Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-10-07

Against ans change.
The proposed change of grade of Low.
ering avenue end dupont street. whera
the Baltimore & Philadelphia branch
crosses Lowering avenue, il causing q
vigorous protest from property owners In
the vicinity, particularly the Hartmann
y Fehrenbach Brewing Company, who
threaten 10 carry the matter 10 court
should Council change The grade as pro-
posed.
On August 26tn last Dennis Douelerty
applied for building permit to erect a
mouse or hotel NJ tho corner OF scott
street and lowering avenue, on which
work waa already teguu, an the cellar
was dug, when he wls advised TO sscer-
tain what Council proposed 10 do with
tho grade OF the str, et brsnie building
Mr.. Robinson recommend so Council
that the grade b. changed, 50 as ii ayoid
the railroad crossing Nj grade, and make
the street run beneath tho tracks unun.
Gil has viewed tho place n,d ,liscnsscl M,
change for somo time, ard will probably
take decided action Mt TbnrsdAy's ineei-
ing, M City Solicitor Turner has OK
pressed his opinion that the city would
not be liable for damages from ntighbor.
ing property owners.
BY the proposed change, tho bed of
Lowering avenue will be l6 feet below the
railroad tracks and gradually slope up.
ward until 1t reaches Scott street, n dis
lance Of about 450 TO 600 feet, where IL will
again reach the old grade. A protest has
been sent to Council and signed by Mrs.
Mary Kirk, Dennis Dougherty, the Hart
mann II Fehrenbach Brewing COMPANY.
James Riddle, Son Il Co., and some 20
others.
The little two. story house Of Mrs. Mary
Kirk, which stands alongside the railroad
facing Lowering avenue, would thus be
raised about 10 feet above the bed of the
street, but the Hartmann a. Fehrenbach
Company claim that they would suffer
the greatest damage to their plant, valued
ut severni hundred thousand dollars. The
new grade would put Mr.. Hartmann's
residence ut Lowering avenue and Riddles
road Ut feet above the street, and their
wagon entrance IN proportion.
Said John Fehrenbaih of the brewing
firm, Tuesday at will put tho sIloon
30 high that people will have to climb up
n ladder TO enter. We will have to lower
our entire yard about four feet SO as to
allow our wagons to 20 in and out, which
will make us go to big expense. pro.
test most earnestly against anything OF
the kind. Lowering avenue will never be
a much.used thoroughfare, as Wawaset
street will naturally become the most i'm.
portant street in that vicinity. ! will take
the matter TO court il Council changes it.
The grade ON Lowering avenue was tstab.
lished by the city from Union street to
Rattlesnake run more than 20 years ago,
when City Surveyors Daniel Farra and j.
Il. Robinson gave us the lines on which
we built our house and brewery. We
would never have built there hal we
thought that the grade would ever be
changed"
The proposed lower grade on Lowering
avenue would necessarily cause similar
lowering of DUPONT street, which runs
alongside Of the railroad for few hun
drod yards.
City Surveyor Robinson, when asked
about the matter said: ~ recommended
the change Of grade, because thought il
was matter Of public safety, and do not
think that one or two property holders
should be allowed 10 stand in the way of
it. l did not intend to say anything nor
did not say anything about the change of
grade until some ono intended to build
on Lowering avenue, when | advised
them TO wait, to save trouble and ex-
pense, as the grade would have to be
changed sooner or later. The grade
crossings are dangerous, aud should be
removed wherever possible"
The railroad company says thnt il has
nothing TO do with the proposed change.
Levi O. Bird, Esq, the railroad com
pany's counsel is now considering how
the change would affect them, which will
probably be nscertained at Oonncil's
meeting on Thursday night