Daily Republican., 1881-10-26
For the RnPunLlcAH.
Our Was0P DupDDy.

I
Of the wator Of the Brand Y wine, ~ re-
ported BY the Morning News Of the 10th
inst. member Of the Committee sug-
gested that "ShoulA the examination OF
the Brandy vino to the State limo prove
incsnclusive it will bs followed out very
fully, and that 10, that the trouble comes
from above the State line." He had un-
derstOod, he said, that many and foul
impurities are constantly being allow.
ed to empty into the Brandy vine at
Coatesville, also At West Chester, and
other poinLs along the stream.
Nov this gentleman's hsArsay evi.
den:e lacks facts TO sustain 1t. Both
the east and the west branches of the
Brandywine flow through land sltsrua.
ted by precipitous hill. and level mead
ows, continuing this characteristic even
to The Delaware line, might say to
lido water. The hills Oh tho margin OF
Tho stream have, generally, their base
In the water, while their altitude may
be several hundred feet: their conforma.
tion, therefore, renders them unit for
building sites. Clrcumstan ces may
sometimes induce man to chOose On
eyris Tor adweling place, but the choice
is.not At all prevalent. Nuisan :es will
not flow from An uninhabitel preci.
pice.
The meadows are. generally, an OK.
tended level, elevated but u few feet
above the average height OF the cur
rent. Nor will man choose this beau
it'll and accessible meadow on the ro-
mantle BANKS OF the ruellihuous Brandy
VINE for his domicile and appurte-
nances, because he knows from expert
ence or information that the lives Of his
family and those Of his live stock
would be in conS'An danger of inundA-
tion; and that his buildings would be
liable to be swept away at any time in
tho year. Having resided for many
years in the vicinity OF the Brandy wine
in the county of Chester, and nearly
two years as near the Brandy wine az
persons dare build, know OF what
speak. In February of the year 1924,
saw Predecessor of the present
bridge near Sayers' mill, near where
Lenape station on the Wilmington &
Northern Railroad now is, buoyed from
the pier and ahutments Oh hic: it had
rested, and ti,atsd down the stream ~
II 1t had been raft uf lumber. The
water Lad risen perpendicularly to
height OF twenty feet above tho common
level, reaching across the tailr race Of
the mill and carrying a heavy log-car-
riage n lmoSt to the level OF the fro 1t en-
trance to tho mill.
Traverse the Brandy wine from the
point where it widens and deepens until
1t may worthily assume its proper
name to an ascertained point above the
city Of Wilmington, and sou will tiud
that the inhabitants have kept 10 far
awaJ with their buildings from the Dor.
der of the stream, that to perpetrato =
nuisance on iLs waters would be much
more incon venient than to refrain from
IL. Hence, few n,lisances, can bs Iound
on the Branlywiue above the vicinity
Of Wilmington The same reasons rule
at Coatesvile; best les, the town OF
G, atesville str tches out mile aud a
half along the turnpike, while the
Brandywine crosses the turnpike at q
right angle. Below the bridge on the
lott bank there are no buildings, and
but few on the right bank and they are
On a high bluff beyond the reach of pollu-
tug the water. There are rolling mills on
the bluff below the bridge ~ we'll ~
several others above the bridge. These
mills are mostly moved by the power Of
the stream, but some have steam power
added Al an assistant. Some objection
may be urg d 10 the liability Of the
mills to pOllute the water, but these OBJ
jections vanish when We reflect that
iron is the staple commodity handled,
and that there is no poison or filth iu its
or in its manipulation. Be-
sides, 80 few persons are employed in
handling the iron aud its products,
to the nun Der employed in
The process Of cotton, WOODEN and paper
mills, with their free use OF chemical
and other noxious ingreui-
,nts, that the possibilities OF a nuisance
n the former dwindle into insiguif
,ance wien compared with the latter
Downington is Oh the eastern branch
If the Brandywine, but, like Coates
lille, it is stretched out j n miles on
.i,her side of the turnpike The Brandy
vine crosses tie pike under stone
'iaduct; and at right angle, as al
and like it's neighbOr Of the
vest branch, IL frequently gets high"
N water, while two intoxicants COM
,ose its name. Like some other bodies
hat Re. high its propinquity is avoided,
when houses are built.
Now az to West Chester The mem
'er' of the water Committee whose
I@ech gave lite to my text, spoke Of
West Chester and other points along
he line of tho stream, allowed many
nd foul impurities 10 enter into the
His hearsay evidence is
.reatly at fault here. Wesc Chester Is
full mile and half from the Brandy
vine in direct line. The only stream
f water running from Vest Chester
oward that classic stream originates at
spring at the corner Of High aid
'hestnut streets. Thirty years ago it
ad stone house O,or it, but the
Iarch Of Improvement overlook 1t and
was deepeued by digging and arched
yer, and the water conveyed toward
he Brandy ywine in a culvers or drain
~ tiles, aud on the siJe Of the old
priug was built a fine brick dwelling
OuSe Win uIy CFIiok uHuoEucaIH |
he spring was thus conveyed under
lish street, through a lot Of ground
iii vacant of buildings until it passes
nder and beyond Church street. where
emerges from It's underground pas
age, as linpid and pure as o pendant
ew-drop. This stleamlet then mean.
ers through succession Of grassy
elds, babbling a welcome to kindred
lis which join it on its zigzag voyage
the ocean, or perchance to realms az.
al until it immerges iuto stream OF
rger proportions, thar gains volume by
lcn aCcessions, aslt flows through land
IRE and indebted, thus entering the
raudywine uDpolluled by appliances
mans invention.
TIE foregoing is a fair representation {
the possibilities of the Br andywiue /
ing polluted by the "ioul impurities 4
hich are constantly allowed to enter t
from West Chester &
Much the larger part of the territory
the borough of West Ches-
r, on which niuetenths the inhabi.