The daily gazette., 1879-05-24
mAsKEr srss1sr nn11.c..n - "a. |. ),

MABAEE - - n -'r--- -77t{ NJ .s.ji "a
Hov the Chrsstiane neeA - SsSsSs, /.
~ s.S hOw tlso 1rf49e Hne nl''g7 u
Free 70 ali Passengsfs.l +s,s as4 81
A brief sdyertisemant appesrng y the
EAzETIE ia n~i,is tn tnat IN strss1 bad9 Al
he s.of'" fr for rruans-ons sYhussaays 49,.
and saturday. oftbis week, .ap4 4e2Rf
in tho ne: :uhborhood or the p1dge may
see ss that Ire crossing il cIoSeR ah9 'sAae y
wofk,nes, ars busy pattingI IinnehlneeNsrl
and otherwise repairing sa4d ,atcmq - j
inc the old structure that IL SeRinnlnz te
he a trifie ricketty through the conetens
travel ofmary years. Il 'wili 1ase eseey .
vears more though, for al thai d. btev!nr3'
GDg sigus Of old age, and mN spe& -
closed again, even for repairs, ~ H.. : ~ 7!iil
AS many interesting events and sssca.s
lections are recalled III the minde 0f 0s9
inhabitants when they 90 back 70 or
tain stages In tho history Of the hfieobir
it NAV not be out of the way tor ~ ~
90 back, also. and, write about ceTS9ln
things the bridge recalls. Inc Cn4
tiana has been spanned by . briose
this point since shortly s1ter l60S. . - =
act was, passed by the Legislature spn ~ Z
Goth OF January that year anyneW, apqH
was not long till bridge was put ~:
Previously to this; the creek wAs cro'
by ferries. Indeed In those Gays no
al, the streams that could not be torded
were crossed by this means. ~ Was n a
ACE Of few bridges and many ferry hosts.
me old ferry was near where Thl, d
street bridge now stands, and extended
between the site of the Diamond Htate
Iron works and That Of the Toynaend
Iron works opposite. me -. , =
The ferry was established in 1860 a. :
10. The grant was m .do BY Francis
Loyelace, who, at that time, was GSv-s
ernor of Delaware, New York, New Jer-
sew and part Of Pennsylvania. Here y
the grant sFrancisr Loyelacs grants .
small parcel of land in ChristeeG kill,
At Delaware. where formerly " foFfe
stood, wch Ives undlsposed OF, Il lyeing
near to We wa ersyde, whore Is q convey.
eut place to keepe ferTic for ye gtneEii
good of ye inhabitants, and that ye Ryvri.
Or wch Robt. Jones doth undertake. 70
main, ain with a sufficient boat for ~
same, if It may be granted, - ls feU0w-
mended 10 me By ye officers q Delaware
for an announcement to any such pnderr
taking as may tend 70 ye publiQue g0Ode;
knyw ye; with a clause that whosoever
hath ye land shall uphole ye ferry or 10
| Oh liged to ksepe q boat for that pvrpqees
he or thry taking some reasonable satis-
faction for ye passage &c. Qpit rent 1
bushel." [NoTE.--The one bushef "Quit
rent" is supposed to be one bnshel, OF
wheat] There was no terry over the
creek at the foot of Market street. be-
cause no road led from there till After
the bridge was built. 'ii''R '-ai..s H'ns 4"
| o< s.ahoa6 I1,vS hI1n
Legislature of 1907 was 70 ilcqrpor4tq
the Wilmington Bridge Company, =
and gave them power to nbuild . bridge
AMI lay out road in IssH0lland's Creek
Marsh" to the fast land near the house
Of Mayor Peter Joquett. 'ii"!A'.hn
Many years afi er this the people be-
? gan to complain of the excessive charge
imposed on all who crossed the bridge.
The fee was % cents to cross with alpaix
of horses. People could travel from
Delaware City to Philadelph1a by FOOT
: for the same money and hence, j instead
their purchases, many of the people Of
the lower Hundreds would GO 70 Phila-
delphia, This lost much trade to Will
mington and the people agitated the
matter Of purchasing the bridge and
mailing the ps passage s,gs tree rec; 4 was oon-
terixed the passing of the bill at the last
Legislature to remove the seat ofjustioa
from New Castle to Wilmington, but
was not SO extended. In 1649 the first
decided move WAS made & TO have the
bridge ,pprchased. Francis Vincent. .
Joined In the hue and cry with . hesrty
goodwill. 1t was in the paluly' days OF
of the old Blue Hens Chicken and the
paper possessed much influence Mr..
: Vincent wrote to each candidate Of the
Levy Court, T. as,kiag t,sig them Il they would
bill passed BY the Legislature autb0Fiz-
ing them to issue bonds to rxise the
necessary amount. They all responded
to the affirmative. But there wasi more
to deal with than the, Levy Court The
!. Legislature had not pas. ed the bill, II
4 must be remembered, and New Castle,
who was jealous of Wiimingtas, had
much more influence at the State Capt.
tai than now. New Castle l0bbl6d
. against it, and 1t was killed. isunq nnfies
In the fall Of 1850, :Ereeing the
Bridge" was made a campaiRnS issue
The contest was between tue Wings in<l
Democrats. Mr.. Vincent questioned
= not only the candidates, for the Lew
Court but also those for the Legtslasure
Nearly all the Democrats responded Il
was elected upon that ground. One 81
y ! them, Basset Ferguson, ,.of AppOQuiui
mink HuCdred, responded ~ folloWs
n "FRANcIs VINCENT, ESQ :-Deaf Sir
In reply to your letter, i will state thai !
u am in favo- of the measure and, ifelecf
}. ed, will vote in favor of q law for freeinl
= the bridge or erecting NEW ione.H srl,7'
l Yours Respectfully, hnn .s',,,o,..i.
y Nov. 1st. 1850 BAssErT FERGusoN.
q; Bassett Ferguson was elected and tifp
y ed the measure in the Legislakur
u to the fullest extent of his ahllit
ID which is said to have been great. Tk,
q bill passed both houses easily and in
u very short time the bonds had been Il
l sued and $40 900 paid for the bridge ap,
N it was free. T i.f INV D9l.gf,li Ge,HiT''-
T. e The county did not lose anything b
u the purchase, IN even a pecuniary sense
~ for during the same session the M,
Castle and Frenohtown B.. B. %. ~
a organized and was to, give 100000 I
70 the Staee for running road through /
lg so, 600 OF this cum was paid the county
y, reimburse 1t for the sum, paid for Ii
eu bridge. This was also done throuRh IA
IL sett Fergusoh's efforts. 81 ihdi b1Glsl-
~ The capital stock of the BRIDGE Cor
al pany was to be SID, 900 in shares of n
each. It was to be under the l,,SnrS
an ment of William Oollins, William 'HeH
w phil. John Warner, James Lea and Il,
cob Broom. The causeway waS set -
ne more than go feet, NOW less than 20 r.,