Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-10
VALLEY PEOPLEW BRIDGE
DslsgAtion Urges County Commissioner for
Construction Acrsns Platte River.
rLIOeI FM THOUSAND DOLLARs
Commissioners Take No Final 40
tion, but Direct. mat Surveys
ne Made TO Furni-h Esti-
mate Of Costs.

A delegation from Valley waited on The
Board Of County Commissioner yester-
day TO urge the construction Of a bridge
across the Platte river at q point about
midway Of Douglas oouRty's western bound
airy.
The delegation Included W.. n. weekly,
Q. s. Mooney. @. COLLEEN. s. H. Howard,
L. P. Larson, Frank Whitmore and O. u.
Bysrs. These gentlemen brought with them
a petition for the bridge signed by the
members Of the bridge committee Of the
Valley Commercial club.
The board took no action further than 70
adopt oDtrom's resolution, directing the
county surveyor to 60 to the proposed site
on the south line Of section a, township 10.
range .. make q survey OF the premises and
give an estimate Of the cost OF building q
wood and iron bridge. with ice breaks, and
also Of building = pile bridge with two steel
spans.
ostrom Says that while the sentiment Of
the board may be favorable to & bridge, he
has some doubt Of the stability Of an ordl-
nary pile structure "Piling would have to
be set about thirty-two feet apart" he
said, "and IN the spring the tremendous
ice now Of the Platte might be blocked by
these piiings and result in an ice gorge
that would either carry the bridge away
or cause an overflow to the southeast that
would end in the county being sued for
more damage TO farms.
Cost OF Railroad Bridge.
THE railroad bridge a mile south Of this
proposed site has cost the company thou
sands Of dollars because Of this very
trouble.
The bridge will be about 1000 feet long,
and I believe 1t would cost $16.00e con-
atructed IS proposed. With steel spans
that would make It safe It would cost, /
Judge, about $33, 000."
Several Of the Valley delegation spoke
for the bridge and pledged that IS. 900 would
be raised by them II the board would vote
a sum sufncient to cover the rest Of the cost
Of the bridge. They said that farmers
across the river In Saunders county pledged
81. 900 the other afternoon and will pledge
another $1,000. because very anxious to get
access to the South Omaha stock yards and
Omaha market. AS conditions now exist,
with no bridge between Fremont and Ash
land, they are "on the EARTH" whereas.
with the bridge, It would be q drive Of only
q mile or two to Va1le- n from there
about twenty-four miles to Omaha Grain
Il said TO be selling for from
l to ~ cents more in Valley thar
across the river. The commissioner Of
Saunders county, residing In wahoo, will
do nothing. IA II IL not to that c~ounty's
interest, they think but one. of the speak
ers stated that the people Of the eastern
part Of that county are all anxious for, 1t
and will provide land for the bridges
terminus without cost. This latter state
ment was to calm the boards fear that
Saunders county might get out an injunc-
tion or otherwise seek to prevent the
bridge being built to that side Of tho
stream. The Valley people say that while
that towns expects to benefit, the bridge
will be quite as advantageous to Omaha
and the east end Of the county, because
Of the heavy trading hat will be drawn
by the stock yards. -.s