Hoover Dam Info
Hoover Dam Info
Marine Radio Protocol
 
These pictures to the   right were take in 1935 when one   of the largest hydroelectric projects in US history was close to completion,   Hoover Dam.  The project was started in 1932 during the Hoover era and   finished May 29, 1935 during the Roosevelt era. 
The dam planning stage started in 1920's to tame   the mighty Colorado river.  This project was primarily needed to   alleviate the constant flooding of the Imperial Valley, regularly breaking   manmade dikes and levies and ruining farmlands for years.  In 1905 the   river overflowed so much that it flowed over 50 miles to create the Salton   Sea, filling what was once an ancient dry lakebed.  Unfortunately man   had been mining salt from this dry lakebed for years to provide salt to the   LA area.  The flooding of the salt mine  eliminated LA's source   for salt, and as a result this new body of fresh water turned salty, today 5   times as salty as the ocean!  Hence, the need to tame the Colorado   river was of high importance to prevent future disasters.  15yrs later   Hoover Dam was conceived.
The site of Hoover Dam was very key for the   project to hold one of the largest manmade bodies of water in the country.  Near Boulder Canyon, the dam was originally called Boulder Canyon Dam.  The nearby down of Boulder City was created specifically to house and feed   the workers that built the dam, not to mention manufacture many of the parts   for the dam, like penstock pipes.
Even by today's standards Hoover Dam was a   gigantic project. At the time it was the worlds largest project made with   concrete, not to mention the largest public works project in US history.   Keep in mind there were no computers, this was all done on paper using a   slide rule and pure ingenuity. It's an amazing engineering accomplishment.
After years of planning the project began in the   middle of the Great Depression.  Workers were easy to find, pay was   good for those times but the work was dangerous and very hot during the   summer.  Work occurred 24X7 to finish the project as soon a feasibly   possible, and it was finished 2yrs ahead of schedule.  The first job   was to divert the river which began in 1932.  This was done by building   two cofferdams to prevent flooding and divert water around the construction   project using diversion tunnels.  At the same time the diversion   project was underway, the canyon walls were prepared to hold the   new dam by clearing loose rocks with dynamite and bulldozers.  Remnants from the canyon clearing aided the building of the cofferdams.
Over the a total of 5yrs of construction (April   1931to March 1936) there was an average crew of 3500 men that worked on the   project daily.  Over this 5yr period there were over 21,000 individuals   that worked on the dam.  Monthly payroll during the 5 years for an   average crew of 3500 was $500,000, or $140/mo per worker.
Pouring   thick concrete has it's own problems.  The curing process of concrete   creates heat. Thick bodies of concrete cannot cure evenly, required for   strength and integrity to prevent cracks.  Another problem is the   concrete needs to cure fast enough to stay on schedule.  To address these   problems the concrete was poured in 5ft thick sections with embedded cooling   pipes that run water through the concrete to cool the concrete evenly and quickly.  These 1" pipes are still in the dam concrete today, over 582 miles of pipe!  But even today the concrete is still curing, harder and harder every   year......... 75yrs later.
The dam is a whooping 725ft high, 2nd highest in   the country.  The dam generators produce over 2000 megawatts of power   from water turning might generator turbines.  Besides the massive watershed and electrical power the dam generates, it also provides an   incredible playground for boaters and fisherman.  Lake Mead was named   after the dam's project manager, Elwood Mead who was a legend in his own   time with such an incredible engineering project, successfully done without   computers!
With the rugged working conditions, dangerous   and hot, there were 112 lives lost from various reasons, such as accidents,   heat stroke and heart failure.  In the very beginning when work started   there was a strike attempt  which failed, but resulted in more   attention to providing water hydration to workers on a regular basis....   well duh!
Originally deemed the Boulder Canyon Dam, in   1931 it was named Hoover Dam by Ray Wilbur, President Hoovers interior   secretary.  This was very controversial as Hoover was commonly blamed   for starting the Great Depression.  Later when Franklin Roosevelt   became president in 1932 (before the dam was finished) it was renamed "Boulder Dam" by Harold Ickes, FDR's interior secretary who disliked Hoover   and his economic policies.  In 1947 the dam was renamed "Hoover Dam" by   President Truman under pressure from Congress as the public forgot about   President's Hoover's handling of the Great Depression.