The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-03-01
THAT SILVER LAKE BRIDGE
It's Bill Still Hanging Fire in House
Committee

The Silver Lake bridge question is still
vexing the local judiciary committee.
For several weeks it has been argued
pro and con between those interest ed
in the RossvilIe bridge and those who
want to see one at Silver Lake.
For the past four years the farmers
of Silver Lake and Dover townships
have been working to get a bridge
across the river between those town
ships. Silver Lake township voted and
has paid about $1,000 toward building
the Rock Island railroad along the
south side Of the river. but never has
received any benefit from it, as the
river is impossible without a bridge
On the north side of the river is a
broad bottom of the best corn land in
the world and on the south side the
country is devoted to stock raising. A
bridge would bring these two interests
together and give the farmers on the
north side larger price for their corn
and corn stalks than they now get.
Without a bridge there is no competi-
ton between the shipping points on the
Union Pacific railroad on the north side
and the Rock Island railroad on the
south side, and the farmers of Silver
Lake have to pay SIS car 10 get their
products hauled to Topeka and trans
ferred to the Rock Island or Santa Fe
roads.
About a year ago a large delegation
of the farmers of those townships met
with the board of county commission
ers and IL was then arranged that the
from Topeka or s.. 600 in cash, which is
all that the board can appropriate to-
ward a bridge without a vote of the
people, to help these townships erect a
bridge. 4 little later it was found that
Jefferson county would take the old
bridge and put it across the river be
tween Shawnee and Jefferson counties
without any expense to the county. and
the commissioners wisely concluded
that this was a good opportunity to get
two bridges, both of which are greatly
needed, at an expense of only $4,000 to
the county, and they passed a resolu-
ton agreeing TO appropriate $1,000 in
cash for the Silver Lake and Dover
bridge.
The county surveyor made soundings
and measurements for the best lOca-
ton and responsible contractors said a
good new steel bridge could be put in
for about $4,000.
At the beginning Of this session of the
legislature bills were introduced by
Senator Anderson and Mr.. Stephenson
to authorize the building of these two
bridges across the river. The bill for
the bridge east of Topeka has already
passed both houses. and Senator An
dersOn has put the bill for the Silver
Lake bridge through the senate He
said it was a good business proposition
and good sense for the county to get
two bridges at an expense of only $1,000
TO the county.
Silver Lake and Dover townships
would have to vote $1,000 each to build
the local judiciary committee in the
house. where it now hangs fire. Its
friends claim that the delegation in the
house from this county should be unit
in favor of these public improvements.
No bubble over the site or merely per-
sonal local interests should defeat or
delay so great a benefit to the people
in the western half of the county. The
whole county is interested in this mat
ter. The county commissioners to keep
faith with the Silver Lake and Dover
people concluded that unless both these
bridges were secured neither one would
he built. and hence the defeat of the
Silver Lake bridge also defeats the
bridge between this and Jefferson
county.
Senator Hessin also has a bill for a
bridge between Rossville and Maple
Hill which, may become a law With
these three bridges the people of Shaw
nee county would have greatly in
creased facilities for crossing the river.
and it is claimed that the additional
prices that the farmers would get for
their products would pay for the cost
of building them in a very few years