The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1913-12-17
REVIEW OF LAHONTAN WORK
Work at Lahontan Has Been Rapid
And Augurs for the Early OPP
ening of the Project.

Construction work at Lahenter
continues to progress in a satisfac-
tory manner. On Friday of last
week the first portion of the dam
reached the tip top of the structure
namely, at elevation 4174, or 124
feet above the natural bed of the
river. This was but small por-
tion to be sure, that is, 1t is only the
top step of one of the retaining walls
o. the right spillway. But it is in
taresting to know that even this
much has reached the ultimate
height of the dam; and in conjunc-
ton with this actually completed
concrete, the wooden forms have
been erected for the entire overflow
weir of the right spillway together
with the abuttment wall at each end
thereof $50 feet apart. The top
of this overflow weir is at the full
reservoir elevation where the flood
water will be discharged automati-
cally when the reservoir is filled.
Concrete will be placed in these
forms In the near future, thus COM
pleting one-half of this feature of
the dam.
On the opposite side of the riv-
er, the other half of the spillway
area, commonly called the left
spillway, Is now being raised six
feet above what has been known as
the temporary emergency spillway.
In other words, the embankment
work has gone along so well that 1t
has been decided not to stop with
the provision of an emergency spill
way at elevation 400, but to go
ahead to elevation 4106. which is Sc
feet above river bed and which will,
therefore, impound minimum dep
th of Sc feet of water n the reser-
voir for use In the season OF 1914.
The embankment Is now up to
elevation 4116, or 10 feet above the
emergency spillway, and 1t will go
two feet higher yet before tempor-
airy discontiuance of embankment
work, for the reconstruction of the
big belt conveyor for the purpose of
completing the dam to its full height
Concrete is being placed in the
gate tower, commencing last Monday
which will rise TO elevation 415S,
only four feet below the full reser-
voir level. There remains Tut one
more section of concrete for the
completion of the gate tower in
which the full set of 16 controlling
gates have already been placed.
It thus appears that the years
work has brought the dam to high
er level than was originally planned
for this season, thereby assuring a
supply of stored water for next seas
ons irrigation.
The paving of the river channel
below the dam is we'll above water
so that all Golfer dams rave been re-
moved and all rubber-boot and
pumping work in the river bed has
been completed.
The deepest foundation work ex-
tends about 80 feet below the bed
of the river. And the top of the
dam, a small portion of which has
been reached, is 124 feet above the
bed of the river. Therefore, the
extreme scope of building operations
on the Lahontan dam has extended
through more than 200 feet of verti-
cal measurement.
A maximum force of 9i5 men and
about los horses and mules has
been employed during the past
month. The health of the camp
is excellent and very few injuries
have occurred to men on the works.
There have two or three cases of inn
ported typhoid fever during the
long period of operations, but nc
case of contagious disease has orig
mated in the camp where good sani-
tary regulations have been carried
out.
A force of Is men has been EN-
ployed for several weeks past il
gathering and burning brush, logs
and rubbish in the bottom of the res
ervoir, with the idea that 1t will be
cheaper to destroy such debris or
the ground than it would be tt
gather it on the surface of the wa
ter and drag 1t ashore for destruc
ton later on, to prevent its accumu
lation in the outlet gates.
Bids we're opened Monday fol
leasing the marginal lands around
the reservoir which are available fol
grazing purposes. These lands have
together with those which will bt
submerged, been leased for the pas
FIVE years to Mr.. Elias olinghouse
recently deceased at Reno. Th'
income from this lease has been a
the rate of about $1,000 annually
which sum is something of help II
meeting project expenses, and 1t II
hoped that the new lease when a
warded, will provide a substantial
! revenue.