Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-12-23
HnAr IS prroNrs nAxK.


WHAT rs DUPONT'S BANK.
-
The Changes rhas ehavo Escen Made
in tbe Powder Yards and the Com.
venienI hkaBlroad Facilities Ihai
Have Hseeu PrOvfdeds
On the northwestern border of this
city extending along the Brandywine
river lies an extensive region known to
the outside world az duPopt's Banks.
This name is general one and applies to
no place in particular. But the number
of places with names Of their own which
lie within tho compass Of duPoht's Banks
is not only well nigh endless, but vastly
confusing. The stranger who comes to
this city to search for man, wien be is
told his man lives at duPopt's Banks, is
apt to lay the flattering unctiUn to his
soul that he has spotted bis "meht" But
when he starts for duPont's Banks the
tiends and demons hold high rev..ls, for
they know another victim is bel g pre-
pared for their cauldron, or at least the
chances are good enough to warrsnt them
in keeping the pitch hot. Suppose
he drives ont the Keuuett pike To Rising
Sun road and turns into that road. Now
he is in duPont's Banks, but he hasn't
found his man yet. he drives down the
road till he comes to O string of houses
that look like village. Il this duPont's
Banks asks he. No, this is Rising Sun.
He passes down 70 the creek and arrives
at New Bridge, which is old. He goes a
short distance up the west bank and ar
rives at Henry Clay and fokeby A little
further on and he Is at Breck's Lane. He
follows the road that he is travelling and
arrives at Barley Mill, but goes little
further and reaches Squirrel Rum. He
has not found bis man, so he retraces bis
steps to New Bridge and crosses that
structure to the east bank of the river,
which lands him in Walkers Bank. He
proseoutes his search up that bank and
flashes on the Keg Mill. The keg mill
was destroyed by fire several years ago,
but its name goes marching on.
Well, he hasn't found the object of his
desires, but by this time he has probably
made up his mind TO find the fellow or
die right there in that spiders web into
which in a evil hour he set his font and
which is called duPont's Banks. He re.
crosses the creek and starts of farther
north 10 the direction of Christ Church.
On the way he passes into Free Park,
which is its name in spite of the levity
of the natives who have christened it
Flee Park. He follows the road through
Free Park and passes the office of E. l.
DUPONT de Nemours q Go. He has
struck the core and centre of tho web
The chase must be getting warm. He
presses on and enters the Upper Banks.
From there he goes through tn Upper
Yard TO Iron Bridge, crosses it an hters
Charlea' Bank, in part of wi,iua he
encounters the unpoetic name of E,ickep
Alley. II is to be hoped the pe:s u who
has given him such o chase will apt be
found in SO unattractive pltce as
Chicken Alley, which is enough to make
the weary traveller give up in disgust or
sd pair. Let us draw the veil ever his
and his unrequited industry.
Vas ever an equally confined space of the
ealth's surface gifted and confused with
such variety of names Ask native
where he lives and he will tell you at
Free Park or Squirrel Run. He won't
say at duPont's Bank for that doesn't
mean anything definite enough to find so
ANAL particle as man by.
The mail for people living on du-
Points Banks must be sent to one of
two places. II it is intended for the
Upper Banks, Flea Park, or Charles
Bank, ii must be directed to duPont's
Box or duPont's Office. The famous con-
Germ conducts a little star route mail
carrying service of its own for the accom-
mediation Of the people living on the
Upper Banks. All mail intended for
people living on the Lower Banks, " neither
they inhabit Rising Sun, Barley Mill,
Rokeby, Keg Mill or any of the other
locations named in that vicinity, must be
sent to Henry Clay post Office. Henry
Clay, Rokeby and Rising Sun almost melt
into one.
This is duPont's Banks, as the world
knows the region. II is not the duPonts'
fault that it is given such q struggling
and unromantic name-and, by the way,
il includes some OF the most romantic
scenery in Delaware. They gave it long
ago very different and a much more
euphonious name. To them the whole
region that has been described above is
known as Lonviers. To the rest of the
world it will probably remain, unless q
poet rises up to effect revolution, plain
and unattraotive duPont's Banks.
There have been great improvements
made in the way of railway facilities to
this region within the past few years. A
branch leaves the main line of
the w. Il N. railroad between Sill
verbrook and Greenville and runs
through Rising Sun down to Riddles
nil. This is called the Kentmefe branch.
Another arm leaves the Kentmere branch
at Rising Sun (the junction is known as
ut. Airy and runsnorth parallel with the
Brandywine to what is still called Henry
Clay Factory, because ii used to be a
wooden mill, but which has been con-
verted by the duPonts into tin shop,
Here the branch reaches the Hapley
yard, which is its terminus. The
gates of the Hagley yard, which
used to be several hundred yards above
Henry Clay factory, have now been
brought down the Brandywine to about
one hundred yards above the Barleywood
grist mill, which is distance of about
one thousand yards lower down than the
point where they formerly were. This
new branch gives the powder concern an
outlet by rail. Before it was in opera
ton the duPonts had to haul their pow
der by teams either to Shellpot, on the
Delaware, or to Middleborough, on the
Christiana. Now, they can load their
powder on the cars from the magazines
in the upper yard, and the work ia done
right at home.
1t is TO be hoped the party who set out
to find man in the earlier part of this
history if he survived the intricacies and
mazes through which he was carried, will
know more about the locality after read
ing what has gone before, and will never
again delude himself with the idea that
the name duPont's Banks means an thing
in particular, but will select his bull's-eye
from the midst of the domain and fire
straight at it.