Daily Republican., 1881-11-26
Thas DsiAge.

w That Bridge.
eWhat istt0 hs done about the Elsv'
enth street bridge affair? This is q
problem mot easily solved, at this stage
Of IL erection, but nevertheless this
question Is asked BY more than = thou.
sani artisans and laborsrs who are
compelled daily TO cross and re- ecross
tie Br.ndywine. 10 asked BY Bow
IN. Dure s. Co., car builders; by the
new caunery company; BY b. F. Pick
els, foundrymAn; BY the Jute manu-
isctnring company, each Of them losing
thousands of dollars BY the delay. The
question Ia asked by hundreds Of ladies'
from the East side, who have to cross
and re.cross the Brandywine when
they go shopping. 1t is asked by per-
Sons who want to 60 to church ON Sun.
days and also during the week, and
hundreds Of school children who have
to cross to this side to 60 to school. The
hundreds Of men who visited the City
Council last night and presented peti.
tion nearly q rod long asking for that
relief which had been denied them by
those who should have como to their re-
lief, are intensely interested in the
building of that bridge and anxious
that it should be completed In time to
remove the danger Of drowning by
crossing in little skiffs manned by
twelve or fourteen year old boys, and
the danger Of being crushed to . jelly
or knocked off the railroad bridge and
drowned, by q passing train. We are
not only surprised that these thousands
of citizens are not only anxious to have
tho bridge completed, but they are get
ting in q terribly out Of humor earnest
that it was not completed long ago, and
woe be to those who are the cause Of the
delay when those thousand workmen
who have votes get chance to pop At
them with paper ballots.
But it may be asked, why is there so
much feeling on this question? We
answer, simply because the whole
sourse pursued has been an outrage on
the people. Work was commenced on
the 10th of August, and the first
hing done was 70 tear down the old
bridge before there was pile or stone
delivered on the ground, with which to
,uild the new one. This was an out
aye, because the people who crossed
he bridge had then to resort to skiffs
md the dangerous railroad bridge as a
asst chance. In doing so some have
,eeD crippled and nearly drowned by
,rossing with the skiffs, and others
lave been killed and knocked from the
railroad bridge by trains whirling
Glong at the rate of % or 80 miles An
hour, when the city ordinances pro-
hibit them from going greater rate Of
,pesd than six miles an hour.
The old bridge should not have been
;orn away until the new bridge had
so far that the old one was
n the road. Another CAUSE Of com
Dlaint is that the contract for building
,he bridge was let without competition.
The only company that was asked to
bid was given its own price, and no
lime specified in which the contract
was, to be completed. The company
was its own architect, made Its own
plans and got its own price. 1t is rig
niflcant that $50, 900 were appropriated
70, the job, and the estimate Of the COM
pany though not made public was few
over $4,000. A little close
and the addition of few
bolts mora might have brought the
amount up to $40, ,999. SO, without any
extras We are told that the building
committee looked at the bid and were
convinced that the bridge could not be
built any cheap per. What did the com-
m .ttee know about bridge building ?
How did they know whether the bid
was too high or too low? Why did they
not ask Philip Quigley or some other
and competent bridge build
or what it was worth aud wha5 he
would build it for ? Another cause for
complaint is that laborers from Phila-
delphia are employed to the exclusion
OF Wilmington workmen; the tir't bav-
ing no interest whatever in our city nor
in getting the bridge completed. These
are all just causes for complaint and as
the committee of the Levy court is said
to have peremptorily refused to provide
any temporary relief, 1t is hoped that
the City Council will grant tine prayer
of the petitioners and il the Railroad
company will permit, construct foot
bridge along side and outside of the
railroad bridge for temporary relief.
The City Council should dc this and
then present the bill OF costs to the
Levy Court for payment.
4 Sheep fer Sen ater Bayard's Or.
gan.
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