The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-04-13

Nineteenth street and Fifth avenue.
skis were rowed out into the
street and around the Methodist
church which stood ct that corner.
The gorge broke in "a hours, and
the flood subsidized.
Occasionally there has been high
water In the fall. This is . rarity.
which takes place once In about
twenty years. It occurred in 1880.
The superintendent Of bridges re-
counts Is follows the carrying
away. in February, 1896, Of the span
Of the Rock Island bridge then IN
process of construction, by ice
foes, which were dashed against
it with q pressure so immense that
it could scarcely be computed.
"The rebuilding Of the bridge
was begun in October, 1895. In
December and January, the shore
span Of the bridge on the island
was erected. and the drawspan OF
the old bridge removed. The new
one was started, but the material
was delayed, and the work could
not 20 forward as rapidly a. had
been planned, although the mater
ial was placed ~ soon as 1t ar
rived. 49,.
1.-THE ice In the river had not
caused any anticipation Of trouble,
until Feb. %, when there were
signs of movement in the Rock Is
land rapids.
1.-THE turn-t&ble, drum and four
tar pots Of the drawspan were IN
place, and the arm over the outer
channel Of the drawspan was
erected to within one final point OF
the pier north Of the pivot. All
possible precautions were taken to
safeguard the damming of the
falsework under this particular arm
Of the span BY saving tho ice loose
from the tressel work. and by an
choring the falsework with wire
cables and manila rope to try ia
hold 1t against the pressure Of the
Ice.
Bridge II Wrecked.
ut was Of no avail. At 12:40
o'clock on the afternoon Of Feb,
Is, 1896, unusually early, the ice
moved down from the dam and
pushed the falsework out from
under the span. The metal, gnarl-
ed, broken, twisted, went into the
river, and with 1t all electric wires
and cables and railroad tracks.
1.-THE next five days, during which
the trains made a detour by way
of Clinton. were occupied in re-
erecting the falsework enough to
accommodate train service, and in
the replacing of electric cables.
Then began the work of clear
ing the debris from the channel
| Dynamite was fastened by divers to
! the metal in the river bed. which
was cut into pieces by the blast
BY one explosion, a metal mass
eight feet in length was hurled
from under the surface of the water
to the southwest corner of the ar.
senal building, distance of G0t
feet. A derrick. sci, on the rest
pier of the drawspan, lifted the
pieces from the water after the,
were loosened
"A temporary bridge was erected
by the bridge company. and the re
building of the span taken up. l
was this time built longitudinal,
rather than transversely, and il
May Of 1896. was completed to tn,
extent that it could be turned by /;
steam engine and two and a hal
inch manila rope.
"At noon on the 26th, Ransol
Cable, V. P. Parker, his two daugh
ters and Colonel Burlington, ar
senal commandant, stood on tn,
end of the deck Of the span, Will
manipulated the steam engin,
and pulled the draw to a closet
position.
ION Thanksgiving day, Colone
Burlington drove his handsom
team Of black horses across tn
bridge, with myself an occupant o
the carriage. From that date tn
bridge was open to traffic"