Tornado on a RR Bridge

[DaveBrt]

July 1859 Memphis & Charleston RR Annual Report (condensed version of report):

On July 17th, 1859, the bridge over the Tennessee River at Decatur was carried away by a tornado. Eight spans, of 160 feet each, were torn from the piers and carried about 200 feet down the river. The masonry was not injured. Nearly all of the iron, materials and perhaps half the timbers were saved and used in the rebuilding. These eight spans of bridging had cost about $38,400.

Steps were taken at once to reconstruct the bridge, and in order to facilitate the business of the Road and save time, a temporary trestle bridge was erected -- one of ample capacity to pass the trains and serve as staging upon which to erect the new bridge. The trains were running as usual in only a few days. The Superintendent of the Eastern Division was given great credit for the speed of the repair -- loosing only one Eastern connection and three Western connections.

 

[UCVRelics]

July 1859 Memphis & Charleston RR Annual Report (condensed version of report):

On July 17th, 1859, the bridge over the Tennessee River at Decatur was carried away by a tornado. Eight spans, of 160 feet each, were torn from the piers and carried about 200 feet down the river. The masonry was not injured. Nearly all of the iron, materials and perhaps half the timbers were saved and used in the rebuilding. These eight spans of bridging had cost about $38,400.

Steps were taken at once to reconstruct the bridge, and in order to facilitate the business of the Road and save time, a temporary trestle bridge was erected -- one of ample capacity to pass the trains and serve as staging upon which to erect the new bridge. The trains were running as usual in only a few days. The Superintendent of the Eastern Division was given great credit for the speed of the repair -- loosing only one Eastern connection and three Western connections.

Wasn't it destroyed again during the war or was that Bridgeport?

 

[Lubliner]

On July 17th, 1859,

That is pretty late in the season for tornadoes, though I don't doubt it at all.
Lubliner.

 

[lupaglupa]

If nearly all the iron was saved I assume it hadn't been twisted by the force of the wind or on impact

 

[gjpratt]

July 1859 Memphis & Charleston RR Annual Report (condensed version of report):

On July 17th, 1859, the bridge over the Tennessee River at Decatur was carried away by a tornado. Eight spans, of 160 feet each, were torn from the piers and carried about 200 feet down the river. The masonry was not injured. Nearly all of the iron, materials and perhaps half the timbers were saved and used in the rebuilding. These eight spans of bridging had cost about $38,400.

Steps were taken at once to reconstruct the bridge, and in order to facilitate the business of the Road and save time, a temporary trestle bridge was erected -- one of ample capacity to pass the trains and serve as staging upon which to erect the new bridge. The trains were running as usual in only a few days. The Superintendent of the Eastern Division was given great credit for the speed of the repair -- loosing only one Eastern connection and three Western connections.

I wonder if this is the same storm that leveled all the trees on Sand Mountain that was referred to in at least one account of Forrest's pursuit of Streight. IIRC, this was after the Hog Mountain stand.