Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-09-04
LOGGING BOISE
RIVER TIMBER
Special Machinery For Lifting Log,
Over Arrowrock viii Be
Installed.

|
rock dam in the basin of the Boise
river it Is estimated that there Is
5000, 100000 feet of merchantable tim
ber. Sawed into lumber worth, say
$12 a thousand, this would represent
value of $4,000. 900. 1t is owned
by the United States government,
the Boise-Payette Lumber company
and number of others with smaller
holdings.
This timber is to be cut in the i'm
mediate future, driven down the
Boise river and converted into lum-
ber at the mills IA miles below the
Arrowrock dam and just outside the
city of Boise.
1ere at the big dam, then, Ia re.
presented a knotty little problem
to life these logs from the reservoir,
carry them over the crest 260 feet
above the bed of the river, and de-
liver them in good condition In the
stream below.
Nothing would be permitted of
course to interfere with the main
object of the dam-the impounding of
the 244 900 acre feet of water de-
manded for the irrigation of A0, 900
acres of rich soil i'm the Boise Valley.
But as the dam backs the water for
a distance of 18 miles, converting
the river channel into reservoir,
including both branches of the stream,
1t provides ideal means for driving
of logs. 1t was early agreed that
some scheme must be devised for
lifting them over the dam.
Under the direct supervision of En-
gineer Charles Fl. Paul his assistant
Walter R. Young, designed an equip
ment baesd on principles used where
scientific logging is done. This has
a maximum capacity of 1000, 900 feet
for the period of 60 days In summer
when the water in the reservoir is
Within As feet or less of the top of
the dam. At this rate 1t is estimated
that it will take 80 years to Lift over
the entire 100000, 900 feet.
BY this equipment located at the
extreme southern end of the dam
logs of any size or length will be
taken out of the reservoir by means
of cable lift and deposited on the
concrete deck on the top OF the dam.
From this deck they will be fed by q
stop and loader to power driven spiked
rolls one at time, the speed under
the control the operator. These rolls
will carry the logs across the dam
and turn them over to a bull-chain
with spurs or teeth to prevent slid.
ing. The chain will take them down
a 622 per cent slope at a speed
of 85 feet a minute and discharge
them into a gravity chute through
which they will slide into the river
below.
AS this structure must withstand
the elements for many years 1t Is
built of the best concrete and steel.
1t is unique In government construc-
tion. Power for It's operation is now
developed at the diversion dam 12
miles below. Later power plant is
to be constructed atArrowrock Inn
mediately under the dam.
This dam, the highest In the world,
348.5 feet from the bottom of the
foundation to the crest, ist&o be dedi-
Gated with barbecue and harvest
home In Boise October 4. 1t is fin
ished more than year In advance
of the time specified at the begin
ming and at a cost of So 00O. 900 less
than the estimates. By storing water
this season, the dryest in history, it,
saved the crops on 100000 acres and
practically paid for itself.