The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-11-28
UNDERWOOD. DAM at
TRACTS LOCAL FOLK

Because of the fine weather Sunday
many local people took the opportunity
of visiting the big dam now under con
struction by the Northwestern Electric
CO., about three miles up the White
Salmon river. A number drove over,
while others walked the distance. But
for the mud of the new highway cut on
the Skamania county side of the river
from Underwood up to the big works,
the walking is very pleasant. About
30 teams and wagons and several huge
motor trucks keep the soft bed of the
road torn up in many places and the
mudholes almost defy negotiation on
foot. However, large crew of men
is kept continually busy on the road and
the highway is kept in surprisingly
good shape, considering the newness
and the amount of traffic over it.
Eighty teams and motor truck or
two make rather an imposing spectacle
on a mountainous road not over two
miles in length. At frequent intervals
the way has been broadened to permit
the teams passing and at these points
a dozen big wagons may be found
drawn up, awaiting the passing of the
train bound the other way.
The visitor sees the first evidences of
the huge work as he emerges from the
woodland way and turns the curve high
upon the steep bank of the White Sal
mon and starts across the bridge lead
ing over to the klickitat county side.
The bridge, a hundred feet above
he eddying, green current of water, is
an interesting spectacle in itself. But
up the stream is beehive of busy
construction work. Men wave signals
and derricks lift huge buckets filed
with concrete and materials for the
power house which is being constructed
at the lower camp; village of board
houses and tents. which has risen in the
past few months for the laborers.
Little dump trans are hurtled back
and forth. Donkey engines puff as
they draw huge burdens up the steep
banks or manipulate derricks.
Further up the stream a steam shovel
may be seen clearing away the soft
earth bank and making the way for the
huge wooden pipe humeway that will
bring down the torrent of waters to
turn the enormous turbine. The upper
end of the flumeway has been COM
pleted A little railway has been
built along its course and carries back
and forth materials and brings down
the finished stays of the big pipeline.
However, the most stupendous of the
works and the most awe-inspiring may
be seen at the upper camp, above the
narrows of the White Salmon, where
the hurtling stream rushes through a
canyon so narrow that 1t seems an ath-
lete might jump the chasm. Huge ca
bles stretch hundreds of feet above the
river and carry in underslung cars ce-
ment and stone and sand to the Ska
mania side of the river where all the
mass is started in its downward jour
ney through the mixers to stop at the
lower end ready for place in the hinge
concrete structure, which will rise
more than hundred feet from the bed
of the river and enclose millions of
gallons Of water.
The crews of men are working night
and day here and at the first suggestion
of twilight, twinkling electric lights
CLEAN over the entire works, and one
might think, listening to the shouts of
men. the toots of signaling engines and
the continual noise of the rock crushers
and concrete mixers, that it was some
gigantic festal occasion of demons.
Among those who visited the dam
Sunday were: John A. Wilson, j. W.
Pifer, Miss Laura and Miss Viola Will
son, Miss Frances and Miss Kitty
Bragg, Miss Lottie Kinnaird, Miss
Hazel Hollenbeck, Miss Pifer, r. b.
Bragg, Mrs. Earl Spaulding, Mrs.
Warren kirkpatrick, Mrs. Fruge, Miss
Cooper, of Underwood, and H. d.
McKinnel.