The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-13
BRIDGES ARE OUT.
Three Kaw River Structures
Destroyed This Morning.
Valencia, Willard and LecOmptOn
Suffer.
ICE GORGES THE CAUSE
Fear Entertained for the Bridge
at Lawrence.
Damage at LecOmptOn Due to
High Water.

ice gorgcs this morning. They are that
at Valencia from which two spans are
missing, the one at Willard near tne
Shawnee -Wabaunsee county line. Whlch
lost two spans and the bridge at Le-
compton, which is short three spans
The destruction OF the bridges in ev-
cry case was due to the ice. AT Nalen-
cia it banked up against the piers ana
the water rose to a great helgnl' car
rying out two spans OF the new IRON
bridge which was rebuilt TWO YEARS
ago, after having been destroyed py
the flood Of 1908. 1t was made four reef
higher than the old bridge, to guard
against high water.
The Willard bridge was also destroy
ed i'm the 1903 flood and rebuilt by the
county.
Little damage was done by high water
in the vicinity of the bridges
Much Damage at Lecompton-
At z O'Clock this morning an ice
gorge in the river at Lecompton start
ed moving and knocked out three
spans of the bridge over the kaw
river. Following this the gorge NOV
ed down the river at a terrific speed
tossing ice in the air to the height OF
thirty and forty feet. The Santa Fe
depot has been vacated because ice
is pressing against it and damage Will
amount to several thousand dollars.
The gorge at $3.50 o'clock had moved
four miles down from Lecompton and
is expected to reach Lawrence by
evening. Should the gorge continue
to move at the same speed and come
in contact with the gorge at Lawrence
the bridge there cannot possibly be
saved. In an effort to break UP the
gorge at Lawrence and protect the
bridge the ice was dynam tied yester-
day afternoon, but owing to the fact
that the ice was not rotten enough
dynamite was not effective. Should
the weather warm up to any extent
and the ice start to thaw damage in
this vicinity would amount to many
thousand dollars.
The highest stage of the river at
Topeka was ! 8 feet, early this morn
Ing but the water began to recede
rapidly about 8 O'Clock and continued
to fall during the day. There was no
dangerous ice gorge here.
sand Boats Carried Away.
Mammoth cakes of ice large enough
to accommodate crowd of skaters
have been beating. cramming and
smashing their way down the Kaw riv-
er today. Early this morning the huge
floating skating rinks came singly, by
noon they came thick and fast and
gave the river an appearance of NOV
ing iceberg.
1t was feared for some time chat the
ice would collect at the bridges which
span the river for a half mile along
the river front in this city but the high
water threw the miniature bergs against
the massive piers with such a velocity
that the ice was cracked, broken and
carried away without any danger to the
bridges. The Wear sand dredges were
carried away during the night.
In some cases the ice has collected at
the Melan arch bridge but invariably
large floating cake would strike it at
the weak point. tear loose the wedge
and with a splashing of water, a creak-
ing and breaking of ice the float would
continue on its way down the river.
On account of the continual increase
in the ice floats the water did not go
down very much this morning. the II
foot mark was well covered during the
entire time. Later this afternoon it
dropped slowly and is now recedine in
a substantial manner.
Large Crowd Gathers.
The size an6 thickness of the huge
cakes of ice attracted crowds to the
bridges and the banks of the roaring
splashing river this morning. One cake
which looked like the top layer of a
large sized lake oozed through the piers
of the Rock Island bridge this morn
ing and came swiftly down the high
waters to the Melan arch bridge. Fort
unately the skating rink was mid
stream and with great velocity it head
ed toward the large space between the
two center piers. The size of the ice
berg appalled, the spectators and it
looked probable that a jam would be
formed at once.
However, the berg reared I'D into the
air as 1t hit the two center piers-a
thunderous crack was heard and split
ting square in the middle it settled
down, dove into the water and slid be-
tween the opening. then down under
the street car bridge and out into the
open stream again. If this cake had
become lodged between the two piers it
is safe to say that a jam would have
been formed in half hour that could
=
lot have been broken with all the dyna-
mite in the city.
1t is evident that the ice on the river
today is some of the old ice formed in
December. 1t is from six to ten inches
thick and in some cases is solid and
clear. AS a. whole the ice comes in
frozen chunks and is easily broken
when it strikes the massive concrete
piers of the Melan arch bridge
Along the banks of the river where
the ice chunks have lodged and swerv
ed around the cold driving wind has
frozen them. thus narrowing the strean m
and forcing the ice to the middle II
has been a noticeable fact during the
whole morning that the ice floats have
been as thick in the middle of tbe
stream as along the banks. This wouId
indicate there is still more water ~
come and that the current is danger
Gus. The old river men always shake
their heads when the ice and drift
wood remain in the midstream This
always signifies more water and
treacherous flow
The strong wind from the northwest
Is driving the ice floats down the river
thus giving the cakes more velocity and
breaking them up against each other
and against the piers of the bridges
This wind is also freezing the water
as it splashed upon the massive float
ing ponds and adds to their danger and
their weight.
one reason that the river is so full
ana came up so rapidly during the