The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-13
WATERS ON A RAMPAGE
Western Montana Rivers Are
Raging Torrents.
EXCITEMENT AT HAMILTON
Floods Overflow the Dam and Break
Through in Some Places Bridges
Are in Great Danger-Fight-
ing the Water.

MiSsoula, June 12.-Ihls has Deen
the most exciting day as far as the rise
of water in the rivers of this section
is concerned that Western Montana has
seen since the floods of 1894. The warm
rain of Sunday and the night before
caused a rapid rise in all the streams
of this section. The Missoula river at
this place. fed by the Blackfoot, rose
all the forenoon and this afternoon it
jumped up with rush that alarmed
those who were watching it. For four
hours the rise was a tenth of foot an
hour, but at o'clock tonight it began
to lower, and at o'clock it stands at
1912 feet. four-tenths lower than at
o'clock. The night is cool and it is
thought that there will be drop be-
fore morning.
The Rattlesnake has also made a con-
siderable gain in depth to-day and is d
torrent tonight.
No damage has been done as yet in
this county and it is thought that the
change in temperature will prevent any
further rise at present.
Along the Bitter Root, however the
day has been one of intense excitement
and much damage has been done to
county and railway bridges. The Par
Ian bridge, near Como, is reported to
have gone out at an early hour this
morning and the new wagon bridge at
Grantsdale is tipping badly Both APP
proaches to the wagon road bridge at
Corvallis are out and the bridge itself
is in danger. At Stevensville small
army of men has been at work all day
to save the long bridge there and their
efforts have apparently been successful.
The approaches to this bridge, which
are very long, have been loaded with
rocks and otherwise strengthened so as
to save them if possible, and a bank
of sacks filled with earth and rocks
has been built along the shore to con-
fine the water if possible The water is
about 10 inches deep tonight on the
county road at the end of the bridge,
but the structure is still solid. Passen-
gers who drove over this bridge this
afternoon say that the river had the
ugliest appearance that it has ever
shown.
At Riverside, just below Hamilton,
one span of the railway bridge has
gone out, owing TO the weakening of
the shore piers. Captain Russell is at
the scene with big force of men, and
it is hoped that any further damage
to this bridge will be prevented. There
has been no train from Hamilton TO-
day. and it is feared that it will be two
or three days before a temporary
bridge can be built.
But the greatest excitement has been
at Hamilton. For weeks snxious
watchers have kept note of the rise
| and fall Of the water in the Bitter
| Root at the big dams of the saw mills
| there. 1t has been feared that a sud
| den rise In the stream would injure the
| dam.
| This morning the big whistle at the
mills sounded the alarm at o'clock
and the people knew that the dam was
in danger The water was then high
er al the dam than ever before in its
| history, though above and below tbs
dam it was considerably lower thar
| in 1894 The rise at the dam is sup
| posed to have been caused by tbs
| pushing in of sand and by the large
number of logs that are held in the
| dam. The gates of the dam were al
| wide open, but still the water poured
over their tops. Al the east end N
| the dam the water made . hole
| through, and for time it Looked as
| if the structure was doomed. Super.
intendent Totman had a big force O
men at work, and by the prompt US
of sacks and brush the leak was. Plug,
| ged. The water rose till it stood in tbs
! boiler room a the saw mill and hat
reached a point which was alarming
to those who We're at work fighting
the flood. The fight continued with
out abatement till noon. when the
watchers were encouraged by the fae
that the food was beginning to sub
side. Since then the Withdrawal o
water has been steady, and it is be
lieved that the worst is over