Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-11-06
FIR The Patriot.
The bridge Question.

FIR he Patriot.
The bridge Question.
A number Of respectable gentlemen north !
of the river. it appears from publications IN |
the newspapers. have held meetings in refer
cnce to the lately increased prices for cross
ing the Susp nsion Bridge, and are now con-
sid ring the question of building another
bridge In proper def renee to them. the I'M
dersigned. stakeholder in the bridge. begs
leave TO state some facts wtll known to him,
which he trusts may tend to remove any
erroneous impressions resting upon their
minds
The Owners Of the Suspension Bridge built 4
it eight years ago. and at no tine since IL
was built have tn y been able To sill the STOCK
at more than eighty cents IN the dollar. The
writer of this owns several thousand dollars
Of the stock, and h. is willing 10 sell to those
gentlemen OF to any other persons, all his
stock at that rate. He thinks it probable the
whole property may BE bought at the same
rate. The stockholders 10 not and never
have asked that the property shall he made TO
be worth more to them than 1T cost them
After trying the present prices for years, and
fading them inadequate to raise the stock
from its present greatly degeciated value,
they have felt that it was proper to increase
the rates upon certain portion of the cross
ing. They do not propose to increase the
charge upon the ordinary travel Of the coun-
try, or upon the different kinds of travelling
generally. But upon family contracts. which
h,, k,.as lat of
they propose, after the LIST of january next,
to make what they think reasonable in
crease. There are more than two hundred
families who now cross the bridge under
yearly contracts. whose entiFe use of the
bridge amounts 10 the large aggregate Of
more than one hundred and twelve thousand
crossings per year for ali which trav,l the
bridge only rec IVES the small sum OF less
than fourteen hundred dollars per year. Is ii
reasonable or just that this diminntive rate
shall continue. while the stock is thereby SO
fearfully deprecated on the band OF the
own,rr? Why, it averages only about a cent
a crossing for each carriage, buggy, &c, that
passes-and there are some cases in which
families cross with carriages as often as twelve
or thirteen hundred times year, ut less than
half a cent Il crossing, when the lawful price
is % cents crossing.
If the bridge could live at such rates, the
stockholders would be more than rejOiced so
to accommodate The public. But reason
able public will surely not ask them to con-
time TO sink their capital. in a prolong
effort to maintain such very low rates.
The Committee of gentlemen over the
river state, that we have increased the rates
in some cas-, 5 five and six hundred per cent.
This is doubtless true, in extreme Cases, such
as the above; where the charges do not really
pay for the actual wear and tear of the bridge
bat, a. will presently he shown, the new rat =
are still reasonably low, and, a. is believed
will barely raise the stock To par value.
They will average, after tie 1t Of january
next. about three and Il half cents per eros
sing, upon all carriages. baroucher cabs,
buggics. market Wagons, and saddle horses,
embraced in these family contracts. As to
all other travel the charges are lower than
they were on the old bridge. l. this unrca-
sonabIe or unjust? If gentlemen still think
So we invite them to take our places. Let
them buy our stock at twenty cents IN
the dollar less than gave for it, and then
manage the bridge fer themselves Is not
this fair We have borne this burden for
eight years-shuuld any one set Of men be
asked To bear it longer? If thnse who CON-
plata will Rot buy at this rate We must re-
lieFe ourselves by raisiag mere revenue.
a
purpose has been to equalize them. Und r
the old rates, there are cases in which families
crossing ZOO TO 200 times year, pay no
more than those crossing so t0 100 times a
year-in which farmers. crossing but sell
dom pay as much gentlemen living over
the river who have lucrative offices in the
city, and cross daily. or twice or bali dozen
times a day. This we have corrccted-ihc
new rates regulating the prices more In ac-
cordance with the numb r of crnseDgs-s
however making rapid discount as the
number increases.
IL this change OF prices, which is directed
by a spirit of simple justice aud fairness,
should cause the building OF another bridge
the loss we should sustain would only be a
part OF the common fat. of those who trust
their capita in laudable public enterprzcs.-
II one bridge. with all the crossings, has SINK
oae fifth of its capital, of course two diyid-
ing the travel would suffer much heavier
loss. But gentlemen having valuable real
estate for sale over the river, nea' the city
or those who have lucrative Offices in the city
and cross the bridge With great frequency,
may possibly find their interest in procuring
the stock To be taken, at whatever loss to the
subscribers Whether this would prove To be
an illusion in the eud. the undersigned cannot
undertake to say; bnt the id appears To be
an active motive cause in the suggestion of a
new bridge We're the object Merely TO cheap
Ell the crossing. il would s,em To b. b tier c.
purchase the present bridge At cost OF eighty
To ninety thoueaud dollars. than la hu.ld
another at "A cOeI OF hundred and fifty
Thousand dollars. However this may be, the
owners OF the present bridge, which cost
sIO9. 000 aud, was built when prices were
low, are not willing longeI to keep up
at 40 heavy a loss. without an carnc-t effort
to get back the money they paid eight years
ag,. These remarks, meant IN Il spirit OF the
most courtesy TO the gentlemen over the
r yer,ar intended To correct certain erroneous
impressions which the writer learns have been
made upon the minds Of SON OF them.
A STOCKHOLDER
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