Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-07-08

lions Of its party, and their nominations
1t speaks of the 'dsorder, violence, dishon
csty, and blackguardislu" of the convention:
and declares as TO the candidates, that "a
"wcaker ticket could not be made," while
It would be both an insult and lie to say
That they represent the mass of the De
''mocracy in this city"
TliE W. d. w. RAILROAD-iTS CA.
FABILI1IES
An article in the Philadelphia North
American, of last Saturday, shows that
our wise and excellent enterprise of q
railroad Westward from Wilmington is at.
tracing attention abroad, and that whenever
its character and probable results are under
stood it commands respect and approval
Thus ii is promptly observed that the con
nection of this city by Il short road to tho
Pennsylvania Central, (either at Coatesvile
or Parkesbure,) gives us u great advantage
in distance over other cities. The North
American says Pttsburg will be nearer tide
water at Wilmington by fifty miles, than al
Philadelphia, but this is making the differ
ence too great 1t omits to mention, how
is nearly forty miles nearer the sea than that
of Philadelphia, can he kept open in the
severest winter, and that while ii is not SO
capacious, il affords, in all its length, miles
Of Wharfage, and is capable of immense
almost indefinite tc-devclopmcnt. Added ia
this it has the first and most important quail
ty ncedcd-it is really hor6Sr. Let the
winds come whence they may, vessel in
side the mouth of our river lies at anchor in
safety.
| As 10 the trade which may come here
by the Wilmington Il Reading, or the viii
| mington & Western, these arc questions
which can only be fully and completely
solved by experience. Advantages so great
as those we have just mentioned will surely
give us share, large or small, of the coal
shipment. But that the newspapers Of this
city ''lancy," as the North American says
we do, that all the anthracite coal now ship
ped at Port Richmond, vii! hereafter be
dispatched from here, is altogether mis-
take, The consumption of anthracite coal,
and the extent of the coal commerce, must
be in the future great enough to satisfy Will
I-inngton and Port Richmond also
The remark that though n connection
with the Pennsylvania Central twill deliver
''bituminous coal at Wilmington, at cheap
crates, yet ''lhc canals offer II much cheap
ser route, seems to have little force. In
comparison with Philadelphia, the advan-
tage is all on our side, in every case. For
the hituminous coal used in that city, COM
ing down The Susquchanna canal, or ovei
the Baltimore Il Ohio railroad, passes
through the Delaware and Chesapeake can
al and directly by our river front, on lis
journey to Philadelphia. And as to the cost
to us, the new roads will bring us the Penn
sylvania bitulninous Goals. not only at all
seasons of the year, but at freights certainly y
no greater than the canal.
AS to our harbor, the North Americans
inference that we think the Chrstiana too
limited in its capacity to accommodate
Western trade, is hardly just. And
10 quote its own words, elsewhere In
the same article, the Christiana sis about as
"large as the river which forms the port ol
"Chicago' This is true, and ii is very en-.
couraging to us. For while, in the words
Of Chcago's cuogisi, the river at that city
sis not river" but simply u cutting worn
by the lake into the soft mould of the prairie
without tide or flow, except such as are
blown in by the storms, and move out when
they subside, the Christiana has Il stead,
and strong current, rolling down a large vol
ume Of water from the draiGage of an cxten
sivc surface, and is influenced by the rise
and fall OF every tide. The Christiana ant
Brandyane are very crooked, but that is
part of the advantage at Chicago. Parton
''declares that ne engineer could have CON
''trved more convenient haibor, for gf
"wherc you will, in the city, you cannot
"get far from it; and every mill, warehouse
elevator, and factory, can have its branch oil
BASIN" And at the port formed by tina
crooked inlet, a hundred yards wide at its
mouth, nine hundred and four vessels, with
2lS,2l5 tons capacity, and employing tcr
thousand sailors, came and went in 1867
So that whether or not our " ultimate por
"of Wilmington will have to be fixed OIL
"lhe Delaware" we may be content fol
the present with the capabilities Of th,
Christiana and Brandywine.
Let Philadelphia give us helping hant
in this new work, and like her sensibl,
commercial newspaper we have been que
ting, be at least glad to see the enterprise.
1t must result in her advantage as well a
our own. Our road from the Schuylkil
mines to Wilmington opens new sections
of country, develops new agriculture
aud mineral resources, and clusters NOR,
wealth around Philadelphia. II connect
by half a dozen routes with that city, a
well as with this, and opens new fields to il
as well as to us. So, likewise, with til
Wilmington 81 western Railroad. No mat
Ter how far it extends to the Westward,
must cross, near Oxford, Il road running di
rectly TO Philadelphia, and it will max
connections 1T Wilmington, with another
And even if every ton of merchandise thu
comes over its rails was loaded at on
. wharves for coastwisc or foreign trade, OF
growth and Importance, will never cease
aid and increase those of Philadelphia
a the words, once more, Of our neighbc
. newspaper, Philadelphia would be muc
greater city than she is, ii all The towr
" that are now tributary TO her, were to el
"blbit the same enterprise Us "Wilmington