Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1922-08-31
POWER PLANT
FINISHED SOON
WORK AT MUNICIPAL PLANT At
MOVIE FALLS Is PROGRESS
ING STEADILY
MEN WORK UNDER DIFFICULTIES
Material Is Lowered Several Hundred
Feet Into the Deep
Canyon.

hrollcklng over its slOping RIFLES
like child at play, then roaring like
giant down through its canyon
walls; changeable as the lofty peaks
from which it springs the Moyie we'll
Tits the immortality of the poets song.
For ages its power has been spent in
slowly wearing down its rocky floor.
Within a few weeks its mighty
strength will be harnessed to furnish
electricity for man.
Steadily and systematically. like
preparations for bridling an outlaw of
the range, the Bonners Ferry munich
pal power plant at Moyie Falls is tax
ing shape. But the mighty do not give
up their strength without a fight In
order to build the necessary dam.
the channel of the stream must be di-
Verted into a flume by the construc-
tion of Golfer dam Timbers and
planks for the Golfer dam have been
IN place for some time and about
three-fourths of the water is now RIM
ming through the flume. But il is
necessary to divert the entire flow
Resisting to its last ounce the hand
OF man, the wild waters push through
and VIII not be tanned AS a last ex-
pedlent, large piece of canvass has
been ordered to place against the
planks. thus holding the finer dirt
and gravel dumped into the stream
from above. This is expected to meet
the difficulty and turn the flow where
the workmen want it-into the flume
and leave dry bottom from which to
start the main dam. which will he
of concrete, % feet high, six feet wide
at the bottom, 40 feet long and two
feet through on top.
Moyie Springs, where the plant is
being constructed, is about nine miles
from Bonners Ferry. From Movie
Springs station on the Spokane Inter-
national railway it is but few hun-
dred yards to the Falls. AT the sta
ton all the material and machinery
for the new plant is unloaded The
power plant is being built about 100
feet from the foot of the falls in q
canyon whose walls are about 500
1eet high. The equipment is lowered
INTO the canyon by means of a steel
cable, over an incline 4of As degrees
Members of the crew going down 10
their work traverse a switchhacl,
trail that zigzags its way at con
venient slope. Concrete for the worl,
is mixed at the halfway level. then
run into place through wooden box
chutes. The placing of these chutes
by the workmen was in itself work
OF genius, for in places they are built
almost straight up against the face
OF rock wall. The chute through
which the mixed concrete runs To the
power plant building is $50 feet long
another of almost equal length will
be necessary for running concrete
down to the dam, which will be the
last OF the concrete construction work
When the main dam is built. and
the plant ready for operation. tbe
damned up waters will be turned into
tunnel seven feet high and seven
rect wide, cut through solid rock for
distance of 300 feet. A concrete
headgate has been built at the TIM
neFs mouth, and 20 feet of reinforced
concrete has been set in at the lower
END for protection against possible |
dlslntegration of the rock. From the |
tunnel, the water will pass through a |
penstock IS feet long, into the tur-
pine inside the power house and gen |
crate the power for the municinal |
system. AS soon as the foundation Of |
the power house was built. the tur-
pine was put in place, and the build |
ing is being constructed around if |
All machinery is on the grdInds /
ready for installation.
II. IA. Hughes. manager of the city's
light and water plant, some time ago
that the plant would be |
ready for operation about the first
OF October. Slight delays have Or |
CURED, but it is probable the work
Will be completed some time before
the first of November. The con
struction foreman, j. B. Carr, and sew
eral members of the crew. have
worked with Mr.. Hughes on other
Jobs, and all is harmony at the CON
struction camp.
The crew at the camp numbers q
men, including seven linemen now at /
work putting in the transmission line
All but about three miles of this line
mas been strung. The men have their
own bunkhouse and dining hall. built
last March when the work first began
These are located above the canyon
water is pumped up from the river
into 5000 gallon tank. From the
tank it is piped over the entire works
camp telephone system has also
been installed which is especially
in directing the work. Move
ment along the canyon wall is both
tiresome and hazardous, and the tele-
phone system saves the foreman MANY
steps and considerable time.
The power house will be a one-story
building 35x25. The turbine
is of $50 horsepower capacity. but the
mouth has double outlet so
that another unit of equal horsepower
can be constructed at any time. The
entire works have been designed with
an idea of building another unit f II
should ever become necessary.
To date. operations have used up
-hree carloads of cement. and the dam
will contain an additional 100 cubic
Yards. The stream furnishes an Soft
head and the dam will hack the water
up about $50 feet j.