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page 22 There was really but one road open south from Sterling today, and that for light traffic. The Sterger bridge north of Stwood was in place at noon today, but only light trucks and automobiles were permitted to use it. Some cars were negotiating the sand road east of the river between Sterling and Atwood but County Commissioner T.F. Moore, who drove the road shortly before noon, had great difficulty and his car was pulled out of mud holes. The payement between Sterling and .Atwood was open this morning only to heavy trucks, which were pulled through the mud between Pawnee creek and Atwood by the high-centered trucks of the state highway department. Later in the after- noon the road was closed to all kinds of travel. 'rhe pavement between Pawnee creek and Sterling was covered, perhaps deeper than at any time previously. Pawnee Run Smaller H. Kaepernik, who this morning estimated the flood at Pawnee creek slab, west of Sterling, calculated that the flow was somewhat less than that of Sunday night, and a"bout five feet lower than the run of Monday. It came, however, upon the heels of two other floods which saturated the broad valley and weakened roads and bridges. The run early today at the Sterger bridge, several miles from the high',ay No. 6 crossing, indicated a considerable less volume of water than flowed either Sunday night or Monday night. The consequences at the highway and railroad crossing this afternoon, however, seemed more menacing than before, in the opinion of state highway workers. County Commissioner T. F. Moore this afternoon talked by telephone with Mrs. Homer Harris, living some miles north- west of Pawnee, who reported that Pawnee creek was receding rapidly at that place. Mr. Harris had gone to investigate a report that the "twin bridges" on Pawnee creek had washed out. Information to Mr. Moore this morning was that six bridges had gone before the flood waters. Between Sterling and Pawnee Pass there was heavy rainfall Wednesday night, estimated at two inches. Fields this morning showed great lakes of water and many sections of the highway were under water. Precipitation at Sterling during Wednesday night waS measured at 1. 07 inches, bringing the May total to date to 5.38 inches. Late Afternoon Report At 3 0' clock this afternoon Water Commissioner Pat Marsh said that the South Plate river had risen 3,000 feet since morning, with a flow at that hour of 7,000 second feet. The raise was from Pawnee creek, he added. The rise of today in Pawnee struck the highway and railroad bridge near Atwood with greater force than either of the preceding floods, he said, and was running over both pavement and railroad tracks. The water, however, was dropping fast at Pawnee pass, indicating that the run, unless reinforced by further rains, ,~ll be shortlived. Mr. Marsh calculated that the large volume of water from Bijou and other floods has not yet reached the Sterling region.