The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-03-12
MANY BRIDGES
DESTR0YEDIN
HIGH WATERS
live Bordering on Sioux
County Are Carried Out
in Breakup of Ice


Many bridges were destroyed and
| everal people narrowly escaped
| With their lives in the breakup of
he Cedar and Cannon Ball rivers,
p bordering Sioux County. The Fort
ates Pioneer says:
Five bridges bordering Sioux
ounty were demolished last week
" the break up Of the Cedar and
annon Ball rivers. They are the
/ 'annon Ball bridge at Shields, the
;wastika bridge, the Watauga-Par-
,dise bridge, the Howe bridge and
ne Colvillc bridge. In the extreme
vest end of the county several fam
lies were temporarily forced to
cave their homes by the flood wat
rs of the Cedar The disasterous
break up of these rivers was due
the extremely warm weather of
asst week
Shields Bridge Total Loss
The bridge at Shields, a combin-
.tion steel and wooden bridge, broke
apart the night of the first Of
March, the larger part swinging a
[round until it rested against the
bank The bridge is badly wrecked
and it is doubtful whether any of
IL can be salvagcd. The big bridge
5 said to have writhcd like SER
pent under the force of the river
before breaking asundcr. This
bridge was built in 1918 at cost
Fof about $4,000. 1t will cost consid-
erably more than that now to re-
place it.
Later reports indicate that all of
The Shields bridge has been washed
away, leaving only tne piers stand
ing.
'Swastika gives the following inter
.esting account of the smash-up of
the other two bridges:
"The Cedar river broke up We'd
nesday and Thursday of last week
and the ice carried destruction in
its path.
The Watauga-P Paradise and Swas-
tika bridges were both taken out.
The Swastika bridge is mass of
twisted steel near where it fell,
while the Watauga Paradise bridge
came down to within two miles of
wnere - wastika bridge stood.
51 Breaking Broncs
"Jo enble apd Frank LABEL
coming oown the river Friday morn
ing, watched their chance and jump
ed onto it and rode it to point
about three miles down stream from
where they got onto it.
"The boys tell some hair-raising
stories as to how the bridge acted
when big cakes of ice struck it, as
the river was full of floating ice at
the time. Unless the bridge breaks
loose from where the boys landed it,
it is now about eight miles below
as the crow flies or Is miles as the
river runs.
Fences and All Go
Hundreds Of rods of fences were
torn out and all small trees and
pushes were rode flat. Tne river |
Friday was from 100 to 600 or TOO |
feet wide in places. We doubt if the
cedar was ever any higher than at
his breakup"
The Pioneers correspondent from |
ne west end tells of two more |
bridges being swept away by the
;edar and of families being driven /
rom their homes. The interesting
account in the "Chronicles of the
Vest" is as follows.
"Old settlers were greatly sur
'rised Thursday night when the Ce-
ar river oyerflowed it's banks and
spread over the country. Colville
nd Howe bridges were washed out,
he former going out about 6 in the
vening and the latter at 8.
Several families were driven
rom their homes. The ones who
ad to leave their homes in this
ommunity were Mrs. Maud Locke.
as. Peterson, VIM. Colville, Chas.
loll and Adolpn Moll. If the river
ad risen a few feet more great
cave their homes. This is the high
st the Cedar has ever been, at
east in late years"
lie water is said to be the .lighcst
YER known.