BYBEE-MAI.OTT : THE FLOOD OF 1913 



163 



work and part of the grade were carried away near the eastern end 

 where a strong current raged along the bhiff. In a very short 

 time they had trains crossing on schedule time. 



The public road grade broke in spite of all that was done to 

 save it. It also broke near the western side of the valley, as the 

 grade was lower at that point. About one-third of the material 

 of which the grade was constructed was washed away and the part 

 remaining was cut and washed to the extent that it was impassable 

 for more than two months after the flood. This grade has been 

 rebuilt and paved with cement and this will make it able to with- 

 stand the floods of the future. Immediately below this grade 

 the soil was removed, but only for a short distance, as the current 

 was checked by the IMonon grade. 



The Alonon grade, though it was constructed of rock, fared 

 very badly. Just below where the Illinois Central trestle was 

 injured, the grade was entireh^ swept away. The raging w^aters 

 tore up much of the grade between this point and the river bridge, 

 and rem^oved all of the track from the grade. It was more than two 

 months after the water had gone down before the road bed was 

 sufficiently repaired for traffic to be resumed. This was quite 

 a contrast to the Illinois Central Railway, which resumed traffic 

 in less than four days. 



Below the Alonon grade great holes were cut and the land was 

 denuded very severely below these holes. It would have been much 

 worse if it had not been for the peculiar return of the main river 

 current in forming of the above mentioned letter 'S.' 



In the southern part of Greene County, just opposite Newberry, 

 is a grade similar to the road grade at Bloomfield. It is some 

 eight to ten feet in height and goes directly across the valley from 

 the bridge next to the bluff on the southern side of the valley. 

 There are, however, two openings in the grade over which are steel 

 bridge spans. About one-third of this grade was removed from the 

 top for over one-half mile. All of the rock was removed and part 

 of the grade that remained was badly cut and washed. The grade 

 was still unrepaired two months after the flood. The land was 

 considerably washed both below and above the grade. 



About fifty rods below, the road at Newberry is a high levee 

 with a strip of trees and bushes before it and on it. It is built 

 at right angles to the river and parallel to the road grade. It 

 does not extend quite to the river, and lacks several rods of extending 

 to the bluff at the other end. As a result, the water rushed around 

 it at both ends. Alany trees and bushes kept the land from being 



