7th Street Shops - Romley, Colorado; Mary Murphy & The Bridge - Post 35

 

C&S loco 67, 1921 Recovery, MP 155.6. Col. Kelley's road crossing - Poole Col

As early as 1870 the Mary Murphy Mine was discovered near the top of Chrysolite Mt. about a mile east of  the future site of Romley. In days gone by the name, Mary Murphy, was legendary; it was the largest producer in the Chalk Creek basin. Gold wasn't the only mineral that it yielded (silver, iron, zinc, lead and others). Through the coarse of its history more than $60 million in metals (at $32oz gold) were take from the lode. Even after the railroad was abandoned, the mines (Mary and Pat) were worked and the ores were hauled out by truck.

According to the legend, the original prospector honored a woman who had showed him great kindness by naming his discovery after her. The story varies; she was a nurse who cared for him, Perhaps she was a lost love, or his wife? I had opportunity to read parts of a diary by one Harry Bender who explained bitterly how his partners had swindled him out of the mine. But there wasn't any explanation about how the mine was named.  

John Royal and Dr. Abner Wright came into possession of the mine in 1875 and there seems some suggestion that they had a third the partner; perhaps Harry Bender? Evidently, Dr. Wright sold his interests to Royal for $75,000. Royal then partnered with Chapman and Riggins and together they started the Kansas City Smelter a few miles below St. Elmo near Alpine. This smelter did not do well perhaps because they did not have the proper flux. In 1880, Royal (and partners?) then sold that property to a St. Louis firm for $300k and Royal also sold the Mary Murphy to the same organization for another $80,000. The buyers formed the Mary Murphy Mining Company (MMMC) with headquarters in St. Louis, MO. The principles of the company were; president James H. Morley; V.P. William P. Donaldson; Secretary - Treasurer J.H. Billings; General Manager Col. John H. Kelley; and Engineer F.T. Werlitz (of St. Elmo).

When the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railway (South Park) reached the north shoulder of Pomeroy Mt.(el.13,164') in late spring 1881 there was already evidence of  improvement to that MMMC property located there. Col. Kelley built a 2.5 mile wagon road from the mine to St. Elmo in 1880. The road dropped down Pomery Gulch to a point where it was forced to leave the water way above the railroad's right-of-way. It then traverse to a point where it crossed the railroad's r.o.w about a 10th of a mile up grade from the gulch. It continued more or less westerly down the shoulder of Pomeroy Mt. to the bottom of the valley. There it doubled back toward St.Elmo. When it was built through a year later, the railroad crossed the MMMC road at their own Mile Post 155.6. Naturally, they named the crossing "Murphy" and when they installed the spur they renamed it "Murphy Switch".

Cropping of 1880 survey of main line alignment - Poole Col.

A copy of  the survey for the mainline over Pomeroy Gulch and through Murphy (Section 13, Township 51 North, Range 5 West) is provided in Post 32. A cropped portion of the map is reproduced here. Though no date is found on the map it would have been generated before 1881 as the grading crews were well ahead of the track construction that reached St. Elmo in December 1880. The map clearly called for an "80' Iron Truss" bridge to cross Pomeroy Gulch. The survey also identifies the location as "Murphy" and the crossing of Col. Kelley's road to St.Elmo. Therefore it was generated during the later part of 1880.

Ariel photo of Romley approx. 1980 - Poole Col.

Pomeroy Creek flows between Pomeroy and Chrysolite Mt. (el. 12,608') north to Chalk Creek. Where the railroad  crossed Pomeroy Creek the gulch was 28' deep. Indeed, the railroad installed a single span Iron (deck) Truss bridge that  measured 82' long and 20' wide by a friend in the 1980s. It was set upon stone abutments.

Despite this period being the height of its construction period, in 1880 the D.S.P. & P. was at its most profitable ever. At the end of the year, the road was sold to the Union Pacific Railroad. The U.P. had a propensity to gobbling up little railroads like a menagerie. The South Park's prosperity promptly plummeted; partly because the new owner raised the traffic rates to levels that caused shippers to turn to the railroad's competitors. However, in the years that followed, the U.P. did consolidate a lot of the railroad's early records; much of it to our benefit today..

The U.P. published small, hard bound "Bridges, Buildings and other Structures" volumes that listed the assets of the entire system. The first D.S.P.& P. volume was issued on 1 January, 1886. This was only six months after they had published a system wide renumbering of the railroad's rolling stock. 

In "B. B. & S." 1886, former bridge no. 14 was reassigned no. 1178. It was located at Pomeroy Gulch at M.P. 155.5. It was described as; "Iron Truss, single span, 82.25 feet long and 28 feet high" (to the center of the deck). Unfortunately "B. B. & S." 1886 provided no dates for when any of the structures were built; except for occasional, after-the-fact, hand written entries of which 1178 had no such entry. 

Crop of  T.O.C. era photo (before 1908) of the 2-track bridge with trestle in place - Poole Col.

In the following edition, "B. B. & S." 1894 described; "1178, Pomeroy Gulch, 28 feet high, single span, 82 feet, Pratt Iron Truss on stone abutments, installed 1882, at M.P. 155.5"!  The differences  between the two  "B. B. & S" entries for the same bridge, appear to be in some conflict. The 1886 volume is more in line with the 1880 survey map. There certainly would have been a bridge across Pomeroy in order for the railroad to arrive in Hancock by July 1881. So; was it the same bridge recorded in 1894?

If "B. B. & S." 1894 is correct then perhaps the Pratt Iron Truss was not the first bridge across the gulch. Did this "Pratt" bridge replace an Iron Truss initially installed in 1881 to carry the operation toward the Tunnel? The survey engineer did not specify that the 80' Iron Truss was to be a Pratt product nor does the "B. B. & S." 1886 volume indicate that this - or any Iron Truss on the railroad (and there were several) were of Pratt origin. 

Post Trestle, S E. bank view, Pomeroy Bridge - Haer (DPL-WHD)

The argument that a bridge as substantial as an iron truss was so readily replaced seems very thin. Why would the railroad replace such a bridge less than 2 years old? Of course, it could have happened; bridges and other structures were occasionally moved or replaced. Furthermore, if suddenly identifying a particular bridge by an additional descriptor - Pratt in this case - was indicative of a replacement then the railroad replaced a lot of Iron Truss bridges with Pratts during that 12 year period. The "B. B. & S." 1894 identified the earliest Pratt Iron Truss in 1878 as no. 1056 at Buffalo. According to the 1894 volume there were even others Pratts in use prior to 1882. Clearly this is not an issue that can be settled with certainty, but it seems probable that the date provided for 1178 in the 1894 volume is incorrect. There are several instances that seem incongruent in this same manner.between the two volumes. 

Old Trestle still evident, 1952 (1952 Olds 88) - Neal Miller, Poole Col..

A second bridge was added (hand written) along side the Pomeroy Pratt in "B. B. & S." 1894 volume. It was designated no.1178 1/2. This was a framed wooden trestle with (6) 16 foot spans. for a total length of 96 feet. The deck of this bridge was 25 feet above the creek and indeed the trestle was against the upstream side of the Pratt. There is no notation of the abutment type but photos of the bridges suggest they were also wooden. Nor was a date given for this second bridge but hand written notations in the 1894 volume seem to have begun in 1896. (This was well into the 12 Dec.1893 receivership of the Denver, Leadville & Gunnison Railway. The railroad had been reorganized in August 1889). The double bridge is seen in place in the overall photo of Romley (with a cropping presented here) that dated around the turn of the century.

By 1973 the trestle was gone - M.H.Ferrell, Poole Collection

The additional bridge facilitated a double track across the gap. While neither published volume include the second bridge in print, it is not unreasonable that the trestle was actually in place much earlier. The dual bridges could have been considered one bridge. Field studies and the few photos available of the location make it clear that  the location was regularly upgraded and reconfigured according to numerous events that occurred there. But,  without hard documentation, most of our conjectures will be little more than just that.

C&S loco 67, 1921 Recovery, MP 155.6. Col. Kelley's road crossing - Poole Col