Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1915-09-23
ELECTRICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Have Made Construction of Arrow
rock Dam Possible.

ton, as II has revelutionized almost
everything else. he would have wit
messed human beings working like
ants In great cavity at night above
this city boring into the very bowels
OF the mountains under the power
full play OF searchlight They were
helping TO make great excavation
below the Boise river bed 80 that the
highest dam In the world. the Ar
rowrock, could be anchored to a solid
granite base. His discovery OF cleo
= tricity made 1t possible to build this
dam In record time or In four years
at a cost OF S5,000.000. 1t stands
completed today, a masterpiece to
the engineering profession and its
formal dedication in which Boise and
all Idaho will joyfully participate,
will take place October 4 with proper
ceremony. Its construction means
the irrigation of an empire, 100000
acres of land in western Idaho.
A coal mine not being available
in 1912, when work on the dam was
gineers in charge. F. f Weymouth,
supervising engineer; G. II. Paul,
constructing engineer; and James
Mum, superintendent of construc-
ton, TO whom credit is due for the
project and dam building. proceeded
TO harness the waterpower going TO
waste in the Boise river 16 miles be-
low the dam site, to provide power
for the great steam shovels which
had TO be operated. for other power
purposes as well as for lighting. Coal
would have been too expensive for
this purpose and the supply uncer-
tain Water was plentiful and close
, TAT hand
They erected the Boise hydro
electric power plant primarily fol
construction purposes at what Ii
, known as diversion dam, the poin'
, where water released from the grea
dam above is diverted into the main
: canal leading TO the lands of the
project 80 and 40 miles below.
record was made in the dan
Z construction. Credit for the recort
is largely due to electricity for Will
it feeding into powerful searchlight
1t was possible TO keep a night shift
. on the job-and so we'll was the ligh
distributed that the men worked a
y well as in the daytime. TWO othe
shifts preceded the night shift whic
went on at o'clock p. m, havin
had breakfast at 4:30 p. IN. Fror
two TO three hours after they ha
l. been at work, the search lights wei
turned on. Their powerful rays ca
, ried across the deep canyon lightin
up the cableways, struck the hopper
where the concrete buckets dumpe
and played about and on every av'
nue. of occupation. Arc lights wei
pulled out over the works on cable
q stretched overhead. Clusters OF II
candescents, with an arc here al
there, lighted up the railway. The
were no dark corners within the liz
its of activity for the artificial ligl
was apparently as good as Old S
himself could provide. When 1t
3. realized that close to 500 men COZ
posed the shift and had almost
many difficult duties to perfor
while danger to life and limb was
ways possible. the advantage of ele
trical energy so used can be apr
ciated. without abundance of elt
trical energy for searchlights, thi
shift would have been impossible a.
the great dam would not stand CO.
. pleted today. The plant also fuI
ished all the electricity for light
the town of Arrowrock which spru
IN nm below the dam and had poi
lation of 1900 people for four yea
're Today it has practically disappear'
The Arrowrock dam stands BAL
feet high, 30 feet of which is bel
the bed of the river anchored to so
= granite, through which series
holes were bored to depth of FRI
80 to 40 feet and grouted with c.
crete under pressure to prevent p
, sible seepage The river was dive
~ ed from its normal channel in VIII
the dam sits into tunnel
through a cliff. Golfer dam
, - the river bed dry and in 1t were pl
- ed 20 ton Atlantic shovels. derric
hoists, etc. With the assistance
men to operate them and work In
HO pit, the excavation was gradu'
sunk down, the grouting took pl
AIN and the foundation for the tower
Y J dam laid 240 feet wide at the b
and 100 feet long. Each day thu
after saw the structure 1000 CT
uO yards nearer completion. line
open holes to catch possible seep
. bored just below the holes for gr'
ing together with grouting holes
carried up through the dam and
nected with galaries built inside
-.