Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-03-17
TRIBUNE REPORTER j
VISITS At MANDAN' !
FINDS CONDITIONS IN THE CITY
TO BE BETTER THAN FIRST q.
REPORTED.
Bottoms West Of River Are TANNED
With Ice - Railroad Company Il
Rushing Repair Work. ,>>....&

A Tribune representative made the
trip to Mandan yesterday to observe
the results of the flood and ice Jam
of last Monday, caused by the break
ing up of the Missouri river. - -
The damage began about one-fourth
of mile from the west end of the
bridge, where the waters only washed
over the track for a distance Of one
hundred rods without damaging it to
any extent.
A little further on the ice jam
struck the grade with full force and
swept it clear of ties and rails for q
distance of two miles. The rails and
ties were carried of the road bed and
are lying alongside of the embank-
ment.
The ice is piled up in immense
cakes that resemble small ice bergs
along the entire piece or road bed
that has been stripped of ties and
rails, from five to ten feet high. This
ice has to be blasted by dynamite and
then broken up with sledge hammers,
ice picks and pick axes. This work
is very slow. There were $50 men at
work along these two miles and about
a mile was cleared Wednesday and
new track laid. Several thousand
pounds of dynamite have been used in
the operations. Superintendent Burt
Is hoping to have trains running by
Friday night, but it is doubtful if 1t
can be done.
There are two miles of telephone
and telegraph wires destroyed. The
wires are wound around cakes of ice
and logs and the poles are scattered
in every direction and those not brok-
en- of are bent in every direction.
On the north side of the grade the
ice is piled up, cake upon cake. as
far as the eye can reach in every d.
rection. Some places it looks to be
twenty-five feet in height. It will be
many weeks before this ice disap-
pears as it has been left stranded on
the bottom land.
In Mandan proper there was no
damage by water at any time, though
at one time it was feared that the
gate in the dyke would give way, but
good work on the part OF the citizens
prevented this. The water was two
feet above the street level behind the
dyke along the Heart river.
The Syndicate addition was flooded
and people were compelled to abandon
their homes, but they found temper
ary quarters with their friends. The
mill was compelled to shut down,
which deprived the city Of it's street
lights, and the destruction of the line
between the bridge and Mandan de-
prived tho residences and stores Of
electfictz lights. There was no water
in the railroad yards or shops, nor in
the main part Of the town.
The Western Union, company had
q corps OF linemen at work setting
up temporary poles and stringing the
wires, and has made connections at
each end.
The telephone people laid two miles
If insulated wire along the Ice jam
and opened up connections Wednes-
day morning. This will do temporary.
Mandan has had no mail since Sun
day and was glad to get copies OF
Wednesdays Tribune to find out
what was doing in the world. As
soon az train service is resumed 1t
will pay Bismarckers to make a trip
over the line to see the results OF
the disturbance.
The river is still carrying quanti-
ties of floating ice and will probably
do so for some days, as the banks are
walled with cakes Of ice.