The daily gazette., 1880-03-02
The Rfees improvements.
THE STRENGTH OF THE COULTER PEE
TITioN AGAINST THE ICE PIERS
IMPROVEMENTS OF SOME KIND
NEHnun

THE sTRENGTH OF THE COULTER Pc
TiTi0N AGAINST THE ICE PIERS
IMPROVEMENTS OF SOME KIND
NEEDED.
AS stated in yesterdays GAZETTE.
certain wharf owners along the Chris
tiana sent TO Congress a petition pray
ing that no appropriation be made for
Ice piers in the Delaware river, oppo-
site Christiana avenue, as petitioned
for by large number of the citizens
of this city. The main reasons assign
ed Tor this counter petition are that
tile ice piers will be an obstruction in
stead of an improvement to the navi-
CATION of the river.
This counter petition has been kent
very quiet, but it is said its signers in
ciude nearly all the wharf owners
along the Cbristiana, from Walton,
Whann q Co.'s phosphate works to
the light house. This may be so, but
when it is considered that the city of
wilmington owns the bulk of the
wharves within the city limits, it
leaves the other wharf owners ssfew
and far between"
Further, one of the sections of the
counter petitions contains section
that any man having the welfare of the
city of Wilmington at heart should be
ashamed to subscribe his name to. It
says the ice piers at Marcus Hook and
New Castle are only fifteen miles
apart, and are adequate for the pro-
lection of vessels navigating the Della
ware river. Therefore, there is no ne
cessity for an ice harbor at this point.
This is a beautiful sentiment for a
Wilmingtonian to entertain. 1t is
we'll enough for little points like Mar
Gus Hook and New Castle to be pro-
tected, but the great and growing
commercial interets of Wilmington
must be put off without any adequate
connection with the Delaware river.
The charge that the proposed ice
piers would damage instead of improv-
ing the navigation of the Delaware, is
is mere matter of conjecture, not
borne out, by facts. AS against this
charge, however, is the appearance on
the petition for piers Of the names OF
a number of well-known river men,
who certainly would not urge any
measure likely to prove detrimental to
their business interests. When such
men as Homer and Henry H. Barry
Capt. John Heacock, of the tug Fal-
con, Capt. ]. II. Sullivan, of the tug
Meteor, Capt. N. Alexander, and A.
NJ. Ford, tide calculator, sign the pc.
titions, it can be accepted as reason
ably certain that the improvement
asked for will be a decided benefit tc
the river approaches of this city.
However, the friends of the i'm.
provement scheme are not hide-bound
to the ice-pier project They hit upor
| it because it would so improve the
Christiana harbor, as to draw there al
immense number of vessels, whose
| proximity to this city would be sure Il
benefit our commercial interests, anC
eventually result in the construction O
| a wharf, and consequent direct con
nection between this city and the
mighty commerce that constantly
plows the broad waters of the Della
ware. If ice piers are not compatible
with safe and convenient navigation
let them be dropped, and an appropri
alton secured for removing the flats al
the mouth of the Christiana. There
is vast room for improvement, and
whatever differences of opinion may
exist in regard to the feasibility of one
plan or the other, they should not be
directed against securing government
attention to this important considera-
ton, and an appropriation for the i'm
provement of the Christiana and Del
aware rivers, in the vicinity of the city
| limits.
The City Council committee having
this matter in charge held meeting,
last evening, and decided to convey
The petition for ice piers to Washing
ton, at such time as will suit our Sen.
ators and Representatives to give the
committee an audience.
o.