Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-06-30
NAMED FOR HEROINE
Large Viaduct in Iowa Called the
Kate Shelley Bridge.
Spot Where II brave Girl Saved n Pas
scnEer Train from Destruction
An Immense Engineer
ing Work,

Four miles west of Boone, Ia, is
nearing completion what is said to
be the highest double track railroad
bridge i'll the world, says the New
York Tribune. For 80 years the
Chicago d Northwestern railway
has found it necessary to wind
around many curves and down steep
grades to cross the Des Moines river
at Moingona. The section of IL
miles of track between Boone and
Ogden has been the most dangerous
on the main line of this great trans
continental system. The mainte-
nance of "pushers" and the extra
expense of hauling heavy loads up
difficult grades, besides numerous
accidents that have occurred from
time to time, have demonstrated the
wisdom of this cutoff between
Boone and Ogden. Besides, there
will be saving in the distance of
more than three miles and of fully
half time. To obviate these obsta-
clcs the Northwestern has con-
structcd new double track line and
is building across the Des Moines
river this wonderful viaduct.
Twenty years ago, between Boone
and Moingona, on this same tortu-
Gus line. about to he abandoned, an
engine went through Il bridge at the
time of "a raging flood. From her
widowed mothers cottage near by
maiden of IL years saw the en-
gine's headlight disappear in the
raging torrent. Lighting a lantern,
she sped away through the storm to
Moingona, told of the disaster and
saved passenger train from follow
ing the Inflated engine to "a watery
grave. The state of Iowa gave her
medal for her bravery, her name
has been celebrated in poetry and
prose, and, as a lasting monument
to her heroic deed, it has been de-
cided to name this structure the
Kate Shelley bridge.
type of the structure is that
commonly known as the viaduct.
This type of construction is usually
employed for carrying traffic over a
deep and wide chasm in which the
| question of waterway is only of sec
ondary Importance, and in which
economy and safety are about the
only limits placed upon the design
er. This Viaduct consists of IL mum
ber of plate or lattice girdcr spans
supported upon braced towers. The
spans forming the top of the towers
are As feet long, while those span.
ming the space between two towers
are IS feet long. Not all of this
bridge. however, is of the yaduct
type, for across the channel of the
river is truss span 300 feet in
length. The vaduct proper forms
that part of the structure extending
from the ends of this truss spar
across the valley to the adjacent
bluffs.
The length of this structure /!
2,6s5 feet, the height from low wa
ter to the base of the rail 1S5 feet
The width of the deck is 30 feet
ample for the double tracks. Nor,
metal is used in the construction o.
this viaduct than OF any similar
structure in the world. The approx
innate weight of the superstructur,
is $500 tons, and of the superstruc
ture 400 tons. making total %
nearly 6,100 tons. The cost will an
proNimate S6O0,OOO for the bridg,
and $5O0,O00 more for the new lou
BILE track between Boone and Og
den, making total Of 81, 100000 ex
pended upon this work.