Webster City freeman., 1912-04-30
NEW CHANNEL IS LIKELY

Council Bluffs, April 29.-The
presence of such high officials as As
sistant General Manager E. P.
Bracken, of Chicago, General Super
intendent F. H. Ustik of st. Louis,
Superintendent B. B. Greer of st.
Joseph, Mo-, Roadmaster c. l.. Bon
ham of St. Louis and Trainmaster
M. C. Hughes of Kansas City on the
job at Folsom, where 500 men have
been for a week with the Missouri
river, indicates in measure the
seriousness of the trouble.
The work has already cost the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail-
road company 100000, not to men
tion the loss of traffic, and will cost
even greater sum before the skill
of the large corps of engineers
brought here from Chicago and St.
Louis triumphs over the power of
the flooded Missouri. a stream more
noted for its erratic actions than for
anything else.
Yesterday sixty additional feet of
track was swallowed up by the river
and the officials of the railroad COM
pany We're in dismay. Already forty
box cars had been sacrificed to the
capacity of the stream and quick or
ders were given to put sixty addi-
tional cars into the water. The most
of these were loaded with rock, but
few were loaded with steel rails
to hold the cars down, the swift cur
rent having previously carried some
of the cars, carrying fifty tons of
rock each, down the stream. The
cars were all coupled together and
slid from the temporary track into
the water and soon were out of
sight. 1t was stated last night, how
ever, that some of the cars were
showing their tops and with consid-
cradle reservation General Manager
Bracken said he believed the fight
had been partly won.
Before the river began eating its
way towards the high bluffs along
the valley, the Burlington tracks
were over 500 feet from the river
bank, while now for miles there is
not over fifteen feet of ground left,
while for a long distance the track
has entirely disappeared. Inasmuch
as the tracks had previously been
moved back and were close to the
bluffs, 100 and $50 feet high, it can
be readily seen what the loss of any
part of the roadbed means to the
1t means that the line
to Glenwood from Council Bluffs
may have to be abandoned or en-
tirely rebuilt, and as it is the main
line to Chicago as well as to Kansas
City, the company cannot give it up.
They have their line across the riv-
er at Plattsmouth, but this line is
the short line to Council Bluffs and
Omaha. The traffic is now being
cared for with five stub trains oper-
ated daily between Council Bluffs
and Omaha, all traffic being sent via
AS the fast mail trains
all are scheduled via Glenwood and
Council Bluffs the delay in mail is
apparent.
The added incentive for the siren
uous activity of the railroad COM
pany with 500 men working
night and day. is reported by one OF
the officials whose attention was
called to new danger by one of the
chief engineers on the job. Below
Folsom short distance the river
curves to the east, following the
base of the bluffs, and here is where
It is heading for the open country.
Il the water succeeds in cutting it's
way much farther inland it will
strike the bed of an old channel, |
now a small creek, which extends
'outh connecting with the river be-
ow Plattsmouth, Neb.
Glenwood, Ia, April 29.--All
'oads lead to Folsom in the extreme
vest of Mills county, where the Bur-
ington railroad is making a fight
against the Missouri river for it's
Kansas City roadbed. An auto SER
ice from Glenwood is in operation
md the trip is one of the most pop
liar in this county.
Rajlroad detective Freed