The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-01-29


various buildings are as follows:
High school. eight or more chemicals;
state normal, extinguishers, stand
pipes and automatic reels; elemen-
tary normal, automatic hose reels and
chemicals: Mankato Commercial.
chemicals and standpipcs: Good Conn.
sci academy. aiItomatic hose roels:
bethany Ladies' college, automatic
hose reel: ST. Peter and Panfs. none:
Evangelical Lutheran. none; Frank
lin. six powder cxtinguE;hers: Union,
q few dry exiinguishers: Pleasant
Grove. chemicals: West Mankato,
chemicals. -
From Mondsy's caIiy. ,-........ &C..
Armed with a communication from
Mayor 4. "a. Meyer. q report from the
Wiiell company and profile Of the
proposed bridge over the Minnesota
river az Main street. John II. Hob
, mann. former chairman of the Blue
Earth county board. Ic.i this morning
for st. Paul. TO plead the bridge
cause before the state highway com.
mission. and ask for funds. $50
The mayors letter to the COM
mission is In part Us follows:
"On account of the excellence of
the state road 10 New Tim the auto
mobile traffic over this bridge is very
! large II is over this bridge and over
this road that the so called Black
and Yellow trail leads. ID is favor.
lie route with automobilists. The
residents or AIankato have three I'm
portant trading soinis, Mankato. St
Peter ana New .ulm. As st. Peter
lies at the extreme edge Of the
county and New Ulm ut the further
end. II Is evident that Mankafo. which
Is between the two. receives very
large trade from Nicollet county
farmers II Is necessary TO state that
that all of, this traffic passes over
this bridge. and has no other way OF
reaching our city. The present bridge
was built in 1899 when the population
Of the city was about COCO. There
was at that time no North Mankato.
The board sidewalks now attached to
, The two sides OF the bridge were
built much later when pedestrians
traffic from the newly created village
absolutely demanded IL. That they
are now rankly inadequate every one
knows who has ever crossed this
bridge on foot IL was known ut
tho time that the strength and
capacity of the bridge was limited
and fines were imposed for driving
more than ten head of cattle over
the bridge ut one time or for riding
or driving across the bridge faster
than q walk. - w. ia''.' r'''
Great Weight on Old Bridge.
There are three spans In the
bridge. The length OF each Is about
1917 feet and the width is eighteen
feet. Since the original building OF
the bridge n great deal OF weight
was added to the bridge. There is now
double planking instead of a single.
the two side walks were later at
1 tached and added n weight of some
, six tons TO each span without con.
sidering that these walks are fire..
!; qucntly simply crowded with pedes.
TRANS. ,-ear ~, ,--rf
"On the east side OF the bridge
crosses every railroad train leading
, into or out OF Mankato. II Is there
fore necessary for both pedestrians
F., and drivers of vehicles to wait for
the crossing of trains on the tracks
of the c. st. p. NJ. C o. RY. CO.,
G. ST. p. RY. CO.. and the Dan Patch
Line. Frequently in a few minutes
wait OF this kind the bridge Is filled
with pedestrians. automobiles. motor
cycles. delivery wagons. loads. oil
stone and sand, farmers with wagons
heavily loaded with grain and other
A., produce. putting a weight upon this
f, bridge that would have appalled, and
terrified the engineer who had charge
of the original construction.
This is not all. In the narrow
1s-foot driveway there Is frequently
!, congested automobiles, bicycles. mo.
tor cycles. delivery wagons, loads Of
stone from the quarries or brick from
the North Mankato brick yards. bug.
eies, Surveys, farmer wagons with
grain and farmer wagons with hay,
going In opposite directions, In such
manner as makes the beholder
wonder how this Chinese puzzle Is
going to be solved. II Is fact well
known in Mankato that farmers have
I, been obliged TO unharness their
horses in times OF severe congestion
/ before they could become extricated
The picture here drawn or the utter
inaiequacy and finsufficIency OF the
: present bridge is not overdrawn Oh
exaggcrntedA as win be readily seen
when the situation Is considered. q