The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-03-16

ChCOl w 90 dCIO5s
the river more than quadrupled and
trade now comes regularly to Nebraska
City which previous 10 the bridge had
never come before. Not one con-
tributor to the bonus could be found
who regretted it. Several said il wa
the best investment they ever made,
and others expressed the opinion that il
would pay, even if the bridge could
not be operated during several months
of the year.
The bridge has advertised Nebraska
City all over the country, and the con-
tributOrs of the bonus are so well
pleased that they hase raised $500 by
subscription among themselves to pur-
chase aud present to Col. Stewart
diamond studded gold watch which
bears the inscription
Nebraska City
to
The River King.
Reconnaissant."
Colonel Stewart has been well named
the River King, for it is more honvr-to
be king of realm where your own
bright mind has placed you than to be
king Of country by the accident OF
birth.
The city of Leavenworth sent com.
mittee 10 inspect the Nebraska City
bridge. The Times says:
"There were eight members of the
committee, chosen from among the
leading lawyers, bankers and Iner-
chants of Leavenworlh. Every one
endorsed the bridge in the strongest
terms.
Assuming that the bridge has en-
hanced property % per cent. in Ne
braska City and 10 per cent. in the
county opposite, (and these are the
lowest estimates) the total increase in
values is over a million and a halt
dollars-created by bridge costing
less than one thirtieth OF that sum-a
splendid illustration of the power of
inventive genius"
AS result of this visit Leavenwortb
has arranged with Col. Stewart for a
bridge, and is only waiting for legis-
lative act enabling it to vote bonds,
before beginning operations.
PoNTooN AT MUsCATINE.
Col. Stewart is emphatic in the
statement that a pontoOn bridge is
more feasible on the staid and deep,
though wide Mississippi than on the
treacherous and changeiul Missouri
With small steam engine to close the
draw, it can, he says, be operated
rapidly and will, he is fully convinced,
of itself, in connection with a proper
| bonus, prove a remunerative invest
ment at Mnscatine, not to speak of the
incidental advantages of greatly in
creased trade and enhanced real estate
values These latter are for greater
than the value of the bridge stock
itself.
A properly constructed bridge for
the Mississippi will cost, the colonel
states, 500 per running foot for the
pontoon part proper. The approaches,
and all work on piling can be done
! much cheaper. He states that a
! charter is not necessary, there being no
law requiring it, though he recon-
! ! mends the securing of one to avoid
possible controversies. He suggests
the organization of a company, which
shall ask reasonable bonus to be
voted by the city. and which the city
could we'll afford tu do. Colonel
Stewart will then build the bridge at
800 per foot and take 80 per cent OF
1 thO will oSS PiiOO upOu
and acceptance. The remaining 20
per cent cent he would leave with the
bridge company at a low rate of in
terest as a guarantee fund. He will
guarantee that traffic will not be sus-
pended more than Is days in a year
and he will guarantee the company
against loss by ice or flood. A pom
toon bridge at Muscatine 5000 feet
long, said the Colonel, could be built
for $50, ,000-scarcely more than the an
nual interest Oh a pier bridge. There
is no reason why Muscatine should not
have 1.-THE first genuine pontoon
bridge on the Mississippi and the larg.
est in the world. Toll rates could be
placed at one-half that charged by q
ferry. Farmers would come from long
distances who do not now come at all
and others would come twice as often.
A bridge at Muscatine could be com.
pleted in three months after the COIL
tract is let.
PONTOON NOTES.
"Pontoon bridges never hurt any
thing; but pier bridges sink boats
demolish RATS, and cause gorges of ice
and drift that flood the surrounding
country"
"a pier bridge upon deep river is
a thrOw-away-an inv estment whose
annual interest often exceeds the entire
cost of pontoon bridge. Even upon
such shallow rivers as tEe Rhine
Danube and others where pier bridges
can be built cheaply, pontoons are now
preferred, for they found that water
would bear up bridge better than
stone piers. There are now eleven
pontoon bridges upon the Rhine"
"rhe American pontoon bridge is q
marvel of simplicity and efficiency"
"When you remove a steam ferr,
whose running expenses are SIS to Sli
per day; risk of fire, explosion and
snagging S5 per day: decay and re
pairs 50 to $40 per day; and replace il
with a scow-bridge which can't ex.
plode, burn nor sink, and which one
man can attend to, you can put toll.
way down, and the quadrupled traffic
resulting from it may still pay you q
handsome per cent on your invest
ment."
| AT NEBRASKA CITY.
1.-The farmers who swore they
wouldn't cross it at any price are now
running in two loads day aud safely
cross i'll darkness and full of beer; the
engineers who knew it couldn't be
done" are silent; the steamboatmel
and boat builders that scoffed at it are
dumb; the steam ferry that took hall
a farmers load for toll rocks idly on
the shore and where once the road to
the ferry led grows the grass and wav-
ing weeds. The tired inventor crept
close TO the breast of natur. and she
sang TO him her secret All who see
this bridge pay to it the tribute of their
praise and all concede that pontoon
bridges have arrived to remain or, il
you preferit "come to stay"
For Sale Cheap-A medium sized Hail.,
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want of use. Apply at this office. jlgf