The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-19
FEAR TROUBLE If
ICE HITS BRIDGE
City Engineers Men Stand BY
With Dynamite Ready to
Blast Big Gorge.
DANGER FROM FREsHETs
Ninth Street Structure. Wabbly
at Best, Kept Under
Close Guard.

| Vigorous efforts arc being msdo by
the CITY EnS!neer's Department TO saw,
the old .Siuih street FREQ Bridge from
damage in the event OF the formation
OF an Ice gorge In the river. Dynamite
charges have been stored TT con.
vcnient places for ready access. and
the condition OF the river Is beins
closely watched by y number OF men.
night and day.
Realizing the serious consequences
which would result from lack OF COM
munication between the city and South
Richmond and Chesterfield. City EnEi-
ncer Boiling put eighteen men to work
yesterday morning cutting the ice
away from the support OF the bridge,
and keeping open a clear channel be-
tween tho various sections of trestic
work. SO far all has conc well. bu,
If the warm rain predicted by the
Weather Bureau comes to-day. an
enormous amount OF ice in the upper
river will como down on the crest of
freshct made by the melting of snow
Valley.
Only Route for Traffic.
The totterinE condition of the bridge
was realized rs soon as & was turned
over to the city by the old James
River Bridge Commission. following
consolidation OF Richmond and Man
chester. ErEineers reported that Il
had outlivcd its usefulness. but since
Il was the only means OF general traffic
other than the railroad bridges. pend
Ing completion OF the new MAYO
open was fully realized. and more than
$4,000 has been expended in the past
year IN temporary repairs.
a part of this consisted OF the cree
ton of timber trcestle work, resting on
the rock bed OF the river. TO support
the weaker spans. With this trestle In
place. and under ordinary river con.
dit!ons. the bridge Is stronger than 2
has been in many years, but the
method of construction was admittedly
q make shift-merely an attempt to
keep the structure open to travel for
Il few months longer.
The cold weather OF the past two
weeks has formed Ice in the river at
this point moro thnn twelve inches
thick, while above hero the river is
frozen from bank to bank
With the thaw o. yesterday the ice
began to give way, and the river is al
ready showing the effect OF tho rapid
~ melting SHOWS for hundreds of
miles above. II the rain comes as
predicted. serious rreshet is ant!ci-
pated. On the crest of this frcshet
may come the broken ice in great
the props OF the bridge. and II is not
Impossible that one or more spans may
be carried away altogether.
Night Force Within Reach.
All OF yesterday the men worked
clearing the frame work OF ice and
cutting channels between. When the
gang was laid off at night each man
gave his address, and a system was
arranged SO that II force could be sum
moncd quickly in the event OF auy sud
den emergency. Sticks OF dynamite
suitable for blasting away great forma-
tons of ice which might dam the
stream and endanEer the bridge or
threaten 10 cause a freshet nd over
flow, We're stored at convenient places.
Inspector q. NJ. Bowers, of tho City
Engineers office. remained on the
work all night. in charge of a double
force OF watchmen. reporting at In
tervals by telephone TO Assistant En-
gineer Kankins. who has charge OF
bridges
City Engineer Boiling made a
critical inspection yesterday after
noon. and decided that 1t was not
necessary to close the bridge to traf-
&c under present conditions. Arrange
ments have been made and watc m IN
so placed that in the event OF the for
nation of any sudden ice gorge the
bridge may DC closed to traffic and
roped off. In the event of any span
being weakened or carried away by the
ice arrangements will be made at
once for temporary timber construction
10 carry the rcadbcd of tho bridge, 90
that traffic may be resumed at the
earliest possible moment. Both in
tn" Water ana Engineers Departments.
where river conditions hsve given
much cause for apprehension IN the
past few days. the hope is expressed
that before another winter South Rich
mond VII he adequately supplied with
a permanent bridge and well laid
wafer connection that will not he put
out OF business with the arst touch
Of freezing weather.
an, 49, $500, o,,o