USA > Illinois > Alexander County > Alexander County profiles, a compilation of essays on Alexander County history > Part 2
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Oddly enough, the border between Illinois and Kentucky is at the low water line on the Illinois side. Thus at low water practically the whole river belongs to Kentucky. The Illinois Central was convinced that it would be better to let the Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad build the bridge because there would be less obstruction in the Kentucky legislatures and the Illinois Central did control this rail- road. The reason this company was chosen was that it was a southern branch railroad.
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So a contract was signed with the Union Bridge company and George S. Marison was obtained as head engineer.
On July 1, 1887, work was begun on the caissons; and on July 26, 1888 work was begun on the steel work. And on August 28, 1889 the bridge was completed.
The original bridge was 20,461 feet long. The metallic portion was 10,560 feet long and the bridge proper 4,644 feet long. There were borings 86 feet deep on the Illinois side and 193 feet on the Kentucky side. The clearance above low water was 104.2 feet and the total height of the bridge was 284.94 feet. The cost of this tremendous structure was $2,952,286.00.
October 29, 1889, a never to be forgotten day in the history of Cairo, the Halliday House was full as were the other hotels. Early on the morning of the 29th nine seventy-five ton Mogul locomotives ar- rived, and shortly the first cab started across the bridge with the president of the Illinois Central in it. Before long, all nine locomo- tives were on the bridge with a combined weight of six hundred seventy-five tons; thus dispelling the fear that the bridge wouldn't support heavy weight. Immediately following the locomotives was the first regular scheduled locomotive to cross the bridge with Martin Egan at the controls.
This bridge closed the last transportation gap between the North and the South. Also, it was so well constructed that no important changes were made until 1949.
From 1890 the Illinois Central Railroad Bridge was in constant use by the Illinois Central lines and the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio, help- ing to link the North with the South in railway transportation.
In the early 1940's laws were made limiting the amount of load a train could carry and the speed of a train crossing the bridge. This was because through the years there had been no major repairs and the bridge was beginning to show the wear and tear of the years. In the late 1940's these laws began throwing the trains off schedule and costing the railroad money. Something had to be done!
The Illinois Central decided on a complete reconstruction of the bridge. A joint contract was let to the Massman Construction Com- pany and the Kansas City Bridge Company, with the concrete fur- nished by Edgar Stephens and Sons Ready Mix Concrete Company and the steel for the superstructure was furnished and erected by the American Bridge Company.
In 1949 the work on the bridge was begun. The work was very complex and very difficult. A wooden ramp, approximately 350 feet long was built from the Ohio levee protruding over the Ohio River. The concrete trucks would then back down this ramp and dump their concrete into buckets on a barge waiting below. The barge would then take the concrete out to the bridge where coffer dams had been built around the peers and pumped dry. Tremie tubes, known in construc- tion terminology as "elephant tusks," had been lowered into the dam: and a special "high early strength concrete" with a water-proof ad- ditive, which was especially made by Marquette Cement Company of St. Louis, was poured in them. By this time water had entered the dam and all of this was taking place under water. The concrete was al- lowed to set for awhile and the tremies were then removed. This op- eration could not be stopped once it was started, and they sometimes worked day and night for fifteen and sixteen hours to finish. A diffi- cult and time consuming task, the above procedure had to be per- formed on every pier of the bridge.
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Besides the strengthening of the piers, all of the steel trestles had to be replaced. This could have meant closing the bridge for as much as two or three years, but a method was developed so that the bridge was never closed for more than four or five hours at a time. This was accomplished by cutting trestles in sections and dropping them into the river. As soon as a section was dropped off one side of the bridge the new replacement was brought in by barge from the other side and lowered into place by a crane. Later, divers used underwater torches to cut the old trestles into small sections so that they could be re- moved from the river easier. They had to be removed as they were a hindrance to navigation.
This operation begun in 1949, was completed in early 1952 at a cost of $6,500,000. An amazing factor is that in all the time of this highly dangerous procedure, and much to the credit of the contractors. only one man was killed.
The Illinois Central Railroad Bridge may have lost some of its glory from days of old, but it is still an important link in the Illinois Central chain and will continue to be for many years.
CAIRO-IT'S BEGINNING AND DEVELOPMENT
By JANIS CARTER
In this paper I will try to show the beginning struggles, and de- velopment of a town whose principal advantage lay in its splendid geographical situation. We know there was an awareness of the value of the site as early as the first French explorers. Indians probably used the site as a camping ground long before that, since both hunt- ing and fishing were good. Indian mounds found in the area testify to the presence of Indians at an early date.
Several attempts were made to establish a town on the site of Cairo. The first of these attempts failed because of lack of financial backing and small faith in the site, because of the surrounding rivers. Progress was definitely slow because of the flood conditions of the area.
The early settlers were rough and rugged. The first building was a tavern, the second a store. These were followed by a woodsman's shanty. The history of Cairo includes men who left their imprint on Cairo both in ideas and buildings.
Marquette and Joliet, the first white men to explore the upper length of the Mississippi River, glided past the site of Cairo in 1673. They noted the formation of the land at the confluence of the rivers. In 1682, La Salle's expedition reached the site of Cairo and noted the joining of the rivers, the low banks, marshy land, walnut trees and other timber.
In 1702 Charles Juchereau de St. Denys, Lieutenant General of the Jurisdiction of Montreal, obtained a royal concession near the mouth of the Ohio River, where he established a tannery in 1702.
In 1721, Charlevoix, a Jesuit missionary, wrote at Kaskaskia that the place at the confluence of the rivers was not fit for settlement.
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His advice was not heeded and settlement was made on the Mississippi from Alton to Chester, Illinois, north of the site of Cairo
In 1778, George Rodgers Clark entered the Illinois Country with a small force and captured the British posts at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes. In 1779 in a letter to Thomas Jefferson he gave his opinions and ideas concerning this land. The area was subject to sea- sonal rises of the rivers and for that reason the fort, named Fort Jef- ferson, was built on the east bank of the Mississippi, five miles down- stream from the site of Cairo. This fort was so placed to maintain possession of the frontier, Fort Jefferson was attacked in 1781 and af- ter the seige all left except several members of the Bird family The Bird family settled on the west bank of the river opposite the site of Cairo. This area is still known as Bird's Point.
Archie Henry surveyed for the Federal Government township 17 comprising the site of Cairo in 1807. Shortly after a keelboatman landed at the junction of the rivers and found a polehut on stilts, a canoe and stakes driven into the water as mooring posts.
The crew of the New Orleans, the first steamboat to go down the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans, saw Indians in canoes among the trees on the land flooded by the Mississippi at the mouth of the Ohio
In 1817 Captain Henry W. Shreve, builder of the first double-deck steamboat, showed that the rivers could be navigated by shipping a full cargo from Louisville, Kentucky, to New Orleans and back in twenty-five days. This trip convinced traders and builders that the Ohio and Mississippi were to be avenues of trade and travel. The land at the junction became a desirable investment and the site of Cairo was purchased four months later.
In 1817 William and Thomas Bird took about 300 acres of what is now the south part of Cairo. At the same time John Gleaves Comegys. a merchant of Baltimore and St. Louis, took 1,800 acres. William and Thomas Bird planned no settlement other than a spontaneous out- growth of shops and dwellings caused by the development of the mid- west. Comegys, however, obtained an act, passed by the Territorial Legislature incorporating the City and Bank of Cairo. "The bill pro- vided that a city be platted; that a third of the money derived from the sale of lots be used to construct levees; and that the remaining funds be invested in the Cairo Bank. The city was named Cairo be- cause of the supposed similarity of its site to the land at the Nile delta."
These facts show an awareness of the value of the site from early exploration and although it was years before a town was built ref- erences can be found as to the desirable land at the confluence of the rivers.
In 1828 the Birds brought slaves across the river and built a tavern, two frame houses and a store. Later Judge Sidney Breese enlarged Comegys plan which included construction of a railroad from Cairo to the Illinois and Michigan Canal. This railroad was to form a link be- tween the rich farming region on the Great Lakes and large rivers of the south. Breese interested Anthony Olney, Alexander M. Jenkins, Thomas Swanwick, Miles A. Gilbert, and Donald J. Baker, who pooled resources with Breese and in 1835 bought all of the present site of Cairo with the exception of the Bird's property. Although Judge Breese's group was composed of astute men, it lacked the empire- builder necessary to promote the plan financially and politically. Such a man appeared in the person of Darius Blake Holbrook.
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Holbrook met Judge Breese at Vandalia and instantly impressed him with his glowing conception of Illinois. When the State Legisla- ture incorporated the Central Railroad in 1836, the name of Holbrook appeared as the treasurer of the company, along with those of John Reynolds, Sidney Breese, Pierre Menard, and fifty-five other incor- porators who were commercial and political leaders of Illinois. In Washington a congressional committee approved a memorial to con- gress for Federal Aid to build the road. This measure was superceded by an act of the Illinois Legislature. In accord with the building of roads, bridges and canals the Illinois Legislature passed an act for a General System of Internal Improvement in 1837. This act made Hol- brook practically owner and master of Alexander County. A large frame house was built for Holbrook's use, and, nearby, a spacious ho- tel was erected to accommodate in-coming settlers. The population of Cairo mounted to one thousand within a year. The precise status Holbrook intended for Cairo remains unknown; in 1840 his plan failed. The State of Illinois repealed the 1837 act stopping work on the Cen- tral Railroad. At this time news came of the failure of the John Wright Company in London. The rumor that the English firm con- trolled the Cairo Bank sent the value of its notes to nothing in St Louis and Chicago. The town, with its bright future, became bank- rupt. All the inhabitants who could rushed from the city. Those who could not leave continued to run the ironworks and shipyard. In 1841 the steamboat "Tennessee Valley" built by Cairo workmen was launched. This was the anticlimax of Holbrook's City.
Industry stopped, population grew even smaller and the town was practically deserted. Holbrook seeing the end and knowing where the blame would be placed left before the storm broke. Then in 1842 as a final touch a flood entered the incompleted levee and put a definite end to the venture. It was at this time that Dickens, who had supposedly lost money in the venture, made his well-known remark as to the "desolate, dirty, dismal swamp which was Cairo." The life period of the town during this period was three years.
The Cairo City and Canal Company was succeeded by the Cairo City Property Trust.
In 1843 there were only about fifty persons living in Cairo. Steam- boats were still going up and down the rivers. They stopped at Cairo for supplies and passenger transfer. The few residents of the village throve. There were no rents or taxes to pay. ,
When the Illinois Central Railroad Company was incorporated by the State Legislature in 1851, the growth of Cairo was stimulated. Industries came to Cairo. Ferry service was a thriving business. Many boats were using the river. To accomodate new businesses, homes were built, and stores opened. But labor methods changed and river traffic was replaced and the town began. Although Cairo may never be the great metropolis her builders thought it, it will continue to live.
People of Cairo are proud of the old landmarks, and homes built by men who had faith in the town. Along the water front may still be seen remains of business houses and hotels that did a thriving business during the time of great river activity. The iron grillwork of some of these buildings are works of art. The water front is now quiet. Although the struggle has been great the town was made from a dismal swamp. Its story has been rough, rugged and in some re- spects dramatic and certainly most interesting.
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MAGNOLIA MANOR-ROMANTIC SURVIVAL OF EARLY CAIRO By CHRIS COMER
Introduction
"Twenty-seven hundred Washington Avenue is an old address in Cairo, historic and time-honored. Set well back from the street, shel- tered by magnolia trees and jeweled with a sparkling fountain weathered in ivy is the stately fourteen-room red brick house which was constructed by Charles A. Galigher in 1869."
Magnolia Manor
Magnolia Manor, a stately 14 room brick mansion, was constructed by Charles A. Galigher in 1869. The foundation, after being laid, was allowed "to set" for one year and construction was begun again. The house was finished in 1872 with walls of double brick with a 10 inch air space for insulation. The house was finished and decorated with the finest furnishings of its time.
A noted visitor in the Galigher home was General U. S. Grant, who was stationed in Cairo during the Civil War. In 1880 after Grant was President he returned to Cairo, after a trip around the world, to visit his old friend, Charles Galigher. After his arrivel there was a reception given in his honor; which was given this description in the Cairo Daily Bulletin of April 17, 1880: "A display of beauty and magnificence never before equalled in Cairo. The Galigher mansion is an honor to the suburban life of Cairo . . . it combines all that abundant wealth and exalted taste stimulated by the proper degree of enterprise could sug- gest or procure . Hundreds of gas jets flashed brilliantly upon its grandeur and fell upon a scene of magnificence rarely to be witnessed anywhere."
Mr. Galigher, in 1910, sold the house to H. H. Candee of Cairo, who in turn sold it to a Chicago businessman, P. T. Langan, who became a Cairo lumberman. In 1948, Mrs. Langan sold the house to Colonel Fain White King, a noted archeologist and author. After a short time, the Kings left Cairo and the house stood empty for 2 years. Each owner kept the house in good repair appreciating it was a land mark of the City of Cairo.
Because the Galigher home was the scene of the Grant reception and visit and because of its ornate style of architecture, and being typical of fine homes of the Victorian period-it was included in the Illinois section of the Historic Building survey. Therefore, it was de- cided to undertake the preservation of this historic Mansion as the initial project of the Cairo Historical Association.
Architectural Significance
The mansion had one of the first air conditioning systems of its design in America. A lever in the attic raised the hall dome lid and in turn raised the sky-light. Each room has a grilled vent above and at the side of each carara marble fireplace also helped with the condi- tioning of the air.
Mr Galigher designed an intercom system for the summoning of servants and room to room conversations. This was accomplished by a network of tubes throughout the frame of the house.
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This Victorian mansion also had a bathroom and a system of running water. Water was drawn from one of many wells and then it was pumped by hand to the storage tank on the fourth floor-with the bathroom on the second floor, gravity made a unique running water system.
Plays were very popular in the Victorian period, so many plays were given at the Galigher mansion in the 1800's. The plays were held in the drawing room, the stage was at the east end and the entrances were made through the back windows from the back porch. The chil- dren's plays were given in the upstairs hall.
The original jalousies are still in use in the floor-to-ceiling win- dows over the entire house.
Several parts of the property have been destroyed with the mod- ernization of the city. The carriage house, where the carriages and horses were kept, was on 27th St. A set of tennis courts were on the north lawn, these were lighted by gas lights for night playing and were also destroyed.
BRIEF ARCHITECTURAL HIGH LIGHTS The Galigher Room
'The plaster cornice, which encircles the entire room in an intri- cate, exquisite design of grapes and leaves, is one of the most beauti- ful in America. The ornamental arches and columns are dramatic architectural features which accept the splendor of the room. Also of significance is the patrician woman's head which is part of the archway motif; this is said to be a likeness of Queen Victoria who was greatly admired by Charles Galigher and who was supplied flour by the Galigher's mills through her agent, L. R. Finch of New York.
The twin mantles of fine Italian marble beautify the room, and the portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Galigher were given by their son, Fred Galigher, who restored many fine original furnishings to the Manor.
The Library
The green and gold leaf wall paper was discovered by Richard Hagan in a warehouse where it has been in storage for over 50 years. The library alone contains over 1,000 books dating from 1854.
Over the white marble mantle is a painting "Scene of the Nile" which was purchased from Marple of St. Louis for $500.00 by Mr. Galigher. Many original Galigher paintings are throughout the house. One of many very famous is "Ambrois Pari"-painted in 1551.
Damask Room
The Damask Room, originally the dining room, is now used as the refreshment center for various social events and for club meetings held at the Manor. All the furnishings are original and the hand- some chairs are from the original set used by Grant. The thickness and quality of the wood of the doors is outstanding. The meals were prepared on a large iron and brick stove in the kitchen below and were sent on the dumb waiter to the butler's pantry to be served.
Grant Bedrooms
The southwest corner of the house is the master bedroom used by Mrs Grant when she and her husband were guests at the Galigher home; this bedroom is now being restored. The southeast bed cham- ber was assigned to Mr. Grant after the reception. The ceiling's origi- nal decorations remain as seen by Grant. Many furnishings have
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been carefully chosen to create an authentic setting. The richly carved bedstead of solid walnut is the actual bed used by Grant during his visit.
Northeast Bedroom
The furnishings of this room are of exquisite antique cherry. The bedroom is papered in blue with silver designs from the same source as the Library paper.
Museum
On the fourth floor is the museum which displays features of the Civil War, American Indian Arts, and the implements and apparel of the Victorian Period.
Just above the museum is the cupola, the fifth story, when in the early years of its occupancy, the excellent views of the city and the rivers could be obtained.
1870 Victorian Kitchen Restored
The kitchen was designed by Charles Galigher to accommodate many servants, and its size demonstrates that its function was to pre- pare savory dinners and party foods for the Galigher's many friends and visitors. The original brick and iron stove was purchased in Cin- cinnati.
Walnut and oak were used with abundance throughout the kitchen. Thick walnut shelves now hold the heavy Victorian cooking utensils. The most interesting use of walnut may be found in the high dados and the floor with alternating walnut and oak boards. The kitchen furnishings are of sturdy oak pieces created for utility. The lighting was unique. The fixtures are of the Gas Age, with a hooded kerosene lamp in the center of the room, and bracket lamps on the side walls. The original fixtures are now wired.
Award of Merit (November 1962)
Dr. Clyde C. Walton, executive director of the Illinois State His- torical Society presented an award to Mrs. Albert Dudley, director of the Cairo Historical Association. This award was one of only three presented in the state. It reads, "The Illinois State Historical Society, Springfield, Illinois, presents this award of merit to the Cairo Histori- cal Association for long continued interest in our Illinois heritage, for outstanding service, constant fidelity and active encouragement of the educational aims of the society, and in a broad sense for support of the historical ideals of our volunteer and independent union of America". (Signed) President Doris P. Leonard."
CAIRO'S FIRE DEPARTMENT
By JUDY DUNKER
Cairo, Illinois, has maintained a fire department since the year 1860, when the city formed its first organization. This began with a group of volunteers consisting of different companies called the "Arabs", "Rough and Readies", "Hibernian", "Deltas", and the "Anchors". There was much rivalry between these companies.
Out of the five companies, the "Arabs" were the best equipped. They operated with one steam engine, the "Jack Winters" named af-
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ter a former mayor of Cairo, a hook and ladder wagon, and one small hand pump which can still be seen today. Also, when the "Arabs" were on duty they answered calls to Mound City and Anna, Illinois, besides the ones in town. This particular company was located in the building which is now occupied by the Cairo Water Company.
The other departments, which were not as well equipped, were situated throughout various points of the city. The "Rough and Readies" were located at 710 Washington Ave., which is now the present No. 1 Fire Station; the "Hibernian" company headquarters were at 1301 Washington Ave., which is now used as an office for Dr. Chamb- liss; the "Deltas" station was at 1711 Commercial Ave., where the Auxiliary Fire Department is now located; and the "Anchors" build- ing is now a two-story frame residence.
The present Fire Department had its early beginnings in October 1893, and it was located at 1109 Commercial Ave. This early branch of the department consisted of five men equipped with two horses and a wagon, which was purchased from Chicago, Ill.
In 1901 the department then moved to 1711 Commercial Ave., and by September of 1901, another department was organized. This group, consisting of five men and a horse-drawn wagon, made its location at the present No. 1 Fire Station on Washington Ave. This station was known at that time to be Fire Department No. II. Then, in 1910 the Fire Station No III at 3100 Sycamore was built and equipped. It also had five firemen with two horses and a wagon.
In 1916 the Fire Department was reduced to two stations and then purchased its first motorized piece of equipment. This equipment was a Robinson truck with a 1000 gallon pumper. It was put to use in the Fire Station No I and a few months later a Studebaker hose truck was purchased.
In 1917 the No. II Station was given a Briscoe hose truck costing $800. By this time, nineteen men occupied both stations.
Then, in September 1925, the first American La France truck was purchased to Fire Station No. I and later in 1928, another one was pur- chased for the other station. Today these trucks can be located in Wyatt, Mo, and Pulaski, Ill. Another truck called the Mack "Quad", was purchased in the year 1944 and is now being used in Cairo. This truck, located at Fire Department No. I, consists of water, a pump, hose, and ladders. The Mack "Triple Combination", which was brought here in 1946, is one of the fire engines now being used. This Mack truck, which consists of water, a pump and hose, is in use at Fire Department No. II at 31st and Sycamore.
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