Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-12-10
BARSTOW IS FAVORED
BY Rock Island Club as Site of
Location for Rock River
Bridge.
COMMITTEE REPORT, Is ADOPTED
Several Arguments Are Set Forth in
Support of Recommen-
dalton.

The Rock Island Club at its regular
monthly meeting last evening listened
! to the report of +. ii. Guyer, DR.. +.
NJ. Sala and b. c. Hartz, who compos-
ed the committee appointed to inves-
/ tigate the three locations for the pro-
posed bridge across Rock river at the
upper end of the county. The com
mittee favored the site near BarStow
as against those at the Cleveland fer
ry and Carbon Cliff. The report was
adopted. The only other business
transacted was routine in its nature.
The committees report on the Rock
river bridge considers the three sites
with reference to the level of the
land over which approaches must be
built, to the highways approaching
each location and to the effect of a
bridge in each place in drawing to or
diverting trade from the city. The
question of cost, which depends upon
the character of the bottom of the
river upon which the piers would rest,
is not considered, for it is pointed out
that the length of the bridge must
be the same in either place, certain
sized structure being required to
Approaches Are Better.
The approaches at Cleveland and
BarStow are found to be better than
at Carbon Cliff on account of the
long stretch of low, fiat ground that
would have to be crossed at the lat
ter place. The character of the road
between the Cleveland ferry and Bar
stow on the north side of the river,
where the soil is low and unsuitable
for road building purposes, is pointed
out as the main disadvantage in the
Cleveland site. The approach at Bar
stow on the south side of the river
would reach high ground in GOO feet
and on the north side in As yards. Mr..
Golden. owner of the land here. Of
fers to give the right of way free of
charge. From here the Pleasant Val
ley road runs west and there is also
good straight road to Barstow. The
distance from the site at Carbon Cliff
to the point of divergence where trav-
el would naturally go to come west is
half a mile further than from the
Barstow site.
On the Henry county side il was
found that fairly good roads converge
at both Cleveland and Colona, oppo-
site Barstow. The highway commits
Sioners offer to open roads from
point of intersection mile from the
proposed bridge site to the bridge and
also to Colona. 1t is pointed out that
a team starting from Cleveland would
reach this city with half a mile less
travel over a bridge at Barstow than
if the bridge were at Cleveland and
that the roads that form the shorter
route would be much the better. This
handicap, it is claimed. will apply to
every point on the south side of the
river and at places north of Il line
running east and west through Colo
ma it would be greater. If there were
a bridge at Cleveland the handicap
would be still greater to parties liv-
ing west of the north and south line
running through Cleveland.
Shorter Travelling Distance.
The advantages of shortening the
travelling distance to Rock Island and
Moline for those people living nearest
on the other side of Rock river and
most likely to wish to come this way
and in promoting the traffic of coal
from Briar Bluff and stone from CO.
Iona are found to lie wholly with the
Barstow route. while it is found that
a bridge at Cleveland would prove a
greater advantage to people i'm the
upper end of this county who wish to
go to GeneSeo than to those in Henry
county who wish to come here