The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-04-17
HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT
RAPIDLY GOING FORWARD
$4,000 Horse Power Will Be De-
velOped at Deep Creek Unit

III Iie NOIh VI fulfilling q mammoth
hydro-electric plant at point on
Deep Greek, five miles north of Oak
land.
Actual construction work was be-
gun late last fall and to date there
has been completed a standard gauge
railroad fourteen miles in length, it's
connection with the Baltimore and
Ohio tracks being just east of the
Youghiogheny River bridge, a little
over a mile west of Oakland, and run
ming thence to the site of the pro-
posed power house located two and a
half miles north of Swallow Falls and
an equal distance south of Sang Run;
barracks and mess halls that accom-
MEDIATE seven hundred men with quar-
tiers we'll equipped with running hot
and cold water, and all being heated
by a steam plant specially erected for
the purpose; a hard road leading to
the site of the dam from the State
road near the Thayerville school
house, which is about seven miles
from Oakland. In addition to the
building mentioned above the camp
is equipped with a hospital building,
shower baths, office buildings and
number of other structures.
At the present time the dam proper
is under construction and will require
in all probability eight months to
complete it. The breast of the dam
will be about 400 feet long and 80
feet high This dam will back the
water up in Deep Greek for a dis
lance of nine miles or more, thus
flooding thousands of acres of land,
all of which is being procured by the
Construction Company from the own
ers at private sale and at prices in
many cases above the actual value
of the land.
In order to care for the flow of
water in the channel of Deep Creek
during the construction of the dam,
a diversion tunnel is under construc-
ton which is being built at a cost of
$4,000. Upon the completion of the
dam this tunnel, which will be 345
feet long and ten feet in diameter,
will of course be abandoned, as its
usefulness will cease.
Another tunnel, which will convey
the water from the dam upon its COM
pletiOn to the power house, which will
be located at considerable distance
below the dam, is also now under con-
struction and will be 7,400 feet long.
This tunnel will be eight feet in di-
ameter and will be lined with cement.
At several points it will be more than
two hundred feet beneath the surface
of Marsh Hill, through which it is
Tn, OrIaT, n faailI-
tate the work of building this tunnel,
a shaft twelve feet in diameter and
115 feet deep has been sunk midway
of the tunnel and in this gangs OF
men are working in both directions.
Material hauled from the shaft is be-
ing raised at present by steam power,
but in a short time it is expected that
a high tension line now being brought
in from a point in Pennsylvania will
be completed and this power used in
stead of steam for ali purposes where
power is now required except on the
railroad. The shaft to the tunnel level
permits four gangs of men to work
at the same time, and this is done
night and day. An additional shaft,
80 feet in diameter and 155 feet deep
will be sunk later over this tunnel and
will be used as a pressure regulator
when the power plant is finally put
into operation. Until that time it
will be used as an outlet for the eX-
cavators.
Providing no unforeseen circumstan-
ces intervene the top of high hill
within the confines of the Construc-
ton Company's territory will be
moved on Monday next. The object
sought in the removal of this barrier
is to provide a spillway to carry off
flood waters after the completion OF
the dam. This hill has been drilled
at six hundred places and in each OF
hte holes thus made will be placed
$50 pounds of dynamite. The explo-
sives will be set off simultaneously by
electricity. The charges represent a
total of 10000 pounds. The holes are
placed in two parallel lines twelve
feet apart. Very little earth is ex-
pected to be thrown into the air when
the charges are fired, but the detona-
ton will very probably be felt in
Oakland and vicinity.
When the dam is completed and
filled by the water of Deep Creek and
its tributaries the territory to be COW
cred will include much OF the country
surrounding McHenry, Thayerville,
and of course the entire valley OF
Deep Greek as far east as the North
Glade country, so one may imagine
the immensely of the undertaking.
In addition to the large number OF
farms and the great scope of wood
land to be covered by this project
a stretch of the Acknowledgment
State road near Thayerville will also
be submerged to considerable depth
which will necessitate the relocation
and rebuilding of this section of high
way for probably a mile and one-half
including a bridge 600 feet long with
approaches of 200 feet on either end
This bridge will span Deep Creek and
will replace the one-way bridge now
in use at that point. The new struc-
ture will be of standard width and
will stand eighty feet higher than the
present bridge.
Four locomotives are now being
used daily on the railroad in trans.
porting materials from the junction
point west of Oakland TO the site Oh