The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-04-13

of a railroad br dge over the Ohio
River az Padurah, We epdeayored 70
awaken some interest on the part OF
the business men and steamboat
owners OF Evansville, and Of the
other rivertowns and cities, but fail
ed 10 a great measure to accomplish
anything Notwithstanding the fact
that there is great dagger that the
most serious obstruction to the nav
igatIon of the Western waters yet pro
iected Is about 70 be legalized.
and that it can be prevented
by prompt action, nothing ofHHs
been done, as far as we are
informed, to preveht the bill iron
becoming a law. 1t is very certain
that unless Strong remonstrances shall
be presented by the commercial in
terests represented by the shipping
and Boards OF Trade of the Ohio'River
cities, not only the Paducah Railroad
bridge will be authorized, but the
precedent Etiilgbe established fer the
obstruction of navigation at any point
desired By capitalists. We expressed
the belief that if our steamboat own
ers would take enough interest IN the
matter to send a representative to
Washington City, and ask the coop
Grafton of the commercial interests
of Cincinnati and other points, that
the. Railroad bridge bill. eOald be
killed IN the Senate. But there is no
time to be lost, and inactiop now may
be deeply regretted hereafter.
l. was with no little surprise
that We saw one Of the Rep
resentatives from Cincinnati, Hon.
BEN. { EGGLEsTuN. so active in favor
of the Paducah bridge, when the busi-
ness Of that city is so greatly depend
ent upon the free navigation Of the
Ohio. The journals of that city saw
little danger in the Padueah project
so far removed, until their attention
mas been more forcibly directed to the
general subject, by the passage Of a
bill by the Ohio Legislature author
izing a bridge between that city and
Newport, KY. That project is meet
ing with very serious opposition, and
has led them TO the discussion Of the
general question of bridging the Ohio,
and the danger which threatens navi-
cation and the prosperity of CinciH-
natl thereby. The Gazette, IN a lengthy
editorial upon the subject, says that it
has no respect for the intellect of
those who argue that an obstruction
to the navigation Of the river is Of
little consequence, because it is going
out of use. The argument that we
need not be particular, inasmuch as
other places are obstructihg the river,
is equally suicidal It says that no
place can lose SO much by this game
as Cincinnati. ANY serious obstruc-
ton to the navigation of the Ohio
River would be the end of the growth
of that city. It would then be ready
to be fenced in. Not all the railroads
that could be brought over bridges
could repair the Injury they viii do,
if constructed so as to make naviga-
ton hazardous.
The EUening Chronicle, in noticing
the subject, publishes a letter from
Captain Ross, now in Washington
City, to the Secretary of the Cincin-
natl Marine Association, in which the
character of the bridge Instructions
is fully discussed. Captain Ross in
sists that every consideration Of justice
demands Of Congress that the ruinous
practice of declaring bridge Obstruc-
tons to be pOst-routes be at once
abandoned. Experience has shown
that draw bridges upon navigable
streams are detrimental to CONNER
cial intercourse, and destructive Of
life and property. The bridge at
Steubenville, recently constructed
upon piers three hundred feet apart,
leaving, as it would seem, ample space
for the passage of boats, has been
the cause of many serious disasters.
With bridges to be constructed at
Petersburg, Newport, Louisville,
and Paducah, all of which are more
Objectionable than the one at Steu-
benville, because the distance between
the piers Will be less, the piers of the