Daily Republican., 1881-08-23
On TO the River Front.

Captain Cotton, OF tne American
Dredging Company, in his speech Oh
Sunday, on board the tug Robert j.
Kirkland, on It's return with the CoHn-
cilmanic fishing party from Le"es, let
the City Fathers into the purposes and
intentions of the Company ne represents.
He says that the gentlemen with him
self who compose the Company repre-
sent $j,00N,000 Of capital, and are
amongst the men owning the new Mu-
tual Union Telegraph Colupany, whose
lines run through our city, that they
own ninety. three acres OF river front
property, that they intend to make
Wilmington their central location,
build large buildings, ana Improve the
property. and that they are interested
in the progress and prosperity of the
city. These are the kind of men thay
Wilmington needs, and we welcome
them amongst us. With the great can
ming factory ALREADY under way at tli,
end of the improvements which extend
towards the river, and the National
Dredging Company owning ninety three
acres on the Delaware at the other end
OF the Improvements, working towards
the city, not nly g road to the river is
insured in very short time bit inl-
provements and mauuturtoriesmu i'm
mcdiately follow ali along the line. The
action Of the City Council at lis last
meeting, while not all that i, necessary
to complete the road to the river on the
North side, will bring the grading ofthe
Fourth Street route up as far as the
Brandywine. We are informed that
Captain Cotton will have the surveyors
at work this week, and the work of fill
ing in will be commenced in few days
or as soon as the tramways are con.
structed to the Brandywine. When
this is completed and filed, Fourth
street will be already graded forty
thousand feet or just about three quar-.
ters of a mile, not only one hund,ed
feet wide, AS provided by contract, but
from three TO four hundred feet wide,
making fast ground upon which manu-
ia tories can be built or profitable crops
raised
OF course il is to the interest Of the
company to reclaim as much land as
possible from its marshy condition and
Fourth street will be made the line base |
of operati )ns from which all the marsh
within distance Of two or three hun
dred feet on either side will be Ned in
and made fast ground. Daylight be-
gins to beam brightly on the river from;
improvements and the most skeptical
should begin to see by this time that it
is to the interest Of the city to heartily
second the efforts of the National
Dredging Company to reclaim tn
marshes intervening between the city
pr per and the Delaware. With Fourth
street graded from the Delaware to tie
Brandywine-three quarters of mile
the necessity will soon be apparent for
bridging the latter stream andcontinung
the road to the city either by the Fourth
or Seventh street extension. The &C.
ton of Council on Friday night last ap-
pears as little thing but after all it
promises to be big with profitable re-
suits to the city-which is as much IN.
terested in the river front ntimprovements
as the National Dredging Company. 1t
Is time that the city would throw off
all distrust Of the gentlemen composing
the National Dredging Company and
work in harmony with them. OF course
these gentlemen expect to reap a protita-
BILE harvest for the money they have in
vested in lani and in improvements on
the river front. This is no more than
natural, and exactly as it should be. 1t
cannot be expected that these gentle
men OF means are such disinterested
philanthropists as to establish them
selves here merely for the purpose of
reclaiming marsh land to prevent ma.
larial diseases and in other ways bcne-
fit the city without themselves reaping
some profit from their Investments We
are pleased that the city is at last reach
Ing out its fraternal hand and propos-
ing to become partners in sharing the
good results which must flow from the
efforts of the Dredging Company. IL is
$4,000 well invested, so now lot the
good work 90 ahead.