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Water and Me

Category Archives: Dams

Holy Bat Cave Batman

16 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, Dams, engineering, water history

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Baltimore, batman, bats, Cromwell Park, Dams, engineering, Gunpowder Falls, Hiking, HISTORY, nature, photography, Public Works, Research, water history

The other day I received an email with the following photograph. It asked if I knew what this ‘tunnel’ was for? It was holding up progress on the construction of some new buildings. In the email there was an attached drawing of the building site with the location of the tunnel circled in red. Holy crap! The drawing, to scale, would mean that this tunnel was about 30′ wide! After researching drawings from 1873 onwards, not finding it in any, I went up to look.

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What I found was an opening of about 18″ x 24″. Talk about a let down! Below is the contractor’s foot, for size reference.

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So, since I was there I stuck my camera into the hole to get some pics – glad I didn’t climb in there. Do you see what I see on the left, dangling from a crevice in the rocks??

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Well so much for finding part of the Underground Railroad or an Indian Burial Ground or a secret cache of moonshine (yes, that was suggested). After about 2 hours of meetings and investigations, I took a walk.

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Looking across the construction site to the upper dam.

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The lower, older dam is my favorite. The inspector told me that since it is marble, someone should pressure spray it clean. Ok, I’ll get right on that!

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First, get someone to remove that log, which has been on there since the storm of 2010!

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This dam has held up pretty good since 1880

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The valves which were inside the old gate house.

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Sorry Batman – the only bat cave I could find…

Loch Raven Property

10 Saturday Dec 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, Dams, HISTORY

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

abandoned house, Baltimore, bricks, Eagles, engineering, FILTRATION, fishing, glass plate negatives, Gunpowder Falls, Hiking, HISTORY, Montebello, nature, photography, Public Works, water history

The day before taking off work for my daughter’s operation, I was contacted by CHAP – Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation. They wanted to know if I knew anything about a fireplace mantle from Glenn Ellen Castle that was stored in a maintenance building downstream from the second dam? No. They were getting ready to tear down the buildings and were told by the contractors about the mantle.

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This was Glenn Ellen prior to raising the dam from elevation 188′ to 240′. The reservoir did not reach this height but it was still on watershed property and taken by the City. I think only the foundation exists now.

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Earlier this week a friend of mine, Thom, contacted me and told me about some signs he saw on the property as he was hiking behind the construction site. At first glance I thought they were bronze plaques so I met him and Wayne to go exploring.

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The hiking trail is on the hill behind the silt fence. This is where the signs were. Turned out to be steel and not bronze, but still worth keeping a couple for history’s sake!

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Saw some interesting items so took a closer look. I thought it was odd that the contractor cut the beams instead of just knocking this building down. Come to find out a company called Bricks And Boards came up a removed the wood to re-purpose. The boxes contain core bore samples. Not sure why the City didn’t want to keep these? They do me no good without the engineer’s records saying where the samples came from.

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After rooting around in the barn we decided to head into the house. This is being knocked down also. A few years ago I was told there were lantern slides stored in here along with some old drawings. Back then, I wasn’t allowed in to look.

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The house as it looked about the 1920-30s. I tried to find who was the original owner but had no luck. From a map of 1882 it has it listed as City Property. Adjacent to the Wisner, Shanklin properties. Further investigation is needed.

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Wayne asked the date the house was built. Not sure but it shows up in a 1881 photo. Far right side just up from the Gunpowder River. This photo shows the dam near completion, ready to lay the last stone.

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Back into the house. Entrance hall.

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There are 3 fireplaces. One plastered over and two, like this one, with the mantles missing.

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Kitchen.

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Looking up the stairwell. Three floors.

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Second floor to third floor

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This was a nice design – up the stairs to a landing that will take you in both directions. This is a huge house.

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Lots of rooms – curves and angles.

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Chairs on a desk – watching…

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One of the many views. Someone nailed a metal sign to the window? I would have loved to live here with this view. Two eagles were playing most of the morning over the lower reservoir. Nice!

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Another room. Candles, a bed, money box and stuffed ducks that look like the turkey buzzards tore open – must of thought they were real!

Prologue: I asked the contractor to hold two of the signs for me until I can come back up. He said ok…but, between my visit and when I sent off the email, Brick and Boards came up and took them. Talked to Max from there and he said they are in his warehouse and I can come pick them up!

Their site: https://baltimorebrickbybrick.com/2016/08/04/brick-board-is-here/

Conowingo During Agnes 1972

21 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in 1972, Dams, engineering, Floods

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Baltimore, bridges, Conowingo, Dams, engineering, HISTORY

Came across this Sun Paper photograph showing, what it says on the back, that all 53 gates of the dam were opened during the storm. It doesn’t look like all 53 are opened. In a 2008 interview, a former Conowingo Employee, Elder Silvercloud tells us that many of the flood gates wouldn’t open. They were stuck. Another article I read said they were going to dynamite a portion of the dam to relieve pressure? In 2011 another storm caused them to open 43 gates. For more info, Google Search Conowingo Dam Agnes.

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Notice there are no watermarks saying ebay or sun paper – that is because I do not steal these photos off the internet. They are in my personal collection.

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Conowingo Dam

04 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, Dams, engineering, Photography

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Tags

Baltimore, bridges, Conowingo, Dams, engineering, fishing, photography, Public Works, water history

My visit into the Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant. Built in about two years time with close to 4,500 men. 1926-1928. Built by the Arundel Corporation. It generates over 13, 000 volts and then steps it up to 220,000. We were not allowed to take photos in the control room but one thing interesting about that was a board that gives real time prices for electricity. The other thing in the control room was – I was asked, very sternly, Do Not Go Back There Or Touch Anything!! Sheesh!

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Got there early and looked around. Carved eagle in front. They have a photo contest every year for eagle photos. I didn’t bring a telephoto lens.

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Fishermen. How the heck do they not get their lines tangled?? Three turbines on. Roughest water up to the right was a large unit. Two smaller units are on, to the left of guys fishing.

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Time to go in and start the tour. Our tour guide is wearing the black hat. A continuous run movie on the building of the dam is playing. There is a nice one on Youtube called Conowingo: Then and Now.

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The real tour guide. The photos on the wall are all winners and submissions for the eagle photo contest last year.

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One of two fish lifts. This one was used to collect fish and then transport them by truck to hatcheries and fish farms to be released above all the dams (There are a few and about five years ago they all installed real fish lifts so the shad can just go up river to where they are supposed to)

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I believe our tour guide said these two generated power to run the plant. It was loud in there.

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Where they make electricity. Yellow light on the right wall means – put in your earplugs.

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Aerator. It sucks air into the water. The dissolved oxygen drops about 60% from the dam pool to the discharge side, so they add some air to the water.

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This little probe, just barely touching the turbine shaft measures for any distortion in the shaft. If it senses some, it will shut down the unit.

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Some old gauges.

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Spiders! They just cleaned these windows a couple months ago.

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Next level above the turbines – generators.

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Outside above the catwalk. Years ago, pre 9/11 you were allowed to fish off the catwalk. This is looking down towards Port Deposit.

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The tour group. I didn’t know a single one of these people.

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Need some lights changed on this sign.

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Lonely lamp right before the second fish lift. Do fish need to see to be lifted?

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In the very early 1960s I use to fish on that little rise at the bottom of the dam.

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Second fish lift. They swim into that lift and are free to swim out at the top. Supposedly there is someone who looks thru a plexiglass window and counts them? Since the other dams have installed lifts, no reason to truck them anywhere.

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Starting to get dark out.

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Back inside, on the way to the control room. Pit.

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Dark outside now, after control room. Guys are still fishing!

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