The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-13

The statute Of limitation has not yet
run against flood and bridge reminis-
cences, nor is it likely to very soon, for
the old settlers are still busy talking.
From memory and tradition they can
tell of floods and bridges by the hour
and in the light of present events it's
rather interesting history, for in years
gone by other bridges that stood in the
same location as the present magnifi-
cent Melan structure were planned and
talked of, built and used washed and
swept away and history was made as
it was during the last flood.
Way back in 1858 the first bridge
across the Kansas river at Topeka was
built. At that time the distance from
shore to shore WAS about 900 feet and
the citizens who talked of bridges at
the almost prohibitive price of 1000
the bridge for $4,000 and only asked
for $50 worth of iron to be bought al
Kansas City. Oak trees from the creek
valleys and cottonwood lumber sawed
by a Topeka mill on credit made the
plan possible. OF course bridge script"
was issued and it was as good as any
other form Of currency for a time.
When the first bridge was assured the
town had the first boom and the price
of lots rose rapidly.
The first bridge had a turn table ar
rangement to allow the boats on the
river to pass. The bridge was Won
der f. w. Giles. in his book Thirty
Years in Topeka" said: LAS the
freighters' trains came emerging from
the timber on the north. over the bridge
and up Kansas avenue, displaying
canvas enough on their wagon bows
to sail a man of war, teamsters crack
ing thei~ heavy whips over the long,
swaying teams of oxen, and ejaculat-
ing their hoarse commands gee, haw,
Topekans gazed upon the scene. with
anticipatiOns of coming commercial
greatness, in the happiest of moods
The bridge was completed in May,
1858, but the dream of commercial
greatness only lasted a short time for
on July H. of the same year, the bridge
was carried away by a flood At that
time the Shunganunga took part in the
flood festivities and overlooked its banks
until the fair grounds and the low lands
along the creek were flooded for weeks.
The bottoms along the river were mum
dated to First street.
Giles history says:~At about o'clock
on the morning of the 18th of july the
water and drift reached the flooring OF
the bridge; it was lifted from the piers,
and in sections swung down the stream.
Messrs. James a. Hickey (WhO still
/ lives south of town. and G. G. Gage,
/ holder or more reckless spirits than 9TH
4 ers, kept their positions upon the heav-
! ing. cracking wreck till too late to es-
4 cape, and clinging to the debris, f1oated
skipped from timber to plank, and from
plank to timber, till the fragments
doated sufficiently near the shore to al
low them to swim to terra firma
Boats and the famous Pappan Bros
ferry did service until 1865 when the
pontoon bridge was opened for traffic.
In 1867 bridges at Manhattan and wy
andotte (Kansas City, Kan.) were car
ried away but the pontOOn was only
81. IF cattle
which stampeded and tried to cross the
pontoon bridge, was too heavy for it
and sunk it.
In 1868 an agitation for an iron bridge
i was started There was a hitch about
1 building the iron bridge until Mortimer
J Cook came to the front. Cook said that
if he was given the sole right to operate
a bridge he would build it. He sold all
/ his real estate, and people We're quick to
bllv in order to help the enterprise and
/ Cook went at once to Cleveland and
+ bargafned for a bridge to cost $4,000
That was the old iron bridge which was
supplanted by the Melan bridge. The
old iron bridge was in service near
Granville until the last flood carried it
! Cook operated the bridge and charged
toll fer one year and cleared $4,000, j.
4 H Tincher. the street car conductor,
took the toll Then the people MADE
crv for the a public bridge and Cook
sold the bridge to the county for 100000
4 ia Ia per cent bonds. Besides the inter
est he cleared up about $4,000 on the
venture.
Mortimer Cook gets into this retro
spection because he built the bridge. He
was. known as a man who could handle
swear words with the greatest huency
/ of any man in the county. When he
was ready to have the suspicious cere-
monies of opening the bridge he made
speech from the south end. Had his
speech been printed it would have look
ed like the Morse alphabet with a few
arabic letters, like this perhaps: --
- and - - to --- - the
with -;
and - ---1H But the assembled
; nonulace knew Cook and was not sur
/ prised.
cook lived on West Tenth avenue, near
/ 1870, one NIGHT while he WAS at