/ A \ > s ' d THE CASCADE RECORD Published in the Interests of the Boundary and Christina Lake Mining Districts VOL. II. CASCADE, B. C, DECEMBER i6, 1899. No. 6. » • • ••« ©•© •••-•••••-•-•-•-•-• 9~t Hi j; Cascade City's Great Enterprise !;; o To Cost Half a riillion Dollars! Power For Mines! (I (I n Details of One of the Greatest Undertakings in Boundary Country! I (« ^-^^> Development of the Great Water Power at Cascade. ^^^^ J John R. Reavis, of the Grand Forkstha n the flume at Bonnington and Something New In Dam Structure, been seriously interfered with of Miner, spent a day in Cascade recently.th e fall secured is 150 feet, which is The building of dams is like the late by unprecedentedly high water 116 feet more than the fall secured That Mr. Reavis is a keen observer building of bridges, each particular for this season of the year; in fact, at Bonnington. An equal service the men hud to be laid off altogeth­ and forceful writer, when dealing with work demanding some special fea­ can be done at Cascade by one- tures of its owu. The dam being er for some time, hut the cold a subject worthy of his pen, the fol­ fourth the water as at Bonnington. put in at Cascade is not like any­ weather early this week caused the lowing descriptive article from the What Nature Has Done. thing of the kind heretofore seen in river to fall rapidly and operations columns of his valuable paper, abund­ Nature has done a great deal for the country. This enginer in charge are now being renewed A little antly proves : the Cascade water power. At a and the designer of the dam is Wil­ over one-third of the structure is point just above where the Cana­ liam Anderson, a Scotchman, who now up and the remainder will Le The development of the Cascade dian Pacific railroad bridge spans was also in charge of the improve­ up in a few weeks, if the river water power, on Kettle river, twelve the Kettle river this side of the ment of the power at Bonnington, maintains its usual winter stage. miles below Grand Forks, is now town of Cascade, the river plunges where he achieved a distinction in Work on the Flume. proceeding with a large force of men down into a deep, narrow and tor­ his calling, which proves to be in The water, as above stated, will and has reached such a stage that tuous canyon and runs through no wise lessened by the work in have to be carried 2,700 feet from it deserves to attract the notice of this for half a mile, descending 120 which he ie now engaged. Before the dam to the power house. The the entire Boundary country in feet in that distance and being Kettle river plunges down into the flume will run along the C. P. R. which it is to find when completed lashed into a foaming and raging narrow gorge at Cascade it spreads track for most of the distance and its chief, if not sole employment. torrent, carrying everything before out into a wide circular basin caus­ part of the way through a tunnel For some reason this enterprise it with an irresistible force, finally ed no doubt by the engorgement of cut through a rocky point. It is a does not attract the attention it de­ debouching into a broad eddy be­ the water in the canyon below, and solid mass of rock for the entire 2,- serves by reason of its magnitude low which looks more like a lake the water falls over the rim rock 700 feet and very rough in contour. and the part it must inevitably than a river. In the ages past the above the deeper channel in a semi­ At a point 1,800 feet from the play in the development of the min­ water which in no doubt has col­ circle. Around this semi-circle power house the descent becomes ing industry of this vicinity. lected in the form of a lake thatex- with its foundations bolted into the rapid and from there on the water The Cascade Water Power and tended up through the entire Grand solid rim rock the dam is being will be carried in two steel pipes or Light Company was formed in Forks valley, broke through the built. The dam itself is not in the penstocks, eight and a half feet in England and acquired the power rocky barriers thut stretched across form of a semi-circle but iu the diameter. The size of these can be privileges of the Kettle river at Cas­ the present pathway of the water form of a bisected polygon, having better understood when it is stated cade two years ago and are now and in the infinity of years has cut three faces of different lengths, the that a man six feet tall could stand laying out in their improvements for itself a channel more than one total length being 400 feet. This drect and still have two and a half half a million dollars. It will take hundred feet deep. irregularity of form gives it addi­ feet of room above him. At low a year more to complete the work For the utilization of the tre­ tional power, for the water above water a great portion of the entire and have the plant ready to deliver mendous power concentrated in this does not come down squarely river can be brought through these electric power. In some respects it fall of the river a dam had to be against a straight wall, but comes two penstocks and made to do ser­ is an enterprise of greater magni­ constructed at the head of the fall against several which has the effect vice on the turbines in the power tude than that carried out at and a flume cut out to the level be­ of compressing them and of making house. The effective power secured Bonnington Falls on the Koote­ low so the water could be delivered the work self-locking. The frame at low water will be about 6,000 nay river by the West Kootenay upon water wheels and the power work of the dam is of logs. They horse power. are built up in the form of cribbing Light and Power Company and taken up by dynamos and sent out 'Ihe construction of the flume is and broken rock haB been thrown in which is now delivering electric over wires in the form of electrio in itself a work of great magnitude. the cribs. About 55,000 linear feet <>f power at Rossland, Trail and other currents. In this way the power It had just gotten well under way logs will be required in the struc­ points in that part of the country. of the entire Kettle river falling when the recent rise in the river ture. The foundation is 40 feet The Kootenay river is a larger 150 feet at Cascade can be made al­ caused its suspension. About 200 across and the greatest height will stream than the Kettle river and most as effective at Phoenix, 21 feet had been blasted and the work be 53 feet. Between the cribs are the ultimate possibilities of power miles away, as it can at the point advanced to the point where the gates, there being twelve altogether at Bonnington are much greater than of generation. Nothing in modern tunnel is to be commenced. Oper­ and by raising and lowering these they are at Cascade, but the initial scientific achievement is more mar­ ations can be resumed and will be the water can be kept in complete amount of power to he supplied velous than this. The Bonnington carried on uninterruptedly all control. ThiB feature of the work from Cascade will be about the Falls power is carried over 31 miles winter. appears to have been most admir­ same as that now supplied from of wire to Rossland and then de­ In the meantime the foundation ably conceived and executed. It Bonnington, this being in the livered to the mines, with a loss of for the power house below is being not only controls the water going neighborhood of 2,500 horse power. about 13 per cent. The loss in de­ cut out of the solid rock and the into the flumes, but it minimizes The work at Cascude involves livering from Cascade to Grand actual construction of the building the danger of the breaking down the construction of a flume 2,700 Forks and the mines in this vicin­ can probably begin in about two and washing away of the dam. feet long, most of it through solid ity will probably not be over 10 per months. rock. This iB over 2,000 feet longer cent. The construction of the dam has (Continued on second page.) THE CASCADE RECORD December 16,1899 Cascade City's Great Enterprise. enormous. Of course they may sell power at less than $60, but it (Continued from first pa^c) will certainly not be far below that How Power is to Be Delivered. figure as long as fuel is so dear as The right of way for the pole it now is, and steam therefore so I The English Store $ line which is to deliver the power expensive In any event it seems was surveyed long si nee, and five to be a most profitabe field for the miles of it in the nei»hl orhood of Cascade enterprise, and the Miner * THE B.