The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-02-03
READY
For The Opening Of The Big
Roosevelt Dam
In Salt River Valley NJ ar
~ ~ Phoenix, Arizona
Some Facts About The Dam
And Reservoir

Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 2-The Roose-
velt dam, the stupendous engineering
work in connection with the Salt River
irrigation project is completed and
will be formally opened next month
by former President Roosevelt, in hon.
or of whom the dam was named. Pre-
parations already are under way to
make rhe opening gala occasion. The
event will be attended by representa-
tives of the national government, pub
lie officials of Arizona and neighboring
states and by many eminent engin-
eers.
The dam Is regarded as one of the
marvels of modern engineering. Lo-
Gated in an almost inaccessible can
yon, about seventy miles northwest
of this city and sixty miles from the
nearest railroad, its rapid and success
full construction has been watched
with interest by engineers all over the
world.
AT the point where the dam crosses
the Salt River the stream runs
through a narrow gorge, across which
the huge barrier of stone and cement
stretches to a length of 1,0S0 feet. The
dam is $50 feet high, or about the
height of the Flatiron building in New
York. On top its length Is equal to
that of two city blocks, and provides
roadway twenty feet wide. The dam
contains 1926, 900 cubic yards Of mason
ry. Two blocks of stone were blasted
from the canyon walls and hundreds
of thousands If barrels OF cement u.s.
ed in the construction was manufac-
tured by the Government in a mill
erected on the ground.
Behind this imposing structure OF
stone and cement the waters of the
turbulent stream will form the largest
artificial lake in the world. The great
reservoir will be twenty-five miles
long and more than 220 feet deep
against the dam. 1t will have q ca
pacty of 56,62S,O0O cubic feet, or suf-
flcient water to cover the state of Del
aware foot deep.
The reservoir willirrigate 240,0 900 ac-
res and It is estimated by expert
agriculturists that the crops of sin
gle season will pay for the entire in
vestment of the government, which
has been about $S,540,0OO. Not only
will the great dam save up the water
for the dried fields but 1t will also
light the farmers homes, give them
the power for their telephone lines,
run their mills and factories and also
operate lines of railway If desired. All
of this will be done through the med
ium of a great power-house which the
Government mas erected at the base
of the dam and which will be used to
convert the waterfall into electricity.
The completion of the dam Is ex-
pected to result in the influx of thou
sands of farmers to the valley and this
in turn will create demand for all
classes of labor. The whole project is
part of the Governments great ir-
rigation service, which, as some one
has said, SIS making the dry places
wet and the wet places dry" In a
most wonderful way the various irri-
cation projects in Wyoming, Montana,
Idaho, Colorado and other sections of
the West are rapidly changing the
country from land of sagebrush, and
cactus to one of prosperous farms and
lourlshlng towns.
OF all the projectsN Of the kind yet
undertaken by the Government the
Roosevelt dam is the largest in point
OF dimensions. II is about twenty-five
feet higher than the famous Shoshone
dam in northwestern Wyoming, which
is the largest structure of it's kind
completed at the present time. The
natural difficulties presented in the
construction of the Shoshone dam
were, however, much greater than in
the Roosevelt project.