Taking the Temperature of a Dam 



Forty-seven thermometers are buried 

 in the concrete of the Kensico dam 



Bv Herbert Francis Sherwood 



The thermometers arc buried at predetermined levels and points in the dam 

 and are connected by buried cables with switchboards at central points 



OSE fliiy, a year a^o, I paid my first 

 visit to the ^ri-at Kensico dam, tliree 

 miles north of White Plains, X. V.. 

 <()untcd atnoiiK the notable dams of the 

 world. It is intended to form a storage 

 reser\oir in the C'.itskill system of water 

 supply which New ^'ork city is constructing 

 at .111 expenditure of Si 77.ikh),(x#o. The 

 i.ike of Citskill w.iter behind it will he 

 .ipprnxim.iieK' four and .i h.ilf miles in 

 lfn^;lh. 1 1 will ha\'e .» m.iximum de|)th of one 

 hnndred and liflylue feet, and contain 

 upw.niU (if lliirt\ liillion e.dlotis of w.ilcr. 



It was a hliak da\ . The thermometer 

 early in the mornini; hail registered zero. 

 .•\ searchini; northwest wind swept down 

 throngh the whole length of the gre.it l)asin 

 in the Bronx valley and chilled to the 

 ni.irrow those who went out upon the crest 

 of the dam. .^ccompanie(l !)>• the division 

 engineer, I descended from this exjiosed 

 pi. ice to the long corridor extending for 

 more than a third of a mile through the 

 d.im. This corridor w.is opi'ii to the sk\- at 

 iiitcr\.ils .111(1 I w.is astonislu'd at the 

 w.irmth of the air encountered there. 



S(l(i 



