Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-02-09
WHY|T IS So CALLED,
Promoter Blair Tells Some.
thing About the Ores.
cent Bridge.
TIE ADOPTION OF TIE NAME.

An Idea OF Hsv the Structure wsn Ap-
pear When &c b Oomplssed-Work u
ProGrsss-Ranreaas which Are Rss
soasbly Certain TO Cross On n WITH
Prospects d More.
Promoter F. P. Blair, of the
Bridge and Terminal company, has
been getting confidential with q Dav-
export Times reporter. He has
been telling b ow the Crescent bridge
became named 40 il is.
AT present." said he, I'VE have q
tramway Of . narrow-gauge track
built on the ice to the works from
the rear Of the old Lehrkind brewery,
now the Second street plant Of the
Davenport Mailing company. This
facilitates the work and assists Us in
making rapid progress. II the ice
bridge were to fail as now We would
be compelled to ferry the stone and
concrete out to the piers by means Of
barges. l do not anticipate any
trouble, however, and I do not look
for any movement Of the ice for at
least another month. By that time
the piers z and 8 will have been com.
pleted. and piers 5 and 6 will be
built up above the water level. The
work on the superstructure will be
let in . short time. There are three
steel men here figuring on the con.
tract. and our draughtsmen are kept
pretty busy looking sitter the detail
work. The spring will witness the
beginning OF the superstructure.
SHOW I am sorry that We have no
cut OF the projected bridge to give
you an idea Of what it Is going to
look like. Do not suppose that L is
going to be q structure like the great
government bridge before our doors.
1t will scarcely resemble it all. The
piers will be tall and massive, but
severe In their bulk, and not quite 30
well finished of ss are the seemingly
light and airy piers Of the govern
ment bridge. II you take and draw
. line direct across the river to the
head OF Willow island from the abut-
ment pier on the Rock Island side
you will have an idea Of the stretch
OF water over which the bridge will
take its fight, as also of its direction.
There will be eight piers in all sit.
uated In the water with two shore
piers or sbutments. From the Isl.
and to the shore on the Iowa side,
there will be . distinct curve Of
trestliDg similar to the viaduct over
cast Davenport on the Milwaukee
road. only it will be of q more at.
tractive architecture. It is from
this curve that the name OF the Cres.
cent bridge is derived"
Mr.. Blair said that COMPANY, for
which Mr.. Loweth was the engineer.
had built . crescent bridge in Red
Wing, MINI. This bridge is almost
Q pattern for the Crescent bridge
here, with the exception that the
curve is toward right instead Of to
the left as 1t will be in the bridge
now being erected. The only span of
the new bridge which will rejoice in
euperstructure is the draw span.
The remaining spans will have little
or no top work, the steel braces,
trussings. etc., being beneath the
railway deck. This deck will be a
single track one for the present, al
though it is more than probable that
It will be widened at an early date to
ut the piers which are built to SUP
port double track.
Two Roads Osesain.
As to the tapping Of galway svs.
TENS Mr.. Blair asszred the reporfer
that the c., B 60. and the C.. NJ. E.
81. I. railways would use the bridge
tor certainty. "Let us complete il
hrst. be said; "and then the railway
people will fall over themselves to
secure . right Of way over it into
shis garden state of the northwest -
a. -