Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1854-10-16
From the Railroad Record.
Reciprocal Rights Of Railroads and River :
Railroad Bridge over the Mississippi at Rock


Island
We have made mention of this Bridge on
several occasions in the Record, because
we deemed the subject one Of vital import
ance to the Railroad interests, and the point
of controversy involvsd,a s one affecting the
rights of the community at large. We hold
that railroads have rights as we'll as rivers
that rivers cannot be bar to railroads
any more than railroads can be a bar to
rivers. But railroads possess decided adj
|yantages over rivers, inasmuch as they can
he constructed over rivers SO as to offer lit
tie or no i'm pediment to navigation, and at
the same time they can be built to pene.
trate the country in any and every direc-
ton, opening new avenues OF trade and
adding largely to the wealth of such Sec
tions, while rivers are confined to certain
locations only, and as has been the case
with the Ohio and its tributaries for several
seasons past, are not unlrequently unless
for transportation purposes large portion
of the year.
Underthese circumstances we cannot un-
derstand how it can be decided unlawful to
construct any bridge, over any river, here
it is so arranged as to offer no actual impede
ment 10 the tree navigation thereof We
are aware that it is tended that this cs-
pecial bridge does interfere with naviga-
ton; we do not concede this a fact, though
it may perhaps axe littie more care ne.
cessary, on the part of the piio in passing
the draw; yet even then not IS much as
crossing an ordinary sand-bar at low water
And i II did require some considerable care
TO pass it safely, have not railroads co-equal
and co-exlstent rights with riversl II ask
ed what concessions railroads make in eros
sing rivers, we reply, in the extra pains ia
ken SO as TO construct their bridges as to Of.
fer as little impeachment to navig alton as
possible. DISTINGUISHED persons must coin
eide with us, we think, in our opinions,
when they read the following description of
the dimensions and plans of this bridge, for
which we are indebted TO the St. Louis In :
teltigencer:
THE article in question has already beer
Published in the Gazette.
Now, in the name of common sense,
what impedi ment does such bridge offer
to navigation at that point! None, and we
are satisfied that oil opposition to the
bridge must arise from other causes than
this.
We are glad to learn that the company
are still going on with the bridge; the abut-
ments and piers on the Illinois side and in
the main channel are completed; large
force IS employed on the main piers.
There are several other railroad bridges
projected over the Mississippi, and the O.
hio rivers, upon the cons truction of which
the ultimate decision Of the Courts in this
case will have an important bearing. The
result is therefore anxiously looked for,
and we cannot but feel assured that the de-
cision will be in favor Of the bridge.
Of the difficulty between the Bridge Com
pany and the War Department, we have
nothing to say. further than we think the
action of the Secretary Of War, in this case
questionable; but, then, this is only our
opinion.
New PAPER.-P. Moriariy, formerly Of
the Jackson county Press, sends US Pros.
pectus Of new paper. "Flag of ST.. Croix,"
which heis about to establish at Saltwater,
Minnesota. The paper is to be whig and
DIR. Moriarty's experience in news paper
publishing will insure good papcr.-DuJu-
que Express.
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