Historic Treasure of the Week - October 4, 1992
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - October 4, 1992
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society
Current river bridge dedicated in 1905
The formal dedication of the current Wabash River bridge connecting Terre Haute and West Terre Haute was conducted Oct. 17, 1905. That "new" bridge soon will vanish, replaced by two structures. In their turn, they will be replaced by others.
In 1904, Professor E.W. Cowan drew a sketch of the old double wagon bridge then crossing the river. It was a Burr truss covered bridge with double lanes.
Signs above the bridge advertised that travelers had to keep to the right and were subject to a $1 fine if they or their vehicles traveled faster than a walk.
Immediately in the foreground are parts of the new metal river bridge. A second and far more primitive bridge may be seen across the river. This bridge looks much like the first bridge crossing the Wabash River.
The first bridge was built in the 1840s and crossed at Ohio Street, exactly where the newest bridges will cross. The bridge was just open planks attached to trestles resting on pilings driven into the river bed. There was a drawspan in the center of the bridge to allow for the passage of steamboats.
River flooding forced a grade to be built from Macksville to the bridge. It was designed to be higher than flood lines of the river flood of 1828. The grade had to be raised because the Wabash proved it could reach higher flood levels in 1858. It is probable that the new grades of the National Road and the two railroad lines created those higher flood lines. The old grade is the one used today.
The first river bridge frequently collapsed under the weight of high water and river debris and also was damaged a number of times through collisions with riverboats.
Because of the problems, a new bridge was built in 1863. That bridge, built primarily of poplar with a few braces of oak, sat on massive limestone piers sunk deep into the river bed. The new covered bridge opened in January 1865. It is the bridge pictured at the end of it life in Professor Cowan’s ink sketch.
The new covered bridge first was a toll bridge. Fees to cross varied. If you crossed with cows that were more than 3 years old, the charge was 8 cents per head, 5 cents for those under 3. Stage coaches and fancy carriages cost 60 cents, mule and ox pulled wagon cost 50 cents. Rates primarily depended on what was crossing and how.
In 1874, county commissioners agreed to purchase the bridge for $80,000 and made it a free bridge.
The current river bridge was designed by Malverd A. Howe of Rose Polytechnic Institute--now Rose Hulman Institute of Technology--and James E. Starbuck of the Vandalia railway engineering department at Terre Haute. It was built for approximately $192,500. Removal of the old bridge and construction of a temporary bridge added to the total project cost of $271,200.
The bridge is 720 feet long and 50 feet wide. It was first designed for streetcars, with tracks running down the center. The first roadway was brick laid over steel plates. Pedestrian side walks were cement. Ornate wrought iron hand rails protected pedestrians from falling.
Preparation for the bridge began June 20, 1903. Its first pile was driven in August. A water jet was used to set the piles, but it proved ineffective once it reached 18 feet down. A drop hammer drove the pilings to 20 feet into the river bed.
The U.S. War Department required a 10-foot drawspan under the bridge in case the need arose for river traffic. To meet his requirement, the designers placed a 75-foot drawspan in the center of the bridge, but did not install machinery to raise the span.
The rest of the bridge was composed of six 120-foot spans built of riveted steel trusses. Three plate girders were laid equidistant between these trusses. Flat steel plates were attached to the girders and the brick was laid on the plates. The roadway was about 14 feet above the elevation of the old bridge floor allowing the bridge to be almost 38 feet above low water.
The contractor for the bridge was the Lafayette Engineering Co. Frank Hanna of Terre Haute was the general manager. The steel work was made at the American Bridge Co. plant in Detroit.
Eighty-seven years later, history repeats itself: the new bridges will be open and the old bridge removed.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.