Daily Republican., 1881-06-21
ROAD TO THE RIVER,
Letter from George g. LObdelI Gov.
ering the Whole subject.


but when our newspapers in their editor
als ADVANCE ideas and make statements
that are erroneous, and calculated (un'
intentiOnly or otherwise) to nislead the
people, they should be noticed. That il
may not be said, when too late to correct
!. these errors and remedy the mistake,
that the people were not warned that
the erection of o wharf on the Deleware
d by the city at this time was not required,
t that it would prove a needless expendi-
!, ture aud waste of the peoples money,
!. l crave small space in your columns.
r | have not time or inclination, and DO
nc propose to enter intoa newspaper
controversy, but simply to ask u few
questions and state few facts. ! shall
rontine myself to the question of the ne
cessity and benefit of a wharf On the
9 Delaware, and TO the capacity of the
' Brandywine and Christiana rivers to
accommodate the commerce and buSi-
ness of the city for many years TO come.
am not opposed and know Of no one
who is opposed to road 70 the river
and wharf on the same, whenever il
shall become necessary and whenever
it will benefit the business of the city
more rhan it will cost. The advocates
of wharf Oh the Delaware have never
given any good reason why it is needed,
a and why it will be Of such great benefit,
or what will be landed Oh il or shipped
from it. Not one of our leading manu-
factories, from the pulp works to
Bowers, Dure & Company, our morocco
manufactures, or -four mills, need Il or
would make use of it if made, | have
han arl hS,t l, -inuln
of any person who could Name single
article sold or manufactured in this city,
that would be landed or shipped from
it; that person thought said he there
might be shad landed on it-rather a
costly landing for Shad 1t has been i'll
timatrd that the grain grown on the
Peninsula would be shipped from it,
which is very doubtful. Why is it not
shipped in quantities from New Castle,
where there is q wharf and railroad con-
neCticn? lfa wharf ON the Delaware
will make Wilmington great grain
shipping port, let Us have one and that
as soon rs possible; but We must not |
loose sight Of the fact that it takes some
thing more than wharf, something
more than p place wherc vessels can lie
and make fast to, to afford facilities for
shipping grain, and that such facilities
requiring expensive elevators, are made
only at great cost. The machinery alone,
now being made in this city for one,
will cost S9O, ,OOO and this will b. the
smallest part of the expense.
Besides this it takes capital to buy
and hold the grain. Who is to furnish
this? Will our city do it? think not.
Would such elevator be put on the
city wharf Certainly not. Then how
would the building of wharf facilitate
the shipment of grain? 1t is within the
province of municipal corporations to
open, grade aud pave streets and ave
pues, and TO provide water, schools, &c,
for its citizens, but, i'll my opinion, 1t is
very questionable whether they have
the right to erect wharveS, or struct-
ures of this kind, which should be made {
by rivate enterprise. lfa wharf on
the Delaware will have such wonder !
full effect, why has it rot made great
cities out of New Castle, Chester, Mar
Gus Hook, and Pennsgrove, which places I
have had WhaTveS Tor many years.
do not think an elevator on the Del
aware at this point would control the :
grain trade of the Eastern shore of Mary {
land, which is now enjoyed by Balti-
more, whose capitalists, backed by the
influence of powerful corporation,
would not quietly submit toits loss. If |
there was a wharf on the Delaware {
would vessels lie there if they could get :
into the ChristiaEa river? Is there a :
harbor there? What is the condition of |
the river front when in a Storm with t
the wind blowing from the northeast,
east or southeast? What when Ice is
running freely? Would it be better
than it is at New Castle? II so, why? :
Until it can be shown that there is a |
necessity for wharf, that there is any I
description of MERCHANDISE that would s
be landed on iC or shipped from it that {
now is received or shipped from any
other place, that our manufacturers 7
could receive freight and ship their pro- e
duets at less 'ost, hold that it is un- I
necessary, and that the city SHOULD not a
spend the peoples money for Its erec- d
ton. - v
The Brandywine aud the Christi ana {
with the marshes Oh the anne, if prop
,rly improved, would afford all the Ia =
iilities for the commerce and manufac- |;
.ures of this city for many years to come. /,
These streams have about nine miles of
water front, most of which is of that n
character that makes the building of Il
'lips and docks of great depth easy, and r.
or all of this distance they can be made n
lvailable for vessels drawing eight feet Il
If water, more than half of it for YES
els drawing fifteen to eighteen feet of N
water, and one fourth Of it for veseels
lrawing from twenty-one to twenty n,
our feet of water, and this at a compar- a,
lively tritiing COST to the city, if it will r.
rovide some means to prev cut the dirt VI,
rom the streets from filing them up. 70
f the city will do this much, the mi oI
ed States GOvernment will do the rest et
That this is true, would call your at 6,
ention to some facts in connection with ~,
nese streams, and to what has been r.
one to the river Clyde. Opposite to W.
nd for some distance above and below ~
le Christiana Iron Company's rolling ba
ill, there is eighteen aud twenty feet 80 10
water at low tide, or twenty four or ii; -;
yenty-six at high tide. 1t is the in -, -,
,ntion and expectation of the Govern H.;
lent to make depth Uf fifteen teeL or 81, -,
lore across the bar at the mouth ofthe w.. ~,
eek at low water. Colonel Lldlnw N'
lfol ms me that it wellld BIZ perfectly u
to maintain twenty zone to -'-
feet of water from that
,int inside of the mouth of the Chris e.c
ana t. the channel in the Delaware, if ~ ~
e city would stop filling up tie Chris ne "n
ana with dirt from its streets. .nI nJI'
About 1886 the whaling ship Ceres to' ,o'
it her wharf in this city (noW part ", "
the Pusey & Jones Conpany's pr,,p- oh, Oh,
ty) loaded and drawing twenty feet iih h'
water. Now, a tew facts as to the taa
yer CT. de and the cit, of Glasgow, fI,. ua
"a gov is sisuat, d ON the river Clyde, div G
out twenty miles from the sea- In Jis
q city and vicinity there is popula. i Th,
IN OF about $4,000. 1t has three ca fon
Is and seven railroads leading to diff ,J ,oJ
.nt parts of Scotland. In 1877 there WV
re 152 blast furnaces, which have pro-