The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1857-02-03
Rspcrt..et the Rock Island 1riAgs Committee
70 the ChAAhsr Of ConAsres

BApcyt-o the Rock 1olA14 8rtd4o COMMITTEE
TO the Chamber Of Commerce.
The undersigned, your Committee, appoints
ed at a meeting Of the citizens Of ST. Louis,
held at the Merchants Exchange, beg leave
to report, that they have IN company with a
skillfu! engineer. visited the bridge at Rock
Island, to ascertain the amount Of obstruc.
ton said bridge 10 to the free navigation Of
the Missis.irpi. We, therefore, in consid .
Grafton Of the duties devoiving on us would
state, that we consider the question Of high
er import than what two or three cities or
towns may be benefited oriDjured BY build.
ing railroad bridges across the Mississippi,
supported BY piers that block up the chan
mel. But rather we assume the position
that eli sections of the country are entitled
to the free navigation of the great natural
throuRhfares of the country unobstructed BY
the inventive genius or avarice Of man.
We are governed BY no selfish or interested
motive ia arriving q the conclusion that th e
bridge 1t Rock Island, with its diagonal
piers in the channel, II great and serious
obstruction to navigation. We assert that
the experiment Of putting piers in the chan
mel Of the Mississippi hes had q liberal, a
fair trial; and destruction TO life and proper
" at all stages Of wstet and state of the
weather, are visible in its results.
A glance at the map shows that the Mis-
sissippi is the natural channel between the
far distant basins of the Upper Mississippi
and Minnesota valleys and the Atlantic
ocean. The advantages, therefore, of keep
ing that great medium Of commerce unob.
structed, must be obvious TO the most casu
al observer. In . very few years the ton
mage of the Mississippi will exceed the pres
ent tonnage Of the United States trading 10
oil foreiga ports Of the world; and the ,ri-
ding additional expense of building sus
pension bridgelshould not be allowed to Grip
pie the commerce Of this great inland sea.
During the short time boats passed through
the draw last spring, il occasioned more de-
struction Of property than had the rapids in
ten years. 1t is no oyerestmate to state,
that the loss OF boats and their cargoes, de
tention BY wind and loss Of time, toy ether
with the loss Of RATS, has exceeded FIVE hun
bred thousa nd dollars; and that in part OF
the river where there never has been any
difficulty experienced by any kind of Graf,
before the erection Of the bridge. Your
committee was Informed BY gentleman
who resides in Davenport, within sight Of
the bridge, thst eight out Of ten RATS tina,
sttempt to pass between the piers are broke
up and destroyed; he saw eleven RATS
wrecked in one forenoon.
Yeur committee would refer you to q dia
gram, accompanying this, prepared by Mr..
J. w. Bissell, the Engineer; BY II you will
perceive that the bridge 10 supported by
eight piers, six which are in the lowest
stage. You will also see the river is very
narrow where the bridge 10 built, and oil the
vster that passes down the Mississippi 10
compressed into q narrow space; and, by
observing the draught Of the water, you will
see thst all the piers are built quarterinp
sessss the chsnnei At az angle Of twenty
five degrees.
The pier on which the draw revolyes 10
s65 feet long, IL Is directly in the channel
and quartering across il; II forms kind of
funnel, In connection with the other piers,
aud the wstef, when it 10 high, runs through
between Al the rate often or twelve miles
per hour. The opening left for boats TO
pass through 10 only li6 feet wide, and, in
ofthe cross currents made By
the diagonal pierre, boat has 10 come down
partially sideways, to avoid being forced on
the head Of the piers. Whsn The wind
blown strong across the fivsf, bost can
neither 20 ap 81 down. TIE long pier has
increased ~ current % much, By compress.
ing the water into narrow chute, diet a
boas that = adsptel to the navigation OF ali
the rest Of the river, has not power 10 force
herself through the drsw, there being fall
Of four feet in the length Of the long pier,
with furious cross current dragging the
bost oil the time across the head Of ,hs
pier.
Your Committee give il As their opinion,
that the bridge Company have failed TO
comply with the terms Of their charter
granted them by the State Of lllino is. which |
required them II build it in such ma inner
y not 10 nstsrially interfere with the free
navigation Of the river; while no fact could |
DO better established, than that the com. |
psny have almost blocked up the channel. |
Prom lows they have obtained no charter,
and have no shadow Of right, with only the
ples Of e1psdiency, for placing their peirs
10 the channel, and stretching ibsir illeosl
and unjust barrier seross the river. Your
committee might hs,itsts bstoss they would
'sport Adversely 10 Z bridge, If ! bridge vish
piers was the only kind Of bridge thsv cpnId
rave been built there; bu, such L not ~
~. yor Il u known 70 I'll. that vhsrs
b sTidss y lsssssd b ess II u M