~ SALUTE TO
_ PROGRESS —

DR. GORDON SHRUM

PREMIER W. A. C. BENNETT

“H. P. O'DONNELL

Experienced Team Landed,
| Dam Well in Hand

A team experienced i in working together on major hydro projects was responsible _

for bringing Peace power to British Columbia not only on schedule but with time to

‘spare,

J. P. Pete Ottesen washiredat
the start of 1964.as project man
ger for the mammoth -construc-
tion jobs. Perhaps the best cred-
ential he possessed for the ap-
pointment was the fact that he
had held the same job on the
$720 million, 1, 900,000 kilowatt

ME Niagara Power Project in. New

York State.
EARLY CHOICE

there was the Sariyar hydro pro-
ject in Turkey, where between
1953 and 1967 he was in charge
of constriction supervision and
administration on the $96 million
project,

He knew that was golng ta be
something special at the very
first planning meeting,

“F spoke English,’’ he recall=

ed, “the owner Turkish, Prime |-

| Sher spe and generator sup-
per spoke German, turbine

And one of the tirst things’ he -

did when he joined B,C. Hydro’
was to send for Henry: Patrick
O’Donnell to be his construction
Manager on site at Portage Moun-
tain, .
O'Donnell had held the same
position during the three years it
teok to bring the U.S. project on
line.
. Between them they faced all
) the multiplicity of problems that
a project the size of the Peace
brings in its wake, Faced them

a and solved them,

SHAKE PROBLEMS
Ottesen states -his philosophy

, on problem - solving torthright-.

me ly:
mS ‘When. you get a problem you.

Mi have got lo shake it hard and gat
marid of it, It won't go away ‘and

you, will “get. another’ oni ‘top: of
. {t.?*
Among the. major’ problems,
as the fact that the equipment’
mwas built around the world, “We
mascreamed at thein and We’ got it

He personally ‘gota:
pat istaction’ that it is: don

TURK 1s JOB*

Getting things done is a hhabtt
Bi his, of course, There was the
lg New York Jab, And especially

> OTTESON
* ,.. @ lot of work

erector, spoke Fretich and. .tha
switchyard -contractors. SPoke.

ge ia

“(tThe: job has ‘been 10 year’
singe it was first conceived. until:

the time -It"s producing power,"
he said, “Even Napoleon talked

about putting a tunnel under the

English Channel: ‘and it's sti not.

there, -
OT you had let it run for 10

years before making thedecision |'

it would have-cost you double,”

He. pointed out that the New
York power project had reached
the drawing stage: in 1952 but
building didn’t start until 1958,

GOOD DAMSITE |

tA lot of projects hang around
.& long time,”* he sald. '*Look ati

the First Narrows Bridge in Vane
couver ,.,”

Ottesen considers the Peace
Canyon is ‘a beautiful damsite,
a natural damsite,’? with virtually

bare rock and a mountain of fill |-

right nearby.

‘T think the powerhouse and
intake structures are a fine ex-
ample of concrete work,’ - he
said 'There is no finer example
around the world,” ~.. .

“It's a great job,'? he ‘said,
‘tNobody need:be ashamed 4 |:
hell of a lot of people did a hell].
of a lot of.work,”

Now? He haa’ still got the. Miea, |

_ and Arrow dams to finish, That's |
: ander Mackehzie was: jorced to

enough i for the- ‘moment, oy

Hydro and : Power: authority in|:
1962.to yet all: plans: for construc=,

‘lon of the 600~foot: = high WeaeC. ‘is: one of the world’s great hydro-
\ nt Bi c .

Bennett. Dam fs)

: ‘chairman,’ explain i that. ‘his patel |

of eminent ' enginders ‘Which: bee |

- t[ere studies on Sapt,'17,/1962,
‘Were: asked ‘to. raview the ‘design re
+o the dam, selection .of mater | ‘owe;
dals, construction: plans and other.|:yeady.
umines opendd=in
‘cohvinedng evidence ‘of the” con=
‘tribution of the: Peace River pro-|-
-LJeet “to ‘the economic: growth ot
British Colummbla, oy ‘

matters ‘aflecting- satel:

“The Hires engineers: are Geof
trey Morse Binile,, of. Eondon,

Please Turn to Page, 2 i:

Portage Mountain Generating Station: ;
Located in. bedrock 500 feet : ‘beneath east crest of

WA, C. Bennett Dam.
. . Length: 890"feet

Width:

Generator rating: 227,000. kilowatts | on
Turbine rating: ‘310,000 horsepower

67 fest Height: 153 feet

Ultimate generating capacity (10 units): 2.3 million

- kilowatts

Manifold surge chambers (2): ..
Length: 380 feet Widthi 67 feet

‘Tailvace tunnels (2):

- 1, 880 feet (2).
W.A. C. Bennett Dam:
Length: 1% miles

“Heights 108 feet

. Length: 1,330 feet; (1) Width: 48 feet; Height: 66 feet

Width: % mile (at base)

“Height: 600 feet‘ .. ;
Volume: 7. 2 million cubic yards of fill (100 million

. tons)

Spillway: | -
Overall length: 2,800 feet

Crest elevation: 2, 230 Teet above sea level

Length of discharge channel, chute: ‘and bucket:

2,800 feet —

Width of discharge channel: 100 feet
Distance from riverbed to foot of. discharge channel:

. 250 feet

Mackenzie Saw

Peace. Prospect .

. By Dr. GORDON SHRUM
’ VANCOUVER. — When: Alex-

‘portage around.asectlon‘of- Peace
‘River Canyon; in-1993, he: was

"| impressed’ by the enormous pow-| :
:. (er-of ‘this great'stream.— but it

thorities on ,high. dam “constiuc~; ia doubtful that he’ had any Idea of

tion were commiasionad‘by' B,C, |

the.: important ‘role. the. power

Four province, < ).
‘The. vast: Peace. ‘Rlyer: project

| wing assurance
power it'will he é ama foit factor. in|.

dus ry, in Bric

Over the past s seven- jours, the
construction program . has em-
bon we a total-of more than 40,='

‘were eat men: and women. who,
‘toget!

svouid ‘one: ‘Gay play | in the life of |"

others; : transformed
tha ‘plans into ‘reality,

_‘‘Thougands of additional work=|"
O78 -aCross, ‘Canada, and ii seven|_

fent\
eveloptrient-. and

pparted by At

asurance ‘of. ‘ample electric
\ pulp: mills. have. al-

‘in the. Anter for“

. — ‘Diversion

: WAGs
Dawson-Johnson — $50 mit

others: hélined t6 matutactae ee
transport 'to the: ‘Site the constrac

PUBLIC
INVITED

B.C, Hydro has invited
the public te attend the
official ceremonies mark-
ing start-up of the Peace
‘power project. They ex-
pect about 3000 citizens
will be there. |

Ceremonies will be
held: ‘at 2:30-p.m. Satur-

_ jnelude tours of the power
’ plant arid control building.

. day; Sept. 28): and will -

Program
of
Events

1:50 p.m, — Public admitted
to powerhouse

.2130 p,m, ~- Ceremony begins,,
First threa units commis-
sloned by Prime Minister
and units placed on line, As
units go on line, microwave
signal will result in sound-
ing of "O Canada” trom
horns on top of Hydro build-
ing in Vancouver and from
similar, but smaller set of |
horns in Prince George,.

3:30 p,m, - Following - cere~=

. powerhouse and control
building and visitors will be

crest of the W, A. C, Ben
. nett Dam for the first time. _

THESE FIRMS
BUILT TT

“These are the main. contrac
‘tors who bulit the W.A,C.. Bern=
nett Dam, the Portage Moun-
tain Generation Station and the
fons, and anellary opera-

ons;

- tunnels:
“Mountain Constructors (Drake
~ Construction Co. Ltd, Gilpin
« Construction Co, Ltd, Henry
J. Kaiser Company (Canada)

. million,

‘Bennett Dam: ‘Kiewlt~

- Mon, |
| Pemeee,,

sen Company of Canada Ltd.,

Mitsubish: In
poration’ $5:

mony, there will be atour of. :.

able to drive..across the. -

~ portage |

"Ltd, Mannix Co; td) at |

“Mountain Generating |
“* Station; Northern “Powerplant |:
Builders: (Northern: Construcs
“ton Company and J, .W. Stew= |) ™4

.; art Limited, Morrison-Knud- :
with etigineers,‘techni=| . °
“Perini - Pacific” Limited, J.A.'}i
Jones Construction Company |:
; Canada) Ld, ) — $766 million, :

| Giant Dynamos Sing Out... 7
New Prosperity for B.C,

Premier Bennett Dedicates
First Phase of Power Grid

_ Power will surge through the mighty trans-
mission lines Sept. 28 to mark the realization of
the great dream of Peace River Hydroelectric
development.

When Premter W.A,C, Bennett pulls the switch 500 feet under-
ground in the Portage Mouniain Generating Station it will be the cli-
max of five years of breathtaking consiruction,

The Third Largest |

Leek

tish Columbia, one which the Russiand-rate — on the basis of dam
size, size of storage lake: and generating capacity —. as. the third
largest hydroelectric developmant In the world,
: The 250 leaders of governmentand industry attending the | cere-
monies, in. the huge cavern housing the turbines and generators of
the $725 million project will witness the first surge of power througt
a system bristling with superlatives,
® It is the largest earth-fili dam in B,C, .
® The dam will create the largest lake in B,C, .
@ The power house contains the largest turbines ever built out- .
side Russia,
(They are rated at 310,000 hp each),
_ © The power will flow southward on the highest-voltage trans-
mission Ine ever built in BritishColumbia, The current will travel
576 miles on the 500, 000 volt line,

‘Flip of Switch —

The flip of the switch by the premier will be the climax ¢ ai
the commissioning ceremonies,

‘Water has been building up behind the dam since: spring, ii
will surge down through 680-foot penstocks to set in motion tur-
bines that will in turn activate three 227,000 kilowatt generators,
gach producing at 13,800 volts,

. The power will then shoot up through 450-foot shafts to switch-
yards on the ground above. where it will be transformed into 0 high
yoltages for transmission to demand centres.

The transmission line. terminates at Ingledow Substation in
Surrey, 9. _
“(A second transmission line, ‘slightly shorter but of equal’ yol-
tage, is now being built from the damsite ta southwestern Be, R is
scheduled for completion by October, 1971 -) os

The project was brought to its successtui completion, under the
‘guidance of: manager J,P, Ottesen and resident construction man-
_| 8a aie 1088, Donnell,’ ‘with several aps te to spare on thie deadline a

ot, uot

tn turning on B.C." s biggest “witch, F Premier Bennett pad tri-
bute to Dr, Gordon Shrum, co-chairman of B,C, Bydro whose, Te-
sponsibility the Peace power project has been,

‘Dr, Shrum noted that the project had focssedattention c oni ‘Br .
tish Columbia's. north-central. Interior,.and had helped to bring new |
Industries and new residents to, a hitherto alinast ‘unkown: region, :

“Just A Year later.

The turn- -on 1 oosirred just slightly more thana year after. cere- a
monies marked ‘completion of the dam-itself, At'that. tlrise the: then
lieutenant: governor,'G,R, Pearkes, dedicated the’ dam’ ‘and named:
it after W, A.C, Bennett, ; ;

‘The dam is one -of the world’ 'S ‘largest earth- fi) stu “,
At. contains: 100..million tons of fill. (enough to build'a wall/15 feet, s
“high and six “feet wide.from ‘Vancouver. er to Halting). ‘It stretches'a
“mile and a _auarte

It will ‘bring ‘into ‘production the greatest power venture in Bri: a