The Evansville daily journal., 1856-05-13
The Rock Island Bridge.


to notice disasters to steamboats, by the Rock
Island bridge-the last case being the destruc-
ton of the steamer Efie Alton, by coming in
contact with one of the piers, upsetting her
stoves and setting fire to her. the flames COM
municating to the bridge, and destroying one
span of the bridge and the boat. The steam
boatmen were terribly enraged in the first
place, that railroad company should attempt
to span their river by bridge-but since this
bridge has proved real obstruction to navi-
CATION, their Indignation knows no bounds
No one who has seen this bridge can doubt
but that the construction of its piers were
made with too little reference to safe naviga-
ton. Yet there is but just as little doubt,
that had the bridge been built in manner
that should have rendered navigation entirely
safe, vehement complaints would still have
risen from steamboatmen.
A few weeks ago,we passed between the piers
of this bridge on the steamer Royal Arch, when
a high wind was blowing-and afterwards
we were at the bridge and minutely examined
its structure. There is fault in it, whether
unavoidable or not we do not know, that rem
ders it an obstruction to navigation, or in
creases the danger to steamboats, passing be,
tween its piers. The piers are wide enough
apart, but unfortunately the bridge does not
cross the current at precisely right angles
Consequently the piers between which the
boats pass, are placed at angles with the cur
rent, instead Of being precisely with the chan
mel. Thus boats passing down, run near as
possible to the left hand pier, swinging the
bow around to the larbOard. The stern is
thus thrown to the starboard, and is in danger
of hitting the upper end of the pier. In going
up, if the boat has the power to stem the cur
rent, there is no danger. In the Effie Atoms
case, she drifted back against the pier The
bridge is thrown across the lower end OF the
Rapids, and the current is very swift
The following extract from the St. Louis
Republican is highly exaggerated:
1t is probable that the draw of the bridge
was of sufficient width, but the engineer who
built it knew nothing about the current of the
river. The bridge is placed very nearly length
NlSC Will lIloCCtlu vi III anu
no boat can get through the draw without
striking both her bow and stern against the
piers. The current is very rapd-nearly
eight miles an hour-and exactly towards the
centre pier When boat approaches, the
moment her bow gets below the current hel
stern is thrown against one pier while her bow
will strike the other. The obstruction to
navigation is very nearly the same as if the
bridge had been built up and down the stream
instead of across it. Now, however the OBJ
struction is removed, and the channel is free
The engineer doubtless knew oil about the cur
rent, but thought he had allowed room for boat
to safely pass even with diagonal current
The remark about the bridge being built near
ly lengthwise with the current is simply ridic-
ulous. Dozens of boats have passed this
bridge without accident. The obstruction is
not removed. Only one span of the bridge was
burned, and it will doubtless be up again this
week.
4 There is bound to be a bridge at Rock
Island, and even if this one be torn down OF
burnt up, another will take its place. Quar-
ter ofa century hence the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers will be spanned by bridges, wherever
railroads intesect these rivers. Steamboat in
terests will not be allowed to stop the progress
of the people and of the age.
Nj D. L u