Daily Republican., 1883-11-03
v lMINGTON'S GROWTH.
4 GLANCE AT THE IMPROVE.
MENTA IN TnR EAsrEUN SEC.
TlON o. TME CITY.

4 GLANCE AT THE IMPROVE
MENTS IN TnR EAsrEUN SEC.
TlON 0F TME CITY.
That Wilmington 10 growing rapjdl
is an undisputsA fact, and II is equal j
true that sor.e sections are growtn
faster than Othsrs. A compartson q
the eastern part Of the city now vi
what it was . few years ago will shov
that 1t Is not lehind In growth and Inn
provements. Ten years ago = persol
could stand at Eighth and Lombar,
streets and have an almost unobstructs,
view Of EpwOrth Chapel at Tenth sn,
Church streets now, with the exceptios
of the lots from LON bard to Pine street
and fr".n Eighth 70 Tsnth street, tllt
whole Of what was then vacant grousid
Is solnliy covered with houses, and thes,
lots would no doubt have been bull
upon before this had they been for sale
In 1874 what IL now Eleventh stree
was . stone quarry, aAA large stone
breaker was In cOnsant operation. II
the early part OF that year L.onwrd g
Van kleek built row Of hot $3.50 tn.
east side of Spruce street, extending
from Ninth about half way to Tenth
street., and the same year hts brother
in..aw, General Jordan. finished a row
on he opposite side Of the same street.
The ground where both these rows
of houses we're built had been used az
Wilson's brckyard &nd was considered
Q long distance down town. "A one.
story frame building that had done duty
as an Office at the brickysrd, stool on
the line OF Kirkw00d street, which WAS
then only opened 10 Ninth street. In
this shanty, which had been divided
in 0 two rooms, resided old Dad Black,
VINO was said TO be "a native African
and his wife, Annie.
How old Dad WAS, no one ever knew,
but when he died. about three years
ago. Registrar Fravsr markesi him
somewhere In the nineties. When any.
one would ask Dad his age, his reply
would generally bs, d" we'll, sir, Use
about hundred and fifty and sixteen
o: seventeen years old, and 10 he might
have been for ah any one knew to the
contrary. He was = giant In size,
strong in proportion, and very few men
cared to work with him for even a sin.
gle day.
His stable adjoined his house, and
beemed TO TO be receptacle for all the
worn ont horses that no one else would
have, hut 1t WAS noticeable that the
Unfortunate equine that came into
hd's poss' ssi0n, and underwent a
pourse Of few we ks, or months at the
urthest, of his hard work and poor
EEL, generally gave up the ghost, and
10 tn H.,
(egrets. 1t was currently repor6ed, and
Believed by the seighbors, that Dad
ept himself supplied with salt meat
rom their carcasses.
The old man was very industrious,
(nd when he hsd the work to do won Id !
ise and be at 1t while others were |
eepng. On one occasion he contracted |
han abcutffty loads of dirs for a |
en'rnaD, anil was to receive s. for
be job. The dirt was TO be hauled but
short distance, and Dad rose early in
be morning and harnessed his horse to
lr cart and commenced operations.
lhout o'clock he stopped long enough
p'ake breakfast himself, bnt did not
Ike his no w out, or give h LII any thing
r'ept drink of water.
He continued at the work after
reak fast until ahout 3 o'clock in the
f'eruoon, when he took the horse ont
nd put him III the stable, with bucket
,iop for his supper. The next morn.
Tg the horse was defunct, and Dad
rohihly never rightly understood what
hnsed his death.
Short after the old man death the
hnty WAS torn down, and the site
now occupied by brick houses. A
Ny" nnmirr of dwellings have been
tr'ed on almost every street, and last
"r one hundred and ninety. two
Nlngs were constructed In this
cllon. Spruce street has been extend.
and the place where the stone
eaker stood IL now covered with
uses There were not AZ many
hiinRs put up this year az in 1882,
1t is probable tn. number will
ach one hundred. The most of the
''>es are small. and adapted to the
au'o of m chanics, and til" facs that
any OF them are owned by he oc.
pants speaks volnm y for the thrifty I
lt1 OF the working class OF this city
hot the improvements have not been
mined to dwellings, and there have <.
humber of fine stores erected,
Nr some of the industrial establish. +
MS, eHpnciall y the works of jackson
nharp, have been enlarged and i'm {
'VTl, The Diamond State Spring
orks, At the foot of Eight, street, has
we into the hands Of al incurpora- 5
'o'npany, and In a short time they |
END to III the place withnew and i'm.
wed machinery.
inrre have been improvements made {
'he Hilles Il Jones Company, who {
had III. Brandywine creek
isei in front of their works, and p,
c'ri wharves where vessels can load I
Their products. S.ihell 4 Hast
nav" not been behind but have
pace with the Mccullough Iron {
hpa'iy at the foot of seventh street, 4
zach have made Il number of inv.
srmtnts to enable them TO FIJI the
VI trS 'or their plates, which have
~ wide repu ation.
"Dlt year and a half ago John
milton Il Co. established coal and Ii
W yard that now has trade second
vi ~, lew In this city. The require
~" OF these business firms has at
r ,o' the attention Of the authorities q
""'hngfon, and the tolloaln I"tter !,
~'h addressed to the trm of Ham II
4 Co., +,
= Ia Will you kindly furnish ne
!, your opinion Of the desirability +
"pnv'hg the Brandy wine creek be- i
y en 'he mouth and Market street {
se Tor navigatiM', and state the +
II e'"' advantage to Ls derived there %
mo give the width and depth of S
'"' 81 low water hest ada ed to
'qnlI' lnents Of Your business. A
v m reply will greatly obi
y 'u'' respectfully joan II, DAGGER, r.
\, Asst. U. 4. Engineer. ;,
y ' Improvement OF the Brandy n
u VIII be of the greatest advantage ii
~ =" ,u,S, and there liz no doubt bu, n
II i, II II is thoroughly drrdae.i, an n, y
w.. .n VIII be by the United States r,
~ n,sG'lehf, other enterprises and ri
y +. ta'"c,nr's will he started on its Il
h..,, = o.