The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-06-06
By ROY E. HUTCHENS

 This rough, mountainous section where for years the inhabitants have gained livelihood from small scale farming and cold dig ging is awakening as PnsSident Roosevelts gigantic Tennessee bas- in project gets under way.
 The stage is at the Cove Creek dam site on tiny Clinch river, which winds serpsnt-like through the hills in its rush to the Ts sunes- see river
 Already more than 100 me l-U. s. Army engineers and their ielp- ers-have pitched their tents in the area and polished their sur veying instruments preparatort to running flowage lines for the huge reservoir that will be created by damming the river.
 Site Near Knoxville
 The Clinch river purn in sol th- west Virginia, is fed by multitude of Cumberland mountain Strea ms. Twenty-Five miles north of Kn 1x- vile and about the same distace from the Kentucky border, he river bounds between sloping motn- tain sides. Its name comes frtm Cove Greek, a small stream empt7- ing into the river few hundred yards above.
 The dam, which engineers fsay will be one of the worlds larges !, will be 225 feet high, more thal, twice the height of Wilson dam at Muscle Shoals, 250 miles south eastward on the Tennessee.
 Increase Power Below
 Government engineers say the dam will more than double the pri- mary or continuous 24-hour power at some of the dams below on the Clinch and Tennessee.
 With II possible dam sites de- veloped, the river would produce more than 100000 horsepower, en- .gineers have said, though the inn mediate projects are only Cove Creek dam and Dam No. 3 at Muscle Shoals
 Cove Creek dam itself will gen. crate only about 100000 horse- power. Its importance is chiefly in storage capacities,
 The reservoir will cover 53,000 acres, or 83 square miles, it's wat CTS filling the valleys of the Clinch and it's tributary, the Powell river Parts of five counties will be in- undated. Approximately 41 miles in length and l2 miles in width the lake will have a capacity ol 6,0O0,O0O,O00 cubic feet.
 Reservoir Is Big Job
 Preparing the reservoir floor vii be a gigantic task in itself. Al timber must be cleared from tht heavily forested basin floor. Cav erns that might turn water through some other territory must be plug ged with cement.
 Scores of cemeteries must be re. moved Preliminary estimates have placed the cost of this operation alone at s85, ,280.
 Village to Be Submerged
 The cost of relocating railroads highways and bridges is estimated at more than $5,0o00O0.
 The village of Loyston will lit at the bottom of more than POI feet of water when the reservoir is filled, and the coal mining towr of Caryville will be partly sub merged. Scores of schools, church es, and farm homes will be covered with water.
 Estimates made in 1880 placet the total cost at 37,540,643, includ ing the main dam at $6,842 ,83e spillway at s1,810,839, power hous' at $4,9o3, ,457 and barge lift at s2, 983,850, but Major Robert R. Ney land, U. s. Army district enginee in charge, says the dam can b built for much less now.
 Foundations Solid Rock
 In the past six years the govern ment has spent more than s2O0, 900 surveying the project, makinl test borings for the dam founda tion and drawing plans. Solid roc roundatims have been found.