The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-18

stevenson, Conn, Oct. lS.---NeWS- papermen of Connecticut and many others were guests today of the Con- necticut Light & Power Company which is bringing to fruition the de- velopment of a portion of the Housa- tonic River Valley between this will 1age and Sandy Hook, Newtown, as a source of water power by dammtng the Housatonic river. As water will be flowing into the new lake soon this was the last opportunity for a general view of the bed of what hereafter will be the states largest body of water.
 The Connecticut Editorial Associa- tion gathered at Derby and with members of the staffs of dailies, it's members, were brought here at noon.. There was lunch and a visit to the dam and power plant which latter is on the end of the great dam. Then there was a trip through what will be the reservoir which heretofore had been farm and woodland in one of the most slightly parts of the picturesque Housa tonic Valley.
 The power plant which will be operated by energy primarily deriv- ed from the lake, will supply electric current to Waterbury, New Britain, Naugaturk, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Cheshire and Southington, or what is practically the heart of industrial Connecticut. In the plant VIII be four generators of 10000 h.p. capac- ity each of which will produre $500 volts. which will be transformed into 66,000 volts. Visitors saw three of these great generators.
 The company claims this to be the most gigantic project ever attempted in Connecticut, and by use of water power it will release thousands of tons of coal monthly to other indus tries.
 The newspapermen in their trip over the territory followed the trail of the Editorial Association, which in August spent a day in looking over the enterprise. Today's trip show ed the dam almost in it's completed state, and gave, a better idea of the tmmensity of the undertaking.
 A lake greater in area than nature gave to Connecticut In the period of time when the land took form is soon to be created hereabouts Heretofore the beautiful Lake Bantam in Litch- field county has been the largest body within the state. Geological surveys have many times pointed out that Connecticut was deficient in water sources for uses of its popu- lous places, excluding from consid- eration the great Connecticut river, the adaptability of which so far as this state is considered has been in recent years limited to the carrying trade, and unfortunately, as means of carrying away muck of the in dustrial and municipal wastes of places on it's banks.
 Within a few weeks a water sup ply project will be in its last stages nf 6aval0nDna mi ha flooding of 1900 acres will begin, the bonding being made possible by damming the Housatonic river here with one of the greatest concrete structures in, not only New England, but the eastern states. One has to look to the immense irrigation pro- jects of the far west to obtain com parative figures. The dam hereaf- ter to be commonly called the Stew enson dam, is the property of the Connecticut Light & Power Co.,, which will control the ten mile lake above the dam and the howage rights of the many sources which will sup ply the one and one-billion cubic feet of water continually needed to keep the lake at capacity.
 Engineering figures and estimates provide these statistics. The dam was started in August, 1917. Surveys for 1t and throughout the Housatonic watershed began years ago. Ma tional Guardsmen who took part in the army manoeuvres about Newton in the summer of 1912, frequently ran into the surveyors. The project, therefore, is one that has been more than two years in development. In the fall of 1917, excavattng for the dam was begun.
 Six miles of railroad track had to be constructed for the contractors who were handling materials. Three bridges over the river were built but only one is left The dam founda- tions went to bed rock The extreme depth, measuring from foundation to lip Of the structure is 125 feet. From one bank to the other the dam is 1900 feet long, almost 8 quarter of a roile The dam is S1 feet wide al base and tapers to 15 feet at crest in a fiat curve. Over this, some 20 feet, is a concrete highway bridge pier supported from the crest, and used for highway purposes, to con- meet a new road from Stevenson sta ton with relocated road on the easterIy side of the dam running southerly to Derby and easterly tc Waterbury. By county consent ZoaI and Bennett's bridges will be aban- doned
 The new lake ten miles long an6 one and one miles at is greates width will be 15 to 20 feet deep a Sandy Hook in Newtown, eight mile! back, and 75 to 80 feet at the dam
 The dam used up a considerable amount of material. To replace 216, ooo cubic yards of excavated mater iaI 155, ,000 cubic yards of concret, had to be used. In September tn, amount of concrete placed in the