Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-05-05
ELEPHANT BUTTE
IS 80 PER GENT
COMPLETED NOW
Work SIackened on Pouring
Concrete on Dam Itself; At
tention Concentrated on
SpllIway and Embankment,

tspscial cosRasroaosnes TO MORNING JOURNAL.
Elephant Butte, y. NJ, May a.
Elephant Butte dam, including all its
related features. was 80 per cent COM
pletc at the end of April.
The design of the dam calls for a
certain number of blocks to be COM
pleted during cold weather. All of
The other blocks can be completed at
any time. In winter the concrete
then in place becomes cold and
shrinks TO its smallest volume. The
spaces left by the winter blocks are
then rapidly filled There can be no
separation of blocks as the main mass
is shrunk and the filters are placed
at low temperatures. In summer
there is expansion of every block, but
in place of being manifested in moves
ment of the dam it is expressed as
stress in the concrete.
Forced TO Slow Down Concreting.
This system of placing certain
blocks during the winter has been fol-
lowed heretofore, and in order to
continue it was necessary to slow
down the concreting on April to
such a pace that certain blocks would
be left until next winter. The force
has been reduced from 93S to 461
during April, and concrete is poured
only on one shift with one crew.
While the concreting speed has
been reduced, work on the spillway
and the embankment is being rushed.
The spillway force works three shifts.
and has moved about 5000 cubic
yards during fhe month. In this way
IL has been possible to slack work on
one feature and hasten others, main
tanning at all times the maximum
force that can be employed to advan-
tage. This avoided the necessity of
providing living accommodation for
a force large enough to carry on all
features at one time and retains the
pick of the organization for the rush
concreting this fall.
Half Million Yards of Concrete.
The estimated amount TO be poured
during April was 5000 cubic yards
of concrete, but this was exceeded by
500 cubic yards as the forces were
not adjusted until the end of the first
week. The total concrete in place is
$780, cubic yards. The highest
block is at elevation 1895, $50 feet
above foundation and with 500 feet
still to GO The lowest block is at
1925. and will be raised 10 1880 be-
fore It is left for the summer
The reservoir raised 80 feet during
tho month, and the Elephant has his
feet under so feet of water. The
water surface is at elevation 4296 and
nearly 100000 acre feet. and there
are 1900 acre feet now in the lake.
This is four feet of water for every
acre in cultivation this year.
The embankment is up to finish
grade for every 1000 feet: the re-
manning portion is above 4.407, or
spillway level. There are now in
place $500 cubic yards of earth and
1880 cubic yards of rock, or 116,-
800 cubic yards total in this feature.
The sand cement plant manufac-
tured 11,770 barrels of sand cement
making the total to date 542.970 bar
rels.
The power plant delivered 100000
kilowatt hours on a coal consump-
ton of SO pounds per kilowatt hour
This plant operated three shifts with
the quarry, embankment and dam
motors on during the day; the sand
cement plant and lights ON in the
afternoon; and lights only on the
graveyard shift.
Prominent Engineer Visitors.
During the month j. Waldo Smith,
chief engineer for the New York
water board, and ]. B. Lippincott,
assistant chief engineer of the Los
Angeles aqueduct, visited the dam,
and every Sunday has seen the quar-
ters overlooking with automobile par
ties from lei Paso and elsewhere.
/. ]. Charles, acting construction
engineer, has sounded a warning that
accommodation of the dam are linn
tied; and while the best is done TO
take care of the few that can be ac-
commodated, visitors should not
come without making reservations be-
forehand through the FL Paso office.
The pioneers lived off of the coun-
try and slept under the stars, but
this method is not recommended TO
the general public by the dam author
tiles, and while no one has had to do
that yet the escapes have been mar
row and. judging from the increas-
ing number arriving each Sunday, the
limit is not far off.