Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1922-08-18
Big FALLS DAM
ASSUMING FORM
Considerable Concrete Work on
Project DOne.-Power House
Started
VILLAGE MAKES
QUITE A SHOWING
Comfortable Cottages, Tents and
ShackS House Workers. - First
Aid Station and Safety First
Signs

While the slogan at Big Falls is
Through by Christmas" complete con-
fidence in it does not seem to prevail
among all hands there. Nevertheless,
one turbine is expected to be running
the coming winter, SO power, the OBJ
| ject of the big undertaking, will prob
ably be forthcoming.
Work on the dam appeared to be
progressing satisfactorily when a rep
resentative of this paper visited the
falls one day this week. 1t was an
animated scene that presented itself.
With 25O men at work, and each man
apparently knowing what was expected
of him, rapid progress is being made
and the people of this county join with
the contractors and all concerned in
the hope that the slogan of the camp
may be realized.
Trestle work for the tracks has
reached the west side of the river, so
that both sides of the mighty Flam-
beau are busy places at the falls. The
dam, which will be of the gravity type,
is now assuming form and a cross-sec-
tion idea of what it's appearance will
be can be formed, Notwithstanding the
maze Of false work" tends to make
the form of the whole project more or
less obscure to the uninitiated.
The trestle work ON either SIDE, up
to the concrete work, will be buried
in the immense earth fill which will
| form part of the barrier to the river.
The entire dam, earth and concrete, to
reach from bench to bench, will be
2,20O feet in length. The earth fills
are being made by S. J. Groves &
Sons, who have 25 men on the job.
They have two or three trains oper-
ating on narrow gauge tracks, hauling
the earth from a large knoll nearly
half mile distant and northeast of
the dam site. The trains of dump
cars are pulled by donkey steam en-
gines and one gasoline engine. The
earth fill will be very wide. compared
to the concrete work.
The draft tubes in the dam to take
care of the used water after leaving
the turbines will be of the latest de-
sign to give the highest efficiency pos
sible, and will work on the vacuum
principle. The dam will have Taint-
er gates, similar to the gates in the
dam in this city. Bricklaying on the
powerhouse, which will be on the east
end of the concrete work, had just
been started when the inspection was
made Tuesday.
Quite Village
Big Falls has assumed the proper
tiOns of quite a village Of course
most of the buildings and temporary
structures, many being of the shack
type, and there are a number of tents
occupied by workmen and their fam
lilies. Some of the houses have
screened-in porches and are comfort
able. The mess hall is large and the
bunk houses commodious. The "com-
missary' is a convenient adjunct of
the village and after work hours are
over for the day is crowded with buy
ers. Manager Collins has a comfort
able cottage three-quarters of a mile
northeast Of the works, in a grove.
Three good-sized permanent cottages,
well-bu and painted, occupy sites on
the lower side of the dam and will be
occupied by power company employees
after the dam is completed.
A crew of men are at work clearing
the wide f1Owage basin Immediately
above the dam. The dam will back
the water for distance of five miles
and water will cover several hundred
acres, from which the trees and brush
will be removed.
Safety-first signs are met with about
the village and the works, reading,
"Safety-Bc Careful And there is
frst-aid station centrally located on
which appears this admonition "Red
Cross. Think, and this building will
be empty" The manager is endeavor-
ing to obviate all accidents. But the
nature OF the work and the topogra-
ply of the site is such that entire
elimination of accidents is impossible.
One workman was being taken to La
dysmith to see doctor while the wri-
ter was there. His eyes were tightly
bandaged. He had had his face too
near a leaky steam pipe.