Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1939-05-11
Morgan County McCnnelve Ohio Thursday

itself had cars from literally dozens
CT states and Canada, on the wide
roadway
Figures mean nothing to me, but
when we entered an express eleva-
tor to go down the lower structure,
and it took us exactly a minute and
a half to descend, then / began to
comprehend it. Still more so when
the guide told me that we had drop
per the equivalent of 44-story sky
scraper-528 feet below the road,
crest of Boulder Dam; speed oper-
ated 500 feet per minute; capacity
of 5000 pounds, or "a persons. /
never saw such poetry combined
with something SO strictly utilitar-
ian. For the wide tiled corridor
stretching the full width of the cam
yon from Nevada to Arizona side.
has in it's floor design the motifs Of
ancient Indian tribal baskets
beautifully worked out.
We went back into tunnels drill
ed in solid rock-they never had
any need for snoring up single
tunnel-we crossed huge pipe
some 35 feet in diameter, and could
hear the rush of the waters that go
to bring prosperity to hitherto des-
ert lands. We saw the line of six
big dynamos and two small ones
they call butterflies" on the Ne
vada side, and the places for SIM
liar number on the Arizona side
where only one 'butterfly' has been
installed and is active. When they
told us that one small dynamo was
providing power for Indio, San
Diego, the Imperial Valley and 9TH
er points, it aroused awe at the pos
sibilities of those six giants-and
places for two additional ones on
each side!
The most strikingly beautiful
thing of all however, to my way of
thinking at least, was the site of the
big bronze dedicatory tablet at the
Nevada entrance to the dam itself.
The floor is perfect sidereal map
with Polaris and other stars indi-
Gated by silver plates corresponding
to their degrees of magnitude.
Those of first magnitude were about
three inches in diameter. They are
so perfectly placed that astromomi-
cal computations can be made from
them for untold centuries to come.
Rising from black marble pedi-
ment is the f1agpole, whose center is
exactly on what 1 believe is called
the sidereal equator. My astronomy
may be at fault, but that is my rec
objection. And that flag pole is SO
tall that the flag flutters even with
the slim peaks of the background.
On either end of this marble arc is
bronze figure of the most majestic
proportions-per three times
life size. They are identical-sit-
ting there with folded arms gazing
Gown the valley, and rising from
their shoulders are two slim tall
wings. They are Grecian in their
slmplicity-and so magnificent that
they make your eyes smart to see.
l told you I'd talk you to death
on this trip-but it was all so
Boulder City, built by the
government to house dam workers,
and thoroughly modern in every
particular, with broad streets, an
interesting business section, fine
schools, and of course with unlimit-
ed water, the most beautiful lawns
and parks imaginable. Trees that
withstand the extremes Of heat and
cold, have been imported from Aus
tralia. The little city looks as
though it had been there for years.
When we finally left Sunday
morning for home, we had other
thrills. Atmospheric conditions hap
rened to be such that We saw Mt
Whitney-highest point in the
United States, and mantled with
snow We made side trips-one to
raggett, where wagons were built
and repaired for the old Death Val
ley pioneers. We drove 60 miles