Omaha daily bee., 1916-09-27
TWO CITIES FAVOR
BRIDGE OYER RIVER
Enthusiastic Meeting at Com
mercial Club-Estimates to
Be Presented Monday.
MANY EXPRESS VIEWS

When county officials. Commercial
club heads and business men of Coun-
Gil Bluffs and Omaha met at lunch
con at the Commercial club bonds
sufficient to build a free bridge be-
tween Douglas and Pottawattamie
counties crossing the Missouri river
were Endorsed with cheers and the
state and county engineers were m
structed to prepare estimates to be
presented Monday.
Conflicting arguments arose be-
tween business men on both sides
OF the stream for and against the
building OF the bridge with the price
of steel at the present high mark.
"Vote the bonds. Get the express
sion OF the people. Consider the es-
Inmates. Then we'll decide were
enthusiastic comments. On motion
of f. A. Benson the unanimous in
dorsement of the free bridge and the
voting Sof bonds by taxpayers was
given by commercial captains at
tending.
THE buying OF the old Union Pa
rifc bridge and its removal to point
OF advantage has been presented to
the new activities committee OF the
Commercial club said Chairman Viii
Iiams. 1.-THE old bridge is good for
thirty years yet and was built with
the aid of Douglas county when the
people voted bonds for $250,00O on
which they eventually paid $636,4l0
Because OF lending this assistance we
should be given an advantageous
price by the railroad. Something
must be done with the bridge and
II we don't get it some one else will
at bargain.
States government be appealed to and
= portion OF the Lincoln Memorial
fund, say $500,000, be secured to build
the bridge. Lincoln came here WITH
General Dodge when looking over
plans of the Union Pacific and 4
would be a fitting tribute to his
memory" According to State Engi
neer Johnson OF Nebraska the bridge
cannot be constructed for less thar
100000.
Needs Long Approach.
Preliminary plans and estimate.
furnished BY County Engineer Lot
Adams show that the bridge mus
cross twenty-seven railway tracks
and that an approach LOO feet lonf
on the Douglas county side will b
required. He Endorsed the state
ment Of the state negineer regarding
the million-dollar cost.
BASED on the wealth and popula
tion OF the two counties, Douglas
county should pay three times al
much as Pottawattamie," said Attor
ney Young. Council Bluffs leaders
assert that they are unable to go be
You'd 100000 in voting bonds. Tha
means total Of 5000, 900, and that i
insufficient se to buiid the bridge pro
Robert B. Wallace Of Council Bluff
made the opening speech for the folk
from Pottawattamie, urging tina
Omaha extend the hand across tn,
Missouri to achieve mutually desir
able results. 1--WE have decided tina
100000 is fair and adequate share
for the people OF our county to con
tribute toward the free bridge. Ac
cording to official figures the tolls ex
tracted by the present company ex
elusive of street car traffic during l9l
were $4,000. Think what this mean
every year to the people"
Commissioners Willing.
County Commissioner Lynch said
"Douglas county commissioners ar
but servants Of the people. If the.
will give us an expression of wha
they wish done regarding the erection
Of the bridge we will act favorably Of
their suggestions"
II. A. Searie, manager Of the Mon
arch Ma ,ufacturing company Q
Council Bluffs: I'VE would be spend
ing the peoples money foolishly b.
building the bridge while steel price
are sky high"
Congressman Lobeek "Bridg
plans must hst be submitted to arm
engineers. The Lincoln mcmoris
fund is being used for the Potoma
memorial and no funds will be avail
able for other purposes.
Other impromptu. talks were mad
by members OF the commercial or
CARNATIONS seeking suggestions fror
engineers paving the way for the con
sideration OF estimates at the meetin
Of the bridge committees Monda,
preceding the meeting of the execu
tive committee of the Commercis
club Tuesday.