American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1825-03-25
no THE PUBLIC

March % 32-tf
no THE PUBLIC
1REAMBI.E act of the General Assembly, passed
IL at Dover, Sd Feb l825-whch is supplement to an
act for improving the navigation Of Murderkl and Spring
creeks, passed at Dover, 22d Jan. 1910.
Whereas the Commissioners appointed by the said act
to which this is supplement- did lay out and partially cut
through the marsh adjoining to Murderki creek aforesaid
two Canals thereby intending to cut off and avoid two of
the shoals in said creek, to witt Walkers shoa and
Warrens shoa and a the same time TO shorten the dis
lance very considerably but completed either of
the said Canals, and altogether failed to render any bcne
fit advantage to the navigation of the said creek, the
said Canals having remained wholly useless for consider
able time And whereas Major Townsend of the Village
of Frederick undertook the completion of one of the said
canals, after the work had been abandoned by the Com
missoners, and completely succeeded in making the said
Canal which off Walkers shoal navigabe for all
(se using the said creek thereby rendering to the public
service in saving great delay and expense in the
navigation of the said creek and whereas the said Major
has been put to great inconvenience, trouble
land expense in completing the said canal and rendering
1.-THE navgable aforesaid, for which expense and
trouble the said Major Townsend has not been reimbursed
land paid for his services, trouble aud expense aforesaid
Sec. Be it, &c &c. &c.
In to the preamble aforesaid, we deem duty
ourselves, well as to some OF our friends 10
demonstrate against the greater part ut the above Pream
be, which drawn up from the representation given by
Major Townsend the subject and which we do protest
lis absurd as it is false.
In the year of 1917, the commission for the improve
men of Murderk Creek &c got subscribed nearly twelve
hundred dollars the greatest part OF which was subscribed
by the commissioners and paid and expended BY them IN
improving the navigation OF Muruerkl Creek, by cutting
canals they employed persons to undertake the work who
well acquainted and had been used to cutting canals
Through marhy grounds and proceeded To cut r through
the marsh of Andrew Barratt, so as to avoid Walkers
lShoal the evening otter the canal was opened
for the tide waters of the creek to pass through Walter
Douglasss vessel passed through light, and in very
short time after Jacob Boones vessel went through with
upwards of eleven hundred bushels of All this
long before Major Townsend and his mud devil mud
dapper he called it, had any thing to do with the canal
fhanr ha
led to render any benefit advantage 10 the creek 1t
not expected the commissioners that the undertaken
of the CANAL to cut it sufficiently deep for vessels heavily
laden pass Immediately through at common high water
tides, believing (and which proved to be correctly that the
tide would soon wear it deep enough together
with the vessels passing and repasng through SAID canal
who then owned share in vessel, proposed that he
would for the OF one hundred and twenty six dollars,
(S126) make it Immediately navgabe tor vessels drawing
five feet water to pass through at common tides or that
should be good water Coles Shoal To keep from
being pestered to death, and to crafty him in his old
womansh notion, we with Andrew Barra and Isaiah Row.
land Esq t1vo other commissioners, entered into con-
tract with the said Major Townsend onhe ODD Oct 1878,
conditioned that if he did, at his expense, make the
canal through A. Barratt's marsh five feet water,
mon tides, good Coles Shoa TO be adjudged by
the said commissioners, and that within weeks months
from that date, (22d Oct 1878 that he should receive
(S126 J But on failing to comply with the contract he
should nothing any expense trouble he might
be at The summer following, and nine months from
the date of the contract Major Townsend called on the
commissioners to view his work, which they Immediately
attended to- and took with them captains of vessels,
belonging to the creek; one of whom was captain OF the
vessel which said Townsend owned part Of On examn-
ing and measuring the depth Of water in said CANAL
unanimously declared by the commissioners and the cap
ans accompanying them, that the canal but very IT.
tie better, if any, than it was before Mr. Townsend work
ed -hs vessel then laying in the canal fast aground
high water We proceeded to Coles Shoa, at his re-
quest and found nine inches water than there was in
the canal, although the tide had began to fall
The commissioners loaned to MAJOR Townsend (about
the time he commenced the work) fifty dollars which he