FERRY - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Source: Covington Friend, Fountain County, Indiana August 6, 1915 p 1

The ferry across the Wabash River is again a free ferry and the business men of Covington and thousands of other citizens are greatly pleased. Last Monday the county commissioners at their regular meeting took the matter up with Mr. Lowe, and he agreed to run the ferry under the old contract until the bridge is completed, and the commissioners authorized him to go ahead. The commissioners will use the money which was appropriated by the county council as far as it will go toward paying the expenses of running it and will make up the deficiency out of the repair fund for roads and bridges. As stated in last week's paper, this was authorized by the State Board of Accounts as being the legal and proper way. It is only fair to say that County Auditor Newlin and his little coterie of peanut politicians fought the proceedings to a finish, and the Auditor declared that he would not draw any warrant to pay for the ferry service. The commissioners told him that the ferry would be run and that if he did not draw the warrnts he would be mandated and now if he sticks to his word, a law suit will be the result. It is seemingly a mystery why the Republican County officials should be so determined to prevent the people from having a free ferry. It is well known that the county chairman and some of the best Republican politicians of the county are condemning the actions of this bunch of peanut pullers but they say the thing has got beyond them, and they can't control it. But we have the free ferry and that is the main thing. Business will now bein to pick up again. The traffic across the ferry has nearly doubled since it is running free, which shows what a lot of trade we were losing. It is now hoped that this aggravating matter is settled until the bridge is completed.

Work on the Covington bridge has been resumed since the high waters have receded and is being pushed very rapidly. All of the false work on the remaining spans is in place, ready for the laying of the steel and a large force of men are at work. All the steel can now be laid and there will be no delay occasioned by the erection of false work on the last span. These two spans will go up faster than the first one, and it looks as if the structure would be completed in schedule time, in spite of the raise in the river.