Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-12
DESos,ArEoN.


| Across che Tennessee River q
BridgepeEf swept Away ss1 Last
Havoc and 4 estruedIOn On the Rail-
roads--ISoSs of Property 80 be Ests
mated by Millions Of Doltars-SeeHe
of DessIatioH arisl Death. s1 -is~
Our story Of destruction still goes on
the details of desolation is not yet com
plete. With Geographic eommanieatioI
suspended in almost all directions, We haF'
bui too many details Of the ragages of th'
food, Of desolaiion and death.
With all the exeriions made TO preven
such catastrophe, the bridge across tbs
Tennessee, at Bridgeport, on the Chatta
Bo0ga railroad, has at last given away e
the tremendous pressure brought against
il. and nearly the whole structure has been
swept away. What adds to the appalling
seriousness OF the loss is the fact that tive
men who had been engaged at the strac.
tafe. we're swept into the fierce current and
hurried intc eternity. The loss, of these
lives, with number of families who
were drowned in Chattanooga, even il
no other fatal Casualties are to be reported,
renders the picture of destruction woelnliy
sad indeed. In the river at Bridgeport
there is a thin strip of island. The river
on either side being spanned by bridge,
the structure on this side being as long and
half as that ON the other side Of the
island
Yesterday morning early, fonr spans OF
the larger bridge were swept away, while
the deluge made clean sweep Of the
smaller structure. Il is qlite probable that
e'er this time there is not a vestige of either
left, except the massive stone piers. The
length Of both bridges must have beenabout
thousand feet, while both had been built
after the most solid and substantial fashion.
1t Is doubtful If the loss sustained in this
one locality can be less than two hundred
thousand dollars, while the damage on the
entire road cannot fall far short of half a
million of dollars, if it does not exceed that
figure. This, with the damages sustained
by other roads further South, and the
losses on account Of private property,
must necessarily bring the figures up
among the millions-this in Tennessee and
Northern Georgia 1t is extremely inn
probably if the Bridgeport bridges can be
replaced inside of three months, and to
complete the repairs on the road will per-
haps take at least another month.
The very latest reports received, state
that the Tennessee is still rising, and ex-
tending over a vast extent of country. On
the Chattanooga srailroad, the carsrun only
as far as Anderson. From there to Chatta-
nooga the track is under water, excepting
in spots. Between Bridgeport and Steven
son. the track is flooded to the depth of
seven feet. A telegram to Colonel Times al
five o'clock last evening, reported the water
twofeet higher than on last night, and rising
three inches an hour The same telegram
also states that two bridges had been washed
away between Bass and Stevenson.
A working party sent out Sunday morn
ing TO Running Water bridge could not get
further than Carpenters. They had boat
with them, but were afraid to venture on
the stream with il, as the current was sc
strong. They started to return at three
o'clock in the afternoon, and report heavy
rains on Saturday, and perfect torrents
Yesterday As far as eye could reach from
Carpenters, the food spread out in one un-
broken expanse. Between Stevenson and
Scarborough, the rack and all the bridges
are under water.
A dispatch from Atlanta, received by
Col. lines yesterday, states that Chattanoo-
ga was reported to be almost entirely under
water. Although there is no direct COM
munication with that place, it is believed
from the known rise at other points, that
the food must have increased some twelve
feet. which would make from fifteen to
seventeen feet of water in the depot. This
tremendous and unprecedented overflow,
already greater on Friday night than re-
collected by the oldest inhabitants, must
prove very destructive to property, and it
is feared to life A great deal OF anxiety
has been manifested to learn OF the true
situation there, and of the reported loss OF
life, but nothing definite can be learned as
vet. Futile efforts were made to establish
Geographic communication with Chatta
nooga by way of Corinth, New Orleans,
Montgomery, West Point and Atlanta, the
only route apparently open, but no response
has yet been obtained.
Reports from Stevenson are to the effect
that. as far as the eye can reach, the food
covers the track of the Memphis and
Charleston Railroad Some of the bridges
on that end Of the road are reported gone
and trains al stand-still At Chattanooga
Creek bridge eight heavily loaded cars
have been placed to hold the bridge in po-
sition; at Lookout Creek bridge, eight cars
loaded with corn, and an old engine, are
located for a similar purpose; at bridge
No. 81, between Stevenson and Bass sta
ton, three cars loaded with iron and rock
have been placed and at Shell Mound, a
train with locomotive attached has been
placed on each, making an aggregate OF
twenty-five cars at that point.
On the Western and Atlantic road a
number of bridges had been washed away
since Saturday, one hundred and thirty
five feet of the trestle.work at Resacca
having also gone by the. board. Tele-
graphic communication had been estab-
lished to Ringgold from Atlanta.
Except on the Chattanooga road, every
railroad running ont of this city was run
ming on schedule time up to last evening
The bridges at Johnsonville and Decatur
were still all right, although the food wa
rapidly approaching the top Of each. The
Nashville and Decatur road, and the Mem
phis and Charleston road south of Decatur
are both in perfect order. Passengers
therefore, for New Orleans, Mobile, Mem
phis, Vicksburg and ali intermediate
points, can be sure of going through on
rpoular time