Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-07-15
lDous's the length Of Boon. Span and
n Nearly a. Hish-Grsatsr Engineer
ing Problsms TO Solve Than Ever
Before Encountered II 3tats&.struc.
turs to Cost 3a,5oo,ooo.

their breath and gasped that 1t could
not be done. Today in answer to such
tscepticism there spans the valley at
dizzy height the longest and highest
Is(for its Lengthy bridge in America. 1t
lis double trAcked structure Of steel,
resting spider-like on mammoth big
concrete pillars which extend but
short. way up the canyon. It's con-.
Instruction involved two and ,one-half
ismillions dollars and by it the railroad.
company saved tortuous, twisting
grades down the bluffs on one side
and up the bluffs on the other. Two
miles of .trackage was done away with
and the mileage between ocean to
ocean was cut down correspondingly
AIS much. 80
| Construct Greatest Bridge.
Just east of Perry another engineer
ing marvel lis to be constructed. Fol-
lowing the example Of the Northwest
ern the Milwaukee is to span the VAL
ley,jw another structure longer by
double the length, nearly as high and
with greater engineering problems to
solve. It will cost full $3;5o0,000 be-
fore completed The new double track
bridge will be without question the
Igreatest bridge of its kind not only in
Iowa but in the entire middle west. It's
construction calls for nearly double
the amount 81 steel used in the Boone
bridge mad joining to II on the east
Twill be the largest fill for railroad
trackage ever attempted in Iowa. One
hundred or more feet high, mile in
yards Of dirt and built by four success
1 g. he
| marvel Of modern engineering. It's.
ia nsion of the big steel structure over
- i the east side, which. had such been
donas would make the Milwaukee
bridA e fully two miles long.
From, Bluff TO Bluff.
The. new Milwaukee bridge will start
~ thas west end Of the high bluff on
IN, cha-Ies Harlow place. which over
look. tha entire valley. One hundred
and sixtvA ave feet below it and nearly
= mile to IA V east runs the Dies Moines
river Fron \ that emfnence it looks
ike q silver = ribbon finding its way
through tho n meadows which border it's
hanL. Huge Noncrete piers, now un-
der constructioAs and being built. rise
from, tha sheer Ace of the bluff and
,,;l, carry the h,,a, e steel bridge across
the vast expanse. Beneath the oriose
fully ninety feet rA ps the road which
leads to the Phildia coaA camp ine
new structure will 81 'ah the roaoway
like q modern Colossal OF hnooes anu
will not interfere with the traH'c 10
and from the mine.
A Hiv. Of lnda stry.
But on the east side Oh the river Is
where the scene is a hive of industry.
Porter Brothers, millionaire con,rac-
tors, have the job OF buildinA tne nuse
fill which is to meet the bl 7ose anu
aid in spanning the valley. w Nm them
is G. W. Marshall, sub -contrad tyr also
Of Kansas City. Between the 4 wo DIG
companies there are employed siA nuge
steam shovels which are eating their
way thru small mountains Of dirtA ana
depositing the debris in trains of sat
cars. A dozen engines steam br ~
and forth pushing the dirt trains ok
to the end of the grade. where by tina
latest modern methods the dirt Is de- I
posted and placed in the I'LL.
A Historic Spot.
It is a historic old place where the
Milwaukee is tearing up the surface OF
the earth. and remoulding 1t to At the
needs Of modern transportation. Just
north of the huge grade lies the site
of the old town of Elk Rapids. There
is nothing there now but farm house
or two In generations past 1t was
famous old ford Of the river. The pfo-
neers traded there, secured their mail
and learned the news that travelled py
stage and courier. When the Milwau-
kee put it's line thru. the trade went
toward the new towns along the line
and Elk Rapids died away and became
only memory
The land over which the bridge will
span and upon which the mammoth
grade is being erected. was entered by
Ben Williams as a homestead in 1850.
The Williams family and lack Deland-
er, another pioneer, lived there for
many years, the latter acquiring land
In 1858 which remained in his posses
sion until the Milwaukee bought his
entire farm. The houses where these
families lived were built Of native lum-
ber When the graders moved in the
farmers moved out The Williams
home was torn down, and only the old
well sweep marks the spot where 1t
stood. The Delander house caught fire
few weeks ago and was burned
down. 1t wasn't an accident: 1t was
cheaper to burn than to move and a
railroad company IL not In the BUSH
ness Of q curator Of historical spots.
Cemetery TO Be Moved.
Right in the path OF the monster
grade is the old williams cemetery,
grown rank with weeds and wild flow
ers Headstones dating back to 1853
mark graves of men and women whose
death occurred in that year It presents
u problem which the legal department
Of the road must solve. The company
has purchased 100 feet to the north
of the little city Of the dead and has
secured permission from as many rel
atives as can be found for the removal
Of the graves to the other side of the
cemetery. The company needs fifty
feet Of the south end of It. A plat 10
being prepared locating each Of the
graves and the new psft Of the ceme-
terry will be plated juetsas the.old part
fis. The legal question uf the change
viii be completed IL a,3ew days When