The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-11-25
Sparks From the Smokestack.


time this morning.
The locomotive firemen have dance
in Armory hall next Saturday evening.
Supper will be served in Turner hall.
The r. l. s P. track is being fixed up
near the water works. New.ties and rails
are being put down and the track raised
a trile.
Agent Cook, of the C. r. I. & p. road,
is able to be around again after a week
confinement to his home in Davenport in
consequence of troublesome boil.
There was another carload of emlgrants
eastward bound this morning. They had
been to Dakota and Minnesota to buy
lana -@>~
More cattle than hogs seem to be going
to the Chicago market from this direction
over the C. R. |. & P road just now.
This morning a long train of tat cattle
went east.
A brakeman on freight train was go
ing around the platform of the union de-
pot this morning with two swollen ears.
They were frost bitten on Sunday night
during a run from Eldon, Iowa, to this
city.
A couple of travellers attracted consid>
rable attention at the Union depot this
morning. One wore white bcarskin
overcoat and the other black bearskin
overcoat The coats looked as though
they would keep person warm in the
coolest cline on earth.
There is quite an amusing little yarn
about the career of certain pass book
going the rounds in certain circles, but
then the story is too long, ask Jim
Ldders at the c., NJ. & St P. depot
about it, he can tell the whole story in
verbatim order.
A faint murmur like unto the distant
rumble of passenger train on a quiet
day in summer is waited to the trumpet
like ears of our railroad reporter thai
Agent Holmes, of the c., NJ. s. St. p, is
looking for a couple of dogs with which
to pay an election bet. Now it is earn
estly hoped that all the ''kids" in town
will not rush to the Milwaukee depot
with ours. The genial agent wants dogs
and although he is a mild hammered man
he is liable to become exceedingly wrotl
if ours be presented. He who outlaw:
subsequently, ha has the most sonorous
or words to that effect, and it is possible
nay highly probable, that Agent Holmes
will have occasion to patroniEe the but
ton dealers, after 'the boys" have hat
some experience" with those dogs
The Freeport Daily Bulletin has thu
following in regard to improvements OIL
the C. NJ. & St. p. road:
NEW BRIDGE.
These fine days are being improved b,
the wOrkmen engaged in the construction
of the c. NJ & St. P. roads new irol
bridge just southeast of Freeport. Bot
abutments of solid masonry have beer
completed, with the exception Of the ca
stones. The south pier is about half fla
: ishcd ana is creeping upward as fast a
good work can be done. The stone uset
are cut into shape by workmen along til
track south Of the bridge and from Their
they are lifted by machinery on a nova
bic engine, carried over the track ant
, lowered to the spot where they are need
cd. The bridge and vicinity now is
very busy place. While one set of mel
is at work on the south pier, anothe
force is commencing the one on the north
The pier now partly built rests on Ion!
piles, driven deep into the ground, unde
water by steam power and then cut off
: The north pier Is TO have the same found
alton. The piers have already been driv
en-, and are today being cut off. This i
> done by means CT buzz saw, and out o
sight several feet under water This saw
is attached to heavy machinery, and i
operated by a small stationary steam en-.
CINE, which rests on a strong platform
As one pile is cut off the machinery i
swung around against another which in
few moments shares the same fate ant
there's no saw dust to fly in your fac
either. cit is an interesting sight to wit
ness the workings of this machinery. Tn
writer had the pleasure of seeing it thi
| morning. The north pier will be read
for the stone in a day or two. Mr.. A {
Carpenter, bridge engineer of the road
has been present almost continually TO
several days giving his attention to Thu
work. When finished, which will not b
much if any before New Years, this wi
be one of the best bridges on this divisio
of the road. The St. Paul company is a,
the time making improvements in its pro
perty.
SNOW SHED BUILDING.
Assistant Superintendent D. /. Bush
of the Racine & Southwestern division c
the Chicago, Milwaukee s. St. Paul roa
was in town last night and left this morn
ing for Rock Island. He has force @
men at work on this division of the roat
putting up snow fences where they ma
be needed to protect the track from bein
blockaded during the billiards Of tn
coming winter. There will be severa
miles of the fence on the whole divisio
and considerable of it will be betwee,
Freeport and Lanark. This is the frs
time fence of this character has bee
constructed along this sectio
, of the St. Paul. Very seriou
blockades do not occur very Otter