, 1881-10-16
CORRTSPONDENCE.
TIE BRIDGE PROBLEM.
tn the Editor Of The Ctlicu1o Tribune

Chicago, Oct 15-I wish for a place in
| your valuable columns III which to urge upon
| your attention and that Of our fellow-cltlzens
| generally, the extreme Importance OF treat
t ing our bridge problem in Il manner beitting
what is probably the problem to be solved if
| tile growth Of Chicago. It seems to me that
| we are dealing with this question as one te
! be settled for a limited fine only-say five,
or at the outside ten years. Our wise men
| talk Of bridges that arc to be broader and
bigger, and more expensive. They are to be
operated by steam or hydraulic power, and
are to swing more quickly. There's the rub
they are to swing.
| I submit that Our present system is the
| greatest drawback to the prosperity and
| growth Of our city that could be devised.
Whole districts on two sides of the city,
within half mile Of the Courthouse, are
comparatively valueIess because of the un-
certainty Of communication, the smoke OF
tugs, the whistle nuisance, and the thousand
and Que annoyances peculiar to Il river
neiSllborllood.
We have three s'sides'' whose commercial
and social interests are about as diverse as
those Of so many different cities.
Our commerce is brought almost to
standstill many times every day to acconl-
1nodatc our marine interests.
. Life and property arc riskcd in the insane
rushing OF accumulated crowds over the
bridges in tile interinls OF waterway conf
merce, and the citizens who live through
these peri!S to our age WHEN nerves fail and
rest is important arc finally and literally
''whooped'' into our GRAVES by our whistle
tiends. All Of this calamity" and more
tran cain be told. is very largely the direct
result Of e swing" bridges.
Can any sane nian look forward to doing
business iii this place ten, fifteen, or twenty
years hence, with ali increased commerce OIL
streets and river, and place more and bigger
swing bridges as the sole solution Of our
troubles?
1t seems to me cllitlisl, to expect that these
devices can be more than temporary, and
that we must not delay serving notice on the
community that ut !! very early day the river
will be spanncd by first~class permanent
bridges.
can sec the Chicago Of 1900 pretty clearly
as city Of at least 100000 people. II the
present system, Ur any modification Of it, is
maintained, tile streets of the South Side
will be iii incxtricable jam from sunrise to
sunset Of each summers day, and no nun1-
bcr of bridges, he they neycr So wide
and move never so quickly, cai1 save lis.
The main. business section, forced by
river, lake. and railroads, must "strin. out''
down }yabasI, and Michigan avenues ard
State street, SO that we shall llavc. 'scentro"
some two miles long and three blocks wide,
The land contiguous 10 the river will be
"cl,eap' property, and all that the terri i'm
n,ies ami os commerce increases m the river
itwill he even more undesirable,
Now + ,,n,J.rstan,I that the river is tho
cjtv:s practic,lly. and that the citycan bridge
i, how ,vhar ami where If n1ras,,s Su,1
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