Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-05-16
swARTHMoRE.


most Of youth and worldly frlvolousness, of view
ing the grounds and Inspecting the progress of
the building at Swarthmore, the great Quaker
College now being erectedunder the Joint direc-
ton of Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore
yearly meetings. The seat of the new institution
Is at Westdale station, In Delaware county, three
miles from Media, four from Chester, fifteen from
Philadelphia.
The property purchased Includes ninety-two
acres, md embraces beautiful diversity of slo-
ping sward, woodland, romantic hillside, rugged
dcclivity and a swift mountain stream. Its front
reaches to the railroad station and rises with easy
and graceful slope to the site of the main college
building. This was commenced about year
ago, and Is now partially completed. The west
wing is under roof and the centre building and
east wing have their walls up to the second story.
The structure will be three stories high with a
Mansard roof, making it practically four. 1t is
built of beautiful grey granite, native to Della
ware county, and quarred from what are known
as "Leiper's upper quarries," on Crum Creek,
about one and thrcc-quarter miles distant, where
Mr. Thomas Seabrook is getting out some SPLEEN
did stone for the new connecting Railroad around
Philadelphia, and other substantial monuments
Of masonry. The stone required for the purpose
of the College amounts to $500 perches. The
common undressed kind Is delivered on the
ground ut 1925 per perch. The dressed ones cost
from 30 to 80 cents per cubic foot, according to
size. Beside these, 100000 bricks are required
for the building. They are made on the premises
by John Mercer Il Brother.
The college will be 3i8 feet long. The centre
is 60 feet long by 1888 deep; from it wings project
East and West whose front recedes somewhat,
and with depth of A feet each extend 100 feet,
when they advance to line with the main front,
and continue "A feet farther, with depth of 9G
feet. Entering at the main hall door, there are on
the right rooms for the officers of the institution,
and on the left the reception parlor. Passing
these, the hall ends In n grand corridor which
runs through the centre the whole length of the
buidng--8is feet. Across it, from the pnrlor
and officers rooms, il the grand dining room, %
by g. feet, which will probably seat three hun.
drcd to four hundred students without crowding.
Overhead, of the same dimensions, will be the
lecture roem. Between the main building and
each wing Ia fire proof compartment extending
without floors from ground level to the roof. Tit
two rooms will have iron stair cases for reaching
the upper stories, and everything about them Is
to be entirely incombustbe, the corridors being
furnished with iron doors, in order to Isolate the
three sections Of the building from each other, IL
case Of fire. In the renr Of the dining room vii
be the Kitchen scullery, ce-h0use, store-room, &c
On the first floor of the wings the space OF
each side of the corridor will be used for class
rooms, which may be partitioned according t,
convenience In the upper stories will be til,
dormitorcs, In each of which II is intended in ne
case whatever to place more than two pupils
The most complete drainage is secured by exten
sve sewers which will emerge from the hillside
at sufficient distance. Equal attention has breI
given to ventilation and we believe as the archi
tects do that 1t will be practically perfect. In tn
upper part of the main building large tanks will
be supplied with water from Crum creek, to b
| used in case of fire.
The buildingwas designed by Sloan a. Hutton
architects, of Philadelphia. The building con,
nttce appointed by the yearly meetings have til
general supervisors of the work, aud the Chair
man, Hugh McIllvaine, gives it much careful al
tcnlion. Findley Hutton is Superintendent, o.
the ground. Of the structure, receiving direc
lions only from tho Building Committee
\ George Dcimer is contractor for the masonry
The original estimate for the college building
proper was about s135,000, but various change
having been made in the plan the figure will nov
probably reach S1s5,00O. 1t is expected that til
structure will be completed in about two year
Both sexes receiving instruction, they will be a:
signed to separate wings OF the building, the WEI
i t.t lal In tI,nr tot I,a f,irtS
| So much for the statistics.
From the roof of the college most magniicer
picture is spread out before the eye. To the Eas
the green glades of the dairy farms of this ferti
country roll away in gentle undulations to tn
broad waters of the Delaware, whose course en-
be plainly seen for miles. Slightly to the rigi
may be seen the growing city of Chester, and I,
ward the West, the spires Of Total Abstinenc
Media rise from behind the woodlands. Just +,
day the trees arc expanding their leaves, and IL
grasses on the meadows and pasture fields nj
bursting their winter coats in their haste to
growing. A wild plum is opening its blossoms
and the dogwoods are in the midst of their brief
beautiful season which does something to apolt
gisc for their ugliness Mt all other times. Sue
days as these. when the May sunlight beams dow
fully and copipnsly, is time to renew ones youn
days and grow childish again, The tabled -four
tain of Perpetual Youth does not dow with waite
but sunlight. A liquid bath may cleanse but
cannot renew.
Westward of the building, one hundred al
fifty feet below, the clear spring waters of Cru
Creek hurry by. The descent to the bank
quite abrupt and in some places absolutely pr
cipitous, the rude rocks projecting abruptly frol
the side and oyerhangI.g the narrow vale belo'
One Of these, where an Indian maiden (as lndii
maidens are supposed to haye done at so mar
other places) might have leaped over to rejo
her lost lover in the far hunting grounds, max
most romantic lookout, and has been dignifs
with the title of "Pulpit Rock" a name, v
beg to say, far too prosaic, commonplace, al
wooden, for so wild and romantic structure
natures own.
| Altogether, SwARTnMoRE combines, rs far
we were able to Judge, every advantage of loo
ton, and lacks no essential Up It's situation to
cure the highest usefulness for tho purpose /
tended. The building has been designed wi
/ the most patient and conscientious forethoug
and care. and the Friends who have been Wilt
, to assume the labor and responsibility of
charge, deserve high encomiums for the succe
, which they haye thus far achieved. The
clety at large owe them cordial and steady sli
, port and cooperation in the work, to urge ft
r ward to carly completion this valuable auxilia
to its usefulness and the welfare of the gre
l.. community at large.
Adjoining Swarthmore, by the side of nj
a row highway dividing the properties, is 10
, old flshioned building, with ancient hip rot
This is the birtA-plaae of Benjamin West t
Delaware county Quaker painter, 1.-THE Sir Ben.
n min West of'the Royal Academy. A room
the first floor, front, is the place of his nativii
!. His name gives the title to the station. We won
fain have looked NOPE about the venerable dive
kRg, and inhaled some of Its rerollections wi
: the fresh atmosphere, but the time Of our st
was too brief John P. Grocer, the bcnevolol
8 dwelt at the same place for some time, and Its
socIations are all good, qute as much SO, perhaI
r as Benjamin Vests paintings.
0 DELAWARE TRIBUSE.-We boliege that
0 circulation of the TRIBUNE Is increasing will
rapidity perfectly unprecedented in the hlsto