The Bismarck tribune., 1929-03-25
AIR CORPS OF ARMY
ORDERED TO BLAST
C0RGES BY HOOVER
SIS Tons Of War Bombs win
Probably Be Dropped on
HUFF Jam by Aviators !,
BIG MUDDY CUTS CHANNELS.
Fort leavenworth Plane Forced
Dow" at Sioux City BY
Storm Arrives Today

~ 'o"~ wy Oy
Storm Arrives Today
An army armada of the air
has been directed by President
: Hoover to survey and bomb il
possible the huge ice gorge
. south of Bismarck threatening
the inundation of Mandan.
Acting Secretary Hurley of
! the war department today di-l
rected both the corps Of enri-
neers and the air corps of the
army to attempt to break up
the Missouri river ice jam.
Requests to Presidentl
Hoover from the chambers Of
commerce of Bismarck and
Mandan and officials of both
cities brought prompt action.
Secretary Hurley directed Major
General Henry Jadwin. chief OF en-
gineerS. to undertake blasting OF tha
gorge at once. The operation viii -
conducted under the direction district
engineer, Major G. r. Young. Arkan.
sas City.
Send Six Planes
The air corps was directed to send
tuesday to Fort Lincoln, prepared "a
bomb the gorge. three Observation
planes from Selfridge Field. Mich.
Two bombers from Langley Field. Va.
and one bombing plane, in addition
one hundred 600-pound bombs from,
Raritan Arsenal. N. j., and five hun.
dred 100 : pound bombs from the
savannah ordinance depot. Illinois.
were ordered.
Lieutenant Harry p. Bissell. army
pilot. ordered from Fort LeSvenworth.
kansas, to reconnoiter the situation
IN the river here landed At the Wort
Lincoln flying field 1t 3 .. M He ~
forced down Sunday 1t Sioux CITY.
Iowa, by snow storm after leayins
ms home port Saturday night.
Sanish Gorge Breaks
conditions approached D critical
point here today when the 8anish
gorge broke at IL a. M. accordine -
a report received by o. w. Roherts
lcoeral meteorologist
Inc gorge and backed up waters at
that point extend for ~ miles ana
afe approximately three miles wide.
ruA force OF the Sanish jam ana
Ilooo are expected to reach Bis.
lnarck IN about 18 hours or Wed.
nesoay morning at the latest. Mr.
nooerts said. There are q number ~
small gorges between Bismarck and
Sanish which will slow the onrush.
Residents Of the valley In the vicin>
lty OF Sanish and the Elbowoods m
olan agency force and residents hava
moved to the high lands BORDERING
stage Of the river here II noon
To-Day was 11.9 feet, IL feet lower
tnan the crest recorded Saturday M
81 feet below flood stage.
Rise Il Predicted
Belief that the river will rise h4r.
rapidly after the huge Rorre ~ ssr-
Ism, which Is still holding. hresk.
was expressed by Roberts. He said
this noon that he believed the vosse
at Mannhaven had broken duri,,~ ~
- s.;I Is great quantities Of Ice flowed
~ Ine river through here today.
me ice Jam below here is holdtnx
!irmly but the water Is flowing un6Sr
tne pack and through q new chan-
nei which the river is cutting Is tha
Dottom lands. As result Of am
oevelopment and the fact that the
gorge north Is still holding, the rives,
HeIe mas shown slight drop.
reports from Washburn. II milaa
nortn OF here. said that ice vas flow-
ing at that point and that the rivse
nad risen fror1 81 feet yesterdsv =.
SO feet this morning.
City Officials Appeal
Departure Of the plane vest.r,,..,
resulted from appeals made ~. ~.
marck and Mandan officials f. ~
Leueral war department for a. 3 r.,
breaking the gorges.
Unless the gorges are brolen (. -.
y Tour or five feet in the river 49,
3 predicted by Roberts. M -
'tage is IS feet and rise a tlsfr II.
nension viii inundate tholssn6s ~
lcrcS Of farm land and partx "a a.
'ity OF Mandan. 4
The water and ice that left ,r,,t.
un os.uroay when the gorge fcrlnGf
ne1e broke and caused drup 81 1lISS
no one-hat feet In n hours g.
1est q y teet, had reached gss,ius
~ nient, Roberts said. = fss
ofmed gorge at that poiut. -.
'yeI' ana caused Of rise Of neerlv e1s;s.
~ y the river here. noherte sSfT
nus gorge Is expected b hreak -
lowever. and the water proIlal,fv 1ss5:s
VII carry out the ecrre e Ynls
nce, reaching here abcQf T1nen6Sw ~