The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-18

per Salt river. at the head of a can
yon through which Salt river flows
for many miles. 1t is the most i'm
posing feature of the Salt river pro-
ject, the first one undertaken by the
United States reclamation service un-
der the provisions of the reclamation
act, approved by President Roosevelt
June II, 1902, and after whom the
town at the dam site is named. 1t is
IS miles east of Phoenix, which is
situated in the center of a valley of
which 100000 acres is signed to the
Salt River Valley Water Users asso-
ciation. This corporation represents
the farmers in their dealings with the
government, guaranteeing payment of
the construction cost of the project.
The dam creates a reservoir extend
in- twelve miles up Tonto creek and
thirteen miles up Salt river nearly to
what is known as the intake dam, 400
feet long The capacity of the reser-
voir is 1,2S4,205 acre-feet, the largest
artificial lake in the world. Though
the dam is not the largest in the
world, it is among the largest. The
foundation rests on bed rock 40 feet
below river level. It is 235 feet long
feet wide. From the river level to the
crest of the spillwayS at either end of
the dam, the height is 220 feet. that
being the greatest depth of storage
and over the bridges and the top of
the dam runs the only highway in
that region connecting the mountain
country on the north and south sides
of Salt river. This roadway is 20 feet
above the highest storage and a
coping feet high protects the road
way From the bottom of the founda-
tion to the top stone of the coping is
284 feet.
Length Is $50 Feet.
The dam is curved, arching up
stream and at the top is $50 feet long
and 16 feet wide. The spillways at
either end are 200 feet wide, so the
length, inclusive of the bridges over
the spillways. is 1850 feet. The spill
ways are blasted from the mountain
Sides
The dam contains 339.4OO cubic
yards of masonry, every stone of
which was washed before it was per-
manently cemented in place. In the
construction of the dam and auxiliary
works 33S, barrels of cement were
used, all manufactured on the ground
at a cost of $1,063,543, in a cement
mill erected by the government and
recently sold. The cost was $3.14 per
barrel as against $4.S9 per barrel, the
best private bid available when oper-
ations began. The manufacture of
cement on the ground effected saw
ing of $592,S00.
The first stone was laid in the foun-
dation September 20, 1906. The last
stone was laid on the coping 2S4 feet
face of the dam Is almost perpendi-
cular. The lower face retreats like
the pyramids in huge stone steps from
the width of 10 feet in the founda-
ton, to 16 feet at the top.
No less interesting are the auxiliary
and correlated works, such as the ce-
ment mill, the hpdro-electric plants
for generating 5000 horsepower. and
what is termed the power canal built
10 operate the first unit of the electric
plant, creating power for dam con-
struction.
Skirting the north end OF the dam,
almost under the spillway and driven
through the solid rock is tunnel No.
Z, 115 feet above the river bed. It's
sole mission is to release irrigation
water when the reservoir shall con-
tair it above that elevation, and when
It is desired to release a greater guam
tity than will come through the pen
stock. supplying the power house.
Third Exit for Flood Water.
The third exit for flood water, one
that is most necessary. but will be
least used. and the largest Of all, IS