The Dickinson press., 1917-09-29
MACHINERY HERE
FOR n. ?. WORK ON
BIG RESERVOIR

There is great deal Of activity this
week at the Northern Pacific railroad
company's reservoir site west Of the
city and preparations are being made
to get the work well under way dur
ing the coming week. Winston Bros,
contractors of Minneapolis, moved
their camp here from Hebron this
week and the crew is now engaged in
assembling the machinery and getting
things in shape for the big job. Fore
man w. J. Rohan is in charge Of the
Winston Bros. crew and, with his wife
and two little daughters, occupy COM
Portable quarters in one Of the cars.
R. C. Berrisford is the N. P. repre-
sentative on the job and has offices
with Mr.. Bohan.
A new spur track was built last
week from the main line sout;lWcs:
to the bluff overlooking the old reser-
voir and to allow tracl1age room SUI"
ficient for all the company's boarding
and sleeping cars, tool cars, etc. The
heavy machinery used in the excava-
tion is being unloaded and assembled
at the present time and it will be scv-
eral days before actual operations will
begin. The company has the contrac.
to excavate 100000 cubic yards and
the work will probably be finished by
December 1st. The machinery used is
a Class 20 Bucyrus Dragline, or dry
land dredge, a powerful machine
which moves 21a cubic yards of dirt
in one bucket full. 1t is operated by
high salaried engineers, machinists
and helpers, the entire crew being
about twenty men.
The plans of the work call for an
other reservoir below the present one
to increase the water supply by eight
or ten million gallons, and In ordel
to do this two dams are being built
across sloughs below the present dam
and near the Dingman farm. TAc
bridge crew of the Yellowstone divis-
ion is now engaged in this work, 4
portion of the piling already being
driven on the east dam. The con-
tracing company will dredge out
around the sides of the slough, leaving
and island in the center, and the water
supply will be pumped from Heart
river into the reservoir, as is done ut
the present time. The company finds
that the water loses a considerable
portion of hardness and substances un-
desirable for boiler use when the
water is allowed to settle in the dixie
after being pumped from the river.
There is now some water in the
sloughs from back water from the
concrete dam across the river and the
elevation is such that the capacity
can be greatly increased by building
the two dams across the south end
and doing the excavation work in
side.
This will afford water supply or
reservoir for about forty million gaf-
Ions and the reservoir can be pumped
to it's capacity during the summer
months, so that when the ice forms
in winter the supply in the reservoir
will be sufficient to last until spring.
A few years ago the railroad COM
pany purchased the land adjoining the
Dingman farm for the reservoir site
and the new work takes up practl-
cally all Of the purchase down to
the river.
The railroad crew is in charge Of
Foreman Hanson, under the supervls-
ion of Superintendent Pierce of Glen
dive and their work on the two dams
will be completed in about six weeks
When that is completed the crew viii
commence work on the dam at the
south end of the old reservoir, rein
forcing it with heavy sheathing, sew.
eral car loads of lumber and material
being already on the ground. This
work will take practically all winter
before it is completed.
The cost of the new work will be in
the neighborhood Of 100000. ,,,.'t