Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-07-24
THE BRIDGE WAR.
Tho Railroad Company CLOSES the Chan

Tho Railroad Company CLOSES the Chan
mel.
The Panhandle Railroad Company had
large force OF men at work yesterday, un-
der the direction of Eugineer Urguhart
and Bridge Contractor Sheal driving piles
in the channel Of the river 70 take the
place of the ones torn out by the steamboats,
Monday. Piles are also being driven
above the bridge in o cluster 30 as to form
a barrier too strong to be torn upby steam
boats. This barrier completely shuts mp
the channel, and if a steamboat were to
attempt to force its way through IL would
take the risk Of being sunk and also OF
being forced against the pier on the west
side of the channel and broken in two.
The railroad company is determined to
complete the channel span at all hazards.
A prominent official OF the company said
Yesterday morning that the steamboatmen
were ipjuriug themselves as much as any
one by such action as was taken Mon
day, and 1t only delayed work and conse-
quently closed the channel that much
longer. He eaid the railroad company
had the authority of the Secretary Of War
to obstruct the channel, and thay were not
bound to make any provision whatever to
keep the river open, and the fact that the
dredge boats Ohio and Oswego were en-
gagged TO dredge out the bars above and
below the bridge showsd that those in
authority were willing to do their part
toward leeseniDg the inconvenience that
rivermen might be put to, and keep
traffic open as much as possible. As the
matter now stood he thought the railroad
authorities seemed disposed to let the
rivermen get along the beet way they
could, and if they got hurt they would
have no one to blame but themselves.
On the other hand steamboatman said
that the bridge had always been terror
and danger point TO river men, and that
when the railroad company commenced to
obstruct the channel, last week, they en-
tered protest, but the work Of cOnstruc-
ton continued, and they said nothing
further until the action taken yesterday.
He thought the bostmen wsre only at
tempting to protect their own interests, and
were perfectly justi6sble in what they did.
The following telegram from Washing
ton shows the feeling in the War Depart
ment about the matter.
WASHINGTON, July 23-Nothing has
been heard at the War Department re-
specting the trouble between the river
and railroad men at Steubenville over the
construction of the channel span Of the
Panhandle railroad bridge at that point.
The troubles OF river and railroad men
arising out Of the construction Of bridges
are frequent, and the War Department
takes only such notice of them RS the law
requires, that il, when railroad
wants to build bridge, au-
thorized by Congress, the La
gineer officers examine the plans
proposed and approve or reject them. Ia
this case the plans of the railroad were ap-
proved and notice thereof sent 10 the rail-
road people last week. They were direct
ed to keep open a channel for the pessage
of boats, bat at the present stage OF water
this is probably impossible except through
the span where work on the bridge II pro-
Rressipg. Hence when the coal boats came
along Yesterday they went through the
temporary structure Of the bridge to get
by. The War Department will take no
action in the premises, except IN the I'M
probable contingency that the trouble
should grow beyond the power OF the state
authorities TO control. The railroad peo-
pie will have to provide channel for their
boats or make terms with the river men
which will permit work TO be done on the
bridge until the piles can be removed.