April 19th, 1910
The Pittsburgh Civic Commission:
Gentlemen: In accordance with your expressed desire we have examined into the bridge problem on the Allegheny River now before the City, particularly in regard to the use of the bridges and their connections with the streets of the city and the use of the river for harbor and navigation purposes, and beg to submit the following report thereon:
German side-wheel boat, common on European rivers
There are three great interests concerned in the problem of the bridges over the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh: (1) those who frequently cross the river or whose business requires the transportation of workmen, raw and manufactured material, and supplies from one side of the river to the other; (2) those concerned in the navigation of the river and harbor, and (3) those who own and operate the bridges.
In the hearings recently held on the subject much consideration has been given to the bridge owners and the navigation interests but comparatively little attention has been given, at first hand, to the interests of the general public, who in great numbers are interested in transportation across the river and for whose service both the bridges and river transportation exist.
Design of boat for American rivers, adapted from European models