Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-03-26
Trains East and West are Delayed
Today by Overlooked Tracks
at Mckenzie.
Arrangements to be Made for Transfer
Of Passengers from One Train
to the Other.
Two Miles of the Track at Mckenzie
Under Water and Trains I'm
able to Cross.

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due to water this time and not to
snow. The melting Of the heavy SHOWS
that fell at Mckenzie and through the
neighborhood ten days ago and the
heavy rains that have been falling for
the past t~wenty-four hours have flooded
the lowlands of a mile or more in the
vicinity of Mckenzie station and there
is a great lake of water overfloWing the
track. The last trains passed through
the water yesterday afternoon at a late
hour. During the night the stage OF
water increased, and there was a rise
of a foot during the night. This morn
ing the water was flowing over the
rails to a depth of a foot or more for
a distance of two miles, beginning at
the warehouse and extending for two
miles in this direction. From all the
hills and valleys in the neighborhood
the water is flowing down in great
streams to replenish the lake on the
1owlands and the indications are that
it will be some time before the waters
will subside enough to permit the pass
age of trains YER the track.
For a couple of days now there has
been high water on the Mckenzie flats,
which has washed over the tracks and
swept out part of the roadbed. Yester-
day a work train was sent down with
sand bags to repair the track so that
the passenger trains could pass over.
Many of the passengers were nervous
while the "trip was being made, but the
big engine and its following Of cars
crawled through the water in safety.
With the added stage of water during
the might, it was not thought wise to
permit any attempt to be made to
cross the flooded tracks, and the water
is so high that an engine would prob
ably not hold fire during the trip.
The west bound train of last night
was held at Steele, and today's trains
are being held at Jamestown. The east
bound train was held at Mandan dur.
ing the night, until arrangements could
be made for the transfer of passengers
from n train to the other at Nc
Kenzie. Il
Superintendent Wilson is at McKen-
zie today experimenting the work OF
transferring. He is also operator pro
tempore, and has his office establish
ed in an old car house. Agent Scott
received instructions this morning to
hire as many teams as he could in this
city, get what skiffs and boats were
available. and have them taken to Nc
Kenzie by the east bound passenger.
It will be necessary to use the boats
for transferring passengers, and teams
will also be necessary in transferring
baggage and mail.
There is a high stage of water in all
the creeks and water courses and many
bridges have suffered from the swollen
streams. Some bridges have been lift
ed, up in the middle and the planks
have parted company, rendering cross
ing impossible. In other cases the ap-
%proaches have been in part washed
away. Country roads are in many cases
impossible from the mud and water
Heavy hauling in the city is impossi-
BILE, because of the deep mud. The
frost is leaving the ground so quickly
and this with the melting snow and
rain has caused a deeper mud than ever
before known in the city. Even driv.
ing with light wagons is difficult. Stage
drivers report difficulty in making
trips. In the city the mud is deeper
than ever before known.
! This afternoon it was stated tina,
the project of transferring passengers
from one train to the other at Nc.
Kenzie had been abandoned for thu
present. It is impossible to tell wher
trains can be run over the overtiowe(
track.
Our spring line of hosiery has ar
F, rived and we are howino fancy not