FLOOD EXPOSES OLD TIMBER DAM AT ROCKPORT LOWER LEDGE

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

The last big flood on the Ouachita River at Malvern a few weeks ago hit about 80,000 cfs and further scoured the entrance to the swiftwater rescue training channel. These photos show a newly uncovered section of the cribbing dam built in the late 1800s, as described in the 404 Permit research done by the Highway Department for the new Tanner Street Bridge project. It looks like the channel has been getting deeper and washing away logs from the formerly buried dam ever since the bridge contractor accidentally dug up part of the cribbing.

LOOKING DOWNSTREAM, ALONG WEST BANK




LOOKING UPSTREAM, ALONG WEST BANK




LOGS STUB OUT FROM THE BANK, MORE LOGS RUN PARALLEL TO THE FLOW OR WERE WASHED INTO THAT POSITION




THERE IS A SECOND LOG JUST UNDER THE WATER SURFACE, ABOUT 4 FEET CLOSER TO THE BANK; THAT SUGGESTS THE LOGS WERE LAID PARALLEL TO THE FLOW



Mike Coogan, alias Captain Aleve

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

Somebady tell me how to make the images show up. I clicked on the Img box and pasted the online address of the photos between the [img] boxes, but I'm not seeing the pics.

Captain "Computer Illiterate" Aleve

[Roger]

Mike, not sure what photo-share site you are using to link the photos, but check and see what available links can be had. They look like this:

Email & IM
Direct Link
HTML Code
IMG Code

I think the one you need is: IMG Code. This what happens when I use that one on Photobucket.

[img][/img]

Then hit preview. Iffen you don't see that in preview, it's not there.

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

Thanks, Roger. I found the link info on the photo webpage after you told me where to look.

Cap'n

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

Minimum flow revealed more of the timbers:




ROW OF SMALLER TIMBERS IN FOREGROUND




150 YEAR OLD SPIKE ?




MAIN LOGS ARE BIG




LEVIATHAN LEVITATING



Captain Aleve, alias Mike Coogan

[Jim Krueger]

Mike,

I have a centennial publication published by the Malvern Daily Record that my Grandmother, who lived there ,saved from 1960 or so. It's getting more fragile by the year now but still good enough to look at and make some photo copies. At any rate, some of the shots of note include; all that cribbing/dams you're referring to when they were new and in use by the timber companies that built them, as well as a picture of the old iron Rockport bridge on the day it was dedicated and opened for use. Also a shot of The Ledge from the same period.

Best Regards
Jim

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

Here's a photo from Jim's source that shows the lumber company on the east side of the river, the large rock outcrop coming from the east bank that the new Tanner Street bridge passes over. Notice the foot bridge between the rock outcrop and the main rock formation extending from the bank. There is a bridge support in that low area now. Jim says the structures in the photo were used to catch logs that were floated downstream in times of flood.




Awesome! Timber cribbing filled with rocks! The logs now visible near the west bank appear to be of the same type of construction.

Captain Aleve, alias Mike Coogan

[Jim Krueger]

Thanks for posting this for me Mike! There are many more interesting photos in the publication and much good text. In this particular shot you can also see the company owned bridge spanning the river. Evidently it was used on a toll basis for the public during the same time the ferry on Military Rd. was also in use.
The list of toll charges was entertaining. The article was dated July 5th, 1887. Although the article indicated July, the picture indicated maybe mid-winter due to the lack of foliage...

Another interesting shot in the publication appears to have been made looking downriver from Rockport in 1918 ,when the river was frozen from bank to bank.


Best Regards
Jim