Norwich bulletin., 1919-10-20
GREAT sTEvENsoN POWER
 DAM IS NEARLY FINISHED

Stevenson. Oct. 19.-An engineering
 project by which the Housatonie
 river will be harneSSed to do greater
 service to industrial. Connecticut than CTS of enterprises on its banks-the
 damming of the stream a t this point was viewed by a hundred newspaper
 nt1 of the state. Saturday afternoon. Governor Marcus H. Holcomb headed
 the party of other guests of the Con- h1ecticut Light & Power scompany
 which is carrying through the enter
 prise at the expenditure of several
 The immense concrete dam. in its
 finishing stage, the super structure
 above its crest to form highway end Of the dam and the bed of the reservoir-te-be stretching through
 ; --9 ...lu piain for ten miles behind the dam were each visited
 Experts declare that this dam is one of the greatest undertakings in the east. Governor Holcomb, the only. speaker at the luncheon. pointed out that this power plant will be the development of one of the great nat ural sources of energy within Con necticut; that it's operation will mark an epoch in the industrial life of the state that it should be the rorerunner of. other great projects. all of which would make this state greater hive of industry. He declared that there were many other sources of energy in the state which should be de- veloped, primarily to make Connecti- cut independent, and he cited the Connecticut river as a stream which should be made to yield energy for the industries of the state.l The yelopment of the dam an plant keenly because of it's latent possi- bilitiess of great things for the state
 o1 The dam was started in August; throughout the Housatonic watershed began years ago. National Guardsmen who took part in the arm maneuvers about Newton in the summer of 1912 The project, therefore. is one that has been more than two years in develop ment- In the fall of 1917 excavating for the dam was begun.
 Six miles of railroad track had to be constructed for the contractors who were handling material. Three bridges over the river were built but only one is left. The dam founda- depth, measuring from foundation to Up Of the structure is 125 feet. From one bank to the other the dam is 1.2O0 feet long. nearly d quarter of a mile. The dam is S1s feet wide at base and tapers to 15 feet at crest in a fiat curve. Over this some 20 feet is a bridge. pier supported from the crest alie. used for highway pur-9 poses. 10 connect a new road from Stevenson station with a relocated road on the easterly side Of the da m running -southerly to Derby and east erly to Waterbury. By county consent zoar and EenIaett's bridges wifi be a abandoued.
 The new lank ten. 'miies long and one and one half miles at it's greatest width will be 15 toi 20 feet deep at Sandy Hook in Newton. eign miles back and 75 to so feet. at the dam.
 The dam used up considera ble of material. To replace 2l60oo cubic yards of excavated material 155- 00e cubic yards of concrete had to be used. Tn September the amount of concrete placed in the dam was 27.- 900 cubic yards. To work this concrete into shape six mixers, six towers with hoppers and buckets and 2-O00 feet of chutcs were placed in position as they were needed. To feed the mixers 900 barrels of cement were kepts in storage and for one period six cars of cement were received daily
 The labor problem was of large pro- portions. Early this year eight hundred men were being used daily on an ay- craze and there were night and day shifts. At the height Of the operation eight standard suage locomotives were at work on the tracks and five mar row gauge engines and 45 cars were serving feeders tc the gangs. In mezs chanical equipment. seven steam shovels. nineteen uerricis and nu..r- ing engines, two drag ouefits and 35 sTmpS played d big part.