The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-11-23
MOLINE.

sGSpecial meeting of the council this
evening for the purpose of formally ac-
cepting the new bridge.
RgThe new Rock river bridge is not
| anchored to the piers. This should be
done by strong bars of iron from the top
chord, at every pier and abutment. A
hurricane might capsize it.
aN-James Shaw has taken $4,000 of
the bonds for the new. Rock river bridge.
The balance $4,000 has been taken in
smaller sums by other parties, through T.;
f. Hemenway, of the Moline National
Bank.
BgBernard Campbell was arrested last
night by officer Corney, for being helpless
ly drunk. This morning, after hearing
before Police Magistrate Swander, he was
fined S. and costs. No money. Sent to
Jail.
D6PThe first entertainment of the Syl
van course occurs next Friday evening, on
which occasion the "Barnabee Concert
Troupe will give one of its excellent con-
certs. This organization is pronounced by
the press everywhere to be one of the finest
musical companies travelling, and on this
occasion will present programme OF un
usual excellence. The concert will occur
at the Congregational church. The Syl-
van course should be literally sustained by
our citizens.
The Rock River Bridge.
Yesterday afternoon the new bridge
across rock river was formally inspected
by the mayor and aldermen and accepted
as sound and in accordance with the con
tract In addition to the city of Nc
line fuuctionaries who were present
there were Alderman H. f. Woods, Of
Reck Island. Thomas Saulpaugh and G.
III. Stoddard; also E. L. Hart. secretary
and j. Patterson, assistant engineer of thu
Clinton Bridge Company, who were th'
contractors.
The bridge has been built under the su
perintendence of j. Sipes, a man of larg'
experience in this class of work and is
substantial and handsome structure.
The bridge is 100 feet long, -four lonl
spans of l65 to IT'S feet in length, with
short span of so feet 1t is a Howe trus
combination bridge, Sprague Il Paterson
patent, and has the strength to linear foo
? of ] 300 pounds, exclusive of the weight o
the bridge. The net strainlng material il
more than one fourth its capacity. It i
81 feet high from the floor to the top O
the superstructure and Is feet wide in tn,
clear from rail to rail- The pedestals o
each span rest upon iron rollers which al
low all the expansion and contraction nee
essarY, without straining any part of thu
structure. The arrangement of the trus
and cast iron angle blocks is such that any
piece OF timber, when worn out, can be re
placed by simply loosening the truss rod
lzrnE oh hn lO.x,a oI !
The bridge embodies all the most excelen
principles of the Old Howe Truss. havins
the bottom chords composed of iron BARI
connected by turned pins, which gives s
flexible connection.
The new bridge cost $4,000; the city
paying $500 for the old structure which
makes the total expense ST, 800.
The Rock river trade has been consider.
ed BY many as valuable and some of our
merchants who depended largely on the
farming element In that vicinity for Gus
tom have felt the loss of custom. TIL,
bridge, it is thought, will last for 80 years,
but OF course no guarantee to that effect
has been given the city. The structure
as it stands is one of the finest in this vi
cinity and if properly managed ought Il
bring in revenue enough to pay the inter
est 90 the bonds and all of the expenses
with possibly margin of profit for tn,
city. If the receipts aggregate what it wa
claimed by the old owners was the case
: then the city has made an excellent invest
ment. 1t is hardly to be expected how
ever that the net income will more thar
pay expenses and part of the interes
on the bonds issued 10y the city. TIT
bridge is finished. Now for the Pleasan
Valley road.