Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-12-15

general public may not be aware Of it,
but the, great power project at Muscle
Shoals has not beer abandoned while
congress bickers n dickers over the
question of. accepting Henry Ford's
proposal to take it over and complete
it as a private enterprise. Work Is
going steadily forward on the o.
struction of the big Wilson Dam un-
der the direction of government engi-
ington show hat rapid progress is be-
ing made. 4
Government funds are being ex-
pended Mt the rate of 100000 a
month and more than $500 men are
now engaged in a race against time
and the Tennessee river. The race
is to complete q complicated job Of
Golfer damming and Foundation ex-
cavating and laying before the winter
floods come hat would serious!.' in
terfere with the task, and prospects
are said to be excellent that the ele-
.ments will be circumvented.
When this section Is finished only
one foundation section will remain to
he dug and poured and the engineers
plan to put it in next summer and
complete it before flood time next DE
cember. Meanwhile work is being
pushed on the upper portions Of the
dam and it is estimated that the COM
pleted job will be ready in a little,
over two years. Il,
OF even greater importance and in
terest to the public Is the assurance
THAT the work now being done repre-
sents the cheapest and best construct
ton that has been accomplished since
the project was started. Wages are
far below those paid under wartime
conditions and the number Of men
employed is being limited by the
strictest consideration Of economy
and efficiency. Originally, It ia said.
there were 81 many men on the job
that they got in each others way and
wage rates were little short of scan
dalous. That labor costs are now at
q minimum is indicated by the fact
that common labor is being paid only
$3.50 to $500 a day. Water boys re-
ceived substantially mor than that
when the war> emergency Was on.
Work Stopped Two Years Ago.
Work was stopped at Muscle Shoals
more than two years g when con-
gress refused to provide Any additional
funds. but last spring this decision
was reversed and the resumption of
operations was made possible by an
appropriation Of $500. 900. To this
sum an additional half million was
made available by a presidential order
transferring certain u~nexpended APP
precipitation balances to Muscle Shoals
construction uses. Approximately
80, 600 900 Of these funds are left and
lit is expected that this will, suffice to
carry on the work at the present rate
of expenditure until next September.
BY that time congress- will probably
have made further provision for the
project.N 35z !.
On July 10 last when the construc.
ton work was renewed the engineers
estimated that the Wilson Dam was
35\ per cent completed. thatE.39 per
cent Tuf. the Unnecessary materials had
been purchased and that 40 per cent
OF the cost Of the whole job had been
OF the Muscle Shoals power project
and ID expected to develop 600, 600
horsepower. There has now been cx-
pended on 1t So 1000 900 out of.a total
estimated cost Of $45,500,0O0, and be.
fore 1t 10 finished, It will be necessary
for congress to& provide something
over SEQ, 000, 900 In addition to the
funds now available.
There are two other dams in the
Operation, but No. 1 will be for navi-
lRation purposes only and will cost only
q million and q quarter. Dam No. 3,
n miles up the Tennessee from Will
|son@ Dam, which 10 officially No. 2,
has not been started as yet. tits ex-
Ipected to develop 100000 horsepower
When WILSON DAM II finished twill
tthe world. More concrete ID being
ipoured In Its construction than waa
required lin building the faniolIs Az.
ts,ta ~ ra NJ m the River NfiAsganda1 ~.