the main floor of the pow
er house, and above this the brick
work for the walls of this part of the
dam is being built in. The abutment
wall is of solid concrete. and is similar
to that on the New Hampshire shore.
as much solidity as engineering in
genuity can devise, is mass OF con- +,
crete $50 feet long and containing in !
all about 10000 cubic yards. Seventeen ..
Thousand cubic yards Of this has al !,
ready been laid, and the rest will be 4,
packed in as soon as the plank forms ,
can be built by the carpenters. In !
hide the abutment walls of the power !
house the concrete foundations and !
the arches to the wheel pits have been =
laid.
There are nine OF these arches and L
they form the outlet to the wheel pits
which are located directly back of
Them. In each of these pits will be
Installed three of the most improved $
type of turbine vertical water wheels. t
\ set to each arch. Under ordinary '
Conditions the two lower wheels will i
Be used but should the water be ex q
high the upper wheels j
will be used to generate the electric g
Hy The entire set of lower wheels c
will be capable of generating 10000 t
horse power under ordinary conditions. v
IN times of food the water will set v
hack into the outlet of the wheel pits b
rom the lower side, and will cut down n
he fall of the water, which under nor t
Nal conditions is "a feet When the o
ver is in flood, the uppermost wheels S
5hich are to be set at higher level o
I'LL be used in order to make the pow t.
meet the requirements of cOnsump- n
bn. When the water in the river is /:
very low mark the flow will not +,
great enough to generate the full &
bwer but as this will be but for a "
hort period no Inconvenience is antici- Il
|ated.
/ The water first goes through the tur
Ines and then through the wheel la
Its. A gate of an ingenious nature v
Ill be placed on the upper side of t
he pits where the water enters so that W
& can be shut off when necessary. "