Scenic Interest Along New Railroad Location. The new location selected for the railroad in climbing to the higher level above the proposed reservoir, is designed to preserve all the scenic interest of the present line and take a course such that the best possible view of the dam and the lake and of the outflow in time of flood, will be had from the trains. Those who must hurry on, as well as those who can stop over at Portage, should have opportunity to enjoy this beautiful scenery. CHARACTER OF SUBSTRATA AT THIN RIM OF PORTAGE BASIN. In the zeal of certain estimable men without engineering experience to prevent any encroachment whatever upon the beautiful Letchworth Park, statements have been made that a part of the rim of the proposed basin or reservoir, lying about three-fourths mile westerly from the proposed dam site, is composed of dangerous quicksand. The basis for this statement is that geologic study shows the river once ran through a different channel from that now occupied, a deep gorge now deeply filled, and there is a slowly shifting bank, over which the Pennsylvania railroad runs, close beside the present river gorge and about a mile distant from the locality in question but apparently on the line of the same ancient channel. Another basis for this idea is found in the statement that years ago the railroad abandoned an attempt to tunnel through the narrow portion of the rim in question because of finding quicksand. All this evidence is plainly nonconclusive. I have, therefore, given special attention to this matter of the safety of the rim of the basin.by having the ground carefully contoured and by having numerous deep test borings made at many points scattered over this small area of debatable ground. The sliding bank of fine, wet sand and clay nearer the river has also been studied. Ours are the first borings known to have ever been made for actually finding out what the truth is about the substrata in this locality near the rim of the basin. A line for borings was laid out as nearly as practicable at the thinnest point in the natural rim of the basin, located about three-fourths mile northeast from the dam site. Four holes were bored at the locations shown on Plate No. 21. The precise locations were controlled somewhat by the location of road and ownership of land, so they vary a little to one side from the shortest line. The holes were placed in the gully along the line of supposed weakness, pointed out to the Commission at the time of its visit. The borings were made under a foreman experienced in test borings, and check records were kept by one of the assistant engineers. Bed rock was not reached in any of these holes, although the deepest was 150 ft. deep to elevation 1084. 66 In general, the samples were washed up and caught in a tub, and although some care to avoid loss of the finest particles was taken, this method tends to exaggerate the porosity. A few drive samples were taken from some of the later holes, and these are unmistakably a hard, caking, blue clay. Samples were taken at each five feet increase in depth, when adding each length of casing, but after examining and making record, were not preserved unless a change of material was met. Samples were preserved for reference from each day's work, and from each change in material. reports were sent in by the drill foreman. Daily Every one of these deep samples concurs in showing extremely fine closegrained impervious material well adapted to forming a watertight embankment, considering the great horizontal thickness of the natural dam. |