Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-10-08
WILMINGTON, DEL, TUESDAY, OCTOBER s, 1879.


naturally, an unexcelled point for this bu nesr
Very large quantities Of iron are now consumed
here IN the building Of iron shiDs, machinery,
b1ilers. DC. and 1t is probable that among the
additions TO our industrial enterprises those Into
which iron enters very largely will take the lead
in both numbers aud importance.
IL s evident that succssa in business where
freights are so important depends sn proximity
to both mines and Market with facilities for
handling goods quickly and cheaply and Just
in the proportion that city possesses these ad-
vantages,in that proportion she must lead in the
trade, provided always that her people see to II
that the manufacturing world have their atten-
tion attracted to those advantages. We would
not have it understood that our efforte in calling
attention to these facts should be devoted to
strangers altogether. The greatest successes
already made here haveI been .ttAined by
our own people, and in the future onr
main reliance is on them. They need to be
impressed with the fact that energy
in this great fold Of industry cannot but be am
ply rewarded. II is evident that this ia the time
and Wilmington the place to push with all pos
eible vigor the manufacture and the working Of
iron. The question Of labor is demoraizing the
iron producing distincts OF Great Britain. Search
~ OF raw material begns to be felt there also I;
in short everything seemA to point to America
ae the coming nation for the production Of iron;
and II America, then, Of COURSE Pennsylvania /;
and il the iron OF Pennsylvania is to find q mar
ket for consumption and export, where can il
better be 1oue than at Wilmington What hin-
ders Wilmington from being the Glasgow Of
America Nothing but time and the apprecia-
ton Of her own people. The fact once estAb-
lshed by example that this is tho best place on
the Atlantic coast to produce iron aud to mould
aud fashion it Into machinery, ships, 30 and
capital will soon lind its way here to aid us in
extending our capacity aud strengthen our in
huence
While dwelling upon this point II seem. proper
to call attention to ano:hOr need for Legislation
hat ia fal i'm Va In tha ans
ment Of a general corporation law, enabling
capitalists aud others disposed to invest = por-
ton OF their means iu industrial enterprises
without danger to their own interests. Such
law has long been in operation in most of the
States where large manufacturing interests are
located and the result has been to stimulate
very largely the growth of those interests.
With the enactment of such law, it is reasona-
bic to suppose that much OF the capital that is
owned in this state aud that now eeeks other
places f'r Investment on account Of ur usury
laws, could be retained here and O. gA ;ed In
those industrial enterprises that are 30 safe
and profitable. We would recommend the new
BOsrd of managers to take the necessary steps
to secure the enactment OF such 4 law at the
coming session OF our Legislature.
We append such statistics OF the iron interest
as we have been able to collect:
No. of tons Of iron manufactured, .... 11.750
Yslue Of iron manufactured .... 49,. S1 800 600
No Of tons Of iron nsumed, ........ $4,000
Value OF iron consumed, ............. ~, 900 900
No. OF tons OF Anthracite coal con-
sumed Observation-Disclosures. 10000
NJ OF tons OF btuminous coal cou-
humad Observation-Disclosures. 20 ,OUO
THE CITY.
The chapter OF improvements in our city is
larserUne than that OF any preceding year aud
while much remains to be dOne. our cltizsns are
certainly to be oJmplimented upon what has al
ready been Accomplished.
Wilmington will not, hereafter, be compelled
to acknowledge that it has no first class no s
The new aud elegant building At Fifth and Mar
ket streets compares favOrAbly with Auy similar
structure In the country II its management
proves satisfactory it's architectural quAl-
ties are the city will indeed be fortunate.
The magnificent building in Whloh We are now
ssembled--erecte1 by the Masonic Hall Co.
has been hnsh0d since our last report. 1t ful-
nishes our city with an unusually line Opera
House aud also adds another ornament to our
principal street
Other i'm blI dings have been erected an
old oues rem dvled aud improved The old curb
stone malket has been removed from the priuc-
pal street OF the city. New streets have been open
ed Oh all sides Of the city. The number Of houses
buit continues TO increase from year to year and
the rapid growth of our city Il Arked by all.
Our public schools have been increased in num-
Der and opacity. A high school has been estAb-
lshsd, m .king our educational system csmpare
favUrDly with that OF any city Of our population
i'll the luntry,
Among the projects discussed for the future
s one OF great Interest TO all oui oitizens-busi-
ness men al we'll as others-And that is, the
erection of City Hospi al. The necessity for
-nch an institution is too evident to require any
discussion here, and we have no doubt that the
project will be carried out succ ssfuly As soon
rs tue necessary legislation can be obtained.
The demands Of civilizA alton, IS we'll AZ the die
tates OF common humanity, urge us to act in
the m4tter ut once ; aud from the well-known
generosity aud philanthropy of our citizens, We
have no doubt of the early success OF the enter
prise
The qnos N Of al INCREASED supply OF waite,
for the nse Of the ely is now under conriderA
tiun or rather in process OF solution. Whining
ton may ~ we'll prepare herself in every way
for population VI hun ired thousand, or even
more, for judging the future by the past, such
facilities will he needed within the lifetime of
the generation now actually engaged in estab-
lishl"g her greatness aud, perhaps, this ques-
tiOn vi water supply may be reckonsd rs among
the mos impOrl ant Of these preparations
Glasgow. with her i've hundred thou sand pop
uiati ~ and her Clyde. should and will be matched
in tho New World by Wilmington and the Chris
tiana. This IL no idle buast for with the eKcep-
tiOu OF her mid oilSte, GLASGOW possesses no
fzcllitlei greater, nor even as great, as our own
city. The Clyde Is narrower and more difficult to
keepin order than our Chris iSna, and her faoili-
tics for getting ma ials for ship ling are not
as great as ours. c nsidsr, also, these facts :
That the question of labor is greatly disturbing
aud dlmUrAllz,ng the iron interests Of Great
Britain, that iron aud coal are growing ecarcer
each year and inferior in qlalty there, while
ours ID increasing IN quantity aud improving in
slalityi also. that they depend upon their old
methods Of building ships, while our builders
are successfully using newl! -lnvented labor
| sa,ilg machinery; that the Inducements which
we offer to skilled labor-Of cheap living-good
| hOmes--'ree public education for their chill iren
| = are vastly superior to aAy offered there
and what il tile conclusion to which
we naturally STRIVE? Undoubtedly thle--
That wheysas Vo nov manufacture II 900 tons
| Gt iron per aunum. We snail, in Q faY years,
manufacture lou, 900 tons. and while we now EN-,
| ploy from 1900 to 1900 men in ship-buiding, we
shall then employ twenty Thousand men ia the
sans way.
luis is not only within the range Of possibility
| but Of probability and in preparing for the fu-
| tqre-in the development Of our city aud prOvi-
sions for making II q comfortable and healthy
place Of residence-sll these prospects should be
| taken into consideration.
Ths suggests another subject that is Of very
| great importance and that Is the preservation
| aud improvement of the ChTistiana river - that
source Of all our present and prospective great
ness, Without it all our advantages disappear
| o. alnk into luHignidoance; and let every scheme
/ propoead for It's Improvement be subjected to
| the closest examination before being adopted
aud carried out
On the VIII 10, the friends OF wilmington'G
| progress and growth have nothing TO discourage
them in the present outlook, but much TO Ell.
courage them to persevere in developing our
resources The steady and apparently perma
| nent growth Of the city ought TO continue from
yeaF to year ~ an increasing ratio, aud will d.