Rock Island Argus., 1896-03-12
HENNEPIN BRIDGE BILL.
Fun Text Of the Measure which Passed the
House Yesterday.

Full Text Of the Measure which Passed the
House Yesterday.
The bill, which as related in last
nights ARGUS, passed the house of
representatives Yesterday giving to
the Rock Island, Muscatine & South
western railroad authority to bridge
the Henuepin canal near its mouth
is as follows:
"A bill for the right of the Rock
Island, Muscatine & Southwestern
Railway company to build a bridge
across the Illinois and Mississippi
canal.
"Be it enacted by the senate and
house of representatives of the United
States of America in congress assem-
bled, that the Rock Island, Musca-
tine g. Southwestern Railway COM
pany. organized under the state of
Illinois. is hereby authorized to build
draw bridge for wagon and rail-
road purposes across the Illinois and
Mississippi canal in sections num-
bered 9 or 10. township II. range 2,
west of the Fourth principal merid-
ian, situate in the county OF Rock
Island aud state of Illinois, and
about 1920 feet in an easterly direc-
tiou from lock No. 81, said bridge to
be built according to the require
ments of the war department.
provided, That the said draw
bridge shall span the entire canal. or
at least span with one draw span the
60-foot bottom width of the canal,
and shall be built with suitable CIR
ders and retaining walls, similar to
what have been built by the United
States at the bridges at Milan. and
with the axis of the bridge perpen-
dicular to the axis of the canal; pro.
vided also, that the lowest mem ber
of the bridge shall be above grade
of the north embankment, and suit
able provision be made for the tow
path and highway crossings along
the crossing of the south embank-
ment of the canal and the railroad
tracks and embankment. And pro-
vided further, that the draw shall be
opened promptly upon reasonable
signal for the passing of boats. And
the owners of the bridge shall MAIN
tain at their own expense, from sun
set till sunrise, such lights or other
signals on said bridge as the light
house board may prescribe.
THAT no bridges shall be erected
or maintained under the authority of
this act which shall at any time SUBJ
stantially or materially obstruct the
navigation of such canal. And no
bridge shall be commenced or built
under this act until the location
thereof and the plans and specifca-
tions for its construction shall have
been submitted to and approved by
the secretary Of war. And any
changes in the plans of such con-
struction or any alteration in the
bridge after its construction shall be
subject to the like approval; and
whenever said bridge shall, in the
opinion of the secretary of war. sub
stantially obstruct the free naviga-
tion OF said canal, he is hereby au-
thorized to cause such changes or al
tera:ions of said bridge to be made as
will effectually obviate such obstruc-
ton; and all such alterations shall
be made and all such obstructions
be removed at the expense of the
owner of said bridge, or the persons
operating or controlling the same.
This act shall be null and void if
actual construction of the bridge
herein authorized be not commenced
within one year and completed with
in three years from the approval of
| this act''
VIII be Combination Bridge.
| The bridge, which is to be about
four hundred feet in length, will, it
is proposed, be a combination rail-
road and wagon structure, and hence
it is all the more worthy of encour-
agement. The fact that it will be
necessary to maintain a tender to
have charge of the draw for the canal
will afford opportunity for him to
manipulate the gates and keep teams
OH when trains are approaching. and
thus will its general utility become
established. The bridge is to be To-
Gated close to lock 81 and of course
it will clear both Rock river and the
canal. Through THE ARGUS efforts
the merchants and other representa-
tive men of Rock Island have spoken
on the subject of the bridge across
Rock river near its mouth and the
coming of this bridge will herald the
advent of new and direct means of
transportation and travel to the
lower end of Rock Island county, and
the opening to the city of new ter
ritory to which it is directly and