Mr. HENDERSON. Lest the Senate may have forgotten the purport of this amendment, 1 will restate that it is simply an amendment which will compel the bridges, ifbuilt over the Mississippi river at all. to be built with contin uous spans 50 feet above the surface of the water. lf the amendment is not adopted, bridges may be built on the river with pivots and draws. M object in offering this amendment to this bill is to have a test vote in the Senate on the subject. I desire thata commission shall be sent out to examine into this matter of bridging the river; and if they report that the river cannot be bridged with these high bridges I shall be willing at the next session of Congress to let the low bridges be built; butl think we ought to examine more critically and more carefully into this matter. As I stated the other day, a proposition is now pending in the Senate. authorized by the ComCommerce to be attached to one of the appropriation bills, as l understand, to appoint a board of engineers to go and examine the river and report as to the properkind of bridges to be constructed. lt is perfectly certain that between this time and the beginning of our next session no bridges can be built on the Mississippi river. The water is now very high; the Mississippi river is remarkably high for this season of the year, and the June rise is et to come; so that I apprehend nothing can lie done toward the construction of bridges on that river during the summer or at any time previous to our meeting next fall. Hence I should like to have a test vote on the subject to determine whether the Senate will take the whole judg mnt of this matter upon themselvesor whether they will leave it to a board of engineers to determine. Uf course, if we bridge at one point we have got to bridge at another, and in the course of a few years you will lind a bridge at almost every town on the Mississippi river. How far this will be an obstruction to commerce is a matter that ought to be considered by this body. It is a matter of verygreat consequence, in my opinion, and one 10 which we have not given the consideration to which it is entitled. That is true, and as no harm can be done by the adoption of this amendment at present, as it will not obstruct the building of any bridge that can be built and within the time within which it can be built, I should like very much that it should be adopted. I do not desire to detain the Senate.