Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-10-03
CITY of Rock Island 1885, Shown by An Old Directory

! crib was a complete wall and network
of hewn timber. flied in with broken
stone and had 120 feet of clear chan
mel ON each side, for the passage Of
| boats. The turn table was 2S5 feet
long and each span $50 feet; the entire
! bridge being ,5S1 feet in length. There
| was used in it's construction 100000
| feet OF timber, 100000 pounds OF
wrought iron and 100000 pounds of
cast iron, the cost of the structure be
| ing estimated at s350,000. Shortly aft
er the bridge had been completed the
steamer Fife Alton together with one
of the spans of the bridge were totally
destroyed by fire which is related thus
in the recital of events that had trans
pired during the year: MAY about
o'clock in the morning the steamer
Effie Alton attempted to pass up
stream on one wheel, having disabled
her starboard works a few days prev
ious, by a collision with the steamer
J. B. Carson; the wind and current
carried her against the stone pier next
south OF the draw. slowing her hull and
knocking her chimneys down, so that
she Immediately sank to her guards
and took fire. The boat and one span
of the bridge were totally destroyed.
The same day reconstruction was COM
menced on the lost span"
Two ferry boats operated between
Rock Island and Davenport: The J.
Wilson, with Captain John Luck in
charge, and the Davenport with Cap
tain A. L. Barry commanding.
Two lines of railroad ran trains into
the city: The Chicago & Rock Island
Railway company and the Warsaw &
Rockford Railway company. The Rock
Island & Peoria road was at that time
in course of construction, with the !
prospects of running trains before the /
years end. The former road operated /
between Chicago and Rock Island and /.
did freight business of S2SO,126.13, /
an increase of S100,S60.23 over the I
business done the previous year, which I
is attributed to the increased ship
ments of coal from Rock Island. The |
Warsaw and Rockford line ran trains !
from Warsaw to Rockford, with con-
nections at Rock Island. Other lines
are being contemplated at the time
of publishing the directory, one TO ex
tend from Alton to Dubuque, thus
going around both rapids and avoiding
the uSIdy Ot(SH OOCdSlOICO OS NV
water in the Mississippi On the
other side CT the river the Mississippi
& Missouri railroad had been opened
to Iowa City and the road beyond was
being graded land its construction
to the Missouri river is placed !
beyond doubt by the recent munifi-
cent donation of land by the govern
ment."
Special attention is called to the
fact that large pillow factory, 200 by
20 feet, three stories high. was being
erected by Buford & Taee at cost of
$50, 900. new high school for males
and females is about being erected, at
a cost of $4,000, including necessary
apparatus for instruction" The Rock
island Mill association had erected ]
that year a steam planning and saw ;
mill. calculated to employ 100 hands, {
and new -four mill has been built at {
4 cost of $4,000. Two churches. one
Presbyterian and one Methodist, had i
been built during the year, together
with many buildings of a superior
lass"
Business is spoken OF as very -four {
shing and prosperous. The lumber l
.
With 100000 feet sold and $500. 900 6
aet sawed. bringing s161,000. Coal i
rade was valued at SIPS, 600 for 10000 c
ons sold The commission business {
brought S35O,000 and the manufacture e
If brick $4,000 for 1O,50O.00O bricks +
made. Other manufactures are plows,
wagons, cooperies products, brewers, L
harness, soap. saw and sash, and T
oundries totaled approximately 1884 4
100.
Merchandise sold brought $751; 900, l
which was distributed among 100 bus y
ness houses, of which the groceries b
cad with 25. Thirteen physicians t
rere engaged in the practice of medi- il
inc. leading the professional men, a
nth 10 clergymen running a close r
econd. d