Chapter 33

Chapter 33
pages 179 - 186

FERRIES AND BRIDGES.

     Before I came to Peoria, there had been a ferry kept by Mr. Sharp, a half-mile or more below the present bridges; but Sharp had died, and the ferry had been discontinued before I came. At the time of my arrival hero, Bogardus run the only ferry in this neighborhood, and it was where the upper bridge now stands. There being no buildings or other obstructions in the way, the landing was some times made further up or down, according to the course of the wind, or the desire of the passenger who wished to go up or down the river. Bogardus did not personally run this ferry, but some times by hired men, and some times he let it by the year. He, however, was never able to hold this ferry in peace, nor was any one else. It was constantly in law as long as it continued. Not only did opposing claimants go to law about it, but they occasionally did some fighting about it.
     To detail all the various controversies that were had about this ferry, during its existence, would be exceedingly amusing to a reader of novels, if written by one experienced in that kind of lore; but in this plain matter-of-fact history, I suppose I must omit the most of those matters. Perhaps the indulgent reader will pardon me if I tell two or three anecdotes connected with that establishment. One of the most conspicuous characters hereabout, in early times, was Abner Eads. He was conspicuous because he was one of the '1819' men, and because he was naturally a very enterprising, energetic man; but he had been raised in the backwoods, had little or no education, and knew nothing about the intricacies of the law. On the other hand, Bogardus had been raised in the City of New York, and had studied law as a profession, but knew more about its intricacies than its principles. Both of these men claimed the ferry, but Bogardus had got the inside track. He had obtained possession, and, being in receipt of the profits, he had nothing to say against the law's delays. Eads did not comprehend things mystical so well as things pugilistical. He preferred fighting to lawing, and 'walked into' the aforesaid Bogardus. Now it so happened, in those days, that a very thick kind of blanket was manufactured for the Mackinaw trade, called hence Mackinaw blankets, and it became the fashion in the Northwest to cut up these blankets for overcoats. Said Eads wore one of these, with great iron buttons bigger than dollars; and the said Bogardus, being afraid of mankind in general, but of said Eads in particular, carried a pair of small pocket pistols. In the melee, Bogardus was down, and Eads was on top, punishing him freely, as the bruisers would say. Bogardus, who seemed to be 'used up', was all the time getting out a pistol, which he placed against Eads's breast, and fired. The bystanders, who were more the friends of Eads than of Bogardus, and who had not thought it necessary to interfere until the firing of the pistol, were at once greatly impressed with the duty they owed to Christianity and civilization, at once to stop the fight; and Eads, who thought he was killed, and Bogardus, who thought he had killed him, were easily separated. Eads did not wish to receive another shot, and Bogardus, believing the business sufficiently done, did not wish to spend ammunition on 'dead ducks'. Dire confusion prevailed. But when Mr. Eads's wounds were examined, it was found that the ball had not entered the skin: it had spent its whole force on one of those large iron buttons, and had only been able to drive it through the thick overcoat.
     Another. After the people in and about Peoria had got tired of fighting and lawing about the ferry, George Depree, as assignee of Isaac Underhill, seemed to be in the perpetual and peaceful possession of the same; and though he commonly had some 'hard cases' about him, he still appeared to be the cock of the walk. He was a broad-shouldered, powerful man, with a black, fiendish countenance, who was, and desired to be, feared. He some times acted the part of a generous-hearted man, but his besetting sin was a desire to be feared. In the use of the weapons nature gave him, he was skillful and to be dreaded; and with a foe thus armed he was no coward. He, however, had a great horror of being shot.
     William L. May and Philip Latham finally set up a claim to the ferry. Depree preferred to 'bluff them off' rather than go to law. May & Latham thought it more their interest to drive the occupants to bring suit to test their rights than to sue themselves, and they determined to put in a ferry-boat, in defiance of Underhill's, or Depree's rights, and let them sue; but Depree swore they should neither make nor run the boat. Under such a threat, from such a man, there was probably but one man in the country that would have dared to build the boat. That man was John Kelsey. He was a man greatly skilled in 'fisti-cuffs'. He was the terror of the river towns, and had knocked down many a man, and seemed desirous of picking a quarrel with any body but Depree, and Depree seemed anxious to fight any body but Kelsey. This man Kelsey contracted with May & Latham to build the boat, and blood was expected to flow. But nothing of the kind. He built the boat, and Depree, in stead of fighting him, said he might build the boat, "but that he would kill the man who should attempt to run it. This, some suspected, was a slight backing-down on the part of Depree; but, so high was his character for courage, that most people believed some one would be hurt when an attempt should be made to run the boat. Why Kelsey did not himself attempt to run it I never knew: I suppose, but do not know, that he had become afraid of Depree. William L. May, who managed the business for May & Latham, employed one George H. Quigg to run the ferry until an injunction should be obtained against running it, or until the charm should be broken. This Quigg was a tall Irishman, with a bold, rather impudent countenance, who had a high opinion of himself, and was greatly desirous that the world should have an opinion of him equally high, especially as to the qualities of gallantry and courage. Some doubts had been raised as to his courage, and it was predicted that Depree would drive him off. When he got ready to start the boat, he did not go as sole guard for his oarsmen, but he took with him a small Irishman, named McCreery, of dark complexion, and darker countenance, in which obstinacy was most strongly portrayed. When he had occasion to go about the ferry-landing, that day, he went no where, and did nothing, without McCreery being by his side. When they first made their appearance at the ferry, Depree's wrath knew no bounds. He swore awful oaths, and made bloody threats; and if the attempt had then been made to run the boat, he would probably have done something desperate. But, although McCreery said nothing, he looked like a viper, and walked wherever Quigg went, with his right hand grasping a cocked pistol, in his pocket. It was generally believed that Depree would shoot Quigg, and McCreery would instantly shoot Depree. Of this opinion no doubt Depree was, for his voice lowered as they were getting ready to start, and finally they pushed off the boat, leaving Depree, with a countenance as black as a western cloud, and muttering bitter oaths, like low distant thunder. After much wrangling and lawing, Mr. May got the interest of the opposing parties into his own hands, and then, to prevent any future controversy, he obtained from the legislature a charter for a bridge at the same place, and raised funds to build the bridge, by selling stock, with the understanding that he was to have $10,000 of the stock, for his ferry and the charter. The bridge, with its abutments, is 2,600 feet long. It was commenced in 1848, but not finished until Nov. 1, 1849, and is said to have cost $33,000; but neither this time nor price will be understood, without explanation. Before the bridge was completed, a large portion of it, during the high water of 1849, fell down, and the rebuilding of it had to be delayed until the abatement of the high water. Besides, while the bridge was still a steamboat broke the swing-part off; and, because one of the piers had given away a little, they took it down and rebuilt it together with the swinging part of the bridge. Thus much delay was produced ; but whether these expenses are included in the cost I do not know, but suppose they were not. A singular piece of stupidity was exhibited on the part of the engineer in building said bridge, and also one on the part of the managers after it was built. For a considerable distance on the east side an embankment was erected, in stead of trestle-work, and the engineer made several sluices for the water to pass through, lest the weight of so much water should carry away the embankment, not once perceiving, what every one ought to have perceived, that the weight of the water below would so far balance the weight of the water above as to preclude any danger of that kind. In time of freshet the water rushed through the sluices with so great force as to threaten much damage, and they were, one by one, filled up, and it was soon found that the expense of making them was lost labor. The embankment proved to be safer without them than with them.
     The other was this: the other part of the bridge, except the swinging part, was covered with thick green white-elm plank, a kind of wood that shrinks and swells a great deal. At first the weather was exceedingly dry, and said planks drew up to their narrowest dimensions. Men were employed with crow-bars to work the planks together and make them tight. In doing so, wherever they had space enough, they put in a four-inch scantling. Afterward there was a long spell of wet weather, and the plank swelled and became very tight, and the bridge began to lean considerably to the southeast. Large props were obtained to prevent the bridge from falling, but the plank continued to swell, and forced the props into the ground, until all that part which was built on trestle-work fell into the water; and during all the time those having charge of the bridge could not see why it was falling.
     This was built for a toll bridge, and has to this day, by a kind of common consent, its charter having expired, been continued as such; and has been of immense benefit both to the public at large and to the City of Peoria in particular.
     The other bridge, immediately below, belongs to the Toledo, Peoria and Warsaw Railway Company. It is well calculated for crossing over railroad trains, but not for any other kind of conveyance.
     Two things concerning the building of these bridges are worthy of remark: 1st, The piers are built of the common sandstone of the Kickapoo valley, which many predicted would crumble and fall to pieces; but experience has shown there is no danger of this, provided the better quality of sandstone be used. Nor were these piers built of solid blocks of stone fitted together. A outside ring was dressed and fitted together, and laid in hydraulic-cement mortar, and then stone of the same kind, but of any form, were placed in this ring until it was level full, and then thin mortar, made of hydraulic cement, was poured in until all the spaces among these stones were filled; and so on, in like manner, another ring was added, until the pier was of the requisite height. 2d, These piers were built upon the ground, upon the smooth river-bottom, and many supposed they would sink of their own weight, or the current would carry away the mud and sand on which they were placed and upset them. Soon after the first bridge was built, one of the piers began to lean a little, and was taken down and rebuilt. Excepting that, they have all stood firmly.

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