Daily globe., 1879-04-11
OUT ON THE SIOUX CITY LINE.
Constructing a Big Trestle BridOe--A Gred'
Ianproven,eMt--Acctde at the WOrE-.
Blu Kings SlO,c Paper.


Correspondence of the Globe.
MANKATo, April 1O.-The up train last
night to Madelia had on board the laggard
Z. z. man, whe was fastening to report the
Davls-Flsher case, which had terminated
some six hours before his arrival, and, as is
usual with the attaches of that fossil con-
Germ, all he had to do was to turn and come
back. Knowing of the extensive works going
on near Minneopa, the GLOBE man stepped
off at that most delightful of Minnesotian
rural retreats. The beetling rocks and forest
clothed heights, the ferny dells and copsey
glens, and mossy hooks and rounded knolls,
are all as beautiful and picturesque and ro-
mantic as ever. Everything, even to the
congenial and hearty welcome of the good
old pastor and his handsome daughters, are
the same. But the falls, alas are gone. The
rocks are there; the vast abyss and the deep
pool, but not drop of water trickles over
the precipice, when it is customary at this
time of the year for wide silvery sheet to
leap and foam and cast up Its cloudy spray,
forming myriads of bright colors in the sun
light. No time in the memory Of the oldest
visitor, was there time when the little
gurgling Minneopa was SO devoid of the
| crystal element. The GLOBE man walked
down from the falls to the long and dan
gerous trestle bridge, which spans the wide
| gulch through which the brooklet flows.
| The trestle work of the bridge was becoming
| in places decayed and the company said, for
safety, a new bridge entire would soon be
necessary, and they concluded that when the
repairs were done they would make a change
in the track, which would correct the dan
gerous double curve which here occurs-one
on the opproach from Mankato, and the
other on the bridge itself. The directors of
this excellently managed line also concluded
to do away with the at all times unsafe wood
en- structure and make their way permanent
and secure from all danger and accident.
This they are doing by filling in the i'm
mense gully and building culvert. The
culvert is already finished and is one of the
finest pieces of stone work in the State. It
is 1856 feet long, 20 feet long and 16 feet
from the base to the inside of the arel, and
built of wrought Kasota stone The engi-
neer was T. P. Greer and the builder, G.
Strom. The filling in is an enormous work,
as the height from the creek to the railroad
track is 80 feet, and the width of the chasm
$50 feet, and in order to straighten the
road bluff some SO feet high, 800 feet long
and 500 feet wide will have to be removed.
The work is progressing rapidly, the con-
tractor, Mr.. Vincent, being desirous to push
| it forward as rapidly as possible. During
the progress of the work there have been
two or three accidents of minor nature, the
most serious one being that which befell
James Lee and Richard Raggett, of ST.. Paul
upon whom big mass of earth fell last
Saturday. The men, however, are doing
well. Mr.. Lee, who was the greater sufferer
escaped with broken rib and q shock to his
system.
Yesterday an accident occurred which wa!
almost amusing. One of the mules drawing
the dirt-train slipped from the bridge ant
hung suspended over the yawning depth be
low. The brute kicked and splurged abou
only as mules can do, and men hurried to ge
tackling to lift him up again upon the bridge
But Mr.. Mule thinking he was not born to b.
hung, and preferring drowning in the dr..
ditch below him, slipped his head out of tn
collar, ears and all, and gently sat down il
the sand seventy feet below. He sat Their
for moment, like dog, on his launches
then he got up, shook himself, Tapped bac]
his ears, gave one, deep, melancholy bray
and trotted off up the activity and com
merced brousing on the brush-wood.
When the work is completed it will be
wonderful improvement to the road, and
now that it is thought of running the lin
through from Blue Earth and Winnebag
City to Minneopa the improvement will b
the more appreciated. It had been almos
arranged to carry the Blue Earth branch t
, Lake Crystal, but Minneopa will be bette
, point of connection in many ways. The lin
will be more direct and shorter to Minnear
oils and St. Paul.