The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-10-02
DAM RESTED ON SANDSTONE
ENGINEER HAT7ON TELLS mr.
ITS CONTRADICTION
says soundinss Were Made Mine Fee, nc..
Foundation Ran Down -Four rc.'
-Fissurrs Developed Under 4, Saw
Wegmann Approved Repair p,,n


/ WILMINGTON. Del. Oct. IT. Cbs,klo.
Hatton Of this city. tho civil engine,
who designed the dam of the Bavlo,,
Pulp and Paper Company at Austin p,
said tonight that IL the recommepda,io,,
OF +. Wegmann, consulting engineer -,
| the New York Croton Aqueduct Conm,.
/ sion. and himself regarding repairs +,
| the basin were carried out he could no,
understand how the disaster could ba,a
occurred. He said:
81 do not know whether our rocco,,
mendations were carried out. for | w,s
not consulted further. do no, know
in fact, whether the repairs were made
or not"
Mr.. Hatton said he had not been sd.
vised what part OF tn waterway had
given away and was therefore not in
position to advance definite theory
| for the disaster.
II have not seen the dam since .Januarr
1910. when Mr.. Wegmann and | uads
the recommendations" he continuad
"Wegmann examined It and approved
the design. The dam was built in tho
best manner possible. The foundations
| were of sandstone. This caused damaps
when water got under the foundations
because Of fissures in the rocks aftor
We had bored nine feet to a seemingly
safe bottom"
Mr.. Hatton said he had been Of ,b,,
opinion that the Bayless company was not
using the basin since he pronounced i,
unsafe. He further said:
"A good test Of the rock foundation Of
the dam was made before we began the
original construction. The fssures CT.
listed further down. however. for the rock
under the dam slid in January. 1910
allowing the long wall to 60 forward
when the weakening assures became an.
parent. The foot Of the dam was set in A
channel four feet deep in the rock founda.
tions. The sides of the dam, the structure
being Of reinforced concrete. we're sc,
twenty feet into the rock OF the hills on
each side. They were anchored there
by steel rods q, inches thick and 25 feet
long. Naturally when the foot of the dam
slid forward the top pressure became too
heavy for the base to withstand.
Il understand the company has had
under course OF construction a second
dam up stream from the i'll fated one
1t was designed to take some OF the strain
ITOiu tNe original uHID. L ne water was
eventually to he allowed to rise half way
up the face Of the original waterway
when the new barrier should have been
completed.
The grea. wall OF masonry, fifty.fvs
feet in height and 900 feet across the val.
ley. was finished on Thanksgiving Dav
1900. 1t had not been completed two
months before the heavy SHOWS Of tn,
winter caused roaring torrents This
caused mighty volume of water to pill
up behind the wall of masonry and stone
Mr.. Hatton described the breaking Of the
dam on January "a. 1910. when workman
saw the great wall tremble. buckle and
slide forward for1y-four inches on lis bed
He aroused the town and the inhabitants
took refuge in the mountains and for
provided by Engineer Hatton was plugged
up. At the direction of Hatton ard q,
the risk of their lives workmen for the
Bayless company blew large hole in
the concrete wall with dynamite.
The imprisoned water escaped through
the breach and the dam and town were
saved itiwas at this time that Mr. Hatton
pronounced the dam unsafe and made ex-
tensive recommendation along the lines
of reinforcement. He was not engaged
to supervise this work. He said tonight
Il en- not responsible for anything that
may have happened"
Owing to extremes in Temperature soon
after the dam was finished by u Brintnall
Co of Binghamton. the contractors, the
wall Of concrete cracked in several places
The dam cost SlO0. Mr.. Hatton laid
great stress tonight upon the fact that
the design of the dam had been approved
by Engineer Wegmann Of the New York
Croton Aqueduct Commission.