Daily Republican., 1881-11-12
THAT BRIDGE.
sLOw PRveREss IN BUILoiH 9
ElsvSn, h street BPidGo-Sone In
sesesslDg Kinks Absat The
Osn11sss-A Wilmingsen
EnuovpPlse.
A rtnrssentasiya of the RnrrrlrcAH

| A representative Of the RBPUBLrcAH
took a stroll yesterday down in the
neighbOrhood Of Eleventh street Bridge
70 see what he could sse In relation to
this needed nnd much della yed improve
meni. The hrst things noticeable, were
one finished abutment, one abutment
under way, one pier finished, one under
way and another with piles driven but
the stone work not commenced. Since
the tenth Of August the contractors
have only built one abutment, one part
~, driven the piles for three piers,
built one pier aud commenced a second.
The reporter was informed that every
thing nsSsible was being done to facili-
tate ute work especially since "some
fellow made such d---l Of fuss in
the REPUBLICAN last week. There
are some interesting inside workings in
the contract for building this bridge
which have never been fully v>ntila-
ted.
The contrac. as has already been
sta ted was awarded 10y the Levy Court
Com pliJtee 10 the Edgemoor lroa Con.
pany ut their own price, no proposals
being asked for. The company also
was its own architect and ma to their
own pions There could be no objec-
tion 10 awarding the contract 20 the
Hdgeuoor Iron Company, for it is the
only iron bridge manufacturing COM
lanyin Delaware, but there are a mum
ber Of bridge builders in Wilmington
that could as reasonably have contract
ed for all tho work and employed the
Edcemoor Iron Company to do the iron
Work. Objection is made to the Edge
Moor Company awar' ing the contract
FOR pilinq and building abutments aud
Pliers without giving Wilmington bridge
builders a chance 10 bid, to man
named noane, from Coatesville, and
poane in turn contracted with parties
in Philadelphia 70 dc the work. In
con sequence of this Philadelphia work
men take the place Of Wilmington
workmen. Yesterday there were some
fourteen men at work on the bridge, OF
whom eight were from Philadelphia,
some from Coatesville, and but few
from Wilmington.
Amongst those who are most indig-
nant against this discrimination
against Wilmington mechanics Is
Thomas Worth, responsible and WE'LL
known pile driver, who was never
asked TO make a bid 1t does not help
the matter any that Mr.. Worth was
asked TO make an examination Of the
| Chrisiana for the building Of he Will
mington 4 Northern Railroad Com
pany's new bridge, and afterwards to
engage the same Philadelphia contrac-
tor TO build the bridge, thereby again
cutting Mr.. Worth out of a Wilmington
contract that he conld have done better
and cheaper than outsiders
If the weather continues favorable,
the Eleventh Street bridge might le
finished by Christmas, but the proba-
hilities are that the work will be pro-
lonpa! until away out i'll the spring.
Very little disposition seems to be
manifested TO finish 'he work. There
is nothing to hinder the Levy Court
from filling up the approaches to the
bridge now, NO that when the bridge Is
finished the approaches would have
been settled anG ready for immediate
use. Nothing Of this kind, however, is
going to happen and she few men who
are employed on the piers, are plodding
away az a snaii's pace, and the piers
are rising up beautifully and grAndly
about as last a. ant hills. Meanwhile,
hundreds of laborers, women and chill
dren are put to the expense of tsrrying
across, or running the gauntlet OF the
railroad bridea, without as mnch as a
plank to walk on. ard are in danger OF
being crushed to pieces by trains which
meet on the bridge,
J rluhi in in, the Iplay
ours to the manufacturing firms on the
East side. Mr.. Henry f. Pickles IN
| formed the reporter cfthe REPUBLICAN
yesterday that 81 900 would not pay
him for the cartage OF his materials
needed in his foundry, around by Mar
ket st eet Bridge and down Nandever
Avenue hub deep in mud. Bowers
pnre a. Co. car manufacturers, who EN-
ploy over four hupdted hands are put
| to serious inconvenience. Much CT
their material is shipped to this city
in the packets. the wharf being a dia-
tMce of only about five squares away
and vet those gentlemen are com
psled to baut their material at least
two miles around to ses to their place
Of business.
IftIhe loss 10 |nls coiD lths "i'Ho ~'
reac ch into thousands OF dollars.
Everybody is put to u very great dis-
advantage Market people, school emil
dren, church attendants and all feel the
imposition that is being practiced upon
| them.
1t is said that the men who are
/ building the pier abnttAents have 10
work between the tides That is true,
but there need be no working between
tides to fill up tn approaches to the
bridge This much AT least might De
cone. 1t is not surprising tn the City
Council was implored lastnight by the
workmen on the east side to DO some
thing in the matter, for the delay IN
the building of the bridge has not only
become an in,olerable nuisance but an
intolerable outrage.