The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-02-16
After firing the gun,
ALEX. VAuGuEY, ESQ,
h'EA' 'h''hH'' ir't'i
was called upon and said:


was called upon and said;
IN F,1o,r citizens; I intended to give YOU
some of the history Of this bridge but as my
| friend Armstrong has so fully done that | must
content myself with what he has not mentioned
|-cOnccrning my own experience. We had dis
covered that Marscilles was to some extent our
! rival, and hearing that she was talking of a
bridge, and as Seneca had beaten Marscillcs al.
most from the start We concluded we would not
let her outStrip Us in this point, and concluded
We would have Il bridge or burst in the attempt.
ChccrN) | ut once got Julius Avery of Ottawa,
to draw us up charter. then saw Wash Arm
strong. | knew when ! got Wash enlisted in
anything, that thing would be donc-no matter
what And tell you, gentlemen, you do not
know what You owe that man, nor all that ne has
done for you at his own cost, time, labor and
hard laOor-for your benefit, you will never APP
prccatc him till he has passed away. OChccrS)
then went to Jerry CrOtty, and told him Mar.
settles was going to beat us in bridge. Said he:
" Put me down for $1,000 and double il il ncCCs-
sary." Having secured these men, | moved on.
From the date Of the charter to this time have
worked for this brdgc-rst to make it, and last
to this moment when the cannon bOoms in hon
or Of its freedom to the world. CHEERS for
Naughcv) ! was at its birth, baptism and free
dom. (Chccrs.) 1t was built, but true it didn't
pay the owners, in cash. There are more ways
than one Of getting pay for public enterprises
such as this. The old man of eighty wears who
planted an orchard, planted fort the next generation
so have We, yes, we begin to realize the fruits
even now. We are here to benefit the human
race.
When subscriptions were wanted, Jerry Crotty
lr? now called hence, and myself, we're sent out
We canvasscd, but with poor success. Every
thing looked doubtful-wc came home, reported
in the old Underhill hall-cycn Wash wns dis
hcartcncd. ! asked for two weeks more and the
directors gloomily consented. saw Jerry, we
got lively team. | put bottle of whisky in
ana mn of md i, on,
we started out. If we met Il pous brother, got
out the bibc-l can talk religion when try.
(Laughtcr) made that brother believe that We
would build up Seneca like a New Jerusalem,
with church on every corner. The brother
would subscribe TO the bridge at oncc (Shouts
Of LaughtcrD If ! met a-wcll fellow who
didn't go much on churches, | would hand him
the bottle and tell him Seneca would be full of
salOons-hc too would subscribe and thus by
every dcyice-that was hOnest-(great mirth) We
gathered them in. reported. The bridge start
ed from that date, and it was built.
say, seriously, gentlemen, that Mr. Armstrong
and the few who helped him, are entitled to even
more credit for freeing the bridge, if possible ,
than in building IT, for the last was more labor
than the first. How we battlcd and fought with
the Supervisors. But it is over We have given
to the county no rotten truck, but a bridge that
will stand till Gabriel blows his trumpet if you
take care of it, 1t should be free. Everything |
in America that a citizen of this glorious rcpub,
lie tramps upon should be free, in cOnsOnancc
with the period in which we live. The cry Of its be.
, lug ,iuo Wit uN'cmu 10 MOTIFS, ana thcrc under
will be heard that "The seneca Irid,c j. ~ froo
The little riyulcts will whisper "Thc Seneca
bridge Is iree.' 1t will roll on to the lettering |
h,id~c ia rrcc " and ''nsl i, Io 'c,ccn
Of thunder 10 the Mississipni-" The Semen
bridge is frccn'
My home is nestled now among the hills be-
If this fair -tbrj n,nr , ~ J i,ii,'