The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-09-26
MANY VISIT
THE BIG DAM
OVER 600 MEN RUSHING THE WORK
White Salmon River the Scene Of Bustline
Activity in the Huge Power
Project

n mp " Tue biB udtn anu power site
on the White Salmon river, three miles
from Underwood, is well worth while,
and is being taken advantage of by
many Hood River people. While this
project has been under way for several
months. the magnitude of the work has
not been realized until of late. The
population of the two camps at the
works exceeds the combined population
OF Underwood, White Salmon aud Bin
gen, and regular organized city gov
ernment, in many respects, exists at
the camp. Order is maintained by
complete police department, there is
an organized fire department. a resi-
dent physician cares for the sick and
injured. and the entire hustling httle
community is well cared for in every
respect.
There is place where social fune-
tions are held. The aristocrats and
society leaders live on mob Hill"
section of temporary houses set apart
for the married men and their families.
The foreign element are grouped by
themselves, the Greeks, Italians and
other nationalities living by themselves
and having their own cooks. For the
American laborers bunk houses are
provided for sleeping quarters and
large dining room, or "mess hall, ,"
with long tables has been erected
where the meals are served.
The main office of the company is a
busy place, reminding one of the office
.of large manufacturing concern.
with the numerous heads of depart
ments, stenographers, clerks and book
keepers. 1t is here that the visitor
must secure permit to visit and in
speet the huge work, and guide is
furnished the party, to see that the
visitor does not stray to dangerous and
forbidden points of work, and to cour-
teously answer questions.
The present force consists of 600 men
who are working day and night to com
plete the work. The preliminary work
of getting ready for the big plant has
occupied several months, and called for
the expenditure of large sums of
money. A road had to be made for
three miles around the sides of the
deep canyon through which runs the
White Salmon river, the road connect
ing with the county road at Under
wood, on an easy grade toshe river,
crossing on a heavy truss bridge capa-
ble1of holding the heavy trucks loaded
with machinery and lumber for the
plant. This road has been well graded
and graveled, so that the freight teams
can haul maximum loads from the Un-
Iderwood station, while several motor
trucks are kept busy in the freight
service.
L. G. Westfall the Underwood lum-
ber dealer, has the contract for supply
| ing 4,000 600 feet of lumber for the
works, and is now delivering 20. 200
feet per day. The large stave pipe
will be built of lumber from his mill.
The site selected for the dam is at
the point called the "Narrows, where
the two sides of the canyon nearly
meet, and where the water from the
river rushed through at about a mile
minute. 10 enable the dam to be put
across this narrow place where the bed
rock also lines the river, the water
was diverted through an artificial
channel cut through the rock, it being
necessary to make three tunnels con-
nected by fumes to take care'of the
water. This new channel is 1000 feet
long, and carries the entire current of
the.river, while the work of eonstruc-
tion on the dam is going on.
While one gang of workmen is begin
ming to lay the concrete for the dam
itself, now that the heavy preliminary
work is done, another gang is putting
in the foundations for the power house,
one mile down the stream from the
dam and still another is cutting out
right of way for the largest pipeline in
the world. The pipeline is to carry
water from the dam to the power
house.
This huge pipe, which will be l3b
feet in diameter, will be one mile long,
and in one hour $1,000, 900 gallons Of
mountain water will rush through it to
turn the great turbines in the power
house.
There are other pipelines in the world
longer than one mile, but none of l3b
feet diameter. The next largest one is
only little more than " feet through
So carefully must this pipe be laid
that it is to be built on level as true
as that of railroad track for most OF
the distance to the power house. To
make the grade, steam shovel is now
digging its way along the upper bank
of the river, high above the stream.
One of the cuts made by the shovel is
30 feet deep.
At the end of the pipe line. on the
elevation above the power house
large cement reservoir will be erected.
From this reservoir two large iron
pipes nine feet in diameter will carry
ho 20. 70
er house turbines, making a drop of
ITO feet. 1t is this fall that will give
the energy which is to be transformed
into electricity.
From Underwood high tension wires
will bring this power to Portland, 72
miles, supplying towns along the north
bank of the Columbia river enroute.
Everything is in readiness to begin
work Immediately on the compauys
plant and distributing system in Port
land as soon as the franchise is for
mally passed. The eompany's plans
call for an expenditure of between
SO, 600. 900 and $4,000, 600 here within
the next two years.
With the completion of the White
Salmon project, work will be begun a
once on a plant of 30, 600 horsepower on
the Klickitat river, following which at
plant on the Lewis river is to be built
to furnish $4,000 additional horse
power.
Two very fine residences are being
built on the hill above the power house,
one costing $5,000 to be occupied by
the superintendent, and the other cost
lug about 81 1000, to be used as mems
quarters, for the regular employees.
Bailey & Colby have the contract for
the wiring OF the two houses. which
will be very complete job. The resi-
dence, and probably the mems quar-
ters, will be fitted throughout with all
kinds of electrical appliances for light
ing and heating. Electric heaters will
furnish heat, electric ranges for cook
ing, and numerous devices will be en-