Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-02-20
THE LOUISVILLE BRIDGE.
It's Rise, Progress and Completion.
Sketch Of tie SisuctHre.
Importance of the Work to the Trade ana
Travel Of the North and South.
An uabrOksn Rail from New Orleans 10 New
York by Way Of Louisville.
From the Louisville COuTier-Journal Of
Eriday.l

To-day, February is, 1870, the COM
! pleti0n OF the great bridge over the
/ OHIO river at this point, one of the
most stupend0us enterprises Of the
I nineteenth century, will be officially
announced, and the structure opened
as public highway. In Magnitude
and importance the event is second to
none IN the history uf Louis
! vile, and it is meet that it should be
celebrated in an appropriate manner.
/ The completion OF this great work
/ forms the first and only connecting
| link between the great railway sys-
! tens OF the North and South, securing
1 to the people OF both sections the most
/ direct and favorable line Of cOmmuni-
cation, thus insuring more intimate
commercial relations and increased
prosperity. By this bridge three
great and distinct systems of rail-
ways are directly connected. First,
as Louisville is almost directly
on the line between PensacO-
Ia or Mobile and Chicago, this
bridge completes the direct north and
So nth ail-rail route. Second, it fur
nishes the missing link in the cOnnec-
tion between Memphis, New Orleans,
and points in the lower Mississippi
! Valley and in Texas, and New York, /
! Boston, Washington, Baltimore, ana
/ the principal cities in the Northeast
ern States, forming q continuous and
unbTOken line between the Southwest
and Northeast. Thirdly, it forms the
/ last link in the chain OirOads connect
/ ing Savannah, Charleston, Whining
ton, Norfolk, and the principal cities |
in the Southeast with st. Louis, Quin- |
Cy, Burlington, Rock Island, and the |
lines starting from points on the upper !
| Mississippi river, aud penetrating the /
far West TO the Pacific, making Louis /
vile the central point on the line of !
| unbrOken rail route between the !
Southwest. and Northwest. And it |
also connects us more closely with the |
thriving cities Of New Albany and |
| Jacksonville, materially adding to /
| the prosperity Of all.
HISTORY OF THE ENTERPRISE.
The object of a bridge over the Ohio |
at this point is by no means a new |
one. The necessity Of such d structure |
was felt at an early period in the his
tory of Louisville, and on the Doth /
day of January, 1873, charter for the 1
work was granted by the State Legis- |
lature. The work of construction was |
actually commenced, and the corner |
stone was laid OH the Kentucky shore !
near the foot OF Twelfth street with /
imposing ceremonies. The work was
also commenced on the Indiana shore, /
and a large hotel for the accOmmOda
ton Of travellers was erected upon the
spot now occupied by the Ohio Falls
Car-works, Jacksonville. The COM
pany failed TO obtain the necessary .
funds to continue the work, and the
project was abandoned, and it slum-
bered until it was revived by the late
/ Hon. James Guthrie, who may in fact
be called the father of the enterprise
us it was mainly through his energetic
efforts that the enterprise took q detin-
iIa shape. On the 10Th of March, 1856, |
he procured a renewal Of the charter, or
rather a new charter, which charter
was renewed by the Legislature, Feb
ruary I9, 1862. Under this charter
and the acts o. Congress passed July /
Il, 1862, and February II, 1868, the |
Louisville Bridge Company was or
.-..',izsd .'..l on the 24th DAY Of December,
1866. Messrs, D. Rici1etcc2c Cd - w Is. ]
Hamilton we're appointed commit
tee to solicit subscriptions GI stock, |
and at a meeting held at the residence /
OF Mr. Guthrie, February y, 1867, re- /
ported subscriptions to the amount Of /
1922, 500 OF this sum the Louisville /
and Nashville, and Jacksonville, /
Madison and Indianapolis railways /
subscribed jointly, S6OJ, 900. 1t was /
! resolved to commence work immedi- /
ately, aud tie following directors were /
elected: James Guthrie, ID. Ricketts,, /
A. R. Robinson, W. c. DePaw and /
| w. B. Hamilton. Alta meeting of the /
directors, held February 26, 1867, w. |
3 Hamilton was chosen President; /
/ w. Ii. Slaughter, Secretary and |
! Treasurer, and Albert Fink, Chief |
Engineer.
PRELIMINARY SURVEYS,
/ In the fall OF 1866 preliminary sur |
| veys were made OF the several cross !
| ings at Jacksonville, Elm Tree Gar
/ den, and New Albany, for the best |
| crossing, and for the best connection |
| for the Louisville and Nashville, JEFF |
( fersOu and New Albany, and Chicago !
/ railroads. Early in April, 1851, Mr.. |
/ +. w. Vaughan, Assistant Engineer, |
| commenced the survey for the tinal To- |
cation and made series Of ObseTva- |
/ tiOus to obtain the location and direc- |
/ ton Of the current at the various stages |
Z Of the river. On the 10Th of June |
/ the report was submitted and the final |
/ location determined upon.
THE LOCATION.
The location may be described as
/ follows: The track connecting the |
/ Louisville and Nashville railroad with
/ the bridge leaves the yard of the de
pot, north of the engine house near
1 Tenth street, and entering Maple |
street follows that street to Four !
/ teenth, thence down Fourteenth /
| to Portland avenue, and thence to |
| High street on a prOlOngatiOn OF the |
/ line OF Fourteenth street, and thence |
curving to the right crosses the river |
1 at right anEla5 to the direction Of the |
! current, striking the Indiana saOge 1t |
/ a pOint 1850 feet below Smith & Smy- |
( se.'s mill. From there the line con- |
/ tinues in the same direction which it /
! crosses the river until it strikes the /
dirt road between New Albany and |
/ JefiersOnViIie. THENCE curving TO the /
! right, IL enters Ninth street, Jefferson
! vile, and continues along that street /
/ to the depot OF the Jacksonville,
J Madison and indianapolis Railroad. |
/ The total length OF the bridge proper |
/ is 529g feet. The grade Of the track at |
I the approach on the Kentucky SIDE /
correspOsQs with that OF High street, |
at the point Of crossing that street. |
From this point it ascends at the rate |
! of seventy-six feet per mile, striking
/ the first span at an elevation of sixty |
! three feet above low water mark, and |
/ continues at the same rate Of ascent !
until pier No. Is, on the south side Of
/ the middle channel, $500 feet from
/ High street, and 2l93 from the face OF
! the southern abutment, IS reached. |
/ Here the grade has an elevation above
! low water mark of ninety-five feet. |
Prom this point the grade IS level
! 1ar 2243 feet, until pier No. p, on the
north sd u The Indiana channel, is
reached. In this channel the eeva-
tioa above low-water mark is lOlt
/ feet 0ow-water mark in this channel
being 81 feet lswer than in the middle
chan1eD. From here the grade de-
/ sceuds st the rate Of rs feet per mile,
reaching the northern abutment at
distance of 79O feet from pier No. q
At an elevation of s. feet above the
natural surface of the earth. The
Grade of the Indiana approach con-
fipues at the same rate Of descent,
reaching the surface OF tbs earth 2500
feet from the northern abutment. The
| .,,,,1,-.y+vt,atf7ra of fha 9DDrOach con-