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r: , " , - 9 - The Blue, coursing badly through the town of Breckenridge, could actually be seen steadily rising in its banks. Culverts under the road at Watson and Lincoln had become completely sub- merged with water. Barricades were erected at the Watson crossing to close the road to traffic, and by 11 p.m. the water was running over the top of the road. Councilmen and Marshal Pastor- ious sloshed around through the mud, despaired atthe persistent downpour of rain, but concluded that the culvert at the Lincoln crossing seemed to be handling the water fairly well at the time. f I The morning of the 17th dawned clear and bright, to reveal where the Watson crossing had been, only a gaping hole. The road going to the Valley Brook cemetery, one-half mile north of Breckenridge, had also disappeared into a gulley 20 feet across. The culvert which had carried water under the road in French Gulch, just east of the Breckenridge dump, was gone, leaving a yawning abyss about 30 feet deep. A long stretch of the Boreas Pass Road was washed out. As noon approached, clouds started drifting in and breaking up, and more rain fell. The river again started rising, and backing up to flood the Lincoln crossing. The Breckenridge water crew (usually working and fighting to keep water flow- ing around town) fought far into the night to hold back the water and save the street crossing, work- ing until the day's crest had passed. The sun shone warm on Friday, melting snow in the high country, once more swelling the torrential river. At nightfall, water was again lapping over the top and running across Lincoln. The county road crew, working against time and nature, swiftly put in an additional culvert on the west side of the fill to divert part of the incoming flow around the culvert, and back into the Blue. r f ~' Saturday it appeared that the immediate danger might be past when debris floating down the river choked the mouth of the culvert. Water backed up over the road. . . .. (original illegible) . . . used to unplug the culvert. Once more the road was saved. Sunday afternoon the culvert again became choked with debris and it was necessary to obtain larger equipment to remove the obstacle from the mouth of the culvert. Robert Graham Excavating Company was called, and Bob Graham, owner of the company, ~ Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engineers, Inc.