New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1903-07-22
LOOKS BAD FOR BRIDGE ;: /:
Span at Cummings Ferry not
Likely to Be Built.
Nicollet County Offer Not Accept
able to Board.
Members do Not Wish to Assume
All Future Repairs.

Commissioners of Brown and Nicol-
let counties have been unable to reach
a satisfactory understanding as re-
CARDS the proposed bridge across the
Minnesota river at Cummings ferry
and in consequence it is not likely that
the span will be built at all, or at
least not for some years to come. It
would seem that the efforts of the com
mittee which went before the county
boards last week were of no avail, and
that they are predestined to see their
pampered project laid on the table
indefinitely.
The bridge in question has been be-
fore the people for several years.
When it was first agitated it was in
tended as one of the preliminary steps
in the Fort Ridgely national park
scheme. Gentlemen interested in the
park association were quick to see the
necessity of bridging the river to open
up the western end of this county
and two sites were proposed. One was
at the Cummings ferry on the old Fort
Ridgely road and the other farther
east at the Hinderman ferry.
Residents of Fairfax favored the
first and by private subscription raised
81, 200 with which to bring it to a con-
summation. Sleepy Eye was inclined
toward the Hinderman site and collect
ed an equal amount but as all the
roads converge at the Cummings
place, and as it is more accessible to
the park, twas generally favored as
the spot for locating the bridge.
Tow ard it the state appropriated S400
and the Minneapolis & st. Louis rail
way came forward with an offer of
800. But the association was still
shy of funds and an appeal which they
made to Brown and Nicollet counties
was fruitless, the Nicollet people
absolutely refusing to discuss the
proposition. s H.
Before further negotiations could be
made the time for using the appro-
priation of S400 expired and it reverted
to the state, but last winter Senator
A. V. Rieke of Fairfax, succeeded in
passing a bill through the legislature
which carried a concession of $780,.
Last week Senator Rieke and COM
mittee headed by Albert Cummings
and N. Tesrow appeared before the
commissioners of this county to urge
the erection of the bridge. They were
able to pledge 81, 500 from the city of
Fairfax, $500 from the state and 500
from the Minneapolis & St. Louis and
after listening to their arguments the
commissioners agreed to stand half OF
the remaining cost of the bridge, pro-
vided Nicollet county would take the
other half. Thus encouraged the COM
mittee went to St. Peter and SO we'll
did they discharge their mission that
the Nicollet board agreed to appro-
pirate the sum of $500.
Despite this very unusual generosity
on the part /of Nicollet county, how
ever, the bridge is still far from being
built for the commissioners here be-
lieve that after giving $500 the gentle
men down st. Peter way would con-
slider their duty as fully done and
themselves absolved from sharing in
the expense of future repairs. More
over it is thought that the span, which
is to be 40 feet in length, would cost
as much as $4,000 and until their
neighbors agree to pay half, the mem
bers of the board do not purpose 60
ing ahead with the work.