Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-13
EAST AND WEST UNITED,
Another Link of Steel Con-
meets Them.
The Big Bridge at Memphis,
Tenn, Opened.
The Event Celebrated by Imposing
Ceremonies,
Dedication of the Childs-D DrexeI Home
for Union Printers-William As
tors WiIl-GeneraI News
Assooiated Press nianatchas

l '-~~~>~sS~~ AoSS OAbDdtCu6Hs
MEMPHIS, Tenn, May 12.--At noon
with impressive ceremonies, the great
steel bridge across the Mississippi river
was formally declared open to traffic, in
the presence of great throng OF people,
including distinguished visitors, state
and national, from this and adjoining
states. The day was observed as hol-
iday, and the city was in gala attire.
The man-of-war Concord and river craft
OF all kinds were covered with bunting.
The weather was delightful.
The festivities began with an imposing
street parade. When the procession
reached the bridge, the ceremonies be-
gan by sending eighteen locomotives
upon the structure as a test Of it's
strength. The eighteen engines came
across the bridge at the rate of thirtv-
five miles an hour, blowing their whistles
and ringing their bells, the din being
added to by all manner of noises being
made by the vessels in the river.
Governor Eagle of Arkansas and Gov
ernor Buchanan of Tennessee were then
taken out from the respective sides on
decorated fiat cars, and in the center of
the bridge shook hands with President
Clapp OF the city of Memphis standing
over them with hands outstretched. and
the ceremony on the bridge was over.
When the company returned to the
Tennessee side, Governor Buchanan
welcomed the distinguished guests to
the state and city. He was replied to
by Governor Stone of Mississippi and
Governor Ea gle Of Arkansas. Bishop
Galloway invoked the divine blessing.
President Clapp accepted the bridge for
the city of Memphis, and Engineer Nor
risson delivered it to President Nettle-
ton of the railroad company, in speech
sketching the work.
After the other speeches Senator Voor-
bees of Indiana was introduced as the
orator OF the day. Opening with an
eloquent reference to the enduring inn
portance of the event, his speech dealt
chiefly with subjects natural to such an
occasion; the wisdom, patriotism and
foresight OF Jefferson in acquiring Lou
isiana; the glorious results which it
accomplished; the growth of the south
within the last thirty years; its still
brighter future, and finally predicted
that the time was not far distant when
the barrier of the navigation of the two
oceans would be removed.
Tonight two magnificent pageants
brought the days celebration to close;
the crowd, if anything, exceeded that of
the morning and was variouely esti-
mated at from 10000 to $4,000 people.
The Memphis bridge is the third lar
gest of it's kind in the world. There are
five spans and six piers, including the
pier. There is total length
OF 2597 feet in the bridge proper. The
structure is extended west of the main
bridge by an iron viaduct 25OO feet in
length, followed by 3lOO feet of timber
trestle and nearly mile of embank-
ment to a junction with the existing
track of the Kansas City, Fort Scott and
Memphis railroad, few hundred feet
west OF Gibley, Arkansas. Some idea of
the immensity of the steel parts used
may be obtained by knowing that the |
main posts are thirty feet high and
weigh twenty-eight tons.