Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1893-05-12
Il Red is RAGING
The Usually Tranquil Red Works
Great Havoc at Grand
Forks, N. ID.
Stacks of Debris to BE Found
Observation-Disclosures Els.
cape fBrldges.

W GO1h S uOklkuL
In counting the incidents of the
flood of 's2," but it is the waters of
'9s that most interest the present
denizens Of Grand Froks and the Red
river valley. Willie the stage of
water this year has not quite reached
the highest point recorded IL wears
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 flood was still at its
height, nothing could have prevented
the destruction of every one 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 nv bridge
momentarily expected to see them
swept away. The flood 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 raj soon carried away
while the downstream pier was
pushed off and detached from the
piling that supported it, causing the
entire framework structure to rise
eight or ten feet, raising with it. 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 mornings, and with the
recession Of the water the ice pier has
been removed, lowering the span 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 flood 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
brick 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
eminent engineering feet, 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 of