The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-21
DesHFlELD POWER PROJECT
Plan for Nottingham Dam May Be
Changed as Result Of Soundngs


three miles north OF Readsboro, w.,
have completed their work and their
machinery and equipment. which in.
cluded, boilers, engines, diamond core
drills, power pumps, etc. to the ex.
tent OF two carloads, is being ship
ped away.
These soundings were made at the
instigation Of. the promoters of the
Wilmington Power, Paper and Pulp
Co.. at the site of the proposed new
dam near Nottingham station. A
concrete structure which was to be
175 feet high and from which water
was TO be carried in a penstock six
miles to a point near Monroe Bridge
and thence four miles in tunnel
through Rowe mountain to Pelham
brook In Rowe and from there in a
pipe line two or three miles down
TO Zoar where it was proposed to
erect a large power house. The fall
to be obtained was said to be about
800 feet which was figured to develop
about $4,000 horse power in electric
energy to be carried by high tension
lines to distributing points in Massa-
chusetts.
Soundings were made on both sides
of the river at the most advantageous
location for the dam to a depth of 100
feet, but nothing but sand. clay and
gravel was found, and the outfit WIS
moved down stream from quarter
to half mile where on one side OF
thn river a gA1fI IaAnn ,V
found. This ledge, however, seems
to have taken a sudden drop for the
lower regions in mid-stream, for no
trace of IL was found to a depth of
100 feet on the other side. A trestle
was then erected over the river and
soundings to a considerable depth
we're made without finding any suit
able bottom on which to erect so huge
structure.
The chief engineer and his two as
sistants were from Chicago while the
consulting engineer was said to be
a Boston man.
The method chiefly employed in
making the soundings was by driving
a pipe down into the ground as far
as possible, drawing 1t back a short
distance and then, lowering several
sticks of dynamite through the pipe
TO the bottom of the hole, which were
exploded by electric fuses or caps,
connected TO a battery The explos-
ion of the dynamite would loosen up
the earth at the bottom OF the pipe
and water would then be pumped
under heavy pressure through an aux
iliary pipe into the hole, causing the
earth to rise with the water through
the main pipe to the surface and over
flow This water was passed through
a fine screen and the composition OF
the earth thus obtained was carefully
noted by the consulting engineer.
When the water ran clear the hole
would be pumped dry, the pipe driven
farther down and the operation re-
peated. a carload of dynamite was
purchased and used for this purpose.
In making soundings with a dia-
mond core drill the composition OF
ne earth or rock which is encounter.
ed is more easily obtained. The dia-
monds compose the bit or cutting sur
face while the drill itself is hollow.
When the drill steel has been forced
to its depth it is taken from the hole
and the core from the drill steel is
extracted which shows precisely the
nature of the earth or rock which
the drill has passed through.
The result OF these sOundings and
the subsequent verdict of mo bottom
given out by the engineers probably
precludes forever the possibility of
fbfe tarnfnaf rsrhfnI n
ted TO entail an expenditure of up
wards of $5,000,O00, being carried out
in its original form.
The point at which these soundings
were made is the only feasible place
in the upper Deerfeld valley between
Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington where
sufficient storage capacity could be
had by the erection of a single dam
to warrant the carrying out of such a
proposition. A dam It's feet high al
the above point would have held q
body of water eight miles long and
varying from one-fourth to one, mile
in width, and it also would have nee
essitated the rebuilding or throwing
up of the Hoosac Tunnel and Whining
ton railroad north of Readsboro and
many miles of public highway, as
we'll as the purchase by the power
company of the plants of the Jane.
Ramage Paper Co., at Monroe Bridge
the National Metal Edge Box Co., o.
Readsboro and the Deerfeld Lumber
Co, at Mountain Mills. The WOOD
working plant of Wheeler and Kent
/ field at Nottingham station was pur
chased by the promoters of the pro
ject some time ago and large gangs
of men and teams have been employ
ed the past winter in cutting the tim
Der located in the proposed storage
area and hauling it to this mill to b'
worked up
Had this project been carried
through, it is considered probabl,
that the Hoosac Tunnel and Whining
ton railroad would have been discon
tinued above Readsboro and tina
from Hoosac Tunnel to Readsboro
would have been made STANDARD
guage operated by electricity Jack
sonville and Wilmington undoubtedl.
would have received railroad COMMIT
nicatiOn by the extension of the Shell
/ burne Falls and COlrain street railwa.
as engineers employed by the powe
company have recently been survey
/ ing that route, and parties interested
in the latter railway are also inter