PONTOON BRIDGE

The idea of a pontoon bridge in Dubuque was briefly considered.

PONTOON BRIDGE. Proposed crossing point between Dubuque and Illinois over the MISSISSIPPI RIVER. The first organized effort to gain support for the bridge came during the term of Mayor Peaslee. Among those proposing a bridge were M. Tschirgi, Jr., an engineer, and Dr. J. P. Quigley who was first credited with the idea of a pontoon bridge.

Efforts were made from 1873 to 1875 to establish a crossing by way of the DUBUQUE AND DUNLEITH BRIDGE. One proposal called for constructing a passageway along both sides of the railroad tracks. The City of Dubuque was asked to be financially responsible for all accidents that might occur. This plan was rejected. Another plan called for the building of railway carriages to transport wagons and merchandise. A group of businessmen traveled to Omaha, Nebraska to see such a bridge in use, but the plan was turned down as unsatisfactory.

With the rejection of other concepts, Quigley's pontoon bridge ideas gained increasing acceptance from 1875 to 1877. His plan called for approaches to the bridge to be built on both sides of the main channel. The span between these approaches would be small, and the main channel was to be spanned by the pontoon, a large flat-bottomed barge. One end of the barge would be permanently tied to a pier. The other end would be free to swing out-of-the-way to allow boats and rafts to pass. Swinging the barge back into place would be accomplished with an engine and cable.

Proposed locations for the pontoon bridge, including one site north of the Third Street extension, were submitted to the secretary of war in Washington, D.C. The first two possible locations were rejected at this level. Frustrated by the delay, local proponents of the bridge asked government engineers to suggest a point within the city limits that would be satisfactory. Upon completion of a complete survey of the river, a point was chosen for the western end of the bridge at North First Street. The eastern terminus was located in Grant County, Wisconsin, at a point approximately one and one-eighth miles north of the border of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Estimates of the cost of constructing the bridge ranged near $55,000 with an additional $1,955 needed for operations. Fund-raising efforts for the bridge at this location proved unsuccessful.

In 1885 businessmen in East Dubuque formed a company to build a pontoon bridge. They had been opposed to the earlier location that left the eastern approach to the bridge outside their city and proposed a location approximately 225 feet south of the present railroad bridge. The location was satisfactory to residents of Dubuque, and the plan was submitted and approved by the secretary of war who issued a charter to the East Dubuque company.

The winter of 1885-1886 was one in which the ICE on the Mississippi was too thin to cross, but too thick for FERRYBOATS. With losses estimated at $75,000, Dubuque merchants became increasingly determined to have a permanent bridge.

Discussions between businessmen in Dubuque and East Dubuque led to the East Dubuque charter and franchise being transferred to the Dubuque company for the pledge of $50,000 that a bridge would be constructed. A sale of stock led to $35,000 being raised. When the Dubuque City Council ignored a request to purchase $25,000 in stock, the additional money came from an additional ten-day subscription. Active in this process were A. J. Parker and John Peter ELLWANGER.

With the raising of over $50,000, the site for the bridge was chosen. The cost was estimated at $80,000 including the pontoon section.

C. L. Strobel, hired from Chicago, Illinois, as a consulting engineer, suggested after viewing the area that the bridge should be converted into a "high bridge" without a pontoon. It was thought impossible to raise the necessary financing, but H. E. Horton, who eventually won the construction contract, proposed that such a bridge could be erected for an estimated $120,000. A meeting of the stockholders on August 9, 1886, led to the decision to stop plans for a pontoon bridge in favor of the high bridge concept. See: DUBUQUE WAGON BRIDGE. (Photo Courtesy: http://www.dubuquepostcards.com)