The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-07-21
THE NEW GOVERNMENT BRIDGE.
OPERATIONS ON THE BLAND.
An Afternoon Scout.

L
progress Is being made toward commencing
the building of the great government bridge
Arrived at the "seat Of war" we tied up,
and commenced asking questions. The old
frame building adjoining the arsenal, aud
which was occupied by army officers nearly
half a century ago, now furnishes an othce
to the government engineers, and also one
to Messrs Harvey l. Livesey, tho enter
prising contractors who have the construc.
ton of the piers. This old landmark has
seen IT'D best days, but can be made quite
useful during the continuance Of the present
operations, owing to its convenient loo alton.
With the exception Of the two Offices, the
remainder of the building is not in use ex
cep. for storage. In some of the rear rooms
are piled an array of blocks aud tackels of
such size and strength that the old Grecian
sage who proposed to move the world, might
we'll have gloated over them with glowing
mechanical eye. We were shown pair of
hydraulic screws which man can easily
lift upright, which cost 5000 a piece, and
with which single workman can raise
weight of thirty tons. Is not that q tri'
umph OF human skill and ingenuity. On
inquiry We learned that the contractors have
purchased, and have now OH the grounds
around the arsenal, the whole paraphrenalia
used in the building OF the splendid rail
road bridge across the river at Quincy. This
with their other facilities for rapid work.
cost the round sum of fifteen thousand dol.
lars. Included in this total, are all kinds
of gins, capstans, derricks, q steam pile
driver with hosting apparatus, six Hat
boats, &c. The steam pile driver lies moor
ed to the Island Immediately at hand, which
we visited. On approaching it, you would
imagine yourself about to board fisherman y
fiat boat. Nevertheless il contains power
ful engine, and valuable machinery of vari.
GUS kinds. The craft cost $4,000. All its
gearing is of the most substantial quality.
II has an apparatus for lowering and rails
ing Golfer dana, one tor hosting stone, one
for driving piles, and one for lifting sunken
boats no matter how heavily they are load
ed. 1t is also arranged in such manner
that circular saws may be attached, and
lumber cut TO any shape or size. The great
hammer with which the piles are firmly
driven into the bed Of the river, weighs two
tons. By means of the we'll built scatfold'
ing, it will be drawn up to height of over
twenty feet, and then allowed to decend
with tremendous force upon the object
placed below. On surveying its solid pro
portion, the observer is naturally led to
wonder how much Of the "humsn form di
vine" would remain sfterintruding between
the awaiting pile and the ponderous ham
mer, at the moment of the conconcussion
1t is doubtful if the proverbial grease spot
would be visible.
The unloading of cars with rock from
Joliet is now progressing, and also the cut
ting of the huge boulders into the requisite
; form. To facilitate this business, a tres.lt
work has been erected, which is about fou
hundred feet long, forty feet wide, anc
eighteen feet high, and which extends from
the termination Of the railroad track to tn,
river. On the top Of this structure is
crane or traveller which is worked by 81,
men, and which can unload twenty. five car
a day, and carry the stone a distance o
nearly hundred feet. By means of crap
plng irons it lifts the rock from the cars
and deposits it wherever required Three
trips backward and forward on the trestlt
work serves to unload u car. Quite force
of stone cutters are employed, and more will
be secured as soon as the rock can be re
ceived at a faster rate. The great trouble
is in getting the rock fast enough to keeE
the workmen busy. Two more travellers
are being built. The first one will UNLOAD
the cars, the second one will carry rock &c
the work men, and the third will load it upor
the nat poasu, which. lstta- will be towed on
into the river by the steamer Jennie Brown
under the command of Capt. VIM. Pierce
and Clerk Negus. Every facility will b.
provided in the shape of handling materia
in an expeditions manner. 1t is presumed
that there are now On the ground nearl
three thousand yards of stone, or sbou
enough for the building Of two piers. TIL,
stone is inspected each day by the Govern
ment Inspector, VIM. Heart, who is prac
teal stone cutter, knows his business, anc
is represented as FIRST class man besides
All stone accepted is marked with fgur,
in the shape Of the letter y. That rejected
will be used in sclidifying the inside of tn,
piers. AS soon as the facilities now OF
hand are put in shape, it is calculated tina
the entire job OF building the piers will b,
completed within one hundred and twent,
working days. 1t is the intention to run ,
railroad track down each side of the traveller
in order to hasten the unloading of rock. i
: necessary.
The bulldog of the piers will be com
meneed first by putting in the Golfer dams
y then pumping them out, after which trav
elIer will be erected over each one of them
, so that the stone can be loweredd irectly t
o its place
The firm having this heavy contract i,
z composed Of Messrs. W. Harvey and Jane,
# Livesey. Both are courteous gentlemen
K ! have q 1ractinal kno ulad ,o of Al -: l..-.--