Lego vs Erector Set, yet, it's still shares similar characteristics. Nice shot, Mike!
|
| Posted by Roy S. on January 26, 2015 | |
Wanna bet that the bridge to the left doesn't last anywhere near 100 yrs?
|
| Posted by Dana M. on January 26, 2015 | |
Like the photo Mike - interesting location and different perspective. Neat to see the different styles of bridge building too. Not only is the original "Kate Shelly Bridge" a monument to a different era of bridge building but also to a very unlikely heroine who saved several lives that stormy night she crawled across the washed out bridge to the station so the telegrapher could send the information that would stop the trains.
|
| Posted by K100DS on January 27, 2015 | |
I was surprised to see the steel "X" braces on the concrete towers. That seems unusual. Were they part of the original design or were they added later for some reason?
|
Glad you added more description to the story of Kate Shelley, Dana. I'd heard about her heroics of saving trains, but not the part about her crawling on the washed-out bridge to do it. I hope they named the new bridge after her as well.
|
| Posted by Dana M. on January 28, 2015 | |
Thank you Pete Harter - Yes - Kate Shelley was only a teenager at the time, and her father worked for the railroad. It was a very strong Thunderstorm that night and the water in the Des Moines River rose so high and fast that it washed the supports out from under the original bridge. She heard the sound of that happening since her family home was within a mile of this bridge, and she grabbed a lantern and ventured out into the storm to see what happened. The bridge decking was still intact - but the supports had been washed away from the torrent of the river. Knowing there was a station about 3 miles away - on the opposite side of the bridge where she was standing - she managed to crawl across the damaged bridge and run the three miles to the station. Telling the station attendant about the bridge - the telegrapher then messaged the station on the side of the bridge that Kate Shelley had originally come from to stop the train there before it reached the bridge. Which was fortunately within the next ten minutes. The train was stopped and everything turned out okay. The new bridge by the way is the New Kate Shelley Bridge, as they have named it in her honor.
|