Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/85

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

objecting to a grade crossing. The litigation ended by a decision o i the Supreme court that an overhead crossing must be provided, and this w as accordingly done. T his bridge is 1^ 2 6 feet long, with six spans, and is a fine structure o f iron and steel. Prior to the building of the Mifflin and Bloom bridges ferries were 0{>crated at Mtfflmville, Lim e Ridge, Espy and Bloomsburg. In 19 14 Columbia county has over two hun­ dred bridges to keep in repair. Most of the smaller bridges arc being replaced b x con­ crete structures^ which will last fo r ages with no repairs, one at Slabtown, over R oar­ ing creek, built in 19 13, is as fine an example o f this class o f bridge as can be found in the State. HiUDGKS AND T H E FLOOD OF I9O4

T he Susquclunna valley was visited by a flood in Jan uary, 1904, which surpassed in e x ­ tent any previous flood in this section. The river w as gorged with ice, and the rapid rise of the water turned it from the channel out on the low lands all along the course of the river. The lower portions o f Bloomsburg, Catawissa, Rupert, Espy, and all along the line, were submerged, and the trolley and railroads were unable to operate for three days. Great damage w as done to property, but no lives were lost. The flood subsided without carr)'ing aw ay any of the river bridges, but the ice gofgc still remained. Only two weeks later the waters rose again, causing the greatest flood in the history of the valley. The first movement in the icc gorge w as observed at Berwick on Tuesday, Feb. 9th, and the Berwick bridge was soon tom from the piers and toppled over into the rag­ ing flood. One span was carried down stream on the ice to Mifflinville. where it jammed into Che uncompleted iron bridge, and carried off a

span. The remaining spans soon followed. O f the other spans o i the Berwick bridge, one loilgcd near the Berwick falls and the others were carried downstream to a ]K>int near B ria r Creek. The commissioners of Luzerne and Columbia counties at once decided to bum these spans to prevent their being carried down stream to do damage to the bridges below, and this w as accordingly done. F o r two weeks the flood conditions im­ proved. There %vere warm rains which gave rise to the hope that this would rot the icc, su tliat it would break up and pass o ff without gorging. And then came a third flood, more disastrous than the first two, the water ris­ ing more than forty-one feet above the low water mark. Wlieti it is stated that in some places icebergs weighing many tons were left m fields a half mile aw ay from the regular channel of the river, the extent of the flood may be more fully realized. A ll the railroads except (he Bloomsburg & Sullivan were again out o f commission, and great damage w as done from one end of the valley to the other. T he Bloomsburg bridge seemed doomed, as the icc w as up to the floor, but it escaped with only the west end being sprung out o f place about three feet, and when the k e passeil aw ay it settled back into place. The Catawissa bridge did not fare so w e ll T w o of the spans were carried off, and lay bent and twisted about one hundred yards be­ low. The covered wooden bridge at the paper milt over Catawis.sa creek was swept aw av and lodged up against the Pennsylvania rail­ road bridge. B y an agreement with (he com­ missioners (he railroad company was permitted to destroy it to save its own. M any other county bridges were also destroyed by this flood. A s previously stated, the Catawissa bridge w as again erected by the State, and completed in I9(^.

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