Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-10-19
Iron Bridge.

facts, figures and argument. And as L
have the assurance of influential citizens
that they do not believe any citizen of
Knoxville penned the article in question,
inasmuch as the great majority of the peo-
pie desire that, L should have candid
hearing and ifthought advisable, consider
ing the pecuniary status, that my bridge
should be the one erected, and as the ex-
preston of the citizens seems to point to-
wards rival competitors as the authors Of
said attack upon me / desire to pay my
particular attention to them. Some of the
points raised in the article in question are
so trivial that they require no attention.
The first one [ desire to notice is the great
ado about rivets VS.. bolts.
The boyish talk about, "clinchers," &C.,
is really amusing. If rivets are such great
institutions why do not locomotive manu-
facturers use them on the walking beam,
instead of bolts and set nuts. I appre-
bend it will require no argument to con-
vince mechanics that bolts and set nuts
are as sec re as riUetS, no oscilating motion
can possibly move them, and the simplici-
ty of the arrangement at once recon-
mends itself to every thinking man.
am willing to admit that rivets have
been in use from time immemoral, so
have wooden plOws, pod augers and other
useful articles we might mention, but that
is no argument in their favor, and the man
who would now advocate their use would
be considered a good associate for the man
THAT put a stone in one end of his bag
when going to MILL" Mr. Editor, the facts
in the case are, that for many years efforts
have been made to arrange some more
simple and less eLipensiUe plan for bridge
work, and the fact that this most desirable
object has at length been attained, is exactly
what 7lOtO hurts. In 1859 Mr.. Miller of
Cleveland, Ohio, invented a bridge in
which the arch was put together with
grOOUGd plates, and thereupon the same
little talk about the superiority of rivets
was raised. Every bridge company that
put their arches together with rivets, at
once united in a grand chorus of abuse
and ridicule against the new plan. They
were not willing to be as generous as
''KnoX" when he admits my bridge equal
to ''bass wood foot log, &c, they went
as far as to say cit would not sustain it's
own weight &C., &C.. infinitun. The
result was little different from that an
ticipated. Candid men had discernment
enough to see that such a great commo-
ton would not be made about worthless
article, and these TRADES against it really
helped its sale and was an excellent adver-
tisement, and [ am really much obliged
to the gentlemen for the fine start they
have given my bridge in the same direc-
ton.
The Miller bridge has triumphed, as the
great number of them erected abundantly
prove. Now, sir, / claim / have accom-
plished the same and other important re-
suits, with the use of bolts and set nuts
that Miller has with his grOOUed plates. /
am prepared to demonstrate that these re-
suits are obtained, and at the same time,
the expense materially diminished. This
for flf Sc, 10
of interest, although it may not be to the
writer, signing; himself Knox Indeed
it would be ur reasonable to be expected of
a citizen of q rival city. .n
The next point, and the only one I care
to notice, is the assertion that the Canton
bridge is "fa.r outstripping all competition
in the Yves t." This assertion has no
foundation i'll fact, as could be proved by
thousands of disinterested persons. Mr.
Ienas King of Cleveland, Ohio, has man.
ufactU,ed, and erected more feet of iron
bridging than all other makers combined.
He b as, in the States west of the Allegha-
MES and east of the Mississippi, an a erage
of twenty bridges to the Canton compeny's
one. Mr.. Kings works turn out nearly
fO'G' hundred feet of bridging per day, an
amount equal to any other concerns eX-
flibit per month. And it is my opinion it
would puzzle the Canton company to show
where they sell that amount per d1aattn1.
My position, for two years, as general
agent for Mr.. Kings bridges, makes me
cognizant of the facts in the case. In the
early part of '6S, I secured for Mr.. King a
bridge at Ozaukee, Kansas, (the first iron
bridge ever erected west of the Missouri
river.) Soon after this, Saline county, Kan,
decided to build four bridges, and an agent
of the Canton Company was theae to con-
test the ground; he evidently anticipated
an easy triumph. The Commissioners
latter the bids were i'm appointed COM
mittee to examine the various designs, and
Instructed them to " accept the best, re-
gdrdteSS Of expense. The Canton Com
Dany had equal opportunities with other
The matter was investigated
in all its bearings, and notwithstanding
my bid on the King bridge was So, 900
higher than the Canton Company's bid,
took the contract. In 1861 the magnificent
bridge 900 feet long in six spans, at Tope-
ka, Kansas, was built. If the Canton
bridge was such remarkable structure,
why did they not secure it, as merit and
not expense decided the choice? In the
fall of 1869, Mr.. Miller's bridge was per-
fected, and as it was equal to the King in
and much cheaper, my partner
and myself took charge Of the construct
ing and erection for all States and Terri
tories west of the Mississippi.
We appointed Is general agents aad
worked up the whole territory. Our
agents were several times beaten by the
Post Truss, ~ once or twice by the "De
Grdf:n Once by the "Moreley," in nu-
merous instances by King" but 7aeUer by
the Canton, u up to December, 1870, when
/ retired from the business with the view
of getting my own bridge before the peo-
pie. In December, 1870, the State Of
4 or 5 ''Post Truss" i "Moseleyn (un-
der contract and I believe the Canton
Co., has, at length secured one of minor
Importance at Alkaline, Kansas. This ex-
hlbit of one State is but fair IN der of all
the territory west of the Mississi ppi.
If the Canton bridge is such remarka-
BILE bridge, "outstripping all com petition"
&C., is it not singular that they failed to
such an extent? Again, if the assertions
set forth are true, why should lola, Kan
sas, make NIr. King present of 500, 000,
l. EaI1 aL>1.o