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COMPLIMENTS OF

ST. JOHN’S T, A. & M. A. SOCIETY

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'



ITEMS OF INTEREST

THE WACHUSETT DAM, which stems
the south

branch of the Nashua River, is located in Clinton,

in the central part of Massachusetts. Preliminary

work for determining the site of the structure

began in August, 1895.

Temporary and preliminary work connected with the

construction of the Dam began in June, 1897, and the main

contract was made October, 1900, and the structure was

completed February 27, 1906.

The excavation of 274,087 cubic yards of earth and

102,640 cubic yards of rock was necessary to prepare for

the laying of the 274,439 cubic yards of masonry, which re-

quired 264,420 barrels, or 1322 carloads of cement.

The main Dam is 971 feet long including terminal struc-

ture, the waste weir is 452 feet in length, and extending

east is a core wall 53 feet long. From the lowest stone to

the top of the cornice stones is 248.2 feet. The extreme

thickness is 185 feet, which decreases to 25.04 feet at the

high water line. The minimum thickness is 22.20 feet and

the top 20 feet above the high water line is 25.75 feet. The

masonry showing above the ground, from the downstream

side, is 115 feet high.

The bronze railing on the top of the Dam cost $4,100.

The total cost of the Dam is nearly $2,500,000.



The Gate and Power House is 104 feet long, 74 feet

wide, and 59 feet high, and cost $72,937.

Extending from each end of the Dam to the level of the

valley are flights of steps. The east flight has 187, and the

west 177 steps.

The water from the Wachusett Reservoir supplies Bos-

ton and eighteen cities and towns within ten miles of the

State House which compose the Metropolitan Water Dis-

trict.

The population of the District is 960,460. When filled

the Reservoir will hold 64,951,400,000 gallons, and flood

6.44 square miles, or 4,123 acres. The shore line is 38.66

miles in length, the extreme width 2.05 miles, the greatest

depth 129 feet, the length 8/4 miles, and the average depth

46 feet.

The length of highways flooded is 19^ miles, of rail-

road 6.56 miles. The area of watershed is 118.23 square

miles.

The stripping and removing of 6,900,000 cubic yards of

earth and buildings from the basin cost $3,414,837, and the

real estate cost $2,834,485, a total of $6,249, 322
*

In West Boylston 350 buildings were torn down and

removed, in Boylston 108, Sterling 7, Clinton 45, a total of

510, occupied by nearly 2,000 people. In the area flooded

were 6 large manufacturing plants, 8 school houses and 4

churches, and 2 cemeteries.



Where West Boylston Common was, with its adjoining

churches, hotel, depot, G. A. R. Hall and other buildings,

there is now a depth of 45 feet of water.

Two dikes were necessary: the North Dike of 11,100

feet, or over two miles, and the South Dike of 2,925 feet.

To relocate the Massachusetts Central Railroad, a tun-

nel, 1133 feet between portals, was driven. A steel bridge

921 feet in length, 133 feet above the river bed and 112 feet

above the water, was constructed across the valley, and a

rock cut on the west side of the river. The contract price

for the bridge was $90,803.

To relocate the railroad cost $821,700, nearly nine miles

of track being laid.

The Wachusett Aqueduct takes water from the Dam to

the Sudbury Reservoir in Southboro, twelve miles away.

A carriage could be driven without difficulty through

the aqueduct, which has a capacity of 300,000,000 gallons

a day.

Two miles of the aqueduct is rock tunnel, seven miles

masonry covered with earth, and three miles open channel.