Photo of the 1916 flood of the Ohio River at the construction site of the CB&Q Bridge on the Metropolis, IL side. Notice the wood falsework under the truss to support it while it was being assembled in the air
The Paducah Evening Sun
Wednesday, August 25, 1909
Pilots' Protest Declared “Bosh”
No Local River Men Think Petition Probable.
Petition against the Burlington building at Metropolis Would Be Fruitless Measure.
It must have been an imaginary petition that the morning paper said “has been circulated among and signed by the masters and pilots of practically all the river craft plying between Paducah and Cairo” against the building of the Burlington bridge across the Ohio at Metropolis.
“Why, that is all monkey wrench talk,” said a prominent river captain this morning. “Who said anything about a petition against the bridge,” responded another captain this morning when his attention was called to the “disclosure” today. “I haven't heard anything about the 'new phase' or seen anything of a petition,” said another steamboatman this morning. Another veteran remarked that it wouldn't do any good to get up a petition against the building of the bridge, as railroads, as a matter of fact, have everything their way.”
The alleged petition caused every riverman to laugh up his sleeve this morning, and such a thing as getting up a petition is regarded as an absurdity. If a petition is afloat around Paducah not one river captain or pilot has seen or heard anything of it.
When questioned concerning the “immense danger” to craft plying from here to
the Egyptian city a veteran smiled. “The river is one mile wide and very deep at Metropolis,” he said, and the only objection I can imagine that rivermen would have would be the width of the bridge spans. The spans of the Cairo bridge are 500 feet apart and I take it that the spans of the Burlington bridge will be about the same width. Although this is sufficiently wide it sometimes looks like you are going into a 50 foot span with a big tow of coal. The site will be a most satisfactory one for a bridge, and even if any attempt to circulate a petition is made it will be of little avail as the railroad has everything cinched with the government and the engineers figures are only regarded. The slight objection to the width of the span wouldn't cut any figure.
In speaking of the “petition” another riverman said “bosh.” He was of the opinion that there wouldn't be enough signatures in Paducah to make up a satisfactory petition to lay before the secretary of war at Washington. He said it would be folly to attempt such a thing as to stop a bridge from going across the river at any point, “It is generally the custom of rivermen to get up a petition every time a bridge is going to be constructed, but they have about gotten away from this practice seeing that it is useless and no heed is paid it by the government.”
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