The Moxee Bridge Collapses
A two-year-old span falls into the river, prompting questions about engineering and site selection.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Last Saturday evening, Chairman Stevenson of the board of county commissioners was informed that one of the piles of the Moxee bridge had washed loose. Taking an assistant, Mr. Stevenson visited the bridge to see if anything could be done. He found the bridge apparently in no danger, as the water had fallen about six inches that day. However, the channel of the stream appeared to be changing. By 10 o'clock that night, the main span of the bridge was carried out, and shortly afterward a 60-foot approach was added to the wreck. The bridge was built two years ago by the Pacific Bridge Company of San Francisco and cost ten thousand dollars. A difference of opinion existed at the time as to the advisability of locating it at the point selected, owing to the width of the river bottom and the low character of the banks. The county commissioners have taken no action yet, and it is questionable if the bridge will be rebuilt at the old site. Commissioner Stevenson favors a suspension bridge and will insist upon employing competent engineers to pass upon the location and the plans.
“A difference of opinion existed at the time as to the advisability of locating it at the point selected.”
Infrastructure vulnerability remains a central concern in the Yakima Valley, where irrigation and seasonal water flow continue to shape the landscape. Commissioner Stevenson's demand for 'competent engineers' underscores a recurring struggle to balance rapid development with the realities of local geography.
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