New Licking Bridge Stands On The Foundation of Its Predecessors
 
 

New Licking Bridge Stands On The Foundation of Its Predecessors
It is finished! 

Taken from a Special Edition of the Falmouth Outlook dated Friday, March 16, 1928. 
Reprinted here with permission of the Falmouth Outlook.
Pictures are from the Outlook article.
Generously transcribed by Nancy Bray.
Thanks Falmouth Outlook and Nancy!

 

"My Sinews of Steel Are Dedicated To Your Progress"

Caption:  This picture shows the new steel bridge, taken form the roof of the old Guisbeck Creamery building, in Shoemakertown.  It was snapped by an Outlook photographer.  The reader will observe a part of the ferry showing at the left of the picture.  When the picture was taken, the workmen had not removed all the floor forms on the Falmouth side of the river.  The concrete slab which forms the floor may be seen running the entire length of the bridge.  Note the solid construction of the concrete pier and abutments.  The court-house tower and the town-clock may be seen in the background of the picture.

 

The wonderful new steel bridge across Licking River is a reality, a dream come true.  A great mass of metal and concrete, yet withal a beautiful piece of architecture, with all of its thousands of parts fitting together in exact nicety.  A great structure, weighing thousands of tons; capable of holding up other thousands of tons of the burden of humanity and its various trappings; adequate to withstand the ravages of time.

The winds of many a winter will beat their terrific blasts against its mighty beams and trusses; hurricanes may sweep by and level every other structure in the city.  Yet the bridge will stand.

There is a mountain peak in the West called El Capitan.  It may be seen for many miles around.  This great peak has become something of a deity to those who live near it.  It is a type of permanence.

So it is with our bridge.  Our generation built it, but in the great scheme of things, the present generation will derive only a small part of its manifold benefits.  Succeeding generations will travel over this bridge, it will become an integral part of the life of Falmouth and of the county, and as the years go by, people will merely take it for granted.

The men who helped to build it will pass on and other men will come to take their places.  As the seasons come and go, the recollection of this great engineering project will become dimmer and dimmer.  There will come a time when only a few can say, "I remember when that bridge was built; I saw it put together, piece by piece; I heard the sharp staccato of the riveters as the thousands of pins were driven into the steel to stay."


Time Will Blot Out All Memory

Yes, time will erase all recollection of this great project; but the bridge will remain, and everlasting monument to its builders; a permanent benefit to humanity.

To make this story complete, we shall divide it into three sections.  In other words, we shall endeavor to give an account of the three bridges that have spanned the Licking, in the present and in the past.

We shall first attempt a description of our new bridge with a story of its building.  The second section of our story shall be devoted to the old wooden bridge which was burned.  The third and last section shall be to describe the first bridge across the Licking at Falmouth--the old cable suspension bridge.


Covered Bridge Destroyed

"I Was Your Faithful Servant of Yesteryear"

 Caption: The above photograph shows a view of the old covered bridge, as it appeared from "The Point" at the foot of Main Street.  The picture was taken a number of years ago, and forms a part of an interesting collection of landscape scenes, belonging to Geo. B. Held, of the C. F. Held Company, of this city.  At the time this picture was taken, the bridge was in a good state of repair.  It had deteriorated somewhat at the time the structure burned, and a number of boards had fallen off the sides.  Mr. Held loaned the Outlook this photo for use in connection with our story of the bridge.

The old covered bridge was destroyed by fire on September 23, 1926.  It was the second day of the Fair, a beautiful, bright autumn day.  A brisk wind was blowing from the southwest.  For many years people had been in the habit of dumping trash near the abutment of the bridge on the Falmouth side, just below the site of the old hitching rack.  The dump caught fire, probably from spontaneous combustion.  The rubbish had been burning for several days, but no one paid particular attention to it.  The dump had been on fire many times before, but had always smothered itself out without damage.

There had been no rain for several weeks prior to that date, and the rubbish had dried out, and the fire gained more headway than usual.  It flared up and set fire to a huge pile of  brush, which had been dumped over the abutment of the bridge.  The rubbish burst into flame, and a spark carried to the wooden structure of the bridge.

A few minutes past noon the fire alarm was sounded, but the old bridge was doomed, even before the Fire Department could attach the hose to the water-plugs.  The flame swept through the bridge, agitated by the brisk wind that blew from the southwest.  A heroic effort was made to save the bridge.  The fire-fighters carried the battle nearly to the center of the structure, and while a dozen or more men were on the burning structure a beam gave way and the west span began to sink.  The firemen dropped the hose and ran for their lives.  Just as the last man had gained the safety of the street, the west section fell into the river.

Nothing could then be done to save the other span.  From the time the fire siren was sounded until the last span fell into the river, exactly twenty-five minutes elapsed.

What the Cameraman Saw When Old Bridge Collapsed

Caption:  The above photograph shows a scene on Second Street, a few minutes after the wooden covered bridge that spanned Licking River fell into the stream.  The background shows the smoke and steam arising from the chasm.  A large crowd gathered at the bridge to view the ruins, and only a few of the people standing in front of the camera are shown in the picture.  The picture was taken September 23, 1926, the day the bridge burned. 


Excitement Ran High

With the city full of people attending the Fair, excitement ran high.  Many people had crossed the bridge in the morning, and the question of how they could get back home was a baffling one.  Many of them went by way of Butler.  Others went by way of McKinneysburg.  A number of families who came to town in buggies forded the river at the foot of Main street.

The people of Falmouth instantly came to the realization of the magnitude of the loss.  With characteristic zeal, the Falmouth Industrial Club immediately called a special meeting, and the next day plans were on foot to build a ferry boat and establish a free ferry service.  Committees were dispatched to Frankfort, to enlist state aid in re-building the bridge.


Free Ferry Service Started

The ferry was built and launched about a month after the bridge was destroyed.  The business men of Falmouth donated liberally toward the project, and bore the burden of its operation  for many months.  The city of Falmouth built a road to the ferry on the Falmouth side, while the Fiscal Court built the road on the east side of the river.  When the funds of the Industrial Club were exhausted, the Fiscal Court again came to the rescue, and they have paid the ferryman and kept the boat in operation.  The city of Falmouth has supplied electric current for the motor which drives the ferry.  It is said that the ferry is the only one in the country that is operated by electric motor from an overhead trolley.  The principle is much the same as that of the operation of street cars.

Jesse Fields, the ferryman, recently compiled the distance which the boat has traveled since it was launched and found that he had propelled the little craft a distance that probably would reach around the world--25,000 miles.  An average of 900 people a day have crossed the river.  Many days the ferryman has taken across several hundred machines.  The service has been kept in operation without interruption, except in times of extreme high water, and for short intervals when the boat was out of commission. 
Without the ferry, Falmouth would have suffered severely, in loss of business and in inconvenience to its citizens and to the people in the country who must cross the river.  In time of sickness or death, in the rural communities, the inconvenience to the people would have been immeasurable, had it not been for the ferry.

The ferry has served our people well, and all those who contributed to the fund for its operation, and every one who has had anything to do with its maintenance, may well feel proud.

Plans for New Bridge

Engineers from the State Highway Commission came to Falmouth in the spring of 1927, and secured the necessary data, from which plans were made for the building of a new bridge, to replace the one that was lost.

The State did not take over this project, however, without encouragement on the part of Pendleton county people and officials.  Delegations of county officers, public-spirited citizens, and Chamber of Commerce committees made many trips to Frankfort, and plans for the new bridge were thoroughly discussed.

While the county was in sore financial straits, it was found that a  sufficient amount of money was still available in the bond fund to build the bridge.  This money was turned over to the Highway Commission, with the understanding that the State would complete the road project to the Bracken county line in 1828.

With all difficulties ironed out, and the financing of the project assured, the Commission prepared the plans for the new bridge and advertised them to the lowest bidder.

The plans were drawn in two separate contracts.  One contract was for the substructure, the other for the superstructure.


The Substructure

The Kodel Construction Company, of Huntington, W. Va., was the successful bidder for the substructure, their bid being for the sum of $17,624.50.  The Vincennes Bridge Company, Vincennes, Ind., was the successful bidder for the superstructure, at the sum of $28,775.70.  In addition to this there must be added about 10 per cent of the contract price for engineering expenses and other incidentals.  The completed structure will cost about $51,000.

The Kodel Construction Company started work on the pier and abutments in May, 1927.  Mr. Dan Conetto, of Huntington, W. Va., was the superintendent of construction for his company.

The plans called for a concrete reinforced shell to be built around the pier and abutments, which were of stone masonry, and in good condition.


A Splendid Piece of Work

The work of construction on the substructure was finished about September 1, 1927.  Many engineers have seen this piece of concrete construction and pronounce it to be of the highest order.  The concrete is smooth as a planed floor, there being not a single flaw in the entire construction.

The specifications on this work follows:
Excavation, dry rock, 10 cubic yards; wet rock, 15 cubic yards; dry excavation (common), 210 cubic yards; wet (common), 110 cubic yards.

Re-enforceing steel in substructure, 38,140 pounds.  Concrete in pier and abutments, railings, etc.: class F. 665 cubic yards; class D. 6 cubic yards.  The class D construction is railings, etc., at either end of the bridge.

The height of the pier and abutments is 40 feet, 6 inches from the base.

Mr. L. D. Hollingsworth, of Frankfort, was the supervising engineer for the State Highway Commission on the construction of the substructure, as well as the superstructure.


The Superstructure

The Vincennes Bridge Company began to ship steel to Falmouth in August, 1927, and the material was removed from the railroad tracks to the bridge site by J. J. Austin, local truckman.  Mr. Austin had his ups and downs in handling the heavy steel.  His son, W. R. Austin, was seriously injured when a heavy steel beam fell on his foot:  Mr. Austin himself was injured while assisting in handling the steel, while another son, H. L. Austin, had a narrow escape when a tractor which he was  using to drag poles from Murphy's Island overturned.  Mr. Austin enlisted the services of "Big Bill" Donnelly, of Indiana, and succeeded in fulfilling his contract in good shape.  Mr. Donnelly remained in Falmouth and assisted the contractor in building the bridge.  He is an experienced man in this line of work.


Mr. Fountain Superintends Work

Mr. Fountain was the superintendent of construction for the Vincennes Bridge Company in the erection of the superstructure.  Mr. Fountain has been a builder of bridges since 1900.  He has worked on many projects in Kentucky for the Vincennes Bridge Company and other concerns.

In an interview with the Outlook recently, Mr. Fountain said that during his twenty-eight years' experience in bridge-building, had had been fortunate never to have had a man killed.  The work of building bridges is necessarily dangerous, and workmen take many chances in handling the heave steel.  But under Mr. Fountain's guidance, the Falmouth project was accomplished without serious injury to a single workman.  One of his men fell from the bridge floor into the river last winter, but fortunately, he was not seriously injured.

Those who watched the building of the bridge marvel that the project could have been completed without the injury of a single man, especially when it is considered that many of the workmen were inexperienced in this line of work.


Never Get Excited

As a superintendent, Mr. Fountain was highly popular with the men who worked under him.  He went about his work in a quiet way, never seemed to get excited, always knew just what to do when an emergency arose, never got out of patience with the crowd of sight-seers that surely must have gotten in the way many, many times.

There were times during the progress of the work when real diplomacy was necessary on the part of the superintendent.  Differences arose between Highway Commission engineers and the bridge company, which a number of times threatened to hold up the work.  People who wanted the bridge completed became impatient.  But Mr. Fountain's men stood by him loyally, through thick and thin, and he completed the bridge.  One cannot look at this magnificent structure without appreciation of the gigantic task it has been, and the responsibility that rested upon the shoulders of the superintendent in building it.

Mr. Fountain cheerfully gave the Outlook a lengthy interview, from which we are able to present the list of materials that were used in building the superstructure.

 

Specifications of Bridge

The Falmouth bridge is known as a riveted type bridge, through high truss with inclined top cords.  Mr. Fountain said this type used to be known as camel-back construction.

There are 195,200 pounds of structural steel in the bridge; 2,750 pounds of cast; 330 pounds of forgings; 400 pounds of cast drain pipe.  The total weight of all the metal used in the bridge is (unreadable) pounds.

Approximately 14,000 rivets were used in the construction of the bridge.  These rivets were driven by two riveting machines by air pressure.  William Ture, a Falmouth man, drove a large portion of the rivets, although he had never had any experience in riveting before.

Nine hundred and sixty bags of cement went into the floor of the bridge; 640,000 pounds of sand and gravel; 16, 360 pounds of re-enforcing steel also were used.  There are 166.4 cubic yards of concrete construction in the floor.  The weight of the floor is 736,000 pounds.

The weight of the complete superstructure is 934,700 pounds.

The width of the bridge from center to center of the trusses is 22 feet, 6 inches.  The width of the driveway is 20 feet, and has a loading capacity of two lanes of 15 ton trucks.

The length of the two spans is 308 feet, and there are eight bents to each span.  The height of the bridge from the floor to the highest point of the overhead work is 28 feet, 2 inches.

The bridge will support approximately 1546 pounds per foot, live load.  The dead load capacity is 3903 pounds per foot.

A peculiarity of all steel bridges is that they are susceptible to atmospheric changes.  In other words, this structure will contract and expand as the weather becomes hot or cold.  This contraction and expansion is taken care of by the engineers by placing rockers on both the abutments and the pier.  These rockers are of heavy steel, and support the entire weight of the bridge.  The two spans are separate and distinct units, and are not joined to each other in any way, yet the floor is constructed in such a way as to make the experience of passing from one span to another practically unnoticeable.

The Vincennes Bridge Company employed about 15 men on an average, each working day during the period of construction.  The company paid out in labor, up to February 18, 1928, $5,568.68.  Practically all of this money remains in Falmouth.



How the Work Proceeded

To those who did not watch the construction of the bridge in its various stages, it might be interesting to relate just how the work proceeded.

The first operation was the cutting of a hundred or more long sycamore poles, on Murphy's Island.  These poles were used in building a sort-of frame work support, which was set up beneath the bridge.  The heavy beams which form the floor were set on the frames and bolted together, a bent at a time.  Eight bents and eight sets of poles were in place when the middle pier was reached.

With the floor beams laid, work was started on the overhead work of the west span of the bridge.  As soon as the inclined top cords were in place and bolted together, the pole frames were removed from underneath, and set up on the east side of the pier, and the same operations were used in building the second, or east, span.

With practically all the steel in place the work of riveting was started.  The bolts, which were placed in the holes temporarily, were removed and rivets driven in the holes and headed.

As soon as the riveting was completed, the work of laying forms for the floor was started.



Construction of Floor

The weather was cold when the riveting was finished, and for a while it was believed that the concrete floor would not be laid until next summer.  However, the members of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce, business men of Falmouth, county officials, and people residing in the county, raised such a howl that the Highway Commission ordered the floor completed at once.

Wood forms were built to hold the concrete, and the re-enforcing steel was set in place.  Large tarpaulins were hung from the sides of the bridge like curtains, while vats of burning coke were placed on scaffolds underneath the concrete, to keep the mixture from freezing until it should have time to set.  The concrete was mixed with hot water, and the sand and gravel were also heated.  The city steam roller was used to heat the water, sand and gravel. The actual pouring of the concrete took only a few days' time, and the bridge was thrown open to foot traffic about the middle of February.  With the forms removed, the bridge was a completed structure, and Falmouth people breathed a sigh of relief.

The Vincennes Bridge Company, through its vice-president, M. F. D. Sargent, furnishes the Outlook with some valuable information in regard to the company.  This corporation has been doing business for twenty-nine years, and during that period of time has completed 25,000 contracts.  They are designers, fabricators and erectors of bridges and other steel structures.  Their shop at Vincennes has capacity of 1000 tons of fabricated steel per month.


Other Projects

While the Falmouth project was under construction, the Vincennes Bridge Company had under construction several other projects in Kentucky, as follows:
One 190 ft. span and two 135 ft. spans over Big Sandy River, Floyd county, Kentucky.
One 180 ft. span, two 30 ft. approaches and two 40 ft. approaches over North Fork of Kentucky River at Hazard, Perry county, Kentucky.
One 164 ft. truss over Tradewater River between Caldwell and Hopkins counties, Kentucky.
One 135 ft. truss over Nolin River between Hart and Grayson counties, Kentucky.
One 80 ft. span, one 60 ft. span, and one 40 ft. span in Marion county, Kentucky.
One 90 ft. span over Clark Creek, Calloway county, Kentucky.
One 181 ft. span over Barren River on the line between Allen and Barren counties, Kentucky.

The Old Wooden Bridge

The old wooden covered bridge, which the new steel bridge supersedes, played an important part in the history of Pendleton county for more than fifty years.  The old structure, one of the last of its kind, was built in 1870.  The contractors were Bandon, Butin and Bowman, of Dayton, Ohio.

The cost of the completed structure was $13,800, of which $3,000 was donated by the Kentucky Central Railroad Company,  The time required to complete the structure was four months.  The bridge was built in an emergency, when its predecessor, the old suspension bridge, rusted away and fell into the river.

The beams and braces of the old covered bridge were of heavy oak, cut from the virgin forests near Falmouth, and sawed out in a primitive saw-mill of that early day.  The boards on the siding were of poplar, which grew in great abundance along Licking River years ago.  The roof of the bridge, originally, was of clap-boards, or had-finished shingles.

The abutments and pier were of stone masonry, and were fine specimens of the stone mason's art.  The same abutments were used for the covered bridge as those it its predecessor.  Hence this piece of stone masonry has been built more than seventy-five years.



Why Bridge Was Built of Wood

The old covered bridge was characteristic of the region, and of the people who built it.  In those days, cement was not used extensively in building, and steel was expensive and difficult to get at any price.  Hence, builders naturally turned to the forest wherin grew timber of the finest sort, suitable for any kind of construction.  The abundant supply of wood near at hand naturally was responsible for the building of many covered bridges during that period.

The reason for covering the bridge and siding it like a barn has never been explained.  Probably it was done to protect the supporting wood beams from the weather.  Maybe it was for artistic effect.

Our old covered bridge never knew the luxury of a coat of paint, except in patches when some ambitious sign painter would wield his brush in extolling the virtues of a patent medicine , or a perfumed soap.  The sides the gables and the roof had weathered out to a soft, mouse-gray, not altogether ugly, but seeming to be in keeping with the antiquity of the bridge itself.

There was a singular sensation in crossing the covered bridge.  Upon entering the bridge a peculiar smell greeted your nostrils.  It was not the smell of a country barn, nor yet of a circus ring, yet reminiscent of both with a new quality all its own.



Early Advertising Efforts

Mangled remains of ancient posters flared from the dusty walls, tin placards were tacked to the railing, painted signs were everywhere.  If you wanted some information on business firms in Falmouth of an earlier period you had but to go to the covered bridge, and there read the advertisements.  There was stamped a early history of early industry in Falmouth, there the first feeble effort in the now highly-developed art of advertising.  If you would know some of the early history of Falmouth, you could have found much of it carved on the beams and boards of the bridge.  The beaux and belles of the village liked to congregate there in the long ago.  It was a favorite place for spooners, and somehow or other--why is it?--couples in love have an irresistible inclination for carving their initials on trees, and stones, and other public places.

The old bridge likewise was the favorite meeting place for horse-jockeys on court days, albeit bootleggers and other men of shady calling found the bridge a most suitable place to ply their trade.

The old wooden bridge was a homely structure, when viewed from a material standpoint.  Modern steel and concrete bridges are more serviceable and more pleasing to the eye.  The scarcity of wood long since has doomed the old-fashioned covered bridge to oblivion.  Yet, there was something of an artless grace about the old covered bridge that fitted it admirably into its surrounding landscape.



Bridge Now a Memory

The covered bridge is now a memory.  The few timbers which the flame spared in September, 1926, have disappeared.  A few of them were used in the construction of the ferry boat, while others formed supports for the bridge across the creek leading to the ferry.  Still others--all that were left--were parceled out to Falmouth people who used them for kindling wood.  There is absolutely no trace of the covered bridge left on the site where it once stood.  Even the abutments and pier which supported it have been hidden under a thick shell of concrete.  The covered bridge has vanished forever.

 

The Suspension Bridge

There are few people now living who remember the first bridge across the Licking at Falmouth--the old suspension bridge.  It was opened about the year 1853, and did service until 1868, when it fell into the river.  Prior to the building of this bridge the people forded the river when the water was low, and when the water was high a ferry was operated by the late Jefferson Oldham, father of J. V. Oldham.

Prior to the year 1850, this was a backwoods country.  There was no railroad.  There were no highways, except the rough wagon roads through the forests.  In dry weather, these roads were passable; but when the ground was soft, travel was next to impossible.

The principal wagon road of the county led from Falmouth to Foster's Landing on the Ohio River, which was an important shipping point at that time.  Stage coaches plied between these points, and people went there to take boats to Cincinnati, Louisville, and other points.


A New Era

The building of the suspension bridge marked an epic in the history of Falmouth.  Temple spires had now pierced the leafy canopy of the forests, molding and shaping anew the ideals of the ever-increasing numbers of settlers.  Perhaps there was a dream of fat revenue that would accrue from tolls collected on the bridge.  Surely, there was a yearning on the part of the folk in the outlying solitudes for more frequent and convenient association with their fellowmen.

After much wrangling on the part of county officials and the people, it was decided to build a suspension type of bridge.  A firm in Pittsburg received the contract, and the work was soon under way.



Oxen Convey Materials

The materials were shipped by boat from Pittsburgh to Foster's Landing, and conveyed on wagons drawn by ox-teams to Falmouth.  The large cables which were the chief supports were not assembled at the factory.  Instead, the wire was shipped in rolls, and the workmen twisted strands of it together as needed.

There seems to be a difference of opinion as to the identity of the superintendent.  Some of our local people who can remember back that far say the superintendent's name was Wm. H. Ladd, of Johnstown, Pa.  Other authorities say his name was M. D. Griffith Smith.  Experienced stone-masons, blacksmiths, steel workers and carpenters were brought here.  Falmouth had then, as it has today, many leisurely citizens, and it was an easy matter to enlist all the unskilled labor that was needed.

The bridge took form as if by magic.  While of primitive design, it actually revealed a trace of artistry which quite captivated the rustic populace.  The suspension bridge, with its net and web-like trellis of cables and wires; with long, sweeping stretches of cable, gracefully curved from the towers to the center of the structure, was thought then to embody the ultimate and most fantastic form of bridge construction.

In outline, the bridge was something like this:  long, sweeping super-cables, connecting the tower-crowned abutments; the upright suspender wires lacing the floor girders to the overhead cables.  A toll office was located in one of the towers.



An Epidemic Breaks Out

The building of the bridge occupied a year or more.  The workmen were quartered in a rude shack on the opposite side of the city.  At one time, small-pox raged among the crew, and a number of them fell victims to the plague.  However, only one man died, and his clothing and personal effects were thrown into the river.  What a grievous offense in the light of modern hygienic laws!

The superintendent and his wife resided in Falmouth while the bridge was under construction, and boarded in the home of the late James T. Clark, a pioneer citizen and father of our townsman, Dr. H. C. Clark.

Milk was purchased from the Clark family for the bridge crew, and the silver coins received in payment were saved by Mrs. Clark until she had about twenty pounds of metal.  She sent the coins to a craftsman in Cincinnati, who melted them down and wrought the metal into sundry articles of silverware.  There are still a number of these old hand-wrought spoons and ladles in possession of members of the Clark family.


The First Doubts

When the bridge was completed it was received by the county and opened to the public without ceremony.  Such an important event, it would seem, should have been celebrated with great glee.  But there had been much protest against building a suspension type of bridge.  Many people were afraid to cross it, preferring to ford the river as a safety first measure.  The bridge was a failure from a start.  The system of collecting tolls was loose, and many travelers passed over without paying the fee.

We have secured a copy of the Cincinnati Railroad Record, of March 17, 1853, which
gives an interesting account of the opening of the bridge, its specifications, loading capacity, etc.  The article is quoted below:

"The town of Falmouth, on Licking River, (Ky.) about 35 miles from Cincinnati, has the honor of having a suspension bridge, till recently, and even yet, one of the curiosities of art.  M. D. Griffith Smith, the engineer who constructed it, has given in the Covington Journal an elaborate description of the work, and the principles of science on which it is constructed.  We shall content ourselves here with giving only the leading features of the bridge. 
"The ability of the bridge to resist lateral pressure is at least 150 tons.
"Therefore, no damage to the bridge can result from storms and hurricanes.



Capacity of Bridge

"Span of bridge, 323 feet; width, 16 feet; height of towers, 30 feet; number of suspending cables, 8; length, 432 feet; aggregate strength of cables, 704 4-10 tons.
"Number of stay cables, 8; aggregate strength, 180 tons; aggregate strength of suspenders, 1,795 4-10 tons; strength of anchor chains, 1,440 tons; amount of anchorage masonry, 436 perches.
"The greatest weight the towers will bear with safety, 1,420 5-10 tons; the force of a hurricane upon the bridge, 13, 85-100 tons.
"Number of persons that may collect upon the bridge, 1,653; number of oxen, 198; number of six horse teams, 12.
"Maximum weight of suspenders, 43 5-10 tons; maximum transitory load 60 tons; maximum load, 103 5-10 tons; maximum tension, 190 53-100 tons.
"The Falmouth suspension bridge is now completed.  The mail and other travel now proceeds without any interruption; the dangers and delay of the ferry have ceased to be, and the traveler rejoices to know they are no more.
"The engineer (Mr. Smith) and the Company both deserve high credit.


A Favorite Gathering Place

Like the wooden bridge that succeeded it, the suspension bridge was a favorite gathering point for the local populace.  It was so situated as to command a charming view of the river, and lovers were wont to stroll there when the weather was fair, and heighten the heart throb of the hour by the enchanting light of the moon, or the perfumed zephyrs that wafted from the bloom-laden foliage, which skirted the banks of the river.

Vocalists of local fame, serenade parties, night revelers, rustic musicians with flute, banjo and guitar, had rendezvous there, and never failed to vent their talents beneath the spell and inspiration of the scene.

It is difficult to interpret one's feelings, when he fancies he hears these melodious notes float out in sweet confusion on the solemn air of night, sending back their echoes on the rippling surface of the stream.

"These were thy charms, sweet village!  sports like these
With sweet succession taught e'en toil to please;
These round thy bowers they cheerful influence shed;
These were thy charms, but all these charms have fled."

 

The Big Flood

Events immediately following the opening of the bridge served to heighten the popular fear of the people.  In the spring of 1854, came the greatest flood in the recollection of the oldest inhabitant.  All previous flood stages were exceeded by several feet.  As the banks of the river for many miles upstream were covered with primitive forests, much heavy driftwood came down on the tide.  Great forest trees, torn out by the roots, with limbs sticking up twenty or thirty feet in the air, floated down the stream.  In this flood, the water nearly reached the floor of the bridge and driftwood lodged on its cables and threatened its destruction.

It so happened that there were two Canadian lumberjacks in Falmouth at the time, and they offered to clear the stream of drift for five dollars.  If the fee would seem excessive, the men explained that it was a task fraught with many perils.  They said they were attempting it at the risk of their lives.  The fund was raised by popular subscription--the donations being for 5 cents and 10 cents each, for the most part.

Several hundred spectators gathered at the river to see the show.  The men were let down with ropes from the floor of the bridge.  They worked with dexterity, hopping from one log to another; and in a short time the stream was cleared and the bridge was saved.



Many Amusing Anecdotes

Old-timers in Falmouth have many amusing anecdotes concerning the suspension bridge.  One of them concerns a circus elephant.  The circus had given its show in Falmouth, and was pulling out for Brooksville.  The equipment was taken across the bridge, and bringing up the rear was the usual circus elephant.  Then the big boy drew up to the bridge, he cautiously put forth his foot to test it, before venturing forth.  Deeming it unsafe for his heavy bulk, the big pachyderm refused to cross, and the circus men were obliged to take him across the river at the ford.  This incident further heightened the popular fear of crossing the bridge.  What the elephant's  instinct told him was positive evidence that the bridge was unsafe.

In the early days, Falmouth was infested with a gang of rowdy boys.  Their pranks were usually of a harmless sort, but quite often there would be serious sequels to their cleverly planned tricks.



A False Alarm

One night the boys secured several barrels of tar and rolled them near the court house.  At the same time, another gang procured a lot of wire and stretched it across the bridge, about four inches from the floor.  The strands were placed a few feet apart across the entire length of the bridge.

On a pre-arranged signal, the fire-bell was rung, while the boys set fire to the barrels of tar.  There were no street lights in those days, and naturally the light from the burning tar could be seen all over town.

The whole village was awakened by the fire alarm, and people came running from all directions.  A number of families resided in Shoemakertown, and it was necessary for them to cross the bridge to get to the fire.

First to reach the bridge was a schoolmaster, whose home was near the river, and whose personal appearance recalled the ridiculous aspect of Irving's character, Ichabod Crane.  When the schoolmaster reached the east approach of the bridge he was making speed, and as he hit the first barrier he tripped and fell sprawling on his face.  Thinking he had tripped on a loose plank on the floor he got up and ran a few feet farther, when he tripped and fell again.  Several times he fell, before he finally reached the Falmouth side, and when he came up to the light of the fire he was a sorry sight to see.  His face was bruised, his clothing torn and mangled.  He was out of breath and out of sorts.



Those Loose Planks!

"What's the matter with ye?" someone ventured to inquire.  The schoolmaster then related how he had tripped and fell four times on the loose planks in the bridge floor.  Others who came after the schoolmaster had similar experiences.

The boys behind the big scheme watched the whole proceeding from the shadow of a near-by building, and were highly elated with the success of the project.  But it was a wrathful populace that went back to its bed that night.

The gods of destiny had set their seal on the old bridge, and they were about to collect the toll.  Popular fear had grown to such an extent that heavy wagons were not permitted to cross the bridge, which shook under the weight of a man's body.  It seemed the people almost wished the disaster that was impending.  When the village awakened that fateful morning, and saw a yawning chasm where the bridge had been, there was a little of surprise or regret.

The fall of the bridge was due in part to the lack of proper repairs and paint, so necessary to protect the wood and iron against the corroding fog and dampness that rose from the river.

An Old Stock Certificate

Ben H. Hitch, of Shoemakertown, has one of the most interesting old documents connected with the suspension bridge.  It is a stock certificate, issued to his father, the late Geo. J. Hitch, for two shares of the capital stock of the Falmouth Bridge Company.  The certificate reads as follows:

SHARES $25 EACH
No. 42            Two Shares
STATE OF KENTUCKY
THE FALMOUTH BRIDGE CO.

This certifies that Geo. J. Hitch is entitled to two shares of the capital stock in the Falmouth Bridge Company, transferable in person or by attorney, on the books of the Company at their office in Falmouth, Ky.

Witness the seal of the company and the signature of the President and Secretary, Falmouth, Ky., this 21st day of December, 1853.

A. Robbins, Pres't
Thomas Hauser, Sect'y

The certificate is printed on fine linen paper, which has held its original color, and the printing is as good as the present day artist can do.  The seal was cut out by hand.

This old suspension bridge was the first bridge built in this section of the country and was the first bridge built over the Licking or Ohio rivers.  It was built twelve years before the suspension bridge that spans the Ohio at Covington and Cincinnati.

George J. Hitch was the father of Ben H. Hitch and Mrs. James W. Smith, of this city.  He was born in Pendleton county, July 12, 1808, and was the first Hitch born in Pendleton county.  His father Joseph Hitch came to Pendleton county from Maryland in 1806, and settled at the old Hitch homestead on the Licking river about six miles north of Falmouth.

George J. Hitch was Postmaster at Ash Run, which was located in his home, for eleven years and eight months, and Enoch Hendricks, father of Geo. W. Hendricks, of near Concord, was deputy postmaster.  The Ash Run post office was supplied by horseback from Cincinnati.  This office was discontinued in 1854 when the old Kentucky Central Railway came.

George J. Hitch was one of Pendleton county's prominent and progressive citizens at that time, and this old stock certificate is possibly the only one that has been preserved.  It is a highly-prized historical record.  Ben H. Hitch, who is now 83 years old, is an ex-Union soldier.

The day of the suspension bridge has already acquired an historical remoteness.  Only a few now remain whose memory goes back to the day it proudly swung its graceful form across the stream.  Like its successor--the old covered bridge--it has passed into oblivion.

This concludes our contribution to the bridge history of Falmouth.  Our splendid new bridge is now a great topic of interest, and we are celebrating its opening in a fitting way.  It embodies the latest and best features of modern bridge-building, while the materials that compose it will last indefinitely. 

May the new bridge be dedicated to the glory and the progress of our fair city and county.  May it bring countless thousands to our borders, on visits of peace and friendship.  May it take them back to their homes with a good feeling in their hearts for Falmouth and her people.  May it take our people to the rural districts on like missions of good will and co-operation.

Falmouth and Pendleton county will always include this bridge in their list of valuable assets, and it is destined to become an important factor in the progress and up-building of this community.

"Forever is a long time---
Forever stretches on
Till all the bridges crumble
And all the stars are gone!"


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