Mr. HENDERSON. The Senator can answer me directly. I am oing to state some facts with which I am perfectly conversant, but with which, perhaps, the Senator is not. The Hannibal and StJose h Railroad Company 1st constructed its road from Hannibal to the town of StJoseph, and that road is now being centisued across the State of Kansas in a direct west line, and is toiconnect with the great line of road to the Paci O ocean. After the construction of the road from Han nibal, the State of Missouriranted a charter to construct a branch road mm the town of Palmyra, some 15 miles from the town of Hannibal, so as to go directly to Quincy. The Legislature of Missouri might have prevented this railroad connection, but we did not see fit to do so. We permitted the Hannibal and St10. Railroad Company to connect with the northern cross road, which leads from Quincy to Chicago. A road is now bein constructed aerOss li ke county, Illinois, from aples. on the Illinois river, which connects with the Toledo road the Great Western road, as it is called from Fort Wayne directly on to Hannibal. This road will soon be finished. Now, a bridge can be constructed at the town of HannibalJust as well as at the town of Quincy, and, let me say to the Senator, much more easily. A bridge can be constructed there with much greater facility, because the river is not so wide at Han nibal as at Quincy, and there is a better steam boat channel a more condensed and more coin set channe, there than at Quincy. A great ine of railroad, leadin from Pittsburg directly to Hannibal. will soonTie in operation; indeed, it is to the town of Na ples, within a few miles Of Hannibal. Again, ask the Senator, why ifa brid e is to be constructed at Quincy, shall not one e If constructed at Hannibal also? you look at the travel and transportation of the country, if you look at anything beyond the mere interests of the town of Quincy alone I can see no reason whatever why you should not also allow a bridge to be constructed at Hannibal. I do not know whether it will benefitthe town of Hannibal; I care not whether it does or not. I do not know whether the construction of this bridge will be of any substantial benefit to the town of Quincy. My impression is, that the construction of railroad bridges, such as are contemplated in this bill, upon the Mississippi river Will do all the towns more damage than good. However, if the senator desires topnss bills of this character, I shall not put myself in the way. The Senator is very well aware that there is no break in steamboat lines between the town of Quincy and StLouis. We have no line of packets running directly to Hannibal and back; we have none running directly to Quincy and back; but the lines of packets running from StLouis continue their trips to the town of Keokuk, and thereis no obstruction in the way. The navivation of the Mississippi above the town of Hannibal is just as good as it is between Hannibal and StLouis, and indeed better. Therefore we do not need any different sized packets to navigate the Mississippi river between those points; and why is it thatit will be an injury to construct a bridge at the one point and not at the other? The same lines of boats that pass under the bridge t the one point will be required to pass under it at the other. But, Mr. President, a short time ago we provided for the construction of a railroad bridge at StLouis. What sort of a bridge did we provide for constructing there? Was it such a bridge as the Senator now proposes? Certainly not. The bill which the Senate passeda short time ago at the instance of my colleague [Mr. Bnowx] required that the lowest part of the bridge at StLouis should be 50 feet above high water mark at its greatest span; that the bridge itself should have a continuous or unbroken s an; that it should have one span at least 600 feet in the clear, or 2 spans of 450 feet in the clear of abutments. If the 2 latter spans be used, the one over the main steamboat channel must be 50 feet above high water mark, measured to the lowest art of the bridge at the center of the span. 0w, let us see what sort of a bridge 18proposed here. The Senfrom Minnesota provides in this bill that it may be built as a draw bridge with a pivot or other form of draw or with unbroken and continu ous spans. lVe provided in regard to the bridge at StLouis that it should not be built as a draw bridge at all. Then it is here provided That it the said bridge shall be madewith unbro ken and continuous spans.it shall not be of lesselevation in any casethan 50 feet above extremehigh wntor mark.as understoodat the point of location. to the bottomchord of the bridge: nor shall the spans of said bridgebe lessthan 250 feet in length and the piers of said bridgeshall be paral lel with the current of the river. It was provided, in regard to the StLouis bridge, that the spans should not be less than 600 feet. it is here provided that they may be only 250 feet. Now, let me suggest to the Senfrom Minnesota that if a bridge of this character is to be built, it will seriously interfere with navigation. I do not ask that a bridge of 600 feet span shall be constructed at the point where a bridge is now proposed, but I do think that no bridge of less s an than 400 feet on ht to be buifi upon the Mississippi even with continuous 5 ans.