Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-23
BISMARCK'S BOOM.
A Description OF the Structure that Spans
the Raging Missouri
[Bismaick Tribune, Oct. 81.

: Although Un6 OrlSludl SCueIno Oh IlS
Northern Pacific railroad contemplated {
bridge across the Missouri river at or neal
Bismarck, no definite action with reference
to the construction of this bridge was tax
en- until the winter of 1880, when Mr.
George S. Morrison was requested to ex
anime the river at this point in conjunc
ton with Gen. A. Anderson, engineer in
chief, and prepare a report on the best
method Of crossing the river. The first
careful examination was begun in April
1880. The fact that the railroad was
already built from the east into the city
of Bismarck and westward froa, Mau6an
made it important that the crossing of the
river should be as early as practicable on
| a direct line between those two points: hls;
the examination was extended down the
river to Fort Abraham Lincoln, and about
| an equal distance up the river.
THE CROSSING DEFINITELY LOCATED.
In July, 1880, the preliminary examina-
tions were completed, and the location of
| the bridge virtually fixed. The point Sc
lected was within 200 or 800 feet of the line
on which the proposed bridge has now
been built, this location being determined
as combining to the best advantage, direct
ness of route with favorable bottom.
On Jan. %, 1881, contract was let to
the well-known firm of Saulpaugh & Co.,
of Rock Island, ILL.,, for the construction
Of the substructure of the bridge, this in
four piers. In April the quarrying of
stone was begun near Watab station, in
Minnesota, but the quarry not proving a
%1xv
opened near East st. Cloud. This last
quarry, now known as the Crock Island
quarry furnished four-ffths of the
stone used in the Bismarck bridge.
A sub-contract for the pneumatic
work of the two channel piers was
made by Messrs. Saulpaugh & Co. with
Messrs. Rust & Coolidge, of Chicago. On
Feb. 2, 1881. contract was awarded to the
Detroit Bridge & Iron works of Detroit,
Mich, for the manufacture and erection
of the superstructure, consisting of three
through spans of 400 feet each, and two
deck spans of 113 feet each,isthe work to
be built in all respects according to the
detailed plans and specifications prepared
by the engineer of the bridge. In April
the construction was fairly begun
though ground was not actually
broken until May. The construction
of the Bismarck bridge involved three
totally different pieces of work: First, the
control and rectitioation Of the river; sec
ond, the bridge proper; taird, the ap-
proaches. This control and rectification OF
the river, consisted in combining it 10 the
1000 feet limit between the east shore and
the end of the dyke, and the protection of
the east shore by rip rap, so as to render
it dOubly secure from the action of the
water After the ice went out the main
channel was left between the uncompleted
dyke and the west shore, and the action of
the current during the spring and summer
floods wore away about 200 feet of this
portion of the dyke. The relative amount
of water passing through the east and
west channels changed gradually, until by
the end of April, 1881, the amount of wa
ter passing the east channel was decidedly
more than that through the west channel.
In May an attempt was made to close the
west channel, and piles were driven for
bridge to connect the west end of the dyke
with the west shore, but this work was de-
stroyed by high water before it could be
this destruction not being
wholly unexpected. On the Goth of July,
1881, when the summer floods had receded
about six feet from the maximum height,
the driving of this pile bridge was .egun
again, and it was completed in August. A
track was then laid to the end of the dyke,
which has ever since been maintained.
During the spring and summer the east
end of the dyke was strengthened by rip
rap which was boated to it from the east
shore. After the track was completed to
the end of the dyke, riprap was brought
there on cars and unloaded directly into
position. I. In this way the end of the dyke
was maintained for several NC nths against
the strongest current in the river and with
a depth of water of fifty feet Immediately
outside oft. The west channel filled up
rapidly during the fall months
and in the early winter was finally
closed By filling the pile bridge with earth.
The dyke has been finished at about the
level of ordinary summer high water; it
has been maintained for two seasons
against the full current of the river, the
only weakness shown being settlement
some distance back from the end which oc-
Cured during the summer food of 1882.
At this date there have been used in the
construction of this dyke 10000 tons of
granite boulders for riprap, besides a
quantity of brush and crib-logs, and up
ward of 10000 cubic yards of clay.
Although not yet entirely completed, the
action of the dyke has been such as to sat
isfy the engineers of the correctness of
their plans. The river has been perma-
nently confined to width of 1000 feet ad-
joiding the east shore. A thick growth of
willows has already started spontaneously
on the deposit formed by the river in what
was year and half ago the main naviga-
BILE channel adjoining the west shore. The
course of the channel is gradually improv-
ing. and the indications are that at the
close of another season it will follow an
easy curve along the east bluff, leaving
the dyke buried in deposit of silt.
The elevation of the top of the dyke was
purposely fixed at about the level of ordi-
nary summer floods, this height being
thought likely to secure larger deposit,
both above and below the dyke, than if
finished at higher level. When the ice
goes out, about the LIST of April, the water
usually rises some feet above the top of
the dyke, and secondary embankment,
only to resist the action of ice,
has been built Immediately alongside of
the trestle approach, this embankmenf
finishing nearly twenty feet higher than
the top of the dyke.
q The bridge proper consists of three
spans each measuring 400 feet hatveau