Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-01-29

Any standpoint from which one
considers the Fort Peck project
reveals extraordinary accomplish
naens. Whether it be dredging,
i tunneafng, concrete work or pile
driving, the army engineers have
/ shown themselves on this record
breaking project as an efficient
construction agency.
Efficiency in the record of any large
I scale organization is cumulative and
/ this has been amply demonstrated by
operations at Fort Peck during the
/ year 1887. 1886 showed a grand total
of % million cubic yards of hydraulic
fill placed in the dam and it would
seem as If this might have been the
maximum quantity for any one years
work, especially in view of the fact
that diversion of the river, vast move
ment OF floating equipment, and clos
ure OF the main river channel section
would inevitably be accompanied by
considerable delay. Nevertheless, 1887
dredging operations materially sur
passed the 1886 performance and rolled
up a total of 80 million cubic yards
Of fill placement for the season
Much Secondary Work Finished
In addition to increasing the output
Of the dredges, several items of con-
struction work were brought to COM
logical order, there was first the COM
pletion of the plate steel lining for
No. / tunnel. the so-called power
tunnel" by the Chicago Bridge g. Iron /
Works. This firm wound UP the fabri- |
cation of over is million pounds of /
steel plate with a memorable burst of |
efficiency The lotion sections of +
24'x8" pipe were installed by the gov
eminent forces in No. l tunnel pro-
viding watertight pressure lining from
the main control gates to the outlet
portal.
The second big event of the year was
completion of the 14-mile railroad from
Harlem to Snake Butte quarry by Tom
Construction Co., of
new source Of quarry stone for use as
riprap on the reservoir face of the dam.
The railroad completed, government
forces Immediately started large scale
production Of stone by blasting down
sections of the huge columnar struc
ture Of the natural deposit.
Following close on the heels of the
quarry opening the Bartlett Hayward
Co. completed their contract June 8
for furnishing and placing the tractor
,ype emergency control gates for the
tunnels together with beautiful REIN
forced concrete buildings to house the
gates.
While the above contractor was put !
ling finishing touches to his work an i
,ther, the Standard Asbestos Mfg. & i
ms. Co., was started on the job of {
cleaning and enameling the steel lining !
If No. tunnel with view to COM i
lleting the same in ample time before
he tunnels were put into use to divert
he Missouri river. At the same time q
.lso, government tunnel forces were 4
tn cir carefully drawn /,
chedule of operations to complete the q
concrete work in the remaining three o
,ores by June 25. =
This brings us to the middle of June p
nd trouble At that time the umpre- .
ictable Missouri river went on minor
ampage with sudden freshet which
threatened to delay closure operations
cheduled for the end of the month.
feeting the unexpected natural forces
t the river with a burst of energy,
forces succeeded in pass
1g the flood waters through the main
iver channel and in saving the up
,ream toe trestle, so vital to closure
perationS.
However, a sort Of rear guard action
I the river as it receded caused sudden
nd unexpected sloughing of the east
yer bank at the downstream toe OF
ne dam near the railroad bridge This
oughing threatened to put the vital
eel railroad bridge out of commission
nd consequent stoppage of all train
ovements from Fort Peck to the east
de of the project.
With characteristic decision, Lieut. !
oil. T. B. Larkin, the district engineer,
trapped the detailed plans, carefully
ade over a period of many months,
nd on June oath ordered closure to !
! made at the steel bridge instead Of
lie upstream toe trestle. This decision
nbodied the logic of utilizing every j
lrload of gravel and rock material =
rload dumped added stability to the ~
pporting piers Of the bridge and y
cond, closed off flow of the water s
'wn the old channel and forced 1t =
rough the diversion tunnels rushed to y
mpletion only a few hours before :,
While all this work was going on at 81,
e quarry, at the tunnels and at the
m, the spillway contractors were not
|e The three of them were ecualIv e