Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-04-16
THIRD STR EET BRIDGE.
Discussing "a Site for 81 New Draw
Over the Christiana--No objection
TO 's'flird street gncreased Tax
Rate Necessitated.

was devoted TO hearing the opinions o
interested persons concerning tho site fol
! the new bridge over the Christiana creek
to take the place Of the one now at the foo
OF Third street. All the members of the
court were in their seats when the court
opened, and by the time the bridge ques-
tion WINS reached William G.. Gibbons
Christian Febiger Victor du Pont, Esq,
George II. Bates, ESD, Levi @. Bird, ESD,
George q. Lobdell, james l.. DeVou, Joseph
L. Carpenter, Jr., Joseph Hyde, Henry Men
denhall Harlan Cause. Col Henry A. du
Pont, John Pyle, ex-Chairman Of the Court
William Bright, j. Wesley Hawkins, and
others had assembled.
The matter was introduced by Clerk
Osborne reading the resolutions passed by
City Council last evening asking that the
new bridge be built at the foot of Fourth
street. This was followed by petition to
the same purport with about 100 names
appended, and another containing the sig
natures of about 100 leading business men
asking that the new bridge be constructed
without an interference in the communica-
tion with the South Side. Captain W. H.
Smith offered another petition signed by
large number of the leading manufacturing
firms and companies asking that the new
bridge be built ut the foot of Third street,
In or directly beside the site OF the one now
in use.
OlluIltEDSA, uiltT lilb
had been presented and explanations salts
faetorily given, asked 20 hear from any one
present interested in the matter.
James j.. DE You was the first to take the
floor, and he advocated the building of the
new bridge on the site of the old one,
chiefly upon economic measures. He ro-
ferred to the tendency to increase the county
and ciiy taxes, and cited the county's debt
as an argument 10 Illustrate the necessity of
economy.
Lana. lemons voice was next heard He
directly launched forth his invnetives
Igainsi corporations and their methods, and
,aust,cally criticised the new bridge ut
Market street and the way it Ind been built.
de designated himself ns taxpayer and
scornfully referred to Mr., DeYou as n man
who invested all his money in bonds where
he would not have to pay county tax. Mr..
Lemons harangue inspired member to
move that speeches hereafter be confined to
10 minues' time, a proposition heartily
acquiesced in.
George H. Bates, Esq, representing the
Kennebec Ice Company and the Diamond
State Iron Company stated that his clients
had no opinion to present as to where the
new bridge should be, as it made no differ
ence TO them, but they wished to urge upon
the court to make arrangements to have
the new draw built so that travel would not
be disturbed. The necessity of unob-
structed communication he illustrated
was manifest by the amount of
traffic passing over the bridge, which by
actual count, averaged 600 teams per day
and about 1000 foot passengers. He thought
that with good management the present
bridge could he repaired so as to last some
time yet. But IL a new one was built on the
old bridge site it could be done without any
interruption to traffic. The annoyance to
which, the public were subjected by the
delay in finishing the Eleventh street bridge
when communication across it was inter-
rupted for six months was referred to.
Victor dupont, Esq, representing the
Wilmington 4 Northern Railroad Company,
stated that II the bridge could be built at
Third street without interfering with travel
his clients had no objections to present.
The opposition his company had to Fourth
street was that all the railroad company's
on the South Side had been
made with the view of the span of the creek
being made at Third street, and to change
it would seriously interfere with the com
pany's business. To build the bridge ut
Fourth street he claimed would en-
tail a loss to the company which couldn't be
compensated by money, and the damages
allowed for the land taken would add ma
terially TO the cost of the bridge. Even il
the damages were relatively low, it would
add materially to the county's expense. He
took it for granted that in view of the
present county debt the court did not want
to spend any more money than was neceS-
sary. The rate now is so cents (which Mr..
Haman, interrupting tho speaker for a mo-
ment, stated would have to be increased to
65 cents if any bridge is built this yearl. He
advocated repairing the old bridge, if it
were possible TO do so; and in the event of
that not being possible to erect the new one
at Third street, and save as much expense
to the taxpayers as possible.
Levi @. Bird, Esq, representing the Bal
timore 4 Ohio Railroad Company, directed
the attention OF the court to the additional
expense of building the new bridge ut
Fourth street. There will be $40, 900 or
1901 damage to property on the South
Side, and there will be damage to property
owners on this side which must be paid.
Then there are the extra expenses for ap-
proaehes which will make the additional
expense enormous The most serious
objection to the Fourth street site is that
the draw at that point, owing to the turn in
the creek, would seriously Interfere with
and the government would step
in and prevent its erection. This is the
reason why the bridge was put at Third
street in the first place. The petition pre-
sented by Captain Smith, favoring the Third
street site, he claimed was signed by nine
tenths of the largest manufacturing firms
in the city; They are the heaviest
u
Fourth street would involve an expenditure
of from $40, 1000 to $l00,000 more than ut
Third street, consequently their petitions
should hn considered. By the change he
held that the Fourth street wharf, the only
free wharf in the city would be destroyed.
He with Mr.. dupont offered to pay the eX-
pense of employing an engineer to estimate
the additional cost of building the span at
Fourth street.
William G. Gibbons, president of the
Pusey Il Jones Company, opposed the
measure primarily as tax payer. The
people here engaged In business have to
compete with those of other cities and the
rate of taxation enters largely into the COM
petition. An increase of the rate Just now
would be burden upon the people Of the
entire county. Another very strong argu-
ment in favor of the present site was that
by reason OF the windings and bends in the
creek it is at the only place In the near
vicinity where Il vessel can get through
without n very great danger OF collidinE
with the bridge. Ii at Fourth street vessels
must change their course up and down To
get through and the risks OF collisions are
very great.
George G.. Lobdel of the I.ohdell Car
Wheel Company had no preference OF u
site, and only asked that travel should not
be interrupted while the new structure was
being set up.
JbStlWl L. fitNiIu SENIOR nleInilef bi tlt
firm of Hcalh Il Co., proceeded 10 explain
by rap whore the new bridge
shotli hr bnili, The line representing the
bridge crossed the creek at an acute angle,
starting just above Fourth street on the
property of the r., W. & u. Railroad Com
parry and .itrikin. Il part of the j. 4 y.
Railroad Compnnys lot on the South Side,
AMI running to huck street, or by Il curve
10 Chlistiana avenue. MIR. Heald stated
that he knew what he was talking about and
knew that the reason the bridge was not
put there in 1867 WIS bacanse OF private hi-
lerestS which so influenced tho selection Of
the site that all argument or reasoning in
the matter were useless. He emphasized
the fact that this was the time to put the
matter right.
Christian Fehiger representing the r., W
Il u. Railroad Company, stated his clients
were the heaviest taxpayer in the State. He
reruted Mr.. Haald's statement that private
interests governed the selection Of the pre-
sent bridges site. He endorsed previou,
statements that If built at Fourth street thu
| now bridge would liz aiobstruction to navi
CATION. BY adopting the site proposed b,
| Mr.. Heald the cpmpanys shops and PAR. o
| its wharf would be taken, which would in
voive additional expense and necessitat
| heavier taxes. He gave as his opinion tina
the cost would be considerably more II tn
bridge was built so as not to interfere witt
travel
Captain Smith pointed to the defects i
Mr.. Heald's plan and insinuated that il wa
offered with the desire to benefit the PROF
erty of the Christiana Improvement Con
pany. This allegation Mr. Heald empha
ically denied.
Mr.. Lobdell gave as his opinion that til
condition of the ground was such that al
proaches could not be made on the sout
side of the Fourth street site, which woul
, be safe for teams.
: j. Wesley Hawkins, member Of II
levy court when Third street bridge WI
built, stated that its location was select,
because il was the only place whore it eou