Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-04-04

Nigh Water.-Last Friday the Cedar Riy-
er commenced raising and continued to raise
until about o'clock Monday morning, when
it was at it greatest highth, being some 0 or
! feet higher than at ordinary stages. About
noon ON Sunday it was discovered that the
water was cutting away the abutment at the
north end of the bridge, and nothing but the
most prompt and energetic action saved at
least one bent from destruction, and perhaps
the entire structure. The same day about
3 p. NJ. the south end commenced giving
away, and delay of twenty minutes would
probably have been sufficient time for the
water to have swept away that portion of the
bridge. Sunday night just before - o'clock
the race bridge went off with fearful crash.
At this point had been erected sort of tenn
porary dam to prevent the water inundating
the mills below. Against this vast quant-
ties Of logs and drift-wood collected and the
pressure proved too great for the structure,
and away it went. The road leading to Ce-
dar City, which is formed by an embank-
ment thrown up through slough juttng out
of the river, is cut through and through by
the water, so as to he impossible. The rail-
road pile bridge just east of the depot is de-
stroyed,- water cut the piling out, and
swept it away, leaving the stringcrs which
are only supported by their extreme ends
which rest on the banks Also the bridge
still little further east, by the tank house,
is severely racked, and one pile taken entire
~ out. The damage to the railroad is such
that no freight can be received or shipped at
this point until the damage is repaired.
The race embankmcnt on the river side.
just above the mills was cut through, and the
water continues to pour through the gap in
great volumes. We hear of no other dam
age to private property other than the loss Of
some lumber and logs which were swept
away from the mill when the race bridge
went c. BozARTn lost 1000 feet, JOHN KEEL
LER sixty dollars worth, and several others
were losers in small quantities.
Sunday afternoon the waters rose with
fearful rapldity and when night set in pre-
sentcd-a rather appalling aspect. Though
it was apparent to all that should the water
continue to rise during the night as rapidly
as it had during the day, the danger to the
bridge and several building was imminent,
yet but three men though it worth while
to stay and watch the freaks Of the angry
waters, ard from ten till four o'clock these
men were increasingly employed in fighting
back the devastating flood. They undoubt-
edly saved the river bridge from being swept
away. During the night they discovered
that the water had again commenced cutting
away the abutment, and only with great
difficulty succeeded in stopping the break.
The water also commenced running over the
road leading to the bridge and had they not
been there to throw up an embankment to
turn the water back, it would have swept
away BARNUM & MELENDY's new warehouse.
The names Of these three men arc p. MELEN
Dy, BYRON CULVER, and DANIEL WILLARD,
and they deserve great credit for their exer-
tons that night. The two latter had no per.
sonal interest at stake whatever, and deserve
all the more credit on that account. 1t wnsl
trying position in which to place three men,
when there was work enough for fifty, and