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Rare Antique 1890s Photograph Pair: Dynamic River Dam Failure & Covered Bridge Disaster

Up for purchase is an incredibly rare, historically fascinating pair of original turn-of-the-century cabinet snapshot photos capturing a massive infrastructure failure in a late 19th-century river boomtown. Both photos showcase the exact same site from two completely different vantage points.

The Historical Scene Details:

Photo 1 (Looking Upstream): Details the incredible geometric woodwork of a classic timber-crib mill dam under construction or repair. Spanning the river directly over the massive stone block masonry piers is an expansive wooden covered bridge. In the far background, an early wood crisscrossed railroad trestle runs along the river bank behind a cluster of town houses and a two-story riverfront hotel.
Photo 2 (The Failure Moment): Captured from an alternate side angle, this shot records a catastrophic breakout event. A giant plume of chaotic water spray, ice, or debris is bursting violently through the center of the timber dam framework, tearing away structural sections of the covered bridge's floorbed as onlookers would have watched from the high railroad banks.

Physical Characteristics:

Dimensions: Heavy mat cards measure approximately 6.5" x 5.5".
Decorative Details: Each card features a beautiful, distinct embossed "bubble" stippled design running completely around both the inner window borders and outer margins.
Era Clues: The combination of a temporary wooden train trestle, double-chimney fireplaces on the shoreline houses, and heavy ashlar masonry stone work firmly dates this set between 1890 and 1905.
This is a premier addition for serious collectors of vintage civil engineering history, early locomotive rail routes, covered bridges, or rare regional American flood photography.
Shipping & Handling:
The photo pair will be protected inside archival sleeves and shipped flat inside a rigid, heavy-duty photo cardboard envelope to preserve the antique mat edges perfectly during delivery.