Part 88 (2/2)
This bridge, however, was not opened for traffic until the winter of 1859-60. The stockholders were made up of Cedar Rapids people, and at one time the stock was above par. The prices charged were as follows: 25 cents for a double team and wagon; for driving cattle 5 cents a head: for driving sheep 3 cents a head; and for pedestrians 1 cent each. Some time later reduction was made by the management for round trip ticket holders. Many squabbles were had over these tickets. It is said that an Irishman came to T. J. Dudley, Jr., wanting to start suit for preventing him returning, he having lost his round trip ticket, and offering him $10.00. Mr. Dudley quietly went down to the office of the company and told the man to cross. He was permitted to do so and willingly parted with his $10.00 to Dudley, the latter paying the customary price to the gatekeeper. This story of Dudley's wit, showing how a lawyer got the best of it, was repeated in many families in Cedar Rapids, and as a consequence a number of young men took up the study of law for a profession.
For a number of years citizens residing in west Cedar Rapids and in the eastern part of the county made various attempts for a free bridge across the river. Much of the grain and produce came from Benton county and the western part of Linn county. A number of grain merchants and others were located on that side of the river and had their grain in storage at that place and were asking the railroad authorities for permission to erect freight houses on that side of the river. A number of citizens of Cedar Rapids who were interested in Kingston real estate also attempted this enterprise, believing that the time was not far distant before Kingston would become the more important town of the two. A pet.i.tion was circulated for a free bridge across the Cedar river and presented to the board of supervisors to take the matter under consideration. At the January term, 1871, the board appropriated $14,000 for the purpose, providing that the city or citizens of Cedar Rapids, or both, should guarantee to furnish the balance of such sum as should be necessary to pay for a first-cla.s.s iron bridge across the Cedar. It was further provided that no part of the county funds should be expended until the whole sum necessary had been raised by subscription or otherwise. The citizens of Cedar Rapids, and others interested in the city, at once circulated pet.i.tions for funds and also authorized the mayor of Cedar Rapids to call an election and vote on the question of issuing bonds to aid in the construction of said bridge. This pet.i.tion was signed by S. C. Bever, one of the early bankers, and by more than fifty citizens wanting a bridge located at what is now First avenue, asking that the city vote bonds to the extent of $6,000, promising that the citizens would guarantee the balance for the erection of a bridge.
Another pet.i.tion was signed by John F. Ely and about one hundred other citizens all interested in locating the bridge at the foot of Park avenue, now Third avenue. These gentlemen asked for the issuance of $12,000 worth of city bonds, and were willing to guarantee any additional sum necessary over and above the amount appropriated by the county and city, which they were to raise by private subscription.
Thus, there were two factions within the city, one working against the other in the matter of the location of the bridge. These factions were composed, of course, of people who were interested in the location at a point that would be most advantageous to their private interests.
During the winter of 1870-71 it was very cold and severe until in March when it became suddenly warm. Heavy rains followed and the river on or about the first of March was very high and the ice commenced to move out. Large quant.i.ties of ice came rolling and surging down the stream and carried everything down the river. In a few days the toll bridge at First avenue went down, struck by one of the ice floes which made it collapse. The Bourne saw mill also became a total wreck, and more or less damage was done to all the mills along the river. On account of the disaster to the toll bridge all communication with Kingston was cut off and it became necessary to do something at once.
The city council was called together and the mayor called for an election. In this council sat J. J. Snouffer, Dr. Mansfield, Stephens, C. C. Cook, David Denlinger, E. S. Hill, James Bell, and E. Robbins, with Mayor Thomas Z. Cook. The city voted bonds to the extent of $12,000 by a majority vote of 483 for and 83 against the bond proposition. All this time E. Robbins, one of the aldermen, operated a small boat called the ”Aurora,” which had previously been used between this point and Vinton, as a ferry boat above the dam. It was so arranged that eight teams could cross at the same time.
About the same time Keech & Co. established a ferry boat that was operated by horse power attached to a cable stretched across the river.
[Ill.u.s.tration: JUDGE N. M. HUBBARD]
The two men having the most to do with the building of this bridge were William Ure, a member of the board of supervisors, from Scotch Grove, and William Richmond, a part of the city council, who had charge of the entire work. These men devoted a great deal of their time in helping along the speedy construction of the bridge. The contract for the superstructure was let in April to Messrs. O'Hanlan and O'Hara at a cost of $22,000.00. The contract provided that the work should be done within ninety days from April 15th. The bridge proper was erected by the Canton Bridge Company, of Canton, Ohio, and cost about $20,000 for the abutment and piers. The other necessary masonry work made a total cost of $42,000. The bridge fund consisted of the following amounts: The county expended $15,000; city bonds, $12,000; subscriptions paid, about $16,000.
For many years this bridge was considered as a county bridge and all moneys used for repairs were paid from the county bridge fund; later it was looked upon as a city bridge, and repairs, etc., were paid for out of the city treasury. This bridge was completed August 15th and a celebration was had. It is still used and the bonds have long since been paid.
During the year 1874 the board of supervisors appropriated $8,000 for the B avenue bridge and the citizens subscribed $22,000, of which sum N. B. Brown subscribed $5,000, George Greene $4,000, William Greene $4,000, Higley estate $2,000. A contract was let for the bridge in September, 1874, in the amount of $28,500; other additions were made, making the bridge cost about $32,000.
Fourteenth avenue bridge, known as the James street bridge, was begun in August, 1875, and completed in December of the same year at a total cost of $27,000. The county appropriated for this bridge $11,500, the city $6,000, and the property owners paid $9,500, T. M. Sinclair paying the largest amount.
The First avenue bridge was constructed in 1884 at a cost of about $25,000, the bridge being opened for traffic in November, 1884.
The Second avenue bridge, being a cement bridge with railings, cost about $110,000, and was opened for traffic in December, 1905.
The new Fourteenth avenue, or James street, bridge was commenced by the Union Construction Company in 1909, and completed in the spring of 1910 at a cost of about $80,000.
EARLY STEAMBOATING ON THE CEDAR
The following account of some early steamboating adventures on the Cedar river is from the pen of B. L. Wick, and is taken from the first volume of the _Proceedings_ of the Historical Society of Linn county.
It is of interest.
The subject matter of steamboating on the Cedar will scarcely attract any attention today and means only a pleasure jaunt with more or less inconvenience among sandbars on the upper river. However, historically speaking, steamboating on this river was an epoch-making period for this section of the country, and the prosperity of our city was due in a large measure, to our dam, our grist, saw and woolen mills; and to our steamboat traffic. These industries made Cedar Rapids.
It has been said that the history of a town is frequently the history of a great river. This is true of nearly all the great European cities and is equally true of the great marts of commerce in this country. The great Father of Waters has, however, played an important part in the development of the middle west, of which great body of water the Red Cedar is one of its many tributaries. It has been stated that this great river system has 16,000 miles of navigable waters, and it is further the river along whose banks at least three of the European powers have contested for the extension of territory. I shall leave this discussion out of the question, and confine myself to one of its many branches--the Red Cedar.
It was not till August 7, 1807, that Robert Fulton propelled the Clermont up the Hudson by means of steam navigation at the rate of five miles an hour, and solved forever, the great question of water navigation. It was not long till the inventor and his friend, Livingston, extended their operations to the great west, and began building steamboats at Pittsburg, and on December 6, 1812, the ”Orleans” of 400 tons burden, was the first steamer which made the trip to New Orleans, and thus opened up the newly acquired possessions. This boat was commanded by W. I. Roosevelt, a st.u.r.dy ancestor of a worthy descendant.
Prior to this time the products of the great West had been transported by means of rafts and flat boats, both slow and dangerous. Now river trade could be carried on up as well as down the river, and in what was then considered very quick time.
During the year 1819, Capt. Nelson was the first to propel a steamer, ”The Independence,” up the Mississippi river from St. Louis. It was not till 1825, according to an old pioneer, Dr. Isaac Galland, that Capt.
James White, commanding the steamer ”Mandan,” pa.s.sed the rapids at Keokuk.
In 1831, Col. George Davenport, the founder of the town which bears his name, explored the Red Cedar as far as Rock creek, and at this place established a trading post with the Indians, which continued for four years. This is the first navigation of this river by the whites on record. The first steamboat on the Des Moines river, of which we have any knowledge, was in 1837, which arrived as far as Keosauqua. The first keel boat was owned by Capt. Cash, and came up in the following year.
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