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The Water Power of Texas. 
27 
a horizontal direction in the backwater below the dam and in eddies at a 
safer distance below the toe of the dam. The lower part of the down- 
stream face of the dam has a curve of thirty-one feet radius to which low 
water surface is tangent. The central part of this face has a batter of 
four and one-half inches to the foot. 
“The new profile at the top part, as suggested, completes the down- 
stream face and crest of the dam with a curve of twenty feet radius, to 
which both the front batter and the surface of the pond at a level of the 
crest are both tangent, this curve ending on the crest at five feet from 
the upper angle of the crest. The upper angle of the crest is then 
rounded off with a smaller curve, and the entire front of the dam 
becomes a reverse curve of ogee form, the form of dam best of all adapted 
to pass a large volume of water through so great a height. The top 
curve conforms nearly to the theoretical form of a medium flood stream. 
At higher flood stages there will be tendency to vacuum under the curve 
stream immediately after it has passed the crest, which, together with the 
pressure of the atmosphere upon the top of the stream, will keep the full 
flood stream in full contact with the curved face of the dam, and cause 
even the highest flood to glide down the fall without shock upon the face 
of the dam or the soft rock foundation.” 
