One of the directors, the well-known Perry Smith, was
fortunately able to enforce my argument, by stating to the board that
what I said was undoubtedly the case about cast-iron. The other night
he had run his buggy in the dark against a lamp-post which was of
cast-iron and the lamp-post had broken to pieces. Am I to be censured
if I had little difficulty here in recognizing something akin to the
hand of Providence, with Perry Smith the manifest agent?
"Ah, gentlemen," I said, "there is the point. A little more money and
you could have had the indestructible wrought-iron and your bridge
would stand against any steamboat. We never have built and we never
will build a cheap bridge. Ours don't fall."
There was a pause; then the president of the bridge company, Mr.
Allison, the great Senator, asked if I would excuse them for a few
moments. I retired. Soon they recalled me and offered the contract,
provided we took the lower price, which was only a few thousand
dollars less. I agreed to the concession. That cast-iron lamp-post so
opportunely smashed gave us one of our most profitable contracts and,
what is more, obtained for us the reputation of having taken the
Dubuque bridge against all competitors. It also laid the foundation
for me of a lifelong, unbroken friendship with one of America's best
and most valuable public men, Senator Allison.
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