BOULDER DAM

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 May 1936, Page 12

BOULDER DAM

TRANSFORMING A DESERT. One of the greatest undertakings of man in his conquest of Nature was completed recently when Boulder Dam was formally .accepted by the United States Government. The contract was signed on April 20, 1931. A time limit of seven years was agreed upon, but less than five years were required. The expenditure to June 30, 1935 was about 80,600,000 dollars, about £16,000,000 at par, and the total cost will be 165,000,00 dollars, or about £33,000,000. The estimate of ultimate horse-power is 1,800,000. The great barrier across the Colorado River on the Pacific Slope will check floods that have ravaged the lowlands and filled the gulf with millions of cubic yards of silt from fertile vaneys (writes the San Francisco correspondent of the “N.Z. Herald”). It will transform a desert waste into a farmer’s empire. The States of California,-Nevada, Arizona, and Utah are especially interested in Boulder Dam, because of their irrigation problems, and it is conceded that all of the Western States are eqhally concerned. Boulder Dam impounds more water than any similar barrier in the world. It creates tne largest artificial lake known to man. It will conserve 10,000,000,00(1,000 gallons of water to irrigate more than 2,000.000 acres of laAd, an area larger than the State of Delaware. The shore line of the reservoir, to be known as Lake Mead, will be 550 miles.

The skyline highway, uniting Nevada and Arizona, will cross one of the costliest bridges in the world over a concrete wall 33ft wide and 726 ft above the river bed. It is believed the climate of the entire soutji-west will be revolutionised, by evaporation, and that Death Valley in California, 200 ft below sea level, may have occasional showers.

Thp delivery of electrical power from Boulder Dam will start this year. The cost of transmitting power 300 miles to Los Angeles, added to the expense of production and the amortisation of equipment as fixed by the Government contracts, will make the total cost about the same as the present, charges for power generated at existing steam plants in the Los Angeles area, according to the estimate of one of California’s leading public utilities. Nevertheless, the general opinion is that Boulder Dam will serve large sections of the west, and at reductions in cost to consumers.

Aii unfortunate discussion occurred over the name. After contracts were let and building started, and Boulder Dam seemed to be the recognised appellation, President Hoover’s Secretary of the Interior issued an order sailing for Hoover Dam. There did not appear to be any good reason lor the action. When President Roosevelt’s Secretary of the Interior appeared on the scene, he announced that the gigantic Government enterprise would not bear the name of any living person and JJoulder Dam was revived. * 84 WORKMEN KILLED. Mr. H. W. Morrison, president of the Six Companies, Incorporated, the firm that built Boulder Darn, announced officially on March 12 that 84 workmen lost their lives during construction, covering the period of time from April, 1931, to January, J 936. When the first test of one of the half-opened outlet valve was made, Colorado River water tumbled 200 ft. at the rate of 7,480 gallons a second. Six valves on each side of the rivetcan be opened when water is not needed to operate the generating machinery that will send electric power to Los Angeles. Boulder Dam is 730 ft high, built with a gravity section on a 500-foot radius curve, and I,lBoft long at the crest. More than 5,000,000 cubic yards of concrete were used in construction, and 30,000 tons ot steel. Grout holes to a .‘otal length oi 70 miles solidify the side walls and foundations; four 50-foot diversion tunnels —two for spillway conduits and two as pen-stocks——were included in the specifications; and 200 Q tons ot 4 special needle valves were designed to control the flow from the reservoir. Boulder Dam reservoir is 115 miles in length and covers about 227 square miles. The power-plant structure is U-shaped and stands on both sides of the river at the downstream end if the dam. It will have a continuous 153,001) horse-power but, if necessary, it will be capable of developing 1,000,000 horse-power. , The United States Government erected Boulder City, six miles from the dam. as a model town for employees. Religious and entertainment needs were eared tor. Eveiy requirement for comfort and convenience was installed. One aim was to combat the undesirable attractions ol Nevada cities further away. The venture was a success. It was expected that Boulder City would disappear when the dam was completed, out it has been decided to continue as usual, because of the employees necessary to operate the dam, and, more particularly. to accommodate the large number of visitors from all lands who want to see what is now conceded to be one of the world’s wonders.