The L. & N. Bridge, from the Newport Side 

How seldom, as we stand by the river, and by our railroad bridges, do we think of what they mean.  If we were to launch our bark on the river and go with it’s tide, at last, after many a day, and after many a twist and turn, we arrive at New Orleans.  And, if we were to take the train that goes across this bridge, thundering across the Southland, in twenty-four hours we would reach New Orleans.  These highways lead to the same place – one made by man, and the other made by the Almighty.  

If I could follow my homeland streams    
As ever the Southward run,
I’d come at last to tropic seas
Warmed by the tropic sun.
I’d come at last to islands strange          
A marvel, every one,
Tall palms and gorgeous fruits and flowers
Warmed by the tropic sun.   

From James Albert Green’s 1919 Bridges and Byways: Prints from the Etchings of J. T. Hurley