, 1866-04-21
TIE SEASON OPENING.

treat Deas1uctlon By m Ice Gorge on
the Upper M1sslsalERt-Loss u Ptera>
Rrsdxes aud Logs.
fFrom Tho st. Panl PIets, l.th tnas]
DESTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE At NORTH MN
EEAPoLls.
About six O'Clock this morning we we're
aroused from slumber By cries OF the bridge
Is coming down." Hastily dressing, VIC
reached the river Just In tune TO see the huge
feld Of ice which FOR months has britstd the
swift Mississippi, snd constituted nIm, un-
Welding roadway for thousands Of teams and
pedestrians, slowly seperate into enormous
foes, and float rapidly to destruction. Atthe
tails the fierce current reared the white heads
Of the fragments, as II In anal adlen. and then
dron below. Then came the floating ice. fll-
ing the entire breadth Of the river, fastening
on With speed far greater than that OF the
swif}est human foot. Away up the river q
mile and half distant, tie eye could distin-
gulsh the outline Of the upper bridge, and Il
the departing king olwinter missed his strong
legfons and hurled them against the frail,
wooden structure, Suddenly the white ice
grew black with broken timber-half the
bridge had dissolved like wa1 work,
aud On came the wreck, zoarf aud grinding
and whirlIng In the strong grip Of the curren.
To the astonisbment Of al, It took cou5r
reco1 of waters from the high bluffs th0ny
was flung into the channel on the sth behind
side and disappeared from 1rfhr wrecl-was
the island. i small portE5 q came mel down The
caught In The eurrs1k sa 4. Sine The Suspension
Nine Minneapolis slds; water, released b, the
afino ~ e the gorge, had 'ai1eu neaIy
tf,ree RET, and the daIk maSa, ssoie.y dassg.sg
S5,t shore ST tor Touching sna iTams Wore @ but
she Strong Iron guys hanging low BY their own
weight were caught BY The wreck, and snap
ped OF like whip cord. The elastic structure
sNaycd to and fro, and scores Of people, who
from either end watched the. progress Of
affairs, fed precipitately to the firm land.
On the St. Anthony side The remaining por-
ton OF the wreck Of the upper bridge Was
driven At full speed aga!nst the pieces Of the
old bridge, which tEtTG spans the stream
but they stoutly resisted the attack, and de-
fled 1t, and the mass was split to fragments,
and contenicd itself with tearing awsy q few
OF the supports. Hundreds OF logs which
have slept between the two shorss ot st.
Anthony and Nico1ltt Island in peace a1 WIN
ter, we're awakened to sundry baths aud
plungcs, and logs, Ice, and broken timber
swept majestlcally down over the falls. It u
said that over 20, 700 worth Of logs went o7er
the fails this morning. At seven o'clock afl
was over. Half OF tie upper bridge is gone
on the ST. Anthony side. Beyond the draw
ncthtng remains except couple Of shastesea
piers and stranded section Of the bridge.
Whether II will be rebuilt no one knows. AL
wlntel the toll keeper tas been paid s14 a
month to receive 81 worth Of tolls. The base-
ment walls Of the toll house are undermined
and part gone, and the family evacuated 1t
yesterday. There Is 8 great deal Of Ice Jet to
| come down, but the water has falien rapidly
The ice in the river between the upper
bridge md the falls had not yet been broken,
and was comparatively solid, and when the
moving mass come down upon this, 1t was
broken up In huge masses, ground up and
carried away. The sudden movement Of this
| great body Of heavy ice Was particularly de-
structiye to the boom piers located between
| the suspension bridge and the St. Anthony
i boom, which were erected this winter, ant
| about dozen Of which were carried away
The piers were owned by the proprietosa O
| the mills on the Minneapolis side, and involve
| loss OF about 5000. The LOGS is paItlcu
Iarly severe, rs the piers cannot be replaced
! this summer. ..
Another and severe loss WIS the destruc
] tion OF the lumber sluice below the talls, ct
| the Minneapolis side, which was carried awaJ
| by the rush OF ice. The loss il about 81, ,0N
and will fall on Messrs. jones & Co., Wash
| burn, and Morrison.
The amount Of logs aoated of Will foot VI
| TO nhont 700, 600 feet, tie greater portion
which belonged to Dean Co., though sever
| nj other mlllers were losers to considerable
amounts.