Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1917-06-01
A MONUMENT TO BLAKE GANG NISRULE

Inc SicdIWdtcI TtScT Uegdu ConIils
up again Sunday, continuing to raise
Monday. By Tuesday morning it
reached the high mark of two weeks
previous, and continued to raise all
that day. = About five O'Clock in the
evening it had reached stage about |
a foot higher than the first raise, and |
threatened to get up to the paving in
the business section. Along the river
the people had moved during the
afternoon, and some OF the homes had
the first floors under water foot or
more. The water spread over the
lower lands, making great lakes, and
giving the river wide proportions,
with current that swept everything
in its reach. Thousands of cords of
wood and large quantities OF logs
went racing down the stream
During the afteruoon sections of
the Sites bridge came down. also
several dead cattle.
Fear was felt for the Orofno
bridge, since the middle pier had al
ported it by piling in great quantities
of large fiat rocks, and another had
put cables on the pier to hold t from
tipping, and had lacked the steel back
almost into place. repairing the
broken steel and otherwise putting the
damaged spans into shape to stand
thru the floods. Highway Commits
soner Samson Snyder, who has done
everything in his power to save the
bridge, and who has been given every
aid by the other members of the COM
mission, took the precaution to have
guard on the bridge Tuesday night
that an alarm might be sounded and
help rushed to the bridge should jam
begin forming during the night.
Mr.. Snyder even installed phone
at the bridge, connecting it with the
night alarm at central, that there
might be no delay.
County Surveyor Edwards, who
was on guard with others, was alarmed
about 2 a. m. Wednesday morning by
sudden crashing and grinding of
steel, and rushed out on the bridge to
see if jam of timber had not struck
one of the piers. He could find moth
ing with his searchlight, but morning
revealed the cause. The first pier on
the Orofno side had joined its central
brother and settled between nine
inches and one foot. The strain had
lifted the heavy bolts that held the
steel to the concrete at the east bank
on the corner nearest the depot, the
steel span being almost two inches up
in the air at this corner. The upper
end of the pier had settled.
And they had been telling US this
was the one sound, solid pier in this
bridge; they said the foundation of
this pier was down into the river bed
little deeper than the others, and
perhaps this is all a fact. But we
are sure the upper end of this same
pier is now at least foot deeper in
the gravel than it ever was before,
and to that extent nearer bedrock.
This makes two piers that were
certainly built on gravel. and nc
amount of explaining can change the
facts that this bridge foundation was
not properly built. The people s
money was fooled away for worthless
bridge plans, a rank outrage. and the
county officials responsible are guilty
of the grossest sort of raw arc
rotten deal that Is not only causing
great finsncial loss in business. but
great Inconvenience and danger
More than this. the failure of +. II
Blake and mis- democratic county
board to have the foundation properly
constructed loads onto the shoulder.
of the people of Clearwater county
the burden of repairing this structure
entailing cost to the people that i:
almost criminal because there is mo-
one legitimate excuse behind which
the gang can hide. And think of tn,
nerve it takes to stand up an6 apply
whitewsh to a bunch guilty of dea
Ms raw as this Think of spending
81, 900 of county funds for plans TO
this kind of bridge! Think Of i'm
porting man from Boise and tn
county board accepting set of plan