The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1915-09-21

Boise, Idaho, Sept. 20. Could
BENJAMIN Franklin have seen the
effect the little key he tied to @
kite had in revolutionizing irriga-
ton project construction, as it
has revolutionized almost every
thing else, he would have witness
ed human beings working like
ants in great cavity at night
above this city boring into the
very bowels of the mountains un-
der the powerful play of search
lights. They were helping to
make a great excavation below
the Boise river bed so that the
highest dam in the world, the
Arrowrock, could be anchored TO
q solid granite base. His DIS
covery of electricity made 1t pos
sible to build this dam in record
time or in four years at a cost OF
five millions of dollars. IL
stands completed today, a mas
lerpiece to the engineering pro-
fcssion and its formal dedication
in which Boise and all Idaho will
will ioyfully participate, will take
place October 4 with proper cere-
mony. It's construction means
the irrigation of an empire OF
100000 acres of land in western
Idaho.
A coal mine not being avail
able in 1912 when work ON the
dam was started, the Reclamation
Service engineers in charge, f. E.
Weymouth, supervising engineer
G.. II. Paul, constructing engineer
and James Mum, superintendent
of construction, to whom credit
is due for the project and dam
building. proceeded to harness the
waterpower going to waste IN the
Boise river i6 miles below the
damsite, to provide power for the
great steam shovels which had to
he operated, for other power pur-
noses as we'll as for lighting.
Coal would have been to eNpen-
sive for this purpose and the sup
plv uncertain. Water was plen-
tiful and close at hand.
They erected the Boise hydro
electric power plant primarily for
construction purposes at what is
known as diversion dam, the point
where water released from the
great dam above is diverted in
to the main canal leading to the
lands of the project 80 and lC
miles below. The dam and pro-
iect finished, the electric plant
stands a valuable asset for both
It. is built of concrete and stee
at a point on the river where
25-foot fall is secured. 1t con-
~ists Of three Allis- Chalmers 125
horsepower hydrolic turbines
each with direct connections tC
an Eva generator. It's capacit!
is from 25OO to 5000 horse power
The output is 3-phase, 60 cycl'
alternating current at 2300 volti
which is transmitted from th'
station at $4,000 volts.
Without this power, construc
ton of the dam would have beer
made doubly difficult. With i
the power question, an importan
one in their construction, wa
quickly solved. Transmission
lines were built both to the dan
and to project points. 1t KEEP
dredges at both places busy fo
several years. When the prob
lem of building bitches for
drainage district came up, tn
power from the plant supplied tn
electric dredges.
A record was made in the daI
construction. Credit for tn
record is largely due to electricit
for with it feeding into powerfl
searchlights it was possible
keep a night shift on the job an
se-well was the light distribute
- the men worked as we'll a
in the daytime. Two other shift
preceded the night shift whic
went on at 6 o'clock p. m. Whe
1t is realized that close to 500 me
composed the shift and had a
most as many difficult duties