Omaha daily bee., 1913-10-26
GIANTS OF THE DAM FAMILY
Greatest Irrigation Project Of the
World on the Rio
0rands.

Lest we forget" II II necessary once
In a while TO repeat that the United
States government Is building at Ee-
plant Butte. N. M, on the Rio Grande.
the greatest irrigation project in the
world. Tho Assuan dam. on the Nile.
In Egypt is not 70 be compared with II.
1t 10 TO cost ti0oooooo and vast territory
both In the United States and In Mexico
win get the waters for irrigation.
Five times bigger than the Mills build
ins at New York. 100 feet higher and
with q storage capacity which would
cover the state OF Delaware with two
feet Of water. was Project Engineer L.
N. Lawson's comparative picture Of tho
Elephant Butte dam.
Mr. Lawson said the dam would form
a lake forty-one miles long and six miles
wide and the main canal would be one Of
the largest In tho world. He said that
the work was being done as rapidly and
economically as possible and that the
foundation would be completed within a
few days, when the dam proper would
be started
Under date OF Elephant Butte u. II.
Haiwin. consulting engineer. writes as
tho grab buckets which had been exca-
waiting about loo cubic yards Of sand
and gravel per day on the dam site.
were removed from cableways and skipa
substituted In order to help out the DER
ricks. which were handling bowiders ana
loose rock on q section near the fiume.
the desire being TO prepare an area OF
the foundation about 30 feet square. ada
cent TO the flums section, for masonry,
80 that conoreting could be going on
while the balance OF excavation was being
completed. thus enabling q larger force
10 be employed and consequently hasten
the work.
The material cxcavated during the last
month has been mainly bowlders, loose
rock tnterlaid with broken shale and clay,
ana some thin layers OF hard sandstone.
the most OF which required blasting, but
deposits near sound bedrock had 70 be
carefully handled. much Of II ioosened
with picks and wedges In order TO avoid
cracking the foundation This, OF course,
has been tedious work. the volume
excavated daily being small as compared
with the output when handling sand ana
gravel. There was also more OF this 70
the bedrock. though corresponding sx-
actly with the location shown by diamond
drill borings. was in many places shat
tered and had TO be removed TO q greater
depth than anticipated.
In several places the excavation is now
at a depth OF eighty feet below the low,
est point OF the old river bed and in ono
place even deeper The large areas oe
bedrock thus far exposed indicate an
excellent foundation. the rock dipping At
such an angle as TO afford the best pos
sible protection against sliding and pre-
ssnting a very uneven surface. which
Is very desirable for tho same reasonA
With the exception Of a narrow strip az
both heel and toe OF the dam, work on
which was hitherto not possible on ao-
count OF the position of the derrfcks and
water pipe lines. this area is about ready
for eoncrelng; but In order TO carry on
the work most economically no concrote
will be placed until the above mentioned
areas are ready.
Labor conditions have been somsvxhas
unsatisfactory OF late. but steps have
been taken to supplement the supply and
a steady Improvement In this respect Is
noticed At the present time. when there
is necessarily 90 much hand work 'on the
excavation. preparing the bedrock for
masonry. a shortage OF labor affects the
output much more nouoeably than when,
such work is being done by machinery.
But with a large area OF bedrock uncov-
cred In the deepest part OF the excava-
ton and ooncreting practically in sight
IL Is confidently expected that the ma
sonry will be up to the elevation OF the
old river bed by the close OF the year
st. Louis Globe Democrat