The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1920-04-23
DAMINC THE
SIMILKAMEEN

On another page of this issue IL
published a description Of the hydro.
electric plant that is being installed
above the falls of the Similkameen
by the Okanogan Valley Power conf
pany, taken from the Seattle Post-ln-
telligencer. and written up from notes
taken by the junior owner Of the Ga
zette during his recent visit to OrO-
Vile. 1t has been our intention for
some time to devote considerable
space to this very important improve
ment, involving the expenditure of a
large sum of money, demonstrating
the skill and intelligent constructive
ability of an engineer who stands the
peer of any man engaged In the same
line of work on the Pacific coast, and
which provides the Oroville district
with one of the most important water
power systems in the state, probably
not so large as some others, but there
are none more permanently built or
more completely modern in every re-
spect. However we have shirked the
the article that is published in this
issue, feeling that the general descrip-
ton OF the project would be far better
handled than anything that We might
attempt. But we wish to supplant the
Post-Intelligencer write-up with few
extra notes and additions that have de-
veloped since the writer of that ar
ticle was on the ground.
The process of blocking swiftly
flowing river with a concrete dam Is
an undertaking that requires great en-
cheering ingenuity, and the most
careful calculation. The Okanogan
Valley Power company were fortunate
in possessing a gentleman so we'll
equipped in that line of accomplish
ments as d. J. Broderick, and the big
horseshoe impediment to the waters
of the Similkameen, standing so feet
above the bed of the river. and firmly
anchored into the living rock on both
sides of the stream will stand for ages
as monument to the skill of the
builder. When one considers the OBJ
stacles to be overcome, the heart
breaking delays always experienced in
this remote section in securing the de-
livery of needed material, the diff
Guilty of securing labor and holding it
after once secured, it is simply mar
vel that Mr.. Broderick has accomplish
ed so much in so short time. But
time was an essence of this contract.
The aim at the beginning was to get
the dam so far along that the usual
high water of late spring would not
delay completion nor damage the work
already finished. Ground was broken
at the preparatory stage at low water
in the fall, and then rushed. That work
has progressed SO far now that any
danger of interruption from high wa
ter is passed. Furthermore, fortunate
ly for the builder the winter has been
devoid Of moisture as never before, so
that the June raise will be a very
weak imitation of the usual spring
stage of high water in the Similka-
meen.
The character Of the work, the meth
cd Of procedure in carrying out that
work, and the purpose of the work is
set forth in the descriptive article We
reproduce. Since that article was writ
ten the finishing touches upon the
great enterprise have progressed rap
idly, and although there is yet much
to do before water is turned in upon
the new turbine wheels, the water
above the dam is being Gagged and so
imprisoned with wall of concrete
that there will be no interference or
delay in completing the finishing
touches. The delicate part of the job
was to build up the solid wall to con-
fine the rushing torrent, and to ac-
complish this it was necessary to close
the wall by gradation. When we were
on the ground there were four slits
left In the dam, two low down at the
bed of the river and two some feet
above. The waters Of the river. as in
protest against being shackled, were
rushing and roaring through the lower
Sits. Now it was the work of the en-
glneer to close the two lower slits and
permit the river to rise until the
waters would escape through the up
per orifices. OF course that was no
problem for Mr.. Broderick, as he has
done similar work before and knows
just how to go about 1t to turn the
trick. And yet it requires careful cal
culation and thorough knowledge of
hydraulics. During the past fortnight
the closing Of those holes with solid
concrete has been accomplished and
the river raised eighteen feet behind
the dam, spreading back for a long
distance and creating, vast lake that
has encroached high up on the hill
sides. We cannot give technical de-
scriptien as to how this was accom-
plished, but it was accomplished with
out hitch. In common parlance II
may be said that wooden shield was