Earth dams, a study

by Burr Bassell

APPENDIX I.
High Earth Dams.

		|–Embankment–|		|––– Slopes –––|		Available depths, ft.
Name of Dam or Reservoir.	Location.	Max. height,	Top width,	Water.	Bear.
		ft.	ft.
San Leandro	California	125	28
Tabeaud	California	123	20	3 on 1	2½ on 1	70
Druid Hill	Maryland	119	60	4 on 1	2 on 1	82
Dodder	Ireland	115	22	3½ on 1	3 on 1
Titicus Dam	New York	110	30	2 on 1	2½ on 1
Mudduk Tank	India	108		3 on 1	2½ on 1
Cummum Tank	India	102		3 on 1	1 on 1	90
Dale Dike	England	102	12	2½ on 1	2½ on 1
Marengo	Algeria	101
Torside	England	100				84
Yarrow	England	100	24	3 on 1	2 on 1
Honey Lake	California	96	20	3 on 1	2 on 1
Pilarcitos	California	95	25	2¾ on 1	2½ on 1
San Andres	California	95	25	3½ on 1	3 on 1
Temescal	California	95	12	3 on 1	2 on 1
Waghad	India	95	6	3 on 1	2 on 1	81
Bradfield	England	95	12	2½ on 1	2½ on 1
Oued Menrad	Algeria	95
St. Andrews	Ireland	93	25
Edgelaw	Scotland	93		3 on 1	2½ on 1
Woodhead	England	90				72
Tordoff	Scotland	85	10	3 on 1	2½ on 1
Naggar	India	84
Vahar	India	84	24	3 on 1	2½ on 1
Rosebery	Scotland	84
Atlanta	Georgia	82	40
Roddlesworth	England	80	16	3 on 1	2½ on 1	68
Gladhouse	Scotland	79	12	3 on 1	2½ on 1	68½
Rake	England	78		3 on 1	2 on 1
Silsden	England	78		3 on 1	2 on 1
Glencourse	Scotland	77		3 on 1		58
Leeshaw	England	77
Wayoh	England	76	22	3 on 1	2½ on 1
Ekruk Tank	India	76	20	3 on 1	2 on 1	65
Nehr	India	74	8
Middle Branch	New York	73
Leeming	Ireland	73	10	3 on 1	2 on 1	50
South Fork	Penna.	72	20	2 on 1	1½ on 1	50
Anasagur	India	70	20	4 on 1
Pangran	India	68	8			42
Harlaw	Scotland	67				64
Lough Vartry	Ireland	66	28	3 on 1	2½ on 1	60
La Mesa	California	66	20	1½ on 1	1½ on 1	60
Amsterdam	New York	65
Mukti	India	65	10	3 on 1	2 on 1	41
Snake River	California	64	12	2 on 1	1½ on 1
Stubken	Ireland	63	24	3 on 1	2 on 1
Den of Ogil	Scotland	60				50
Loganlea	Scotland	59	10	3 on 1	2½ on 1	55
Ashti	India	58	6	3 on 1	2 on 1	42
Cedar Grove	New Jersey	55	18	3 on 1	2 on 1	50

APPENDIX–II.
Works of Reference.

Author.	Title.	Date.
Baker, Benj.	The Actual Lateral Pressure of Earthwork	1881
Baker, Ira O.	Treatise on Masonry Construction	1899
Bell, Thos. J.	History of the Water Supply of the World	1882
Beloe, Chas. H.	Beloe on Reservoirs	1872
Bowie, Aug. J., Jr.	A Practical Treatise on Hydraulic Mining	1898
Brant, Wm. J.	Scientific Examination of Soils	1892
Brightmore, A. M.	The Principles of Water-Works Engineering	1893
Buckley, Robt. B.	Irrigation Works in India and Egypt	1893
Cain, Wm.	Retaining Walls	1888
Chittenden, H. M.	Report and Examination of Reservoir Sites
	in Wyoming and Colorado	1898
Courtney, C. F.	Masonry Dams	1897
Fanning, J. T.	Water-Supply Engineering	1889
Flynn, P. J.	Irrigation Canals and Other Irrigation Works	1892
Frizell, Jos. P.	Water Power	1891
Gordon, H. A.	Mining and Mining Engineering	1894
Gould, E. S.	The Elements of Water-Supply Engineering	1899
Hall, Wm. Ham.	Irrigation in California	1888
Hazen, Allen	The Filtration of Public Water Supplies	1895
Howe, M. A.	Retaining Walls for Earth	1891
Hughes, Saml.	Treatise on Water-Works	1856
Jackson, L. D. A.	Statistics of Hydraulic Works	1885
Kirkwood, J. P.	Filtration of River Waters	1869
Merriman, M.	Treatise on Hydraulics, Masonry Dams
	and Retaining Walls	1892
Newell, F. H.	Irrigation in the United States	1902
Newman, John	Earthwork Slips and Subsidences Upon
	Public Works	1890
Potter, Thomas	Concrete	1894
Schuyler, J. D.	Reservoirs for Irrigation, Water Power
	and Domestic Water Supply	1901
Slagg, Chas.	Water Engineering	1888
Stearns, F. P.	Metropolitan Water-Works Reports	1897
Stockbridge, H. E.	Rocks and Soils	1888
Trautwine, J. C.	Earthwork; and Engineer’s Pocket-Book	1890
Turner, J. H. T.	The Principles of Water-Works Engineering	1893
Wilson, J. M.	Manual of Irrigation Engineering	1893

Annual Reports.

• Massachusetts State Board of Health.
• Geological Survey of New Jersey.
• Metropolitan Water-Works, Boston and vicinity.
• U. S. Geological Survey.
• Transactions American Society of Civil Engineers.
• Vols. 3, 15, 24, 32, 34 and 35.
• Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
• Vols. 59, 62, 65, 66, 71, 73, 74, 76, 80, 115 and 132.
• Engineering News. Vols. 19 to 46.
• Engineering Record. Vols. 23 to 46.
• Journal of the Association Engineering Societies. Vol. 13.

INDEX.

• Analyses, soil, Tabeaud Dam, [25]
• Analyses of soils, [14]
• Tabeaud Dam, [25]
• Borings, wash drill, Wachusett Dam, [48]
• Catchment area, [3]
• Clay for puddle, [15]
• Contractors’ outfit, Tabeaud Dam, [31]
• Core wall, impervious diaphragm as substitute for, [62]
• necessity for, [44]
• (See puddle.)
• Dam,
• Ashti, India, [35]
• Bog Brook, [41]
• Bohio, Panama Canal, [54]
• Croton Valley, slope of saturation in, [40]
• different types of earth, [33]
• Druid Lake, Baltimore, [52]
• high earth, statistical table of, [67]
• hydraulic-fill, [61]
• hydraulic-fill, San Leandro, [60]
• ideal profile of, [42]
• Isthmian Canal Commission, [54]
• Lake Frances hydraulic-fill, [61]
• New Croton, [39]
• graphical study of original earth portion of, [43]
• New England, typical section of, [40]
• new types of, [54]
• North Dike, Wachusett Reservoir, [48]
• rock-fill and earth combined, upper Pecos River, [58]
• safe height of, [39]
• San Leandro, [58]
• site location, [7]
• Tabeaud, [13], [17]
• Titicus, [41]
• Upper Pecos River rock-fill and earth, [58]
• with puddle core wall or face, [33]
• Yarrow, Liverpool water-works, [9], [33]
• Diaphragms impervious for earth dams, [62], [65]
• Dike, north of Wachusett Reservoir (see Dam; also reservoir)
• Drainage and slips of earthwork, [45]
• of dam sites, [63]
• Drains, bed rock, Tabeaud Dam, [19]
• Earthwork slips and drainage, [45]
• Embankment, Ashti, India, [35]
• Embankments, Jerome Park Reservoir, [45], [46]
• Factor of safety for dams, [64]
• Filtration, experiments on nitration through soils
• at Wachusett Reservoir, [50]
• formula, Hazen’s, [56]
• Foundations, [9], [63]
• Gravel for puddle, [15]
• Infiltration and percolation, [38]
• Isthmian Canal Commission, designs of dams for, [54]
• Outlet pipes and tunnels, [6]
• Percolation, [38], [57]
• Profile, ideal for dams, [42]
• Puddle, [14]
• core wall, Ashti Dam, [35]
• or face, [33]
• trench, [37]
• wall, Druid Lake Dam, [53]
• for Yarrow Dam, [34]
• vs. puddle face, [37]
• Reservoir basin, [37]
• outlets, [6]
• Wachusett, [48]
• Rollers for dams, [30], [65]
• Sands and gravels, flow of water through, [52]
• (Also see percolation.)
• Slips and drainage of earthwork, [45]
• Soil analyses, Tabeaud Dam, [25]
• analysis, [14]
• Soils, experiments on filtration through at Wachusett Reservoir, [50]
• outline study of, [12]
• permanence of, [51]
• selection of, for dams, [64]
• studies, Wachusett Reservoir, [50]
• Spillway or wasteway, [8]
• Tabeaud Dam, [31]
• Subsidences, earthwork, [45]
• Test pits, [5], [8], [9]
• Tunnel, outlet, Tabeaud Dam, [30]
• Tunnels as outlets to reservoirs, [6]
• Wasteway or spillway, [8], [66]
• Tabeaud Dam, [31]

Footnotes:

[1] The writer had intended to present a table of physical properties of different materials, giving their specific gravity, weight, coefficient of friction, angle of repose, percentage of imbibition, percentage of voids, etc., but found it impossible to harmonize the various classifications of materials given by different authorities.