Chiques Rock Outfitters Prepares for 150th Anniversary of Bridge Burning

Sunday, May 5:
As in weeks past, Jim Cox and the Chiques Rock Outfitters Crew continued stocking braziers with firewood to prepare for the 150th anniversary of the burning of the Civil War-era bridge that once spanned the Susquehanna between Columbia and Wrightsville.  The braziers sit atop the piers that supported the bridge.

The crew loaded the firewood onto a boat at Columbia River Park.

The fully laden boat was then piloted to the next pier in line to be worked on.

Once there, the wood was unloaded.

(Note the workman standing atop the pier.)

Each brazier (one per pier) was checked and positioned.

Then began the laborious process of hauling the wood to the top of the pier, using buckets and a rope.

One man hauled up the wood as the other loaded the brazier.

Here's an example of what a fully loaded brazier looks like.

Here are several piers with braziers already loaded.
(Click on the photo for an enlarged view.)