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[From the Altus Times-Democrat, September 9, 1927]

High Spots of Work at Lugert Told

Reporter Gets Highlights from Photographic Record of Work

• November 1925. Preferential vote, voters signified they wanted Lugert project above Bitter Creek.

• January 1926. Voted $690,000 Lugert bond issue.

• August 1926. Contracts let to H L Cannaday and Standard Paving Company to build Lugert project.

• August 20, 1926. First car of material for building of Lugert camp unloaded at dam site.

• September 16. Lugert camp completed.

• September 17. Swinging bridge across river completed.

• September 19. Form building yard...completed, grading for industrial railroad at Lugert and foundation for towers begun. Power plant completed.

• October 4. First flood with river bank full; washout of Orient railroad bridge stopped work for a few days on account of inability to get materials.

• October 10. Industrial railroad completed.

• October 10. Second flood and Orient...bridge again washed out, delaying work.

• October 11. [C]rane was taken across river for excavation work.

• October 31. Rock excavation for cutoff under way, steel or sheet piling driven to turn river channel.

• November 1. Concrete forms set, towers completed, cement mixing plant completed. Towers 100 feet high with span of 640 feet for swinging materials across river.

• November 15. Digging [on] north bank of river through quicksand for foundation [of] north side of dam. This required three pumps and was one of the most difficult jobs of the [project]. Cutoff trench excavation...and first coffer dam completed.

• November 23. First concrete poured on south side of river for three buttresses.

• December 8. Fighting against time to complete coffer dams and pour footing on north side [after] warning of flood.

• December 9. Saved the work [to date] by completing coffer dam [overnight].

• December 23. Poured footing for first sluice gate on north side. River condition at this time bank to bank and coffer dam number one begun.

• December 31. Pulled piling on north side.

• January 2, 1927. Driving piling for second coffer dam.

• January 14. [Second] coffer dam completed. Ice and snow covered the ground.

• January 28. Dam cover completed north bank, excavation of coffer dam two well under way.

• January 31. Biggest sets of forms set and work under full away with 24 hours a day work. Abandoned ditcher on pipeline on account of quicksand and did work with drag line.

• February 6. First big day of Sunday visitors.

• March 1. Entire job closed. Ice and snow caused workmen to crawl on hands and knees about work.

• March 5. Excavation for diversion through dam begun.

• March 8. Water turned through two north sluice gates.

• March 13. Wreck on Orient railroad near dam.

• March 15. Coffer dam number two dewatered.

• March 18. Building of cutoff walls to south bank.

• March 26. Last sluice gate into [missing text]....

• The next 15 days were required to make closure of dam[;] men well[-]organized and [finished] work without danger[;] built beyond danger point in 13 days and the company gave employees a banquet and dance.

• April 10. Weather fine, water low.

• April 11. Recovered piling and raised crane that floods caught in river.

• May 30. Poured last bit of concrete.

• June. Finished control house and completed dam.

• July and August spent...completing pipeline[.]

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City Clerk, Miss Jessie McKinley

Miss McKinley is the present city clerk under whose administration the Lugert water project...finished. She was deputy to Mrs Adella McMahn who was city clerk when the Lugert project was voted and begun. Mrs McMahn and Miss McKinley have handled the affairs of Lugert...under the province of their office most efficiently and credibly since the great work was begun.

Last reviewed: 2004-Jan-21