The CB&Q Metropolis Railroad Bridge part 9

The Paducah Evening Sun
July 7, 1910

Illinois Central Transfer Boat Being Rushed and Incline Built to Accomodate Burlington Road

Wish Boat Completed by the 15 of August --- Material on Ground for Incline --- Will be Constructed Quickly.

By September 1 and possibly before the Burlington system will be handling freight in and out of Paducah. Until the bridge is completed over the Ohio river at Metropolis, the railroad will use the inclines of the Illinois Central railroad at Brookport and Paducah. Arrangements for the transfer of freight have been outlined, and the work is being rushed, so that the transfering may begin August 15 and September 1.

The steamer Duncan, owned by the Illinois Central Railroad, is now on the Marine Ways, receiving a general overhauling, and when completed will be used to transfer the cars. When the work was done it was intended to have the transfer boat completed by September 1, but now a request has been received to have the boat ready for service by August 15 if possible.

At the foot of Campbell street to the Ohio river a new incline will be built, so that with the old incline there will be a double track to the transfer boats. Much of the material for the new incline is already on the ground, and shipments are being received daily. An order has been received by the bridge department of the Illinois Central not to begin the construction of the incline yet, but it is expected that the work will begin this month. The incline can be erected in 30 days.

Originally the incline at the foot of Campbell street was double tracked, but now only the single track is used. The old foundations are still solid, and the trestle work can be built on the old foundations.

New hearing.

The rehearing of the protest over the granting of a permit for Burlington bridge at Metropolis, Ill., is set for July 26, at St. Louis. At this time the engineers will hear the objections to the shippers of the Mississippi river and north of the Ohio river. The engineers recommended that the permit be granted when the first hearing was held at Cincinnati last month. At St. Louis it is believed that the opposition to the Bridge will not be as strong as it was at Cincinnati, where the large coal shippers fought the bridge.

It is said that when the double track bridge is completed at Metropolis, much through business will be deverted from the Cairo bridge by the Illinois Central, to the Carbondale division, because the single track on the long approaches to the Cairo bridge already is overcrowded. The Illinois Central between Paducah and Fulton and Paducah and Carbondale will be double tracked and improved to handle the fast traffic between Chicago and New Orleans.

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