Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-21
EARLY RAILROAD HISTORY
Frank n. SPearman Discusses Fight
Against First Rock Island Bridge.

In last weeks number of the Satur-
day Evening Post. Frank H. Spear
man has an article on Early Days in
RailrOading" The article contains a
Quantity of information. and what is
OF most interest locally is q bit of his
tory of Rock Islands early railroad
days. In discussing the conflict be-
tween railway and river interests,
Mr.. Spearman says that the first rail
way bridge across the Mississippi was
built at Rock Island in 1886. He CON
ltinues as follows:
NO sooner was the bridge COM
lpleted. at an enormous expense. and
after the most heTculean pioneer rail
road effort. than St. Louis steamboat
Interests demanded its removal as a
nuisance and an obstruction 10 naviga-
ton. and in a bill filed by James Ward.
a citizen of ST. Louis, in the United
States district court for the district
of Iowa, he prayed that it be adjudged.
and that it be abated and removed. and
said river be restored to its original
capacity for all purposes of naviga-
| ton.
On the third day of April. 1860,
this court adjudged that the first rail
way bridge crossing the Mississippi
river was Il material obstruction and a
nuisance, and ordered the defendant
TO abate and remove all the said piers,
together with the superstructure there
! on within six months. Judge Love.
presiding. stated very carefully in his
decree the reason for the decision. If
| one road transport freight and passen-
gers to the east and west without the
delay and expense of changing at the
river, a financial necessity will com
|pel competing roads to provide them
Iselves with the same facilities From
| this, Judge Love. who died recently in
Iowa. fOresaw that if this obstruction
was allowed to stand there would be
railroad bridges across the Mississippi
river every forty or fifty miles. thus
interfering with river traffic so as to
do great and serious mischief.
But Abraham Lincoln. who, fortu
lnately. was counsel for the bridge com
many. could not see il that way, and he
appealed 10 the supreme court of tho
United States. Lincoln. with the ire
mendOus grasp of things as they are
that marks the difference between the
big men and the little men, conceded
that the bridge was an obstruction
but held that il was not an unreasOn
able one. He argued that rivers and
railroads were both great highways OF
1.-THE people, and that travellers by the
one were entitled to as much consider
alton as the other. He even ventured
the prediction that the time would
come when the number of passengers
crossing the river by railroad would
equal and perhaps exceed those travel
ing up and down the river in boats,
Meantime. repeated attempts were
Imade to burn the bridge. and two EN-
lplOyeS of the chamber of commerce OF
St. Louis, We're arrested and tried fol-
conspiracy to destroy the bridge by
fire. A decision at Washington finally
reversed the circuit court: the bridge
stood; but even in the supreme court
ii won by narrow margin. Three dis
ltinguished justices dissented from the
majority and put themselves on record
with an opinion that would. had it pre-
vailed till now. make it unlawful to pu1
a railroad bridge across the Mississipp
river