Salt Lake Tribune | 1916-12-24 | Page 2 | New Steel Bridge in Place at Omaha

NEW STEEL BRIDGE IN PLACE AT, OMAHA Unusual Engineering Feat Accomplished in Quick Time by the Union Pacific. OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 23. The old steel bridge of the Union Pacific railway rail-way over the Missouri river between Omaha and Council Bluffs, which had been in service for thirty years, was today removed and replaced by a new steel bridge which had been nuilt on false work alongside the old. The actual ac-tual operation oi removing the old bridge, which weighed 5.600.000 pounds, and putting in place the new, which weighed 11,200,000 pounds, required fifteen minutes, four and one-half for removal of the old and ten and one-half to replace it with the new. Five hoisting hoist-ing engines, equipped with block and tackle, were used. Uniou Pacific officials offi-cials said the work was an uuusual engineering en-gineering feat. The work of removal began at 11:10 o'clock in the morning with 200 rnen 1 and was finished at 3:40 in the afternoon. after-noon. Delay was occasioned by the ; breaking of" lashings. An hour after the new bridge was in place trains were running over it. This is the third bridge built acrn? the Missouri on the same site. A cer-tain cer-tain historical iuterest attach.es to the J place, for it was here that pioneers hit crossed the river oa a fiat boat.