Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-02-23
By Day, By Night
Island Works
Defy King Winter

Construction workers on the Gulf
Island Power Development above
Lewiston-Auburn defy King Winter.
Despite his frigid breath which sends
the Thermometer tumbling down below
the zero point, and his attempt to
bury the site with singing snow
fakes, the hardy crew of nearly 500
men push forward day and night the
building of the 70-foot dam and power
house.
At the present time the construction
of the big power dam has progressed
almost to the point where the power
house foundation and dam in the seat
channel are above the water level.
Within a few weeks all the present
construction work will be safely
above the high water level, and spring
floods will not bother work on the
dam or power house. Work en- the
west channel will commence as soon
as spring water conditions permit.
During the recent blizzards the I'M
relenting construction force contin-
ued to pour cement into the yawning
forms Of the east buikhead. The first
concrete was poured Janaury 9Th, and
since that date the work of filling the
forms has gone forward rapidly
Twenty-Five thousand cubic yards of
cement work will be poured this win
ter.
Gravel from the pits near Leeds
Junction transported over the Maine
Central Railroad and two miles of
spur track which run to Gulf Island is
unloaded into huge bins in the shed
at the terminal of the spur track. In
the sheds the gravel IS warmed by
clouds of hot steam. Thence it is con-
20 xuh lie D1fNnd
with cement and warm water, and
} carried to the construction forms
over a narrow gauge railroad on which
a miniature electric train operates.
The mixed concrete is there dumped
from the card down through an over
head trestle, spread over the forms,
and each night covered with tarpaulin
paper The concrete in the forms Is
then given a steam bath until 1T sets
which may be a matter of several days
in extremely low temperature.
Although the concrete work is being
carried on only during the day. by
means of powerful food lights, night
shifts are excavating for the founda-
ton of the dam In the solid traprock
ledge on Gulf island. The SCATTERING
sound Of the drill which digs cut peck
cts for dynamite Is stopped only when
a period Cor blasting arrives. and
scores Of blast are ignited at once by
an electric fuse. The huge fragments of
rock Embossed by the blast are picked
UP by tho great derrieks and dropped
ente the ever growing pile Of debris
below the dam.
The present construction work is
fer the most part confined to the east
channel Of the Andrescoggin, which
was made available last fall by build
ing two Golfer dams across the cham
mel from the upper and lower points
Of Gulf island and pumping the
water cut Of the river bed between.
In this channel the tailrace excava-
ton has been practically completed
and the foundation placed for the
wheel pits, spiiiway, and turbines in
the power house which will be q part
Of the dam proper. The filing of the
forms of the dam up to graded eleva.
ticns of the three intakes for the tur-
hiHss Is well along.
Actual construction IL only small
part of the activity connected with
the big Job. Carpenters on either bank
Of the river are boiling together giant
wooden standards for towers 40 feet
high between which will be suspended
a steel cable for use in Transporting
material across the site Of the dam as
the work progresses. Scores OF men
are employed In woodworking and ma
chine shops that have been set up