Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-22

THE ACTUAL START OF THE
TWO HUGE DAMS in THE
OUODDY PROJECT AT EAST
PORT, ME-, WILL BE FROM
THIS POINT.
AS a longtime project it appears in
an entirely different light with fu-
ture generations to realize on the
investment.
The tides of the Bay of Fundy
constitute one of Uncle Sans great
est power resources and the dams
to be erected will be as eternal as
the wooded islands which form part
of them.
1900 Already at Work.
Housed in two old churches, the
Grand Army Hall and an armory. mil
itary and civilian engineers are plan
ming "Quoddy."
Although more than 800 men al
ready are employed. the big tidal
power project still is in the planning
stage. 1t was necessary to start with
a clean slate before there could be
even fair estimate of the cost OF
the undertaking. 1t was soon found
that previous plans were largely hypo-
thetical. drawn up without exact
knowledge of the physical conditions
to be encountered
In the first place, it must be, for
the time being at least, an all-Amerl-
can project Only the tides Of Cobs-
cook Bay can be used since the bet
ter-known Passamaquoddy Bay is in
Canadian territory. At the same time
it is necessary to keep in mind that
there is likely to be a reversion to the
international plan which generally is
considered the best. There is good
deal of sentiment for it in nearby
New Brunswick. Instead Of using the
land-locked Canadian Bay as high
water basin it is necessary to use the
sea itself for this purpose and prob
ably to construct a great artificial
lake for water storage. There were
several alternate plans for consider
alton and the selection of the most
practical one has involved a vast
amount of exact observation.
Engineers Smile at big job"
This is about complete. Engineers
in charge are confident that the prof.
ect can be carried through with not
much more than the $36000000 al
lotted to it, although there have been
fantastic estimates calling for many
times this amount Although 1t seems
to have caught the imagination of the
rest of the country to the Army engi-
neers in charge "Quoddy" is just an
other job and not very big one COM
pared TO some which they have car
ried through without much notice
They smile at stories that it will be
'the biggest engineering job since the
Panama Canal"
The big job has been the assem-
bling of a vast amount of field data
The Army Air Corps has made an
aerial mosaic of more than 800 square
miles Of the surrounding land and wa
ter. Survey parties are scattered over
the area. There have been set up 15C
tide-guaging stations. Extensive bor-
ings are being made to determine bot
tom conditions. A group OF experts
has been at work for the past foul
months at the Worcester Polytechnic
Institute making exacting tests. Some
of the old plans have been found bad
ly awry, with proposals for heavy
masonry on bottoms with mud 10C
feet deep. At present the project in
cludes building rock earth dams Il
close the mouth of Cobscook Bay, 8
mammoth power house, emptying gates
and navigation locks.
The problem of navigation hal
been one of the most serious facec
by the engineers. There are finger.
like arms of water cutting far into the
land with villages at their heads. ON
plan Of construction will give fint
harbors. Another will leave then
dry. These plans must carefully b,
considered in any plan finally fol-
lowed out.
"Model Village" Started.
The first actual construction jo'
has been that of a model village
for the technical employees and par
racks for the workers. Eastport Of
fered no facilities for the great influ,
of population. 1t is expected that TIT
model village will be a permanent
affair. part of the new industrial
area that is expected to arise on tke
shores of Cobscook Bay.
In charge of Lieut.. Col. Philip B
Fleming, former deputy administrator
of public works in Washington, thu
engineer staff is about ready Il
make dem. recommendations upol
which the actual construction worl
can be based. That is the extent Of
the project at present and its involve:
no such far-reaching social and othel
changes under Government contro
as were undertaken in the Tennessee
Valley. Such would be no business o.
the engineers, and one judges North
eastern Maine would be a bad place
for application of a sociological blue
print.
The engineers themselves are con-
fdent that the project will be a sue
cess-the more SO the longer the time
considered. Sooner or later America
will need all its power. Some day il
would be necessary to harness ths
tides and probably at much greatel
expense than will be required al
present. The mechanical equipmen,
of the plant will become obsolete, bu
the rock-earth dams, they believe
will be as good a thousand years
hence as today Most of the criticism
attached to the project, they say, ha'
come from those who consider i
from the viewpoint of a short-terrr
rather than a longtime investment.