National Republican., 1888-02-16
The Bridge MT Memphis.


EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,: fully con-
cur with what your have said with reference
TO that intended additional obstruction TO the
navigation OF the Mississippi river, the Mem
phis bridge. Unless so amended In the Senate
as TO make II a single span and one hundred
feet IN the clear above the high water mark of
the Mississippi river at that place.
any other bridge that high and would be no
obstruction to navigation OF the river and
the only way bridge should be built across
any river that is navigable.
But this is just the kind of bridge the rail-
way men do not want, They prefer to spend
$4,000 geo IN the construction of bridge that
navigation of the Mississippi river than to have
bridge free OF cost, such as have suggested,
or one that would be no obstruction to the
navigation of that river.
If called on Will furnish specifications and
satisfy any committee of the Senate that such
bridge is entirely practical aud can be built.
. 1he act OF Congress as II passed the House OF
Representatives says thai the two main or
channel spans shall not be less than 500 feet
wide and no less than G5 feet above the high
water mark of the Mississippi river
Now lthe cbimneys, escape pipes, stage der.
rick and pilot houses wore all taken down on
any side wheel steamer that runs in the Pitts.
burg, Cincinnati, Louisville, 81. Louis and
New orleans tlade, those steamboats, could not
PASS under that bridge when the Mississippi
river is at or near high water mark. Neither
could the steamboat Natohez and half q dozen
other steamers conld name pass under that
bridge at dead lOw.water mark with their
chimneys, escape pipes. and stage derrlcks all
down.
Such bridge will be great obstruction to
the free navigation OF that river, and in the
name Of ana ior the agricultural states of the
northwest ana lower valley states of the Union
lprotest against its construction, as also do
against the bridge now being built near Cairo,
H., by the Illinois Central Railroad Company
aud also bridge being built across the Ohio
at HeDdGrson, KY; neither Of which will be
fity.hve feet high above the high-water mark
of The Ohio at either place.
Who authorized the construction of these
bridges Not Congress. VIII some senator
please call onthe Secretary of War for this
information; also the height of the bridge
across the HUDSON river at Poughkeepsie aud
the Brooklyn bridge.
The Mississippi river drains two-thirds the
area Of the United States, and, when properly
the commerce of this country, while, on the
other hand, the Hudson river does not drain
100000 square miles, and without the Erie
canal its commerce would be local, while East
river is not ten miles long.
With such facts it does appear to me that
Congress- should not suffer the free navigation
OF the Mississippi interiered with by bridges
any more than does it interfere with vessels
navigating the Hudson and East river by the
building OF bridges across them.
The east and west roads may well say, "The
mississippi river, and not Congress, Is the
only way their roads can be regulated Hence
1t is that they have been and are doing all they
can to make transportation as expensive on
that river as possible. and every such bridge as
those named that they have or may build across
the Mississippi river or its tributaries will add
five cents hundred and two to three cents on
every bushel of grain that may be transported
by the railroads, and the way things are
going on 1t won't be long untilthe Mississippi
river as carrier of commerce will be thing
OF the past, and then the people of the mort h.
west will be completely at the mercy of these
railway. owners, and they won't have enough
money lef to pay taxes and buy seed corn, for
the roads will take II all.
This Is matter that more deeply concerns
the agriculturalistsof Of the northwest and south
west than does 1t concern those who are now
directly engaged in transportation lines on the
Mi sissippi and tributaries.
Therefore, the senators from these states
should not permit such bill to pass, nor no
more such bridges to be built across the Mis-
sissippi or its navigable tributaries.
can give the names of dozens of men who
Will verify all say. am, respectfully,
JOHN CowDoS.