I've looked at a lot of photos capturing the Susquehanna River but saw a bunch of new images at a preview of an exhibit this week.
One photograph, in particular, caught my attention. It showed two iron bridge spans standing in the middle of the river amid the wreckage of their wooden counterparts.
Here's the background:
After Union troops burned the Susquehanna River bridge to keep rebel invaders on the west bank in 1863, about six years passed before another structure spanned the river between York and Lancaster counties.
Someone came up with idea of installing two iron spans near mid-river. If the bridge again was ignited, the loss would be 50 percent, at most.
But in 1896, a cyclone blew down that mile-long covered bridge. That is, all but the iron spans... .
