Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-11-21
THE RIVER MEN
HOLD ANOTHER PROTRACTgD CONFERENCE
WITH PRESIDENT COCHRAN,
Relative to the Constr ucfon Of the Railroad Bridge
They Ask for Cessation Of Work
for Six Months.

Yesterday morning Captain W. B. RodR-
ers and Captain I. N. Bunton, OF Pitts
burg, a committee appointed by the river
and coal interests up there, to hold another
conference with the authorities of the Union
Bridge and Railway Terminal Company,
relative to work upon the channel span oi
the bridge now being erected at the Top
mill. arrived IN the city. and registered at
the Mcclure House. There they met,
during the morning, Judge r. II. Cochran,
President of the Bridge Company, and Col
onel W. E Merrill, U. S. A., the engineer
in charge of river matters, having quarters
AT Cincinnati, and the four gentlemen held
a prolracted conference relative to the
cha mel obstruction.
The river men made request that the
bridge company suspend work on the chan
mel span for six months, or until the low
water season in the coming summer, and
in support of this represented that they
would be subjected to great inconvenience
and would be constantly threatened with
serious loss should work be proceeded with
duriug the present fall and winter, as this
is the busy shipping season with the river
and coal men.
In reply TO this President Cochran stated
that it would be impossible for the railroad
company TO agree to the long delay asked
by the river interests. A suspension Of
work for six months would carry the whole
bridge matter over until next summer, and
then there might not be a season Of low
water, as was the case in 1888. and there
would be an entire year lost. He said the
railroad company was desirous of doing
whatever it could to oblige the river men,
and realized that they had large interests
at stake, but ut the same time he could not
make such serious change in the plans OF
the railroad cOmpany's sftairs rs WAS con-
tempated in the request of the COMMITTEE.
The committee then suggested that work
be pushed on the side spans, letting the
channel span remain until the last, but
President Cochran pointed out that the iron
now here and arriving MAS for the channel
span, and that it might BE- very consid-
cradle time before the supersiructure for
the other spans srriyed On the ground.
Even if the iron for the other spans WAS
here, the storage room at tine disposal OF
the contractors was very limited, aud there
was no place TO put the stuff
Colonel Merrill took little part in the
conference, he acting Az the representative
of the Government aud taking something
of the position of mediator, listening i'm
partially to all that was said upon each
side.
The conference lasted until about one
O'Clock in the afternoon, aud AT that time
President Cochran ordered carriages and
had the river men, Engineer Merrill and
Engineer Durham, of the Bridge Com
pany, driven up to the Top mill, 10 look
at the bridge site. About this tine 1t
leaked out that the river men had come to
Wheeling with the impression that work
on the railroad enterprise was dragging
very much, and that the bridge WAS far
in advance of the remainder Of the
work. As soon as this was learned
by President Cochran, he escorted
the party mp to the tunnel at the Top mill,
and walked through the hill to the ravins,
from which point they looked at the long
tunnel Running through to the creek. The
large amount of work done struck the
river men with sstODishment Coming
beck, they carefully examined the bridge
work, crossing over 10 the OHIO side on the
ferry boat, and then the party re-entered
their carriages and were driven over the
hill TO Fulton, where they looked at the
completed railroad bridge across the creek,
and the large amount of grading, etc.
At the conclusion Of this little tour the
ideas of the river men seemed to have un-
dergone a complete change, and it was re-
marked that in reality the bridge work
seemed to be behind all the rest
The river men left for Pttsburg last
evening, it is thought with very different
idea OF the situation from what they
brought here with them.
In a conversation lset evening, Judge |
Cochran said:
"rhe situation has not changed in any
respect. The river men made about the
same demand upon us az was embraced in
their first interview with me, some week.
ago We realize the Importance Of their
interests, but at the same time we think
we ought to look after cur own enterprise
We are well-dlsposed towards the river in
terests and will do whatever we can 10 ac-
commodate the bOatmen, bat at the same
time the work on the bridge must be push |
ed forward as rapidly as possible The
contractors tell me they can put up the
channel span in six weeks, If they are
allowed to work to the best advantage, and |
if the river men will but have little
patience, and try to help us out by not dis
commOding us, we will get out of their
way SIS soon as possible. II is true that !