New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-05
WHERE DAM WAS WEAK
Engineering Expert Says Foun-
dalton Was at Fault.
PUTS BLAME ON OWNERS

PUTS BLAME ON OWNERS
Should Have Looked Closer to
Repairs After 1910 Scare,
He Asserts.
7. T.. Schmidt. of the editorial stan OF
Engineering News" returned yesterday
from a trip Of inspection OF the Bayless
Pulp and Paper Mills dam at Austin
Penn, and criticised the owners or the
dam for putting IL into use again alter
the scare Of January g. 1910, without look
ing more carefully to it's strengthening.
The weak point was where one usually
looks for trouble with masonry dams when
trouble occurs-in the foundation SAID
Mr.. Schmidt.
The cause OF this disaster" he contln-
ned. will bs clear TO all engineers VINO
have read the account o. previous
partial failure Of this structure on Janu-
arr 2s. 1910 At that time" he said. WITH
in twenty-four hours after flow unoer
the dam appeared the structure showed
several great cracks. and moved down
stream. the maximum movement being
about eighteen inches at the base ann
eleven inches more at tho top.
Photographs Of the broken dam taken
Sunday show plainly that a section Of the
dam slipped" or moved downstream IN
the same manner az in January. 1910 oe-
scrlbed ov Mr.. schmidt
He explained that when the dam vas
built it was provided with an escape pipe
of thirty-inch diameter. but that the pipe
was furnished with a cap instead OF a
valve, rs recommended by the engineer
I'm charge Of its construction. one point
Mr. Schmidt noted was that after TINS cay
had been dynamited on, following the
scare IN January, 1910. the dam was again
PM in use. without the installation ot the
valve pipe drain. which could he used 10
drain the dam IN case IT looked shsky
after wet season.
You cant drain a dam from the TOD
~ course" said Mr Schmidt, and WIN
out drain PIPE properly equipped tor
actual use how are YOU going 20 make
repairs AZ the bottom Of q dam, or how
arc YOU going TO ea=e the pressure I'm time
Of need?'
Owners Themselves Alarmed.
In an article which will appear in tho
current issue of Engineering News TINS
morning. Mr. Schmidt points ont that AFTER
the 1910 scare over the slipping ~ the dam
the owners apparently shared In the alarm
~ the people Of Austin.
AT least they yielded enough 10 have
part ri the dam dynamited," Mr.. Schmidt
writes and also 10 blow of the cap OF
the draw pipe and empty the pond behind
the dam entirely. Shortly afterward they
concluded con what engineering advice II
any. we know mott that the dam was sim
strong enough 10 hold water safely
The article goes on to relate that
within q month Of the original failure OF
the dam they had ised the water within
two feet of the overflow. which produced
"a leakage of about six hundred gallons
minute
Yet no one seems 20 have considered
that Of any importance a. danger warn
ing" the article continues.
The owners evidently considered the dam
Of doubtful strength, SAYS Mr.. Schmidt
because they asked r. ghaIkIey Hatton' the
original designer, as 10 what repairs
should be made Mr.. ITatton's advice,
however. was never followed nor were his
recommendations ever carried out, it II as
serted.
From his own examination Of the dam
and the ground there Mr.. Schmidt ad-
vanced the opinion yesterday that # was
possible the owners had it in mind TO do
something but had never got around 10
doing a. lie based this opinion on the fact
a1F IL.
back Of the broken concrete structure.
This crib dam would be Of use only as q
reservoir for water for mill purposes il tn
water was drawn of tho big dam, and
would be al hest only Of temporary use.
Explanation Doesn't Explain.
The explanation OF George G.. Bayiess
president Of the paper company. that Mr.
Hatton's recommendations had been ad-
vanced with the idea Of making repairs 70
the dam so that the water could be in
creased 20 q depth OF nifty feet and that
a. they had no present use for fifty feet Of
water thew hadn't needed the extra con-
structlon recommended and the further
point advanced BY the head OF the paper
company that "in the summer time during
dry seasons" a man had been kept at tho
gate Of the dam 20 regulate the flow Mr
Schmidt in his article denounces as "the
sort Of explanation that does not explain. "
He confirms also the statement OF Farley
Gannett. the pennsylvania Water Supply
Engineer. that the extra spilways con-
structed after the last scare bad been filed
UP again.
As for the man who was stationed at
fnc gate during dry weather TO regulate
the amount OF water whatever this may
mean" writes Ar Schmidt. 1T had moth
ing 10 do with safeguarding the structure
against an excessive head. \ man en-
rIovod FOR such purpose would be on the
lob I'm RAINY weather and have nothing 10
do I'm summer drouths."
"Tno Engineering Record" will saw edi-
+o-iaIIv that the Austin dam was evidently
unsafe Tor many months. IN was not that
tho dam leaked the editorial viii say,
because perfectly stable and SECURE dams
40 so. but bccauao II had once moved from
its original position and there was every
reason 70 believe that such sliding might
occur again