Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1909 — DANGEROUS AND INCONVENIENT [ARTICLE]

DANGEROUS AND INCONVENIENT

The condition of the Burke bridge, north of town, is not only causing great inconvenience to the residents of that neighborhood and the public generally, but is really dangerous. We are told that there is no obstruction placed at the north end of the bridge to notify the traveling public that the bridge is out where the dredge went through, and little, obstruction at the “jumping oft place” where the opening is. One night last week an automobile party from Chicago on its way to Indianapolis, came down the road and ran out on the bridge to the opening before they knew that any part of the bridge was out. They said that only the fact that they had extra good lights and a keen look-out prevented them running off into the river. They had a hard time in getting back to the road that is now traveled to reach Rensselaer, and run out of gasoline and had to wake up an auto owner up in Union township to get him to help them out, which he did by drawing out what gasoline he had in his own auto tank. Had this party run off into the river ditch it is likely someone would have been killed, and then Jasper county would have come in for a big suit for damages. As it is likely to be a month or six weeks yet before this bridge is repaired for travel, it behooves the proper officers to see to it that suitable notices and obstructions are placed at the approaches to warn the public of its condition.