Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-10-30
NEW DAMS IN OTTER CREEK
Work at Beldens is Nearing
Completion.
VIII Give Vermont Marble Company
Additional Power TO the Extent of
2.4OO II. P.-Iargc Amounts of
Dynamite and Concrete Used
(From the Rutland HeraldD

While the Vermont Marble company's
two new dams at Bedens will probably
not be completed before February !, 1914,
enough work has been done to give an
idea of what the finished plant will look
like. says the Vergennes Enterprise. Be-
tween 60 and 20 men have been working
on the dam since tho forepart of last
May, work at the mill having been sus-
pended in the meantime.
y. G.. Peterson of Proctor, civil en-
gneer. graduate of the University of
Vermont in the class of 1918, has been
in charge of the construction work for
several months. assisted by p T.. Mooney
of Pittsford, the former holding frequent
consultations with the chief of the en-
cheering staff ut the home office. When
completed, the dams will have cost the
Vermont Marble company in the neigh
borhood of 100000, about half of which
was used in buying machinery. the re-
maindcr going for labor materials, etc.
When finished the dam will have
capacity of 200 h. D., two wheels being
used of equal power.
The scene of operations covers a terri
tory of approximately two acres, the two
da ms being separated by a small island
Of solid rock through which 1t was nee
cssary to tunnel for a canal in order to
build the larger dam. The latter is 30
feet high and has a thickness Of p feet.
In this work alone 1t was necessary
to excavate more than 300 yards Of stone
and IN this work of course, dynamite
was used in large quantities
Notwithstanding the large amount Of
explosives which 1t was necessary to use
in the work, the number and ineXperence
of some OF the men employed, and the
troaCherous formation of limestone in GER
tain places. which caved in two or three
! times it is n fact that no accident Of
any consequence has occurred. The near
est approach to an accident happened
Friday. when three Italians employed in
the pit, whore much blasting and excavat-
ing Is being done. came very near being
| injured seriously. The man operating the
electric derrick misunderstood the signals
while lowering a huge box. which is used
| for hauling up dirt and stone. into the
| pit. Directly under the descending box,
which weighs several hundred pounds,
were the three Italians, working away
with their backs bent all unconscious Of
approaching danger. Warning shouts
reached them in their perious position
not n moment too soon. The box was of
sufficient weight and breadth to crush all
three, had it struck them.
! The dams are of solid concrete con-
struction. more than 800 barrels of ce-
ment having been used already. and It
will be necessary to use at least 500 or
600 more. Something over 1900 ards of
concrete walls have been built.
| The gates which are 30 feet wide and
Is feet high, are OF solid steel. as are
the racks. penstock and other parts, in
Guiding an apparatus for catching and
anchorng floating debris \ stone crusher
| in operation on the ground brushes the
rock as it Is taken from the pit and it is
then ready for use in the making of the
| walls
! with the completion of the Beldens
dams the Vermont Marble company will
have one of the finest private power plants
in the state, II not in New England
Starting a Huntington Falls and reach
! ing West Rutland, a distance of about 40
miles. runs a high tension wire carrying
| 1900 volts. \ transformer Is located at
I3eldens, which regulates and reduces the
voltage to the required amount at any
| time.
y power house, 40 by A. is to be erected
at the foot of the larger dam.
! Besides those at Huntington and Bel
dens. the company maintains plants at
West Rutland. Proctor and Fowler. 1t
has been gradually replacing steam
power with electricity and in time the
company Will probably operate its mills
| by electricity exclusively.