Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-09-25
Interesting Historic Incidents Re-
called by Rock Islands Sew
entieth Anniversary.
FIGHT OVER RAILROAD BRIDGE
Davis, az Secretary of War, Opposed
Building of First Bridge Over Mis-
sissippI-Llneoln Was Attor-
ney for Railroad.


the SEVENTEEN anniversary of the op
GRAFTON of its first passenger train on
Of the features having unusual his
toric interest will be the placing OF
a memorial tablet on the only remain
| ing pier of the first railroad bridge tt
span the Mississippi river.
Abraham Lincoln and jefferson Da.
Wis figured Importantly in this early
project. Lincoln as counsel for the rail.
road and Davis as secretary Of war.
The bridge was bitterly opposed by
the river interests, who condemned ii
as a menace to navigation, and went
so far as to attempt to burn it by set
ting fire to an ancient packet and per
hitting it to float downstream and
lodge against one of the piers.
Construction Of this vital link, def
nitely hooking up the Atlantic sea
board with the great West to which
the tide of emigration that was to
open a new empire was already flow
ing. was practically completed when
Jefferson Davis, then secretary Of war,
Instructed the United States district
attorney for the northern district Of
Illinois to- obtain an injunction forbid
ding its use for the passage of traits.
THIS action WAS defeated by the rail-
road. and then came the incident Of
the packet, one span Of the structure
being destroyed
Lincoin's Prophetic Words.
Owners of the packet sued the
bridge company, the railroad and sew
"ral officers and stockholders as in
dividuals, allegine that the bridge
had so altered the river currents as to
cause the packet to drift back down
The stream. Lincoln defended the suit
in the United States Circuit court, and
The jury disagreed and was discharged.
In his argument to the jury the then
country lawyer made the prophetic
statement that more traffic would
cross the river on this bridge than
would ever pass beneath it, a pro-
neuncement that was regarded as
more visionary than sound.
Then Long John Wentworth.
Chicago's famous mayor and con-
pushed resolution through
congress directing the committee
ON commerce, the predecessor of
the Interstate commerce commits
sion, to investigate and report ''whcth-
Pr this structuI, constituted a serious
obstruction to the navigation of the
river" The committee reported that
It Old, but recommended that the
rsatrsversy he left to the courts for
decision.
Then James Ward. st. Louis
steamboat owner. filed a bin in the
United States District court. Southern
division of Iowa, in 1858. praying that
the bridge he declared n nuisance and
ordered removed" Judge John NJ.
love rendered decision declaring the
bridge "a common and public nui- {
ance," and ordesed the railroad TO ,
remove the three piers and their sn- !.
'erstructure which lay within the state !,
+ Iowa.
The case WAS appealed TO the SUI ]
rene court of the United States. Be
ore 1t reached there Lincoln was re- [
loved from the case by his election TO :;
he Presidency, bH the argument was :,
repaired along the lines he had laid :.
own in the lower courts, and in De-
cr1ber, 1862, the Supreme court re- |
ersed the District court ana forever II
attled fine controversy, saying. in the Il
'ords Of Associate Justice CatronnA:Y y e
D" according to this assumption, no @ il
Iwful bridge could he butt across the Y
fississfppi anywhere. Nor, Gould haarr- : :,
ors or rivers be. improved !: nor could :.
le great facilities I'd Sconnnerce. az =
Emphasized by the invention of raII- 3
'ads, be made available where great C
vers had TO be crossed" I
Abandoned Years Ago.
The bridge was abandoned and dis ct
tegrated years ago, and all traces of g,
were thought TO have beAl lost, IN !,
Charles Davis, who drove the first
lgine taken into the state of Iowa,
ID the first penssoner of the Rock W
land lines, was rambling over the &;
Schol Et'uliuS Ut IO"k iSJdnu, HI. III
e day after his retirement. He came al
ION the old stone pier. crumbling in
way and overgrown with vines and ~,
lderbrush. He recognized the local e.
= at once, and communicated his
ID to railroad authorities, with the V
suit that the pier was restored by yC
e government arsenal officers, and is st
W in condition to stand as perma-
mt memorial to the first crossing of ca
mississippi by railroad. or
While the observance or the rail- 80
ads anniversary will be general on
system, special exercises will be o'i
Id at several points on the railroad.
One Of these will take place at
liet' the first terminus of the road
which regular passenger service TIL
I'M Chicago was established. The no
1T passenger train reached Joliet on lo
morning of October TO- 1862. This !.
4 will be duplicated on October 10 -, -.
a special train carrying railroad Of !
ais and invited guests to Joliet pr
ere monument will be unveiled TO be
muel b. Reed, the engineer who
Ii the line in Illinois