Misplaced Pages

Holyoke Dam

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

The Holyoke Dam , also referred to as the Hadley Falls Dam , or Hadley Falls Station is a granite dam built in tandem with the Holyoke Canal System at Hadley Falls on the Connecticut River , between Holyoke and South Hadley, Massachusetts . The water differential created by the dam produced mechanical hydropower for industrial uses in Holyoke, and later hydroelectric power.

#606393

40-782: The current dam is the third structure to be built across the Great Falls at South Hadley. The dam, along with the Canal System and its Testing Flume , is recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark for its use by Clemens Herschel in the development of the Venturi meter , the first means of measuring large-scale flows, and the McCormick-Holyoke Turbine by John B. McCormick , also known as

80-491: A 1,600-foot-long (490 m) dam was built across the Schuylkill to direct water to a Mill House with three water wheels that replaced the steam engines in 1822. Later, Jonval turbines were used to lift the water in a New Mill House and in the renovated Old Mill House. The facility, the industrial nature of which was disguised by a Classical Revival exterior, became a tourist attraction for its beauty and its location on

120-561: A group of investors sought to imitate this city along a natural curve in the Connecticut River. George C. Ewing , a sales representative of Fairbanks and Co. , marked part of what was then known as West Springfield, as a site for future development. By the fall of 1847, Ewing, acting as land agent for the investors involved, obtained possession of 1200 acres of land on the west bank of the Connecticut river at Hadley Falls for

160-641: A lively scramble to get to safety. I have in mind several Belchertown men who were in there, but especially do I remember Mr. James H. Clapp. He was a portly man and came struggling and puffing up the bank, and seeing my father and Mr. Ebenezer Warner, he reached out his hands and cried frantically, ‘Devil, Devil, Warner, help me up!’ It was a frightful scene, with such an immense body of water full of timbers plunging down end over end, and people screaming with fright. I suppose there are few people living who saw that catastrophe, because most people die before they are as old as I am. There were but few children there, and I

200-625: A most beautiful point of the Schuylkill River the water has been forced up into a magnificent reservoir, ample and elevated enough to send it through the whole city. The vast yet simple machinery by which this is achieved is open to the public, who resort in such numbers to see it, that several evening stages run from Philadelphia to Fair Mount for their accommodation. The Fairmount Water Works eventually closed in 1909 when several newer and more technologically updated facilities were built. Completed in 1822, Fairmount Dam cut diagonally across

240-553: A municipal corporation, in 2001. Though other parts of the canal system (which are downstream of the dam) started generating hydroelectricity in the late 1800s, the dam itself did not do so until 1950. The two units at the Hadley Falls Station are rated at a combined 33 MW, with other hydroelectric generation in the system collectively producing 15 MW. On the south side of the dam, the Robert E. Barrett Fishway includes

280-645: A point of contention between American and European engineers, with differences of efficiency readings found between the Holyoke flume and counterparts in Germany. Such a standard measurement of flow efficiencies also enabled factories and governments to use the power measurements of turbines to determine, to a degree, the amount of leakage in flumes and dams across the United States. The scaling up of electricity generation to much greater horsepower demands made

320-640: A proposed federal hydraulic laboratory. Today the oldest hydraulic laboratory in the United States, the Alden Research Laboratory , continues to operate in Holden, Massachusetts . The laboratory's namesake, George I. Alden , would develop a novel dynamometer , the Alden dynamometer, which was tested extensively at the Flume. In addition to contemporary research, the laboratory is home to one of

360-453: A restaurant and an interpretive center that explains the waterworks' purpose and local watershed history. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its architecture and its engineering innovations. It was the nation's first water supply to use paddle wheels to move water. Following a series of yellow fever epidemics in the late 18th century, which was at the time thought to be caused by unclean water or by rotting matter in

400-428: A series of wooden water mains. The system was plagued with problems. If either of the steam engines failed, the water supply to the city was cut off. The committee began searching for another solution and eventually picked John Davis and Frederick Graff, Latrobe's apprentice and successor as chief engineer, to design a new waterworks, in order to meet the demand of the increasing numbers of city residents and to solve

440-414: A spillway and an elevator that lifts fish headed upstream (along with river water) over the dam. A glass viewing area allows the public to watch fish migrate. It is named to commemorate Robert E. Barrett, former President of Holyoke Water Power, who instigated the fishway in 1955. [REDACTED] Media related to Holyoke Dam at Wikimedia Commons Holyoke Testing Flume The Holyoke Testing Flume

SECTION 10

#1732773321607

480-490: A testing flume was constructed by one Asa M. Swain to the specifications of noted-turbine engineer James B. Francis . Initially this flume was designed to test the designs of the Swain Turbine Company with James B. Emerson , a former ship captain and self-taught civil engineer, commissioned to construct a Prony brake dynamometer for it and oversee efficiency experiments. Following its initial success however,

520-706: The Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center (FWWIC), a hands-on science and environmental educational center, created by the Philadelphia Water Department. The FWWIC offers interactive exhibits, lectures, events, and school programs. In December 2004, Michael Karloutsos won a 25-year, $ 120,000/year lease with the Fairmount Park Commission. After a highly publicized renovation, Karloutsos opened Water Works Restaurant and Lounge within

560-538: The Hercules Turbine, which doubled the efficiency of turbines to more than 80% in its time. The river between Holyoke and South Hadley contained what was known as the "Great Falls" a natural 53-foot (16 m) drop in the river approximately 86 miles upstream of the Atlantic Ocean. Following the success of the textile mills in the planned industrial city of Lowell, Massachusetts in the early 1800s,

600-489: The angle at which it sloped and the geology of rocks immediately below only ensured that the erosion continued. As early as 1884 the Holyoke Water Power Company, manufacturers, and city officials called for the construction of an improved stone structure which would address these issues and ensure the sustainability of the hydropower in the future, a considerable undertaking at the time as the wooden dam

640-585: The apparatus and its components obsolete, as even the most minor fluctuations in output had greater consequences in output measurements. However, ultimately the apparatus would play a key role in the invention of the Venturi meter, the first accurate means of measuring large-scale flows, and indirectly was part of the technological progression which led to the development of the combustion turbine and jet engines . In recent years Holyoke Gas & Electric has sought to capitalize on this testing legacy. In 2018 it

680-520: The city's ratepayers with hydropower and other renewably-sourced electricity. As late as 1910 the laboratory was described as the only one of its kind used to test the efficiency of water turbines but, by 1930, it was one of at least 63 hydraulic laboratories in the United States, several of which had modern facilities. Despite eventual obsolescence of this type of flume, it would inspire a number of successors, including brief discussion in Congress of

720-409: The development of water turbines in the United States, and from the 1880s until the 1920s was prominent in that industry as a standard test for American manufacturers. Its tests would be cited in superior court cases in the United States as the standard by which turbine wheel efficiencies were measured, into the early 20th century. The Testing Flume and its experiments would also be responsible for

760-454: The final stone laid on January 5, 1900. At the time of its construction it employed a narrow gauge railroad for movement of base stone, as well as what was then the longest cableway in the world, suspended from either end of the Connecticut River to move stones into the higher reaches of the structure. The Holyoke Water Power Company merged with Northeast Utilities in 1967. NU sold the dam and generating stations to Holyoke Gas & Electric ,

800-419: The first accurate means of measuring large-scale flows, which still retains widespread use in modern technology today. In a 1906 report the research mission for the facility was described as threefold: 1. The testing of all wheels installed in conjunction with the water power at Holyoke, in order that their discharge capacity may be determined and used as a means of estimating the quantity of water taken by

840-473: The flume was opened to the public with Emerson operating it as a personal endeavor, furnishing funds for the use of Lowell water in its experiments. Among the first tests conducted thereafter were a series of competitive trials to find designs with the greatest efficiency, with the Swain and Leffel wheels attaining the best results. Though Emerson would later discount the figures these tests generated, upon hearing

SECTION 20

#1732773321607

880-575: The improvement of the efficiency and cost-reduction of Francis turbines under James B. Emerson, as well as the development and testing of the first modern mixed-flow turbine, the Hercules, by John B. McCormick . It was also at the Testing Flume that James B. Francis developed his weir formula for measuring the efficiency of turbines, however this formula, though widely used in America, was

920-400: The initial success of the competition, he was contacted by a Mr. Stewart Chase, agent for the Holyoke Water Power Company, who wrote: The testing of turbines is the only way to perfection, and that is a matter of great importance. Move your work to Holyoke and use all the water that is necessary for the purpose, and welcome, free of charge. The Holyoke Testing Flume ultimately revolutionized

960-523: The pioneering Venturi meters, exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition . Fairmount Water Works The Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , was Philadelphia's second municipal waterworks . Designed in 1812 by Frederick Graff and built between 1812 and 1872, it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a popular tourist attraction. It now houses

1000-557: The problem of inadequate storage capacity. The Fairmount Water Works was initially constructed between 1812 and 1815 on the east bank of the Schuylkill River . The Water Works initially consisted of a 3 million US gallons (11,000,000 L) earthen reservoir atop Faire Mount at the present site of the Philadelphia Museum of Art , and a pump house with two steam engines to pump water. Between 1819 and 1821,

1040-547: The purpose of establishing an industrial city. A charter was obtained from the Massachusetts Legislature in the winter of 1847-1848 under the name of the Hadley Falls Co. with a capital of four million dollars. In the summer of 1848 a timber crib dam was constructed across the Connecticut River at the Great Falls. The engineer of the first two dams, as well as the layout of Holyoke's grid and canals

1080-727: The river, channeled water into the Waterworks, and acted as a spillway . The Schuylkill is a tidal river , so it also prevented brackish water in the Delaware River from mixing with the fresh water. Above it, the dam created the "Schuylkill Pond", several miles of tranquil water used for recreation. After the waterworks closed in 1909 the facility was used for several purposes, including the Philadelphia Aquarium , which closed in 1962, and an indoor swimming pool which closed in 1973. Attempts have been made to return

1120-590: The riverside. Visitors included Charles Dickens , who praised it for its pleasant design and public usefulness. Another English visitor, Fanny Trollope , in her 1832 book Domestic Manners of the Americans , mentioned the Water Works: There is one spot, however, about a mile from the town, which presents a lovely scene. The water-works of Philadelphia have not yet perhaps as wide extended fame as those of Marley , but they are not less deserving it. At

1160-399: The scene as he had experienced it as a child- “Some comical things happened on the day mentioned. For instance: After the gates in the dam were closed, the water soon drained off from the river bed, and men and teams were in there getting out building stones, and many people were walking about, picking up shells and relics, until warning was shouted that they were in danger, and then there was

1200-506: The several mills. 2. The testing of experimental wheels with a view to their improvement. 3. [The t]esting of standard patterns of American type turbines which are to be installed in new plants. The origins of the Holyoke Water Power Company 's testing flume and its subsequent success are inextricably linked with the industrial progress that preceded Holyoke in the history of Lowell, Massachusetts . In 1868,

1240-479: The standardization of American water turbines. Indeed Clemens Herschel , who managed and redesigned the facility in the 1880s, later described it in Congressional testimony as the "first modern hydraulic laboratory" in the United States and the world. It was through Herschel's need to determine the water power consumption of different mills, and in this testing system that he would invent the Venturi meter ,

Holyoke Dam - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-464: The streets, city leaders appointed a "Watering Committee". The initial water system was designed by Benjamin Latrobe and accepted by the committee in 1799. His system utilized two steam engines in series to pump water from the Schuylkill River , into the city, then into two wooden tanks that held a total of just 57,000 US gallons (220,000 L). From the wooden tanks, the water was gravity fed into

1320-497: The timber dam had sprung massive leaks, and the footing began to show signs of weakness at 2:00PM. The dam had not been properly secured to bedrock and at 3:20PM the dam gave way and a torrent of water, logs and debris headed downstream towards Chicopee, Massachusetts . A foreman sent a telegram to investors in Boston which read, "3:20 p.m., your dam has gone to hell by way of Willimansett." Writing in 1929, one Arthur E. Ferry recalled

1360-403: The waterworks to its previous position as an engaging tourist attraction. Despite a severe fire which caused setbacks to the restoration, an interpretive center has now been added and tours are regularly given. Its position near Boathouse Row and the Philadelphia Museum of Art is hoped to aid in making it a regularly visited tourist site once more. The Fairmount Water Works buildings now house

1400-402: The wrong face up stream", where a sloping structure in the opposite direction would have been ideal. Furthermore the vibration of the waterfall on the rocks led to synchronous vibrations in doors and windows on many of the surrounding mills and worker housing. To remedy this, from 1868 to 1870 an apron was constructed of large timbers and rocks which mitigated the aforementioned vibrations, however

1440-547: Was Philander Anderson, C.E. Constructed using a timber frame the dam was filled with rubble and stone and was completed in a matter of months. Upon completion the gates were closed at 10AM and the reservoir behind the dam began to fill. As recorded in Harper's Weekly, “The engineer took great pride in his work, and when it was finished, and the gates shut down, he is said to have irreverently exclaimed: ‘There! Those gates are shut, and God Almighty himself can not open them!’” By noon

1480-457: Was a hydraulic testing laboratory and apparatus in Holyoke, Massachusetts , operated by the Holyoke Water Power Company from 1870 to 1932, and used to test the performance of water turbine designs, completing 3,176 tests of efficiency in that time. It was described by Robert E. Horton in court testimony as the only facility of its kind in the 19th and early 20th century, which made possible

1520-599: Was announced that local Framingham based turbine designer PDI, Inc., had received a grant to manufacture a new turbine wheel type with the city's Cofab Engineering firm, testing said prototype in one of the Canal locks as part of HG&E's Clean Energy Test Bed Initiative. Although the flume itself and its mechanical components were defunct by 1932, since the 1950s the Holyoke Gas & Electric Company has maintained its original building as an electrical substation, serving

1560-482: Was not quite seven years old.” The second dam which would define the city's industrial prowess in the 19th century was completed the following year in 1849. Initially built as effectively a wall of wooden timbers, concerns eventually arose that the water's velocity pouring over the dam was eroding the rocks upon which it stood, and it was described by a paper of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia as "simply built with

1600-575: Was then the 2nd largest dam in the country at that time by length, exceeded only by the Fairmount Dam in Philadelphia . In a conference with the city's manufacturers that year, the Water Power Company announced it had begun a fund toward the development of the replacement dam, which would not see construction commence until 11 years thereafter, and completed in nearly 16. Construction of the third and current dam began in 1895, with

#606393