Blenheim Bridge Addendum

Steven Fieg, who has relatives on his mother Catherine's side in Schoharie County about 40 miles east of Oneonta where the bridge is located, remembers that his father and grandfather, Bud and Lothar Fieg, found it to be a structural marvel in that it stretched across the often tempestuous Schoharie Creek for 232 feet without the benefit of any footings other than the two stone pilings at either end.


The creek can often be tranquil and picturesque but has claimed many lives over the decades when the stream roars over its banks.  Greg Fieg can recall covering at least one fatality there during his newspaper career,  when a car plunged over into its roiling waters and its occupants were swept away and drowned.

The old bridge is only a short drive from the Blenheim Gilboa power station but it has not been used for automobile traffic since 1932, when it was replaced by a steel truss bridge.

New York Gov. Mario Cuomo visited when the nearby Gilboa Dam was inspected to assure that it would hold.  Water rose to record levels at various spots, including at Breakabeen, where it reached 22.3 feet, surpassing the 20.5-foot level set in 1996.  At nearby Burtonsville, water was at 9.4 feet at one point but it was expected to rise as high as 18 feet by this morning, easily exceeding the old 12.9-foot record,  according to The Daily Gazette in Schenectady.

Meanwhile, Anna and Allen Dangca finally had their power restored in Oneonta after nearly five days.