The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-08-27
a eTGANTTC WORK.
The mississippi bridge at 81. Lou

Tic Mississippi Bridge at ST. Louis.
W FFop. 0e 81. LoltiS Democrat. i.
we have seen the plan, and we may
be allowed to say, who have certainly
seen some of the greatest bridges in the
world, this will cap them all. In nmere
length there are many that surpass it.
There Is the Victoria bridge, over the
st. Lawrence, which is two miles long;
there is the bridge over the Nebudda,
which is a mile and u half; there is the
bridge from Basseiu to the main land,
which is over three miles in length.
But none of these bridges are mRrvels,
because in none is there an extraordi-
nary breadth of span. The style adopt
ed by Capt. Eads Is somewhat similar
to that used in the structure over the
Rhine, between CoblenZ and Ehren-
breitstein, but the span there Is
only three hundred feet. The bridge
over the Thames at London, called
Southwark, which is nearly of the same
material, but infinitely more clumsy,
and with an expensive waste of mate
rial which by no means adds to the In
trinsic strength, has span oftwo hum
dred and forty feet. But II Is the great
feature of our bridge, which Will cost
nearly five millions, that II will accom-
modate wo double tracks of rails, one
broad guage, the other narrow, foot
passengers and street railway cars, and
will not interfere one whit with nayiga-
tion; for of the three arches which to-
gether will span the shores of st. Louis
and Illinois, the central one is i've hum
dred and fifteen feet, and the two side
ones four hundred and ninety-Seven
feet. The two piers which will support
these glorious arches will be such tre-
mendous masses OF masonry as to take
back. the mind inyoluntarily to
Cheops and Cephrenese and their pyra-
mids among the yellow sands of Egypt,
and within sight of the tranquil,
winding Nile. Soundiugs made re-
Gently in the river have indicated re-
markable change in its bed. The high
water being compelled 10 how through
the narrow channel framed by our
wharf and the riYetted shore Of Bloody
Island, has cut out the sandy bottom
eighteen feet lower than when the same
soundIngs were made last April. Yet
this location is perhaps the narrowest
place in the river within hfteen hum
dred miles of its mouth. From this
cause It has been absolutely necessary
to place the foundations of the piers
upon the rock itself, which is from so
to 20 feet from the sandy bed. Taking
this into consideration, the pier at the
deepest part of the river will be a mass
of masonry 200 feet in hight, ITO feet in
width, and with breadth tapering
from 55 feetto 40 feet.. The other win
probably be 10 feet im hight, as the
rock is met with some 80 feet nearer to
the river bettom. 1t Will be allowed by
all that this will be a stupendoua un-i
deFtaking. t4s'l-i - '-'--AI = - ~
Four boys, of ages ranging from 1910
Is years of age, and two girls, each
about 10 years ofage, have for several
weeks lived together in hut on an
island in the Mississippi near Dubuque.
They ate, drank, and slept, and bathed
together. ~ Their subsistence was
gained by making thieying raids upon
the main land, and their lodge, when
visited by the officer, who arrested them
Monday, was well supplied with butt
ter. hams. bread, sugar, coffee, pOta-
toes, etc.q When fIhe oftieeTs Hppeared
to arrest tGeLn, they were fired upon
by the boys. who were well supplied
with guns but received no harm. -