The daily gazette., 1879-04-16
Letter from Samuel Townsend
For the DELAWARE GAZETTE.

l sent few lines the other day as a
bomb to try TO find where the enemy lay
on the courthouse question. 1t had the
desired effect, for on Monday morning
the Herald said "the old basin or park"
Where IN the name of God the "park" is
that Wilmington pledges do not know.
Is it the rocky hillside and swamp bor-
dering on Brandywine creek or .gut ?"
The Herald says in locating in the Park
you should look not at what il Is but at
what 1t may become. Then, Mr.. Herald,
your meaning is that the courthouse
should be taken from New Castle, town
situated on the Delaware river, one of
finest rivers Of the world, where the iron
business is rapidly developing, and mil
lions of eyes are turning towards that
spot (New Castle) as the future location
Of the great iron ship yards of the world.
And then, Mr.. Herald, to tear away tie
courthouse from that place aud locate it
along a puny sucker branch called the
BrandywiIe and as the Herald admits
it is six hundred yards or one-third of a
mile fl ON the old basin, or tbree-quarters
of a mile from the railroad depot, aud a
two mule liue of street cars that not one
tenth of the people could get in on morn
ings in court time, thus subjecting them
TO heavy fines, no people will bear such
attempted imposition, but you people of
iron bridge notoriety at Washington
street. Ii IDIOTS would build court
house west of that iron bridge site and
therefore turn Blandywine Hundred
court travel over said proposed iron
bridge, that is only to cost the little sum
Ix<f nnn 10 Lot ,rn,,lI al I,
Brandywine. The old basin is uphill
and too far north for the centre of popu-
lation of this county.
Front street, near Market, ought 10 be
the place, if the county Courthouse is
ever to 60 to Wilmington. 1t is as far
North as it should go. But if Whining
ton, Brandywine, Christiana and Mill
Creek hundred are to form a county to
themselves, fix it in that imaginary park,
hillside or swamp, or where you please
but do not ask the seven lower hundreds
to 90 up to the old basin OF to the borders
of Chester county, and if you attempt it,
l think, If all other powers fail us, we
can make a plain case before the Chan
cellor for an nunction to restrain dol
| lar from beng laid out at your old BASIN
or your BIandywine swamp-at least un-
til another session Of the Legislature.
Mr.. Herald you say it is only small
matter of hundred yards fIom the
old basin to site in that visionary park.
Suppose the Court was in session, would
it wait for people to travel one third, ol
one-haf mile or one mile? No. And
suppose persons wanted to make the train
they could not do it. There are two in
centives to locate it in the Brandywint
swamp. The half jackass-horse railway
cars, and the iron bridge over Brandywint
lot speculators, and the old basin is 1
kind of economical dodge to save The
city of Wilmington the outlay for q
Courthouse site, as believe it was sait
they promised to furnish the site free.
they did so promise, they should, as al
other fools, be released from such al
ofier for if the county determines a
any time to change the site of the Court
house to any hundred let the county pay
for it. Then the people are independent
Wilmington is in no condition to buy
new sites for Courthouse to give TO the
county, and the people Of the county arr
too independent to accept at our loss, thu
old cast off clothing of the city of Will
mington-the old basin. There need no
be any hurry about new Courthouse
The present one at New Castle is yer,
good one. SAMUEL TOWNSEND.
Townsend, April 10, @s79,