Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-05-11
The Usually Tranquil Red Works
Great Havoc at Grand
Forks, n. ID.
Stacks OF Debris to Be Found
observation-disclosures Es-
cape OfBridges.

denizens of Grand Froks and the Red
river valley. While the stage OF
water this year has not quite reached
the highest point recorded II years
ago, yet the slight difference is lost
sight of in the greater dangers
incurred this year, from the fact that
the modern city has improvements
exposed to injury that were not more
than vaguely dreamed Of by those of
aforetime. 1t is a tremendous volume
of water that has poured down the
Red and Lake rivers with only slight
recession for the last 10 days.
Nothing but the phenomenal GOODNESS
during the period has prevented most
| disastrous results. For four days the
rushing currents washed the lower
chords of the Northern Pacific and
Red Lake river bridges. Had the
weather been sufficiently warm to
have moved the ice gorge that rested
against the Red Lake bridge, wedged
solidly together for half a mile up
stream, while the food was still at its
height, nothing could have prevented
the destruction Of every n Of the
five magnificent bridges that span
these twin rivers. As it was, the
Northern Pacific bridge was given up
for lost. Its construction is faulty in
the respect that the track crosses it
at a grade some four feet lower than
the high water mark Of 1882, which
seems to have been adopted as the
proper level for the Great Northern
bridges on Minnesota and De Mers
avs. The approaches of the North
ern Pacific were SO long submerged
and exposed to the pounding of float
ing icebergs that anxious crowds
standing on the De Mers av bridge
momentarily expected to see them
swept away. The food continuing
TO rise, the draw span was
swung wide open, thereby lessening
the surface exposed to the ice-laden
torrent. The upstream end Of the
defender was oon carried away
while the downstream pier was
pushed off aud detached from the
piling that supported it, causing the
entire framework structure to rise
eight or ten feet, raising with il the
downstream half of the draw span,
depressing the upstream portion and
leaving the entire span hanging help
lessly in the stream with monster
ice cakes continuously pounding the
unprotected structure. Suddenly an
ice gorge began forming, extending
from the center stone pier to the west
side approach, in the form of a per-
feet arch, floating ice piling Itself up
to the height of 20 feet and extending
up stream quite to the De Mers av
bridge. Fortunately, this gorge was
broken by the liberal use of dyna-
mite, the draw span continued TO
hang to its moorings, and with the
recession OF the water the ice pier has
been removed, lowering the D a TO
the horizontal and allowing it to be
swung back into line with the
approach. Trains are now crossing.
but can only proceed to the passenger
station, as the track beyond for 40
rods Is six feet under water and the
grade washed away. The water is
still several feet higher than last
year when a locomotive and six cars
were thrown into the food in the
rear of w. S. Wilder's residence and
the engineer drowned in his cab.
Near the Northern Pacific station
is the warehouse and Office Of the
Standard Oil Company, a substantial
orlck structure, which was quite
submerged TO the roof. The contents
OF two large tanks OF oil were forced
out and are yet floating on the sur-
face of the river. Near by were
the Red river steamers and the gov
erhment engineering fleet, just now
released from their ice-bound winter
mooring. Just above the Northern
Pacific bridge stands the Minnesota
and Northern Transfer elevator.
where steamers discharge cargoes of
wheat from warehouses up and down
the river to cars of the Great North
ern. These buildings have been cru
ely crushed by floating ice striking
the siding. The steamer Alsop made
the iirst trip Of the season to the ele-
yator at Belmont, 20 miles up the
river, and found, as expected. that
the wheat In store was for the most
part ruined. The company estimate
all their losses at an aggregate of so.
600 bushels.
The Great Northern bridge is lust
hlgh enough to allow ali passing ice
to sweep under without grazing the
lower chords, and the structure Is
practically unharmed, a result due to
the fact that the structure has been
largely rebuilt during the last two