Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-11-08
WORK RESUMED
ON WILSON DAM
Gigantic Project Will be
Finished BY 1925, Is
: Prophecy.

, ASSAOAA WI W eASOAs
Dam at Muscle Shoals is again sound
ing through the valleys and over the
hills along the Tennessee River. The
Federal Government has stepped in
to rescue from possible decay the
wartime nitrate and pow-
er projects, which sprang up almost
overnight. involved in the building OF
what will be the worlds largest water
power dam:.I
United States army engineers, who
have Just been furnished with $780,
900 In Congressional appropriations,
are once more proceeding with the
work OF Harvesting the mighty waters
OF the Tennessee under a Government
program which provides for the COM
pletion of the Wilson Dam. the in
s%tallation Of machinery, and the fur
nishing Of electrical "juice" by the
Of 1926.
To Ask For Appropriation.
This program is SO definite tina the
Army Appropriation Bill to be intro
duced IN Congress December A. is to
contain, an item making available ST.
100000 additional for the work for the
fScal year 1923-24. They will require
but s7,400,00O more after that, for
the following fiscal year., before they
have q finished Job at the dam and
SO"SH AAoAo0s s1lN OC ISAuysLO IUEN Ln0
switches that send out the electrical
current.
The music Of the noisy rock-crush-
ers. the toot-toot of the locomotives
hauling sand and gravel, and the
pleasant controlbells OF the boats tow
ing barges in the river, are making a
harmony Of peacc-thne efficiency, nn-
der which the army dam bull
ders expect to carry out their
program of "a finished job not
mater than the spring Of 1929
with hardly ever more men at work at
n time than 1000 to do the&work
which 1000 at a time were. required to
DO war time conditions.
The men at work today are being
paid at-the base rate of $3.50 per day,
put, as this Is a government payroll,
n congress has granted q bonus to
government workers, they actually re-
ceive about $500 per man per day
verage. This means an expenditure
oenanout 5000 per day for labor. But
cement, lumber, coal, reinforcing
steel. and other materials are being
purchased 13ons eating into the %appropria-
$4,000 Horse Power Turbines.
All the big machinery for, the cleo
trlcal power installation was bought
long ago. This big machinerx tech
nlca!ly described as four units, each
consisting Of 10000 horse power tur-
pines, capable Of generating all to-
gether 1900 horsepower, on the
ground. ready to be installed, So far
rs construction machinery is concer-
ned. there is equipment Of thar char
acter on the dam works which has
neen inventoried et $1,000, 900, and
therefore nothing in that lire with
n exception Of q tow-boat has been
needed, and that has just been kouRht.
work will so on all through
ne winter, under the program, be-
cause there usually is no ice worth
apsaklng OF In the Tennessee. In 1917
n 1913 there was something In the
nature of an tce-jam at Muscle
shoals, but as a rule the winters are
open. Aside from weather questions.
however. the dam builders are findinr
a problem in the supply Of concrete
aggregate, to use q technical term,
conslsefns OF sand and gravel. This
ls oota1ned by dredging in the River.
nine miles below FLORENCE. It must
pe piacea on barges, and towed UP to
inc dock at Florence. During Low,
water the channel is not deep enot,ph
TO permit of bringing up filled barges,
me construction plant, cofferdan1s,
temporary structures were do.
preciatlng at the rate of approximate
~ 100000 a year until .ss,1oo, 900 be-
came aTailable at the hands Of Con
gress IN September, and on October i.
All That deterioration has been stopf
pea new work has begun, and the
army. engineer dam builders are SIN o.
ing the song of peace. II they were
naval officers they would probably
describe themselves as being "edulp-
ped with chart ana sailing directions
and proceeding full speed ahead"