Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-01-28
THE FREE BRIDGE
Many Are Anxious to Know Just How Early work Can Begin, But There is Much Red Tape to Be Measured Off First

When will Pine Bluffs new froe bridge be built?
 Ihis question is heard on the lins Hi nearly everybody nowadays II '% a topic of conversation in pl1b,ic ana Tn private. It is inluencino commercial circles.
 llme-much timc-will bo renpir esi Ill the construction of this bridoe
 u IS an enterprise which cannot bo pushed through like enterprises of :, pflVate nature. No one is to hlamo Tor the delay-so far-and if is mi Versally hoped that no one will he hlamed with it's delay. But in the very nature of things, the work of construction on the new free bridpa Will not begin for a long time.
 put u Will be built. This seems 'o De the universal hope and belief ol everyone. The county leyyino court has ordered it, and the coontv Jsiase IS doing all that he can do just HOW to promote the affair. It's com stfuctlon is only matter of lime foe 'he tlme of it's construction is contingent upon a thousand and ono preliminaries.
 When the Jefferson county leyvinp court, at it's last session. held at tho the sum of $20,G0O as a starter for the free bridge, the news of tha court action was hailed with the sladdest acclaim all over the conn ". More especially was this truo of 'he city of Pine Bluff, which has long seen the necessity of a ire bri9on across the Arkansas river
 But it was the proposition snbrit ted by the Piao Bluff North an South haliroad company which made tbo ofla@e possible. Heretofore, while leelln@ keenly the need O; sacb a structure, many very able but eonsor- 1ative business men of tbo oor,t,. nave opposed the measure if the con- seractlon meant merely a wagon and 1eot bridge should be made eonti, SeA' upon the construction of a now line or railway to connect with tbo hock island system north of hero mus affording Pine Bluff a new out- let to the markets and giving compe- luton 10 the Gould system. Given tbo assurance that this railroad would De built, these business men were Willing for the county levying court to make an appropriation for it's con struction.
 The Pine Bluff Nol1h and Soutb company submitted such proposi- 'loh. 1t was clean, clear-cut busi. hes proposition, and the majority of the members of the leyyinq co,rt ot once saw the wisdom of granting the deslred appropriation, benefitting as II would the entire county. The nlanc or the railway company called for 'iie construction and ownership of the bridge by the county of Jefferson IT. was to De free bridge, for wagons ana pede strlans and for a railroad The bridge once built, the comnanv proposed to construct the railroad to some point on the Rock Island sys. tenn. The levying court granted the request of the company conditioned upon ehe premises that the company give ample assurance of it's intentions to build the road. "No railroad m or'ose' the court said. The assur- ance was given, and it remains for the county to build the bridge.
 County Judge kerwin, who is bv law ex-officio chairman of the br.doe commission. lately appointed Leo M Andrews and W. D. Hearn as his co. workers on the bridge commission lhls commission at once went to "ofk on the project, and very soon discovered that innumerable pre1imi. hafles were necessary to the bridges construction. First of all a bill must be parsed by the congress Of the United States granting permis. sion to construct the bridge, as the Arkansas river is navigable sream and under federal control. hil, TOT this purpose was recently intro. duced by Congressman Joe T. Roh;n. son or this district. but it provided that the ownership and operation o, the bridge be placed in the Pine Bluff North and South Railroad company instead of the county of Jefferson.
 When the executive board of the Pine Bluff North and South Railroad company recently met with County Judge Kerwin and the bridge com. miS SSinnorc }n tho S.l~o,-