Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1854-10-30
The urississippi Hsldge.
A correspondent of CHE Chico f'o'


nae writing FROM Rock Isla9d alludes v fol-
lows to the bridge at this point
1.-The other day visited for an hour or
twp,.the Railroad bridge, now building over
the Mississippi River at this point, y WV.
, ted the work ia company with Nr, 'Wiarnef
the contractor for the stone work Ihis
part Of the bridge reaching across the South
Rr,nch ofthe river. or slough, as II is some
times called. il nearly conf leted. The
,yn ,bptnef,ts,I on the banks9of the main
channel are finished. In the NAN river
there are to be 6 piers, built to the he'ght
tof about 40 e.. from the bottom o. the rlyer'
One in the centre OF the draw, one at each
extremity of the same, one between the
draw and south side, aud two between the
draw and the north side. The three piers
IN the north side of the draw are $40 feet
distant from, each other. Those, on each
side of the draw, are 100 feet apart, and the
two on the south side OF the draw are $40
feet apart, making in all 1,49U feet, the en-
lire distance. There are 1920 feet IN one
quarter OF mil ., so that the entire length
OF the bridyeis but little over one quartz. OF
a mile.
.sThey are now at work on the first anu
second piers on the North side. The first
is 10 or - feet above the surface OF the
water. They have their Golfer dam finish
ed, and the water all pumped out, and have
laid the foundation, and carried the struc-
ture several feet from the bottom. The
draw is for steamboats,. Rats are expect
ed 90 through some one of the spans OF 250
feet. Mr.. Warner is an energetic man,
and is carrying on the work as fast as his
means will permit He has about $50 men
at work now"
The following is an extract from the cor
respondence of the Cedar Valley Times, in
relation to the progress o; the same great
work
This colossal structure, which is excl
ting the attention Of the whole Union, is
gradually advancing to maturity; and when
we consider the vastness of the undertaking
and the amount of nerve and energy ant
capital necessary to constructit, itbecomes
still more an object OF interest.
.From the fact ,hat the Mississippi has
30 long been considered as an insurmount
able obstacle for all thoroughfares from the
east to the west, as we'll as the vastness OF
the work itself, will aid the production Of
JOYOUS day when the word is finally said
sit is finished" and at the same time
m ark new era in the commerce OF
Iowa, and the annals of the Mighty
West.
by means Of this gigantic structure Of
human energy work is done for Iowa Of
which she cannot readily compute the adj
vantage. II fixes the fact that at no distant
day the iron horse will be corsing his way os-
Ier our plains and up our valleys. Nature too
has marked their tracks. and foremost in
the rank must stand the Muscatine and Ce-
dar rapids road; which will also extend up
the Cedar Valley, forming one of the best
paving roads in the whole west. Once fin
ished TO Cedar Rapids. it will pay at least
10 per cent on the cost of the road. Heav
en- speed the day OF its completion to Cedar
rapids-to the great Northwest above US
There is good time coming