Arizona republican., 1903-04-03
A FLOOD IN THE SALT
For Time the Tempe Bridges Were
 Threatened.

The next to the worst flood that the oldest timer remembered about filled the river yesterday from bank to bank. At Tempe it was only about six feet below the famous flood of 1891 when the bridge of the Maricopa x Phoenix road was lifted from it's piers and car ried away. It was feared for time yesterday that the new temporary bridge of the Phoenix x Eastern was going. Shortly before noon the water rose a foot bringing with it great quan- titles of drift wood which was caught in the wood work of the bridge. A channel was quickly washed around the Tempe end of the structure and the pressure on the bridge became so great that it was pushed eighteen inches ouI Of line. Within a little while it would have given away before the weight of the water but the drittwoOd was shot out from time to time as fast as il aC- cumulaed by dynamite and the pas sage for the water Was kept as clear as possible.
 The Maricopa & Phoenix people were even more anxious about the fate of the Phoenix & Eastern bridge than the officials of that road were. It was to them only a temporary structure short ly to bG replaced by d magnificent steel bridge. the stone piers of which are almost complete. But if that mass of wood work had been swept away it would certainly have torn out the MaricOpa & Phoenix bridge.
 A little afternoon the water began to recede and by o'clock it had fallen about eight inches; the drift wood ac- cumulated less rapidly and the exDlo- sions of dynamite became less frequent. Word reached Tempe in the middle of the afternoon that the flood had been caused entirely by the melting of the snow on the headwaters of Salt river and that the Verde had contributed nothing to the flood but that it's con- tribution was then on the way. It was estimated that the flood in the Verde would raise the river at Tempe about two feet and would probably reach that point some time in the evening. In the morning nearly six feet of water was flowing over the Arizona dam At ] o'clock the flow had decreased to four feet and q half.
 It was a rather exciting day at Tempe, Half the popula ton was watching the two bridges and every other man or woman armed with a ko- dak. Some of the artists were saving their fire for a spectacular incident They wanted to catch bridge in the act of falling.
 There was some little doubt whether it would be safe for the Mesa train which is due at Phoenix at o'clock to cross the Maricopa SS Phoenix bridge Some repairs on the structure had just been completed and there was q great deal of false work at the bot tc!H which would have been remove yesterday but fer the flcod. That work gave the water an advantage in it= assault on the bridge and it was doubt ful to what extent the structure might have been weakened. Ii was decided though that it would be safe to cross and the train vas taken over Tt . snail's pace. 1t was observed thougi that all the passengers crowded ;,s fsl as possible to the rear of the enc coach and the platform was filled W-itI them.
 Tn many places the river was q mic wide. Going to Tempe the first view of it is obtained from the first cro:a'- ing of the Phoenix & Eastern. The roa1 of it could be heard long before tha | The right of way of the Naricopa S Phoenix is perforated by many 'ulvert. tc let out the W2te: into the riV,r iron desert floods gathered in the numeroI: