Mason Firm Changes Location of Bridge

From the “Spokane Chronicle.”

September 17, 1934

In order to do away with too many switchbacks, the site for the Silas Mason company railroad bridge has been changed from the original location above the Tuttle Brothers’ ferry to a point a quarter mile downstream, near the U.S. Geological gauging station.

It was found that after the first location had been fairly definitely decided upon that because of the high elevation of the government railroad it would take three or four switchbacks to reach the river’s edge there the line would cross on the bridge. On the other had if the company built the bridge higher to do away with these switchbacks it would necessitate building them on the opposite shore to bring the line down again.

The new plans call for the construction of the line from the Osborne canyon, where the U.S. Construction railway begins its switchback to the powerhouse, to follow the sheer granite mountain side, on the northwest of the model engineers’ town to the river shore. This arrangement will not interfere with any engineering plans for the town.

It was necessary to take the tracts below the gauging station because of the depth of the river between the ferry slips and the station. A deep gap seems to feature the river floor between these two points. Below the river-measuring plant the river is comparatively shallow.