A photocopy of a newspaper article from the Journal Star, “It was a bridge too far for Peorian Joseph Cody” by Edward C. Murphy. The article discusses the building of the Lower Free Bridge by Joseph Cody, owner of Cody & Sons. The bidding process had been very private, but Cody ended up with the contract on September 14, 1904, having had no previous bridge building experience. The bridge, New Lower Free Bridge, opened April 11, 1909 and Cody “was a hero.” Eight days after the opening an engineer inspected the bridge and was appalled by the safety of the structure. By the next morning, the bridge was closed and by April 30, “the bridge collapsed into the Illinois river.” Cody died April 30, 1927 at the age of 56.