The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-27
IMMENSE SIZE
 OF WILSON DAM
 SHOWS IN WORK Concrete Wall Is Raised To Projected Height
 Across Plant Site
HUGE POWER UNITS
 TO BE INSTALLED
Plant To Represent High est Efficiency and Low
 est Operating Cost

W7ILSoN dam today presents some w conception of the gigantic struc-
 ture it will be when completed. The wall of concrete has been raised to it's projected height across the full length with the exception of one sec tion on the power plant side. This sec tion will be in place within four weeks, construction engineers state, leaving the clearance of the river floor back of the dam massive job in itself, completion of the generator and turbine founda- tions and erection of a roadway across the span of the dam to remain of the building program.
 Perhaps the best view of the con structi0n work may be obtained from the bluff on the south bank of the Ten Tennessee river. Here, if one can take his mind from the magnificent sweep of the Tennessee and the views con jured by the thought of the three-quar- ter mile lake which will be forced, by the blockade, IS miles up the stream, can be seen the thousands-oll work men, like pigmies climbing over the rugged concrete works. sections of the dam and power plant in every stage of their construction.
 Massive Masonry
 When completed, figures reveal, the dam proper will contain 1 1,350000 cubic yards of masonry and a vivid example of the laying of this masonry is shown below the bluff, where the last section of the dam is in the process of being built. Three large cranes, one of them with an arm 15O feet in length, move back and forth, carrying upon each trip buckets holding two and one-half cubic yards of concrete. Slow work. at best, considering the large amount necessary for the dam, yet even in an hour one can readily discern the rising wall of concrete where the crane buck cts dip and drop their load. The sec tlon now being completed is the one joining the north wall of the river. and here huge jagged key has been hol- lowed out to give the wall solid hold against the pounding of the water.
 On this side also is the filling in of the rock Assure under way. Engineers have not yet located the termination of this Assure, but say it will probably be followed its full length and filled with concrete to allow no possible seepage.
 The total length of Wilson Dam will be about 4,500 feet The power plant abutting the south shore and forming part of the dam is 1,250 feet long; the splllway section where are located 5S steel gates to allow for the carving away of water not necessary in the development of power. is designed to discharge 950,000 cubic feet of water per second. three times the maximum discharge of the St Lawrence river at it's international section.
 To Install Units
 The power plant on the south side of the river which has been. of course, the bone of contention in disputes over the dam, las total height of 134 feet. Eighteen power units are to be in: stalled ultimately. four of 30,0O0 horse power and 14 of 35,000 capacity-a total of 100000 horsepower. With the machinery installed. the natural un- regulated flow of the Tennessee river will produce, on an average, 100000, 900 kil0watt hours of primary power per annum, and 490000,000 kilowatt hours of secondary power, the latter being available only fraction of the year. This immense power will make possible the saving of 3,500,000 tons of coal annually.
 At this point in construction it is possible to view the foundations of the turbines with the spreading draft tube which carries the water away rapidly enough to create a suction adding fur ther power to the normal force as it rushes into the turbine. The channel used for the intake of the water from the lake may also be explored. Back of the power plant is the con struction machinery now in use and it is here estimated that 100000 cubic yards of rock must be removed to insure steady flow of water away from the dam.
 Dam SpilIways
 Further out on the dam are the spillways which have only recently been put into operation. All of the sec tions of the coffer-dam, temporary structure used to hold back the water while the main construction work was in progress, has been taken down.
 On the north side of the dam is the lock to be used for navigation pur- poses. 8
 The foundation for all these works is a very hard blue limestone. Founda. tion strata has been carefully examined and thoroughly tested throughout the entire length of the dam. power house and lock system and found to be entire ly satisfactory. Exploration holes, varying in depth from 40 feet minimum to 100 feet maximum. have been driv- en every twenty feet the length of the