|
<br />- ,-
<br />
<br />The Blue, coursing badly through the town of
<br />Breckenridge, could actually be seen steadily
<br />rising in its banks. Culverts under the road
<br />at Watson and Lincoln had become completely sub-
<br />merged with water. Barricades were erected at
<br />the Watson crossing to close the road to traffic,
<br />and by 11 p.m. the water was running over the
<br />top of the road. Councilmen and Marshal Pastor-
<br />ious sloshed around through the mud, despaired
<br />atthe persistent downpour of rain, but concluded
<br />that the culvert at the Lincoln crossing seemed
<br />to be handling the water fairly well at the time.
<br />The morning of the 17th dawned clear and bright,
<br />to reveal where the Watson crossing had been, only
<br />a gapin}hole. The road going to the Valley Brook
<br />cemetery, one-half mile north of Breckenridge, had
<br />also disappeared into a gulley 20 feet across.
<br />The culvert which had carried water under the road
<br />in French Gulch, just east of the Breckenridge
<br />dump. was gone, leaving a yawning abyss about 30
<br />feet deep. A long stretch of the Roreas Pass Road
<br />was washed out.
<br />
<br />As noon approached, clouds started drifting in
<br />and breaking up, and more rain fell, The river
<br />again started rising, and backing up to flood the
<br />Lincoln crossing. The Breckenridge water crew
<br />(usually working and fighting to keep water flow-
<br />ing around town) fought far into the night to hold
<br />back the water and save the street crossing, work-
<br />ing until the day's crest haa passed. The sun
<br />shone warm on Friday, melting snow in the high
<br />country, once more swelling the torrential river.
<br />At nightfall, water was again lapping over the
<br />top and running across Lincoln. Thc county road
<br />crew, working against time and nature, swiftly put
<br />in an additional culvert on the west side of the
<br />fill to divert part of the incoming flow arou~d
<br />the culvert, and back into the Blue.
<br />
<br />Saturday it appeared that the immediate danger
<br />miyht be Vdst wh",n debris floaLing dO"'n Lhe river
<br />choked the mouth of the culvert. Water backeI'! \Jp
<br />over the road. . . . (original illegible) .
<br />. . . used to unplug tIle culvert. Onee mor-c
<br />the rOtid was saved.
<br />
<br />Sunday afternoo~ the culvert again became choked
<br />with rlebri" ,md it .....,,'" n,'ce"Sil.ry to obtain larger-
<br />cquipme~t to remove the obstacle from the mouth of
<br />the culvert. Ro!:>ert Graham Excav3ting Company was
<br />called, and Bob Graham, owner of the company,
<br />
<br />C\)
<br />
<br />L,,)/\QId R,;.e Consc::t'lli '01,:,' [rJQ.'~"". :nc.
<br />
<br />_._-------
<br />
<br />C\)
<br />
<br />- 10 -
<br />
<br />brought his backhoe to the scene. In order to get
<br />close enough to work, Bob moved his equipment
<br />down into the bed of a small stream entering the
<br />Blue from the .....est side. He managed to remove
<br />the debris, but the suction and pull of the watee
<br />was so strong that the bucket was pulled up
<br />against the mouth of the culvert and an axle
<br />snapped on the backhoe. With the help of the
<br />B. L. I. backhoe, Bob managed to get the bucket of
<br />his machine pulled up and away from the mouth of
<br />the culvert. Due to the crippled condition of
<br />Graham's equipment, and the under-current and
<br />suction of the river, it was impossible to remove
<br />the machine with the help of the B. L. I. backhoe
<br />.m::l the county road maintainer.
<br />
<br />Lincoln leads to the Peak 8 ski area, and is the
<br />last existing link at this time with the town res-
<br />ervoir, Valley Brook cemetery and many surr~er
<br />homes on the west side of the Blue River.
<br />
<br />At the time of this writing (Monday afternoon).
<br />it appears that Lincoln is safe.
<br />
<br />It was feared for a time that the water main lead-
<br />ing from the town reservoir to Breckenridge might
<br />be swept away at the point where it crosses the
<br />Blue, but fast work on the part of the town watee
<br />ceew. diverted the force of the waters from the
<br />viaduct.
<br />
<br />Holes and depressions in the rock piles filled
<br />with water. At one point, near Mid City, the water
<br />overrunning the old dredge holes, ate a new couese,
<br />and plunged down to Highway 9 at Braddock Flats.
<br />From there it ran north beside the highway in a
<br />muddy, roaring torrent for nearly a mile, until it
<br />reached the foue-mile bridgp and poured into the
<br />BlUe. Yor a time there was some doubt as to
<br />whether the four-mile bridge would be able to
<br />witilstdnu th., c;cu:nmt p",,5sing a~d ',ii1shing against
<br />it. The north approach to the bridge ~ppeared to
<br />be considerably weakened by water which washcu new
<br />channels under the roadbed, but fortunately the
<br />bridge and the t"oad both proved their stability,
<br />even under such severe condition".
<br />
<br />The action of the w4te:rs waS strange indeed. It
<br />flooded the Boreas Pass road, left it, and then
<br />again covered the road farther west. The total
<br />was about. . . .. (original illegible) .
<br />. . but almost buckled under the poun~1ing of ~he
<br />debris and ang:ry waters. The Dillon dam evidently
<br />
<br />I."""~'oecfl/" "''''1'''m'''f",~....<,~
<br />
<br />--~-------
<br />
|