Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-08-02
SAYS SOMERSET DAM is SAFE.
Mead Thinks Construction Right and
Materials Suitable.

In a report covering so typewriter
pages, Alfred r. Noble Of New York, of
the firm of Noble e. Woodland, civil en-
gineers, has submitted to Gov. John A.
Mead his findings in regard to the safe
ty of the big dam at Somerset, which
is being constructed across the Deer
field river for power purposes Mr.. Mo-
BILE, who became noted through his find
ings at the Panama canal, sets forth in
detail the procedure followed by him in
making his examination of the big dam,
together with his conclusions, which end
by saying that in his opinion the dam is
perfectly safe, provided its construction
Is followed along the lines thus far de-
veoped.
Engineer Noble was requested by Gov
ernor Mead to conduct the examination
last March, the states executive acting
on petition of persons living in the VAL
ley directly in the path of this water
should the dam prove unsafe and burst
Four visits to the scene by Mr. Noble
were made, the last being in company
with Governor Mead members of his
| staff and a number of prominent men
| from the state, together with several
newspaper men.
| The report takes up in detail the pos
| sibilities and probabilities of the work
and Is accompanied by blue prints show
| ing the situation of the dam and slope
of the land, and many comparisons with
| similar and bigger dams of this con-
| struction are submitted. In concluding
his report, Mr.. Noble says
! THE investigations preliminary to
| construction have been well developed,
and have been completed except in re-
| gard to the existence of permeable ma =
terial OVERLAPPING the rock in Rock val
| ley, west of the river. This investiga-
| ton is now under way.
THE materials in the borrow pits are,
in general, suitable for the construction
of the dam by hydraulic methods; care
will have to be taken in carefully dis
tributing the materials by water after
having been delivered at the dam by
| train avoiding excessive use of water
| and it may become necessary to add
coarse material to the restraining en-
bankment on each side of the core.
Great care will have to be taken in
preparing the rock surface by removing
loose rock. sealing all the assures and
draining springs, if found. so that over
flowing water, even in small amounts
cannot come into contact with the eartf
fill. 1t would be judicous to increase
the width of the clean rock surface, OIL
to build a low intercepting wall, either
of which measures will reduce the pos
sibiity of the water seepng along thu
surface of the rock under the bottom o
the earth fill
THE slopes of the dam are in con
formity with good practice
THE capacity of the waterway, a
stated by the builders. appears to b.
ample. This structure has been define'
by capacity only, the plans not having
been worked out
1.-THE culvert which is to serve as
by-pa during construction is we'll de
signed and properly constructed, an
with proper care in building the dan
will not prove a source of danger, con
trasting favorably with much construc
ton elsewhere.
skill and care in building an cart
dam by the hydraulic method are no les
needful than in any other form of dar
or method of construction. The Somer
set dam. if properly built, will be a
safe as any similar construction an
should not be a cause for apprehension.