Imperial Valley press., 1936-06-14

Rouge. Tnis is the largest size
built. 1t took a freight train of
27 cars TO move the huge TOO ten
factory On skids" to Araz junction
where it was unloaded, reassem-
bied and started to work on De-
ccmbsr 7 1884.
Shortly afterward its smaller
brother, a 312 cubic yard dragline,
rived. The result is that today,
The Boyce-Igo contract covering
approximately five and one-half
niles OF the canal is almost fin
iShed.
End in Sight
Roy L. Igo, partner in the COM
r2ny has spent much of his time
supervising the local job and ex-
poets the work will be finished and
accepted by the Bureau Of Reclaim
alton by July l, this year.
Officially, the area G. the canal
eXcavated by this firm extends
from Station 800 just southwest
Of sipnon drop to Station 1895
A3ar the Griffith cut at Pilot Knob.
Throughout the entire five and
cne-h1lf mile distance, over part
- which 100-feet deep excava-
tiOns were necessary through sand
mountains, the larger dragiine,
swinging buckets with a 15-yard
capacity. did the main eXcavating
and the smaller dr3gline trimmed
ana smcotAsd the slopes. Bull
dC1ers We're used constantly to
~mooth the way for the draglines.
Almost since the start, the pro-
graE has been a constant routine
CT working tWenty-fCur hours a
day through chill winter and hot,
broiiing summer. A total ~ en-
plCyeS were constantly employed,
zig crews being divided into four
.hifts Of Workmen who operated
the huge machines which were only
allowed to pause for short time
in each 24hour stretch. The
pause was for the regular daily
o1ling and greaSing Of the man.
moth working parts.
Of course there were OCCASION
al breakdoWns-sll machinery is
susceptible to that. But at the
Araz station, machine shops were
30 equipped as to take care of any
emergency, the majority Of which
could be handled by the large
amount of tools and equipment
c-!ried on the rig floor.
Work Under Lights
At nights the operations went
steadily forward by flood lights,
so attached that The immediate
area Of operations was as bright
as day.
Day and night Boyce-Igo engin-
GERS checked by transit and stakes,
the accuracy Of the work which
was not allowed to deviate in tn:
slightest degree from the specified
plan.
Ca May /, with the end of the
job year at hand the smaller
dragline was withdrawn and dis
-mantled. 1t was carried by truck
to the Arizona side of the Imperial
Dam where it is being reassembled
and is expected to go ca the Boy
cc-Igo contract on the ella Irriga-
ton project any day. There the
company has a $250,O00 contract
10 move millions OF yards on the
main initial Gila canal.
Igos son, Rex IgC has been su-
perintendent on the All American
canal job and is expected to take
similar charge of the Gila con-
tract
The Boyce-Igo firm has behind
it a long history of levee build
ing and river work. In the past
seven years, Roy Igo explained,
the company has built levees at
points from Cairo, ILL.,, to New Or
leans. In fact, the equipment
which they used here was only
part of their huge facilities
which are headed by seven such
draglineS as were viewed at work
on the local project.
Clarence Boyce, the other part
ner-owner of the concern manages
jobs in the south and east, while
Igo takes charge of the western
territory.