The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-01-27
100 MEN AND FAMILIES
ON SNOW-CLAD MOUNT'N
APMY OF WORKERS ENGAGED
IN BUILDING $375,ooO,OOO TUN-
MEL IN THE SIERRAS.
HAVE WORLD OF THEIR OWN

erv Comfort and Many Luxurles
Provided by Great Power Company,
Accept Jobs for Life.
Narooned on the top OF the world
nv snow from 10 to 80 feet deep an
army of LOO men is building the
LONGEST tunnel in the world. Living
with their families in virtually world
NJ their own, cut off from the rest OF
the globe nearly the entire year, those
workers are busy on the $375,00OO00
electric power development project,
HIGH in the Sierra mountains in south
ern California. Eighty-six miles of
trnnel is to be blasted through solid
Granite, and in March the army will
have completed the first section of the
task a tunnel IA miles long.
At Work Twelve Years.
The construction work was begun
Il years ago. Some OF the first work
ers have died of old age in that time,
but others of the colony who were
babies in 1912 have become stalwart
Youths and soon will take their places
in the army of diggers. The men have
built permanent homes for their fami-
lies, and most of them expect to spend
the rest OF their lives on the task,
which will not be completed for
great number of years.
Almost as strange as the huge prof.
ect itself is the fact that the 200 men
on the job are contented to remain
there always, if necessary. The CALI
fornia Edison Company, which IS
building the project, made this attitude
possible by methods it employed when
the work was begun.
In the first place, when the men
we're hired for the work they were
given an opportunity to become share
holders, and thus part owners IN the
project. The Edison Company sold
stock to them, and many workers are
investing their savings in this man
ner. Thus they are working for them
selves and are eager to stick to the
lob but that is not all.
The Edison Company at the same
time paid especial attention to the well
fare of the men and their families. One
OF the first things done was the es-
Enlistment of good schools, under
state supervision, where the children
OF the workers could obtain excellent
eduCations.
Provided Amusenents.
AT the same time the company pro-
vided a free library, motion picture
theater and other forms OF amuse-
ment for the men and their families.
Jerry Dwyer, native Alaskan, was
hired to carry mail to the camp each
day with his dog team Thus the men
are able to communicate with their
friends and keep in touch with the
rest of the world through magazines
and newspapers.
Eighteen cook houses, with capac-
ity OF 100000 meals year, were
built. and Alfred Mccarthy was put
in charge OF them. Every month he
passes out to the men $4,000 loaves OF
bread, 5000 cakes, 10000 pies, Zl0,O0O
pounds Of potatoes and 10000 pounds
OF meat.
The men and women and children
in the colony are perfectly contented.
They are in world all their own with
all the comforts and the necessary lux
uries of life. Nine months III each year
they are marooned on the top OF
mountain, cut off from the rest OF the
world by huge piles OF snow, but
they live as happy and contented as
those on the sunny California plans
below them.
The power company, with the wei
fare of the men fully cared tor and
things humming merrily, now IS able
to devote its attention to the business
problem it faces.
The power company began its prof.
ect-which. in a word, is the divert1ng
OF the waters OF Big creek, the San
Joaquin river and their tributaries into
y reservoirs and dropping the waters
down into 10 power plants-because
il has to have more current. The com
pany furnishes power to a territory
as large as the Hawian Islands, IN
GLIDING 3l2 cities and towns and many
miles of rural communities. A second
reason was that California, IN that
section. has more use for electricity
than anv other part OF the United
States Electricity is used everywhere,
from farming to railroading.
Much Pent-Up Power.
The pent-up power in the mountain
streams is staggering to contemplate
1t is shown by the fact that the COM
pany's power stations will be able to
generate about 100000 horsepower
OF hydro-electric energy.
The first tunnel to be competed
will be the Florence Lake tunnel;
which will make possible electrical
service for $4,000 additional homes
housing a population OF a million;
pump water to 100000 acres OF farm
land; furnish power for 5,lOO new
factories employing 100000 persons
with a payroll of $3O0,OOOOU0 year year
and provide transportation tor zOo'-
100000 persons annually on street
cars.
Then, when the entire project with
ITS SO miles of granite tunnels IS COM
pleted and changing the courses OF the
mountain streams, the companys ca
pacity will be sufficient for the. de-
mands OF 1,315,000 homes, with
population of 100000 men, women
and children And all because OF the
scif-imDoSed exile and labor OF the