The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-05-19

AuOtnet opportunity ~ sly P1ssAs -
prescribing my views On ths Bridge qassa
.hich il nov agitasing the minds q 'ne go
,so,,le of Keokuk. Therefore, WIN 'osA
lind permission, would ask space 10 'as
,.,, fsw facts before the citizens q 'Ares,
-. ia hope that the came may ano resen
! s..s Of the City Council, and tend IN !
'a ~. degree to guide them in their votes, tor
~ hest interests Of this young and growing
city Of ours.
/ take il for granted, that the great major
i,y of US, wish to have Bridge ACROSS the
Mississippi a. this point, thereby connecting
Hamilton with Keokuk, and such BRIDGE
as will, al the same time, accommodate VS.
ops, railways and foot passengers.
Now. the question is. will the bf'ose pro-
,o.aa h, the Bridge Ircorpora ion afford the
.a.aired accommodation to ali parties COP
.srnedg Ianswer, yes; and in the most COM
plete and perfect manner known 20 the
.c;ence of this nineteenth century
| The Bridge is proposed TO be twenty-one
ts.t vide inside Of the trusses, the roadway
covered with what is known "a Nicholson
Pavement width sufficient for the pas
| sage Of wagons going both ways at the same
time. The Railroad track =iil be ia the cen.
ter Of the bridge having bound iapges %
exactly the same level with the paved high
way. Gates viii be placed al both ends OF
| he Bridge, SO that trains will not endange'
wagons or passengers.
There will be pedestrian way on both
sides of the Bridge, hung on brackets outside
Of the trusses, each OF these ways will be tv'
feet wide. for the exclusive accommodated
Of foot passengers.
All parties agree that the pedestrian ws.
"a all that can be desired for that purpose.
| some citizens. however, fear tina, the Rail
rad trains will occupy The Bridge much
Al almost, il not altogether to exclude wagonl
from the use oft.
Now, | propose, in this article. to SHOW
there will he ample lime to pass over twent.
trsins of cars each way, ard FIVE thousand
wagons each way, or il the aggregate 4
Railroad trains, and 10000 wagons anf
o Der vehicles, and | wish all parties concern
FL would GO aver the following calculations
AID judge fol themselves.
rbe prope sed Bridge Is little less Than ons
half mile from shore to shore.
\ Railroad train running only at the speed o.
niles per hour. viii take minutes running
tha Rrtd Al. ntS
minutes each. e4ual 200 minutes equal hours
! ~ minutes, but suppose il even took four
] hours, there would Jet remain eight hours Of
! iaslghs for wagons SC. Well, then, wagons
! irisen a, the speed Of four miles per hour,
will take seven and one half minutes to cross
/ the b-idge--but seventy-hve wagons can cross
| both ways at the same time, 10 all one hun
/ drsi and fifty wagons.
/ II eight hours there are sixiy-four times
seven and one half minutes, bal deduct two
ri hsse times, Tor III. first train of wagons to
% IN, and the las train OF wagons to be Of
the bridge. aud there yet remains sixtv-two
periods ut time, darBg each Of, which $50
wagons can cross, that is IS each way; lol
~ ~ is N " NtaRt pSI udJs
have said nothing about the twelve hours
Of night, though every body knows, that OLE
hall the business OF Railroads is generally
done ia the night time: nor have said any
thiag about the detention that may ensue
consequen. upon the passage of steau boat,
through the dra,s, hn., even making due al
lowsnce for such obstruction, every one, un
less those who are willfnlly blind, must see
il my calculations are correct, that the Bridge
will amply accommodate abou, twenty timel
the present bushes Of the city Of keokuk
aud the Child is not born, who will see an il
crease OF business here, such as the proposed
Bridge will not accommodate, If we utilize
the night as well as the day.
! As | write, ele2ram has Just been received
I from Davenport, stating that only one boar
! q the day is used for the passage Of Trains
over the bridge there.
happened to be ia London when the
present Queen Ct England was crowned II
Is sal there were over Ave hundred thou land
s rangers IN the city. OF course, during such
a ga line, there were more pedestrians
walking around TO sec The sights, and many
more carriages than usual
My boarding place was at the corner Of
Chatham Square, overlooking Blackfrhars
bridge. very inquistive countrymah nf
miae proposed ,h.t VIC count the nnmbef of
foot passengers, and all classes of vehicles
which passed ever that bridge for an hour.
The result, if my memory series me aritht.
was about 4 300 foot passengers and 80 We
hicles in an hour, eanal to 81 800 pedestrians
ard a,7.o vehicles, during twelve hours e.f
daylight.
B!acsfriars Bridge accommodated about
one-htth OF the then iahsbitants Of London,
On bo:h sides OF the Thames, say 600 600
souls. aui yet there only passed over j, Oh
gala day about 3, 100 vehicles of all clashes.
Ny calculations show that the Bridge at
keokas would accommodate forty railrpad
trains and $500 vehicles of all classes.
which, | repeat, ie more than twenty times
the number of wagons and vehicles that now
cross the Mississippi river at this point, and
Ten times the number OF railroad trains that
y nov required. and the business done by
these trains can afford to be increased four !
'od WITHOUT increasing their number.
have not time 10 go into any moro data,
% thi- subject at present. Blu, when il IA
aiken into consideration that the 81. af.
aeokas IS offered such Bridge as Ia, bee,
described, free Of any cost 10 her, thereby
gazing such manifest advantages over the
other r'rer cities both north and south /,
yea tscomes the merchants and others in,
'eresied IN the prosperity of the city, to use
sas' Influence they may possess Will the
e'>s euneil, to secure what Is now ofFered
anu pa' allow US 10 lose the substance b,
grasping sitter the shadow; ir other words
40 e iet ~ impose such restrictions on the
bridge company as will increase The cost :,
as TO eadanger the building of the Bridge ),
this point, always remembering that az i.
crease Of cost involves an increase Of toll
and tends to Lessen tie power Of our msr.
chants 10 compete successfully with their
rivals in other citiee.
His Honor. the Mayor Of Keokuk. is : very
eomPsien: Engineer and an expert mathema-
ician, AMI csa review my calculation, and
uaA. Ii thesa era. fnund corr~o. 7 :-..t