Burlington sternwheeler Northstar pushing caisson VI into position on the Ohio River at Metropolis, IL 1916. Caisson will be sunk to river bottom and pressurized to keep water out so that railroad bridge piers can be constructed.
The Paducah Evening Sun
Friday, June 10, 1910
Burlington, Big Four, C. E. & I. And L. & N. Will Use Metropolis Bridge, It Developed at Hearing
Louisville and Nashville Surveyors Start to Work in Paducah – N. C. and St. L. Inaugurates New Service.
The Burlington, Big Four, C. E. & I. And L. & N, will cross the bridge at Metropolis, according to gentlemen, who returned from the Cincinnati conference.
Captain Brack Owen said from the testimony put forth yesterday it was clear that the bridge would be crossed by these railroads and probably others. He said that as soon as it was definitely known that the bridge was located and the span decided upon, telegrams were sent immediately to Paducah, Louisville, Chicago, Kansas City and other cities, showing the importance of the meeting. The situation of the span is to be left with the bridge engineers and rivermen. It will either be built in the channel or on the Kentucky or Illinois sides. The Pittsburgh people, Mr. Owen said, are still against the bridge, but he is of the opinion that there will be no delays. The engineers expressed themselves as being ready to start the work this summer. It will require between two and three years to build the bridge.
It is the belief that the Burlington will use the L. & N. tracks, connecting with the N. C. & St. L. road here. Other roads are expected to have surveyors out on the field soon.
River Men Return.
No more elated group of Paducah river and business men ever returned home than the delegation that arrived from Cincinnati early this morning. With the site of the Burlington bridge definitely located at Metropolis, a 700 foot span for the Kentucky side and the assurance of immediate work on the bridge, the Paducah men could wish no better, other than the bridge was just a little closer to Paducah.
The board of engineers at Cincinnati yesterday practically closed the controversy. Attorney Charles K. Wheeler, who spoke in behalf of the local interests, said he never saw a hotter fight against the width of the main span. Although 700 feet was decided upon, the coal company bitterly opposed anything less then 1,000 feet. A large delegation of the combine heads went from Pittsburgh and were strong against 700 feet. The span will be 700 feet in the clear and will be constructed on the Kentucky side, which was deemed the safest. The bridge site was approved and it is thought that no other question will arise.
Pilot W. T. Campbell, of Cairo who returned with the party, said Brookport, Ill, should be complimented for her stand taken in the matter. Messrs. Pell and Charles Ford, representing the Brookport Commercial Club, were present and naturally sought to have the bridge built across the Ohio at that point. They showed much zeal in the matter and are boosting their town.
Secretary Saunders A. Fowler, of the Paducah Commercial Club, and Mayor J. H. Ashcraft remained over at Cincinnati in the interest of the work of the Ohio Valley Improvement Association.
Those who returned this morning were: Messrs. C. S. Bookwalter, Brack Owen, Charles K. Wheeler, W. T. Campbell, of Cairo; George C. Wallace, Capt. John E. Rollins, Pilot Mat Fitzner, Capt Ed Cowling and Henry Rampendahl, of Metropolis, Capt. Joquincy M. Phillips, superintendent of the floating equipment of the Illinois Central Railroad.
Railroads Active.
Since The United States engineers at Cincinnati have approved the plans for the Burlington bridge at Metropolis, Ill,. Activity has commenced among railroads in this vicinity again, and crews of engineers are working on approaches to the bridge. The actual construction will be undertaken just as soon as the preliminaries can be disposed of and the material assembled. It probably will be fall before everything will be ready
This morning the following surveying crew of the Luisville and Nashville railroad arrived from Louisville and began work surveying out of Paducah toward Metropolis landing, the Kenducky end of the bridge: W. P. Pearson, R. L. Schmid, Samuel J. Carpenter, H. E. Moore, S. J. Rand., W. A. J. Weller, J. Montgomery and H. C. Alexander.
The Big Four has already let the contract for it's road bed into Metropolis and the Chicago and Eastern Illinois is only five miles away from the Illinois end of the bridge. The Big Four will give Paducah direct connection east to Buffalo; the Burlington into St. Louis and the C. & E. L. into Chicago.
The Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis, which recently strengthened all it's bridges and road bed, is doing away with all trestles and is now putting concrete bridges over the bayous near Union Station, this city. Work of increasing the capacity of it's terminals here also will be pushed since the company has secured more ground.
The Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis also is ready to announce better train service between Paris, Tenn., and Paducah, when a train will leave Paris at 6:30 in the morning and arrive in Paducah before 9 o'clock, leaving on the return trip in the evening. Now shoppers from Paris cannot get here before 1:30 in the afternoon.
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