The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1857-03-18

ed, Win great Setct toe eAeSt W WsA" -
thirty frelgh, cars crossing it At the sPsed
ei about eight miles per hour, with heavy
engine CAS- tons), aud could see no want OF
perfect stability. Inits general Appearance
The bridge 10 sabstannal and beautiful
structure. The severe ice Of last winter
passed the bridge withou, harm, and was
high test Of liz stabi ity. Fire is the ele-
mens that requires care TO prolecth from
damage. and, no doubt, iron will eventually
be substituted for the supsrstructure, both
for safety and economy. This would be
too costly Il present; bat the increase in
lralRc will sson be sush - TO demand large
expense. TO protect il asainst The danger OF
Osdinsrily there u not nneh
danger from Gre, asd reasonable vigilance
may preserve the structure for many year,.
The peculiar circumstances. b. which one
span was destroyed soon after The bridge
was brought into use. may never occur q
gain.
A, this time. there are sixty-six niles Of
railroad ives, Of the Mississippi depending
on this bridge for it, eastern eonnecton.-
The dis.rict thus accommodated has but
q sparse settlement, and still the traihc
tina, is brought to the bridge. and dependent
on il for rapid and cheap transit. has a.
sumed an importance that could have hard
ly been anticipated. and would now feel
very seriously any interruption in crossing.
The present ,rafic, however large II may
be regarded under the circumstances, .
trifie compared to what il must be, whom
the two lines Of railroad that now coAcsn-
trate (yia Nuscstine and Iowa City, to this
point. shall have crossed the State. and the
growth often years in the settlement and
improv ement Of the country shall have
transpired. II may be regarded question
fully demonstrated, that the present and
prospective traffic that will seek this avenue
fully warrants the maintenance Of this
bridge on basis that will give the greatest
regularity and certainty 10 il ONCE. The
practicsbility Of the bridge, and ito great
economy and convenience to the public in.
terests, can NO longer be questioned.
Ia regard to the position Of the draw in
the bridge, l made ell the examination |
wss able to make, without photographic
survey Of the river. Such survey should
be made, embracing about three-quarters OIL
q mile, TO mile above and below the
bridge. This would give clear view o.
the channels, and show fully the course tina
steamboats, must traverse in low water. ana
where ,hey would be at liberty to move il
high water. There 10 not much difficulty
in judging BY the eye, at low water, Of the
course boats could and would Be likely te
take, at rise Of six to eight feet above low
water. Without 4 chart from survey q
above mentioned, the low-wster channel
can only be traced BY the currents on the
surface, that are liable to mislead to some
extent.
The opening of the east draw is one hum
Gred and twenty. five feet and the draw 10
one hundred and twenty.feet. The east
dra4 Is the one most ehgibly situated Tor
Inc passage Of vessels, and will no doubt
be mostly used. The openings are ample
fer Re class of vessels that usually navi.
gate the river st this location.
1, has been said that the piers of the
uridg- 50 olslruct the few ot the river, a.
10 cause ali increased cufren:; thereby rem.
daring Ii more d.fcuit for steamboats, 20 90
up. When !, is considered that the Open
ings between pilrs Except at the drsws)
are t@o hundred and fifty feet with piers oil
ten fee, il il obvious no material effect oil
this kid can De produced. A sight increase
Of current, no doubt, would be produced .,
nigh water, but not such rs to produce any
practical difficulty, as il evident steamer
that could not pass up through the draw
would be quite incapable OF siemmin9 the
current in the rapids within a mile above.
TIE only instance that l could learn, of any
steamer having difficulty at The bridge, was
the one that was burned That steamer
passed the draw and proceeded some two
hundred feet above the head of the long
dray pier, and no indication OF difficulty
was manifested, until from some cause one
Of her wheels stopped, and the other being
continued, The boat was necessarily turned
round, and against the tendency of the
current, and brought up against the bridge
at the pier next east of the draw. In THE
position she lay, a. was informed, for some
lime, without indicating any special injury;
spot BY the occasion, after delsyisg . while,
separated and left the boat, NO persons u.
eept the crew remaining. Noindication Of
any danger TO the vessel had yet appeared.
Soon after this, the boat was discovered to
be on fire, and communicated to the bridge,
destroying one span. The fire 10 said to
have originated from stove In the cabin
The time that elapsed before fre appeared,
the number OF persons that were about the
boat and in the cabin II the time and after
the boat brought to against the pier, show
conclusiveiy that the IRE did kot arise from
collision against the piers, or in any man.
ner ehargeable to the draw or bridge. All
that can be argued from this circumstance
avs ka n fhst L. L.
had failed in her machinery. she might have
foased of In safety, had thers been no
bridge to strike; but this 10 not certain, for
she nigh, have hoated against some other
object, il there had been no bridge. have
been more particular in this case, to give
The facts as near ~ / could ascertain them,
for the reason, that the public hsve been
I'd 10 believe the disaster to the boat vas
the result of some defect in the draw or
bridge. The hardest point 10 the current
is It the head o. the draw-pier, and this the
boat had PASSED about two hundred feet,
with thus far no apparent difficulty. /. is
clear the boat ehsnged her course land this
against the tendency Of the currently by
stopping one wheel, either by accident or
design, and allowing the other wheel to
work until the boat was rounded, and her
head down stream. Had the other wheel
been Immediately or very shortly stopped,
me boat might have foated back through
me draw without harm frsm the pier. The
ire undoubtedly originated from some other
,ause than the stoppage of the boat against
he pier.
I, has been complained that the line of
he bridge piers are not directly In corres
'ondence with the channel Of the river
70 general observer on the shore Of the
liver at Rock Isiard wharf, this appears TO |
'e the case, more especially AZ high stage
4 water. II must be noticed, however,
hat the channel necessarily followed BY |
'esses in lew water often varies from the |
course Of the banks or sides Of the river
~ point about half mile shove the |
ridge, the low-wster channel runs nearly |
i night angles with the general course Of
he stream for nearly hall its breadth, and |
hen turns almost at right angles, aud ap.
'afentiy continues very nearly in direct |
iae until IL passes the bridge about quar-.
sf Of mile, and then changes It's course. |
Except IS described 70 me BY persona who |
aAo observed the course Of oosts IN low !
water, had no means Of judging OF the |
posi'ion Of the channel, except a. indica.
-sd py the superiority ci the current. This |
ed me to believe that the line Of piers Gu, |
The channel al slight angle, and | was
ed to consider whether this circumstance
" ouid Offer any difficulty 10 navigating /.
,oat through the draw. The width or open. |
ng al the draw 10 very liberal for the class
4. ...a.v 81 1