The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1911-11-15
NO DANGER OF DISASTER HERE
Government Builds Its Dams So
Well That Danger is Prac-
tically Eliminated

After an examination of the wrecked
concrete dam at Austin, Pa, Arthur
P. Davis, chief engineer of the Recla-
nation Service, is firmly convinced
that the Government engineers were
entirely justified in erring on the side
of safty-if such a thing can be an
error-in building substantially the
various storage and diversion dams on
Government irrigation projects. Time
and again the Reclamation Service has
been criticised for building too sub
stantially. Engineers have maintained
that some of the irrigation dams are
stronger than necessary. Settlers have
complained that dams have cost too
much. But Mr.. Davis thinks no mis-
take was made in providing additional
and, perhaps, unnecessary ''coefficients
of safety" in the various big dams de-
signed and built by the Reclamation
Service.
Mr.. Davis was convinced, from his
study of the Austin dam, that the re-
cent disaster in Northern Pennsylvania
will not be repeated in the vicinity of
any of the Government dams in the
West. The causes that led up to the
collapse of the Austin dam have been
guarded against in the destruction of
dams by the Reclamation Service.
Compared with many of the dams
built by the Reclamation Service, that
at Austin was very small. 1t was only
30 feet high and 400 feet long, and
cost only about S75, 900, SO Mr.. Davis
was informed. The great Roosevelt
dam in Arizona is 28O feet high and
1880 feet long, and its cost So, 099, 99l.
The Shoshone dam in Wyoming, now
the highest dam in world, rises 328 feet
above the river bed, but only 200 feet
long, and cost 1851, ,O46. The Path
finder dam IN Wyoming, 2lS feet high
and 432 feet long, cost S887,5
Compared with these gigantic struc-
lures, the Austin dam was almost a
pigmy, but, relatively speaking, it was
a much cheaper dam than any of those
built by the Government, and economy
in its construction was one of the
causes leading up to its collapse. Dur
ing his inspection of the Austin dam,
Mr.. Davis consulted with other promi-
nent engineers, and from them and
from his personal observations he
learned that the Austin dam was not
built according to the original design.
1t was much more fraiI than the de-
signing engineer intended. For in
stance, the design on which the dam
was supposed to be built had base
80 feet through, up and down stream.
Mr.. Davis measured the base of the
wrecked dam, and it was a little less
than 20 feet at its widest section. This
lack of proper thickness, which meant
not only lack of stability but lack of
weight, was one of the causes con-
tributing to the collapse.
The Lahontan dam is being built
along the safest lines conceivable to
the mind of engineers. 1t is being con-
structed under the supervision of Pro-
ject Engineer D. w. Cole, one of the
government recognized authorities
on dam building, whose handiwork is
seen in the Shoshone dam in Wyoming.
The Lahontan dam WILL of course,
conserve vastly more water than that
released by the Austin break, but
there is absolutely no grounds for ap-
prehension on the part of the project
folks. The great structure will be
what is known as an earthen dam and
will be 1900 feet across the top and $50
feet across the bottom. Its thickest
part at the base will be 600 feet, and
its total height will be TIA feet. 1t is
being planned and built for one of the
most substantial dam structures in the
world. In this dam foundations are
carried down to a depth where imper-
vious material is had. disallowing seep-
age underneath. This dam will be so
heavy that its own weight will over
come hydrostatic pressure from under
meath. The immense earthern fill will
be of many times the necessary
strength to resist the pressure of the
water in down stream direction.
The chief engineer. in commenting
upon the extra expense that comes
from these precautions, thinks the ele-
ments of safety and permanency war
rants whatever extra the government
expends.