Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-01-03

TIE BRIDGE APPRoAcH.-The Rdviss'
bilty of a carriage embAnkment on Arsenal
street bridge approach, is being gener-
ally discussed by property holders and tax
payers. Plenty of arguments can be sd-
vanced on either side of the question. Ills
a matter upon which difference Of opinion
should be expected TO exist There are d.
verse interests to be considered. People
not engaged in mercantile pursui.s can be
very easily led to oppose it, Those en-
gagged IN trade must Of necessity favor it.
| Di'interested parties, or those not largely .
and Immediately interested, should take a
| higher ground than mere individual well |
tsre. The prosperity of the city at large .
should be their aim. This can be best a.
tslped BY a support Of the project.
/ 1t may or may not be true that the late .
/ Gen. RodmAn said the proposed bridge az
prosch would be greater nuissuce than /
the evils it hoped to remedy. As the mat
ter has only recently been discussed, we
doubt very much If be ever said it. To be
convinced that he said it, we must have
something more than the empty assertion
of an anonymous correspondent in the
Union.
If the materials we furnish the Island are
of heavy character, as is asserted, such
as lime, lumber, and Goa, 40 much greater
Is the necessity for safe route of transit
A light buggy or carriage may get out Of
the way of Rn approaching train, with com
PsrAtive ease, while heavily loaded wagon
caught on a net work Of tracks, is IN great
danger of being destroyed. Any teamsrer
would rather drive up Su inclined plaLe,'
than across half a dozen railroad trAl ks
where trains are constantly repassing sne
switching.
The chief argument used, aside from thu
expense, is:
"Would 1t not be an extremely dangerous
place for the driver of umId horse or
horses, 10 ind himself on such a structure
. with locomotive belching forth steam.
smoke, and sparks underneath him, or on
an elevated roadway leading TO such bridge,
where plunge or Two OF a frightened AMI
ma might cause frightiul injury, and per
p haps loss Of life ?"
, In the first place, the driver of q timid
horse had good deal better be on the
f bridge dboUe q locomotive, than on the rail-
road track under one. IL the locomotive
can get directly under a carriage, when the
n carriage is on the bridge, it would certainly
knock the carriage to flinders if there were
no bridge, and the carriage wefe merely on
. the railroad tracx. Next, locomotives very
seldom "belch forth steam, smoke, and
sparks" in the manner described, suft cisnily
d to be able to at ell annoy team on a bridge
8 above. Steam is usually thrown out side
ways 10 Worcester and other mAnufsc.ur
ing cities Of the East, tracks are bridgec
q over exactly as 1t is proposed 10 bridge these
over. And the same is true in all European
!. is brought to perfection, and where not one
accident occurs while we are having ten OF
J. fifteen. AS for danger on the road ay, The
3. plan suggested includes a heavy railing OIL
= either side, from one end to the other.
We are told that the present dangerous
"a switching back ard forth Of trains will verJ
n probably be soon discontinued to a greR
8. extent. Who believes this2 Nobody
The railroad owns the ground their track
N ire on. and intend to use it, and always wi
ID use ii. Their business will increase NOR
8. and more every year, and their use of thu
tracks at the crossing will increase in pro-
N portion. There never will be safe cross
)" ing there until proper approach is built
Is and without one We lose all the advantage
of the great government river bridge.
IL Why does not the correspondent Of tn,
err Union. who has taken such an abiding in
it tsrest in this matter, sign his real name /,
his productions? Why does ne take shelte
st behind a nom de plume if he is a citizen o
IS Rock Island, and in no way privately in
It, teres,ed in so energe,icslly OPPOSING the
An bridge approach? Does he own som,
seven by nine lot in the neighborhood o
err the talked Of improvement, which he be
N ieves would be damaged or deprecated b!
10 any change in existing afsirs2 Whs
g. covert influence is be the cham ion of
ar What capital does he represent, that h
should go to the trouble Of getting his arti
Id Giles repubished in Davenport. He seem
- actoated by more than the ordinary mo
0 tive of an honest difference of opinion. VIII,
p, has the Union SO suddenly changed il
Id colors? II was in favor of the improvement
at the outset.
is The argument that the trade of the Islsnt
e. ia bound to come 10 Rock Island is YER,
u. poor one. This is evidenced by the polio,
ID of the Davenport papers. They fall il
u With the Union (i,s las. position, We mean,