The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-11-10
MAYOR Is FIRST
BY FLYING LEAP
" L4eander" Methods Makes
Joachim First to Drive
Over New Bridge.
PILOTS FIRST CAR
Officials Crowd First Street
Car which Goes Over Bridge
on Saturday Afternoon.

"He'd read it in the story books that
for to kiss his dear; Leander swan
the Hellespont and I will swim this
here"
1t was the same kind Of flying
leap that landed Mayor John G.
Joachim first in crossing the new
Main street bridge on Saturday after
noon and the chief executive made a
flying leap over ehasm in order to
hand down to posterity the report that
he was first to drive vehicle over
the new bridge.
The race for first honors was between
the Mayor, the City Engineer and the
Chief of Police. The last two officials
paired their efforts and took one au-
tomobile. They stood with the old en-
CINE working like purring kitten
right at the edge of the south leaf Of
the bridge. The Mayor with his trusty
old automobile running like a race
horse was at the north end. The north
leaf was up. Brennan had the brakes
on, his hand on the throttle and his
foot on the accelerator and had for
gotten that the automobile had a
clutch. The Mayor saw the other par
ty waiting.
Then He Stepped On Her.
Coming down from the north like a
miniature cyclone he saw the north
leaf Of the bridge slipping back into
neutral. Then he stepped on her. The
two portions of the bridge were three
or four feet apart as the Mayor came
hckety-split and he never hesitated for
a minute. He went right over the
brink and came down two feet but the
automobile kept to the road and he
went on over the south leaf of bridge
chuckling. II told you | would be the
first one over" was his comment.
We'll you could jump down but there
hasn't been an automobile made which
would jump up, was the response of
the disconnected City Engineer and
Chief of Police.
Pilots the First Car.
The Mayor was much in the lime
light in the opening of the bridge.
He not only drove the first automobile
over it but he also drove the first
street car. 1t was scheduled to get
over at two o'clock but there was a
delay of an hour while some last adj
justments were made on the mechan-
ism of the bridge.
The car was loaded down With Of
fical dignity. The Mayor was at the
controller, the seats were filled with
members Of the common council, the
Sheriff and the Chief of Police and
the City Engineer and the Judge of
the Municipal Court were numbered
among the list of passengers.
There was one bright spot in the
whole list of passengers. Alderman
Dan Cox of the Second ward in addi-
tion to his usual earnation in his but
ton hole brought his wife on his arm
and she had the distinction Of being
the first woman to ride over the bridge
In street car.
Flowers n Everything.
The opening was not without its
ceremonial side either. While the big
party waited for the slow worknlen
to finish the last fling off of the slip
ping edges of the bridge Mrs. Cox
presented the Mayor with a handsome
boquet. of flowers. It was all tied
round with great blue ribbon and
the Mayor In accepting it made pref
ty speech in which he congratulated
the present administration with having
brought the compilation of the bridge
regardless Of what seemed insurmount-
able handicaps. The handsome boauet
OF flowers formed a center piece in
front OF the car when the officials of
the street railway company gave the
order to go ahead. The Mayor uiloted
the car against handicaps. Some one
was continually pushing the call bells
and some one else was monkeying with
the brakes but when the car reached
the grade at the bridge there was a
shout of Let 'er go" and the Mayor
let 'er 60 and the car went up>. over
the bridge at speed of TWENTY-FIVE
mites an hour. The people who pre-
dlcted that the car would get stuck
over the grade croaked in vain and
the Mayor did a pretty job of it.
Railway Officials Rejoice.
The officials of the railway companv
who had seen profits dwindle for over
year and half on account Of the
bridge being closed were singing
Glory, Glory, Halleluiah" when thew
saw the end of a handicap which had
Kept the lines of the company divide
for SO many months.
AS the car went over the bridge
there were some people aboard who in
slTted on saying, "See that hump.
out regardless OF what may be the idea
or Ideals Of seme engineers most of
the people We're convinced that the
bridge was a good job.
All the work on the bridge is prac-
tlealiy complete and it is expected that
continued traffic will be permitted.