The Colorado statesman., 1924-06-14

as il will appear when completed In 1928. lnse
gauge railroad; 20 miles of sewers; 16 miles of
domestic and fire water supply; a 10000, gallon
reservoir with pumping plant and filter, and an Ice
plant
GOrgas Steam Power Plant-In order to obtain
power for construction work and for operation or
the nitrate plant while Its main power supply was
still unavailable, a 40000-horsepower generating
plant was erected on the property of the Alabama
Power company at Gorgas, Ala. SS miles away,
and connected with Muscle Shoals by long trans
mission line. This plant is not an integral portion
of the Muscle Shoals development. 1t was, there
fore, sold to the Alabama Power company under
IN agreement made with that company at the time
II was erected.
Largest Dam In the World.
The Illustration glvea herewith suggests out
standing features of Wilson Dam. The Inserted
map shows the relative positions of the three dams.
The navigation part of the Muscle Shoals project
is too extensive and complicated to be described
In detail here. In general 1t may be said that the
Tennessee river rises in northeastern Tennessee,
flows southwest makes an east TO west loop
through northern Alabama and then flows north
through Tennessee and Kentucky, Joining the Ohio
near its juncture with the Mississippi at Cairo Ill.
The Tennessee Is $50 miles long from Knoxville,
Tenn, TO Paducah, Ky. At Muscle Shoals, in north
ern Alabama, the river falls 1874 feet in 81 miles.
Here Is the main obstruction to the through navi-
CATION of the river. With the three dams and the
supplemental locks in operation the Muscle Shoals
obstacle would be removed.
The Wilson Dam, the Illustration suggests. Is
an impressive structure and pleasing to the eye.
There are longer dams and dams that are higher,
but none that is larger Ministerial golfers in mo-
ments of stress requiring adequate expression will
soon he expected to change over from Gatun or
Assuan to Wilson, or at least to cap the climax
with Wilson 1t should be remembered that the
stream here runs from east to west and that in the
illustration the north bank is at the left of the
picture.
Wilson Dam was built primarily for the purpose
of furnishing electric power, but the navigation
phase had to be considered. This accounts for the
lock on the north bank. Then comes the main dam
and next the power house extending from the main
dam to the south shore The switch and control
buildings will be located the bluff on the south
shore. If drydock is needed in the future, 1t will
be located upstream from the lock- Hugh l..
Cooper, designing and supervising engineer of the
Wilson Dam, says the entire structure will contain
sc 100000 solid cubic feet of masonry and cover
20 acres of ground. He vlsualizes this mass of
masonry by saying 1t Is equivalent to concrete
road from New York to Chicago, 16 feet wide and
six inches thick The project is being constructed
by the War department. corps of engineers, u. S.
A. under Mai. Gen. Lansing III. Beach, chief of
engineers. and Brig. Gen. Harry Taylor, assistant
chief Immediately in charge. The construction
forces under the direction of Lieut.. Col. George
r. Spalding. Mr.. Cooper says of the dam proper:
The proper rises to a height of 1877 feet above
foundations ard backs up the water to a depth of
from the bedrock to the new water surface.
The spllway section OF the dam Is of the overfall
gra witty type OF dam. Normal pool level above the
is elevation SOL normal tailwater is at
elevation 400 thus making the normal head avail
able 80 The crest of the spillway is at eleva
4S3. each spiliway opening is 3S feet wide
in the clear. with S-foot pier between. Sup
ted n these piers and archng each spill
is arch bridge. serving
ating deck for the spillway control gates and
vding a double track bridge and roadway
the river. In all there are 5S spillway openings
with control gate of structural steel Is
high and 40 feet long
'"The last sections of the dam, adjoining and
connecting the power house forebay structure,
spillway sections says Mr.. Cooper. I'm
these five sections there located thirteen
sluices Each suice Is simply 9-foot diameter
conduit extending through the dam, protected at
the upstream end by a massive concrete screen,
and controlled at the downstream or discharge by
Il l0S-inch butterfly valve. These valves op-
Grated by small compressed air engine, mounted
which travels on track above valves.
When one of the sluices is opened under full head
1t discharges stream eight feet in dl-
ameter at velocity AT about 45 feet per second
thirty miles hour.
Enormous Power to Be Generated.
THE power house structure be divided into
two parts: the forebny structure and the power
house building. The forebay structure Is that por-
tion OF the structure which retains the water and
part OF the water barrier. II Is de
signed withstand the entire wafer pressure with
out the aid of the power house building. The arch
bridge and roadway continue without change of
grade the forebay structure to the south shore
The power house Is approximately 1,25o feet long
100 feet wide and I34 feet high. and when com
pleted Will contain eighteen main units two aux.