The General Engineering Company Limited
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
AIR FORCE HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA
GAP FILLER STATIONS IN NE ONTARIO
TIMMINS STATION - JOB No 5069
Field Survey Report
and
Preliminary Construction
Estimate
March 14th 1960
General Engineering Company Ltd
Consulting Engineers
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
March 14th 1960
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
AIR FORCE HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA
GAP FILLER STATIONS IN NE ONTARIO
TIMMINS STATION - JOB No 5069
Field Survey Report
and
Preliminary Construction
Estimate
INDEX
PART I
  | Sheet No's |
---|---|
Description of Site Etc | 1-2 |
Method of Survey | 2 - 3 |
Soil Investigation | 3 |
Engineering Recommendations | 3-4-5 |
Electrical Power Supply | 5-6 |
Communications | 6 |
PART II
Preliminary Construction Costs | 7 |
PART III
List of Drawings T685-31A, Siting Instruction Plan | 8 |
SEPARATE SUBMISSIONS
Photostat Copies of Field Notes:-
Transit Notes
Level Notes
March 14th, 1960
Sheet No 1
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
GAP FILLER STATIONS, NE ONTARIO
TIMMINS STATION - JOB No 5069
PART 1
Timmins is a city of 2,800 people located in the centre of the Porcupine Mining District, North-Eastern Ontario. While industry is predominantly mining, small commercial and industrical enterprises are well represented. The community is well served with transportation by rail, road, and air. The Metagami River flows northward through the city and provides power from Hydro-Electric sites further north. The terrain is an alluvial plain with a few precambrian hills raised above the general level, and providing visibility for good distances. The land around Timmins has either been cleared or burned over and is now semi-agricultural.
The site indicated for this Station is the top of Mount Jamieson, located roughly 8 miles westerly from Timmins, and at some 450 ft higher elevation. This is currently the location of a 80 ft high Forestry Tower, for which the Ranger's Cabin is located at the base of the hill, and on the south side. The site has many rock outcrops, and was cleared of all trees by a forest fire some twelve years ago. In general the ground falls away from the site rather steeply, but toward the North and East the slope is such as to permit grading to 8% or 10% maximum grades.
The site is reached at present by road, by following Highway No 101 southerly from the Ontario Northland Station in Timmins, for 5.8 miles to its junction with the Kamiskotia Road. Then following the Kamiskotia Road Westerly a distance of 6.8 miles more or less, at which point an existing Forestry Dept road runs North-East about 3,105 feet to the foot of Mount Jamieson, and terminates at the Ranger's Cabin there, about 800 feet south of the Summit and 200 feet below it in elevation. A foot path then leads up the South slope of the hill, to the Tower.Highway No 101 is a paved road running from Matheson through Timmins to a point 30 miles South, where it joins a system of gravel roads leading through Folyet and Chapleau to Highway No 17 at Thesalon, Ontario. The Kamiskotia Road is an all weather gravel road, normally ploughed during the winter.
The Ontario Northland Railways maintain freight, passenger, express and telegraph facilities in Timmins, which is the terminus of this branch of their line. Their head office is located at North Bay, Ontario. Adequate sidings are provided. Passenger transportation facilities are supplemented by Trans Canada Air Lines at Timmins, and bus lines to Folyet and Matheson.
Gravel suitable for concrete is to be found in a pit 300 feet from the Kamiskotia Rd, directly opposite from the turn-off to the existing access road to the Forestry Tower. A little care would have to be exercised in the selection of a well graded aggregate, as the percentage of sands increase with the depth in the pit. Arrangements for use of the pit can be made with Ontario Dept of Lands and Forests.All building materials are readily available in Timmins.
The Ontario Dept of Lands and Forests maintain a large depot at Timmins, under Chief Ranger Charles Grey, and acting Chief Ranger Ian Stewart. As is usual, these officials are very co-operative. No extensive forest fires were reported in the area in the last five years, but every year there are a considerable number of small grass fires, mostly caused by berry pickers. These fires are quickly controlled, and should not constitute a serious hazard.
There is no heavy forest cover at the site or along the access road. The only trees in evidence were small birch, poplar, and alders, six to eight feet in height.Although the land is covered by patented mining claims, the surface is controlled by the Department of Lands and Forests, who do not anticipate any difficulty arising out of this aspect.
Conditions at the Timmins site should cause no foundation problems. The average depth to bed rock at the Building and Tower site is about 1 ft. the material grades from organic silt at the surface to sand and boulders to 10" size. Numerous outcrops are visible. Along the Access Road, from the Kamiskotia Road up to PI 13 (approximately 1/2 the length) the soils were observed as sandy gravel, but for the second half surface observations were organic silt and organic clay. Near the Tower end of the road outcrops become visible in several places.
We therefore recommend that a new Access Road should be provided, approaching the hill generally from the North-West. In this case it will be more economical for a new road to branch off from the Kamiskotia Road about 1.5 miles further West than the existing road, where it could make use of an existing dirt road serving a wood-fuel area for the Dept of Lands and Forests. The new Access Road would follow this existing road a distance of 2,164 feet Easterly, from the Kamiskotia Road, and then continue a further 4,912 feet across country and swinging in a South-Easterly direction to connect to the gravel ridge referred to. The existing dirt road would require extensive improvements, so is included in the survey for the new road. Little clearing other than brushing is required for the new road, and fill material is plentiful along the route. Arrangements for snow-plowing this road in winter could be made with the local division of the Department of Highways.
The following information was obtained from Mr AB Hayman, Consumer Service Engineer, Northeastern Region, Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, 590 Shaw St, North Bay, Ontario.
- Electrical Primary Feeders in the General Area
- A single phase line passes 0.65 miles South West of the site. This line would have to be converted to 3 phase.
- The source of supply is the Mountjoy Distribution Station located 6 miles from the present end of the 3 phase line, and 13.5 miles from the proposed load. This distance would allow service with a maximum of 5% Voltage regulation and exactly 60 cycle.
- The distribution system is a 12,000 V/7,200 V, 3 phase, 4 wire, grounded system, on wood poles with cross arm and pole top pin; and is owned and operated by the Ontario Hydro Electric Power Commission.
- Interruptions from Jan 1st 1959 to Oct 1st 1959 were as follows:-
15 Automatic interruptions with practically instantaneous closing
Aug 16th - 2 hours to replace blown fuse - a branch fell on the line
Sept 27th - 4 hours - trees fell across line.
- Electrical Primary Feeders required from Existing Feeders to the Site
- Hydro is prepared to supply the transformers, as a standard distribution type can be used
- The Customer would be expected to bear the cost of converting 7 miles of the present line from single phase to 3 phase, building 0.65 miles of new 3 phase line, and erecting transformer structures. The estimated cost of this work would be $18,000.00.
- Hydro would purchase back that portion of this new installation that would be needed if it became necessary to supply new customers who would also use those facilities.
- Metering - An indoor energy demand type of meter would be furnished by Hydro in a suitable location to be provided by the customer. Space requirement is 36" x 36" x 12".
- Rate would be standard rural rate as follows:-
Service Charge - $1.35 per KW per month
Energy - First 50 KW Hrs - 3.7¢ per KW Hr
Second 50 KW Hrs - 2.4¢ per KW Hr
Additional KW Hrs - 0.33¢ per KW Hr.
Prompt Payment discount - 10%
At one time the Dept of Lands And Forests owned a single circuit open wire line to the Forestry Tower on Mount Jamieson. When land lines were replaced by radio this line was abandoned, and sold to Ontario Northland Communications for the sum of $1,000.00. This line is now in bad repair, and it is suggested that for any satisfactory operation the line would have to be rebuilt from the junction of the Kamiskotia Rd, and Highway 101. Further, the pole line is so poor that it would be preferable to install the line on Hydro poles which is common practice. If this were done the estimated cost of new work would be 9.55 miles of two circuit cable at $600.00 per mile = $5,730.00. This figure was not checked with the Telephone Co, but if more accurate figures are required they can be obtained from Mr EA Frith, Ontario Northland Communications, North Bay, Ontario. The Company did indicate that two circuits could be made available.
Sheet No 7
PART II
Preliminary Construction Estimate
  |   | Preliminary Estimated Cost |
---|---|---|
A | Site Development | $1,200.00 |
B | Building Foundations (Perimeter Walls & Slab) | 3,600.00 |
C | Tower Foundations | 950.00 |
D | Access Road: -
|     19,600.00 - NIL |
E | Fencing | 2,400.00 |
F | Water Supply | 800.00 |
G | Sewage Disposal | 800.00 |
H | Oil Storage | 1,500.00 |
I | Electrical Power Supply
| 18,000.00 |
J | Communications New Telephone Line | 5,730.00 |
  | Total | $54,580.00 |
  | Add contingency - 10% | 5,458.00 |
  | TOTAL ESTIMATED COST | $60,038.00 |
Sheet No. 8
PART III
Drawing List
T685-31A, Siting Instruction Plan
Scale 1" - 50' (Print from Transparency off Linen Tracing)