New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-02-14
THE GREAT oBsTRUcT1oN1sT
A Chapter in the History of the St Louis
Bridge.
How Eads Cut the River in Two
HIS TRICKS EXPOSED BY ARMY OFFICERS
His Big Victory Over the Little Steam
boats.

If it be true that we are to have Fad
: and his distractions at the mouth of tn
Mississippi, the people of New Orleans viii
no doubt be interested in learning tha
they are to be at the mercy of first clas
obstruction artist-one whose reputation
established. OF this our people should b.
assured 1t must be 80 gratifying to then
to know it that we are anxious they shoult
not doubt it; we therefore lay before then
some account of successful achievement
of our artist in the obstruction way as
sample of what he is capable of doing.
When the great east and west railroad
began to reach earnestly for the commerce
of the Mississippi and its northern tribu
taries, it was found desirable TO have rail
road bridges across the river, and. as th'
river interest. represented by some steam
boatmen, it was thought, might be injured
by the construction of low bridges, or O.
bridges with piers very close together, thu
Congress of the United States, in granting
authority to bridge the Mississippi and it,
serve the river interest by stipulating tina,
the bridges should be of certain heigh,
and the piers certain distance apart.
By an act approved July 25 1866, the st
Louis and Illinois Bridge Company wat
given authority to bridge the Mississippi al
st. Louis. Section twelve of this act reads
as follows:
Sec. I2 And be it further enacted, That
the bridge authorized by the preceding sec.
ton to be built shall not be a suspension
bridge or draw bridge, with pivot or other
form of draw, but shall be constructed with
continuous or uubroken spans, and subject
to these conditions: First, that the lowest
part of the bridge or bottom chord shall
not be less than fffy feet above the city
directrix at its greatest span; second, that
it shall have at least one span 500 feet in
the clear. or two spans OF $50 feet IN the
clear Of abutments; if the two latter spans
be used, the one over the main steamboat
channel shall be fifty feet above the city
directrix, measured to the lowest part of
the bridge at the centre of the span; third,
no span over the water at low water mark
shall be less than 200 feet in the clear OF
abutments.
The stipulation as to height made the
steamboatmen happy, they being in bliss
ful ignorance of "Eads' arches," by which
"the centre of the span" could be made Of
the required height, while the height of the
rest of the span could be decreased along
graceful curved line to the waters surface.
Imagine the sickness" of these steamboat
men when, in 1873, the first arch of the
bridge stared them in the face, and they
discovered that, while its builder had con-
formed with every requirement of law, he
had practically cut their great and free
highway in two. What joy it must have
infused into the hearts of cheerful railroad
directors! The unhappy, ragged, swindled
little steamboat interest at once ran off to
the Great Father in Washington with its
pitiful tale, and "board Of engineers" was
OF course appointed to find out all about
its troubles and devise some way to dry its
weeping eyes.
This board was instructed "to examine
the construction Of the ST. Louis and Hi.
nois bridge across the Mississippi river at
St. Louis. and report whether the bridge
will prove serious obstruction to the navi
cation of said river, and, if so, in what
manner its construction can be modified"
The board reported:
That the objections made to the bridge
are as follows:
l. The height under the lower arch is SO
small that large proportion of the boats
which will have occasion to pass under it
must lower their smOke-stacks at all, or
nearly all stages of the river, while many
of the larger boats will not be able to pass
under it during the higher stages, even with
their smoke-stacks down.
2. The small hei ght afforded is only avail
oh Ia fnr q of yvb bpI
to the arch form of the lower part of the su
perstructure. Moreover, the difficulty of
passing under the exact centre OF the arch |
will he very great, especially in foggy or
windy weather, and any considerable de- |
Walton to either side may bring the boats |
upper works in contact with the bridge.
3. These difficulties would probably deter |
most boats from ever passing the bridge, |
thereby preventing the ready transfer of |
freight from one boat to another, or its de. |
livery and shipment at different parts Of |
the city, without rasorting to costly transfers |
BY drays or barges. This, it is claimed, |
would practically cut the Mississippi river |
In two at this place.
An examination of appendices X and l. |
will show that the first point is well sus-
tanned. The list of boats enumerated there
in comprises only those which happened to
be in port at the time the board was in ses-
eiOn, or whose dimensions were attainable.
1t ght have been increased considerably |
had time been available.
The apparently unreasonable height and
size of the chimneys in general use on these
Steamboats, are really essential to secure a
good draft to the furnaces and economical
combustion of fuel. Artificial means to pro-
duce the same end are generally very ex-
pensive, and often Ineffective.
Although it is a comparatively easy task
to lower small chimneys, dealing with those
of large size is very serious matter indeed.
Their weight Is so utterly dlsprOpOrtlOnate
to their strength, even when new, that no
yet devised will enable large
to be lowered either wholly or in
part, without very great labor and danger.
The elevated position of the pilot house is
necessary to enable the pilot to have an
view Of the river ahead and
astern of his boat Experience has decided
this point most clearly.
The second objection is mainly owing to
the peculiar system of superstructure EN-.
ployed, and which we understand was
adopted principally on the ground OF econ
omy. Appendix; 1 gives the widths which
are available under the centre span at dit
terent heights above extreme low water.
The side spans have not been considered, as
they are four feet lower than the central
one.
The third objection seems fairly sustained
BY the facts already cited, especially when
IT is remembered that the principal part OF
the river business is done during the higher
stages of water. The large New Orleans
boats. for instance, rarely attempt to do
business after the river gets to q lower
stage than twenty feet above extreme low
water.
large portion of the St. Louis river front
s above the bridge, and several elevators,
sugar refinery, and other similar buildings
ara 0lraa6y looo<oI ohouo ~ TIono oOul6 j