Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1888-07-11
The BrAndywine Water.


4 ANNAA3EAASAAARI
Mr.. William T. Porter seems to taxi
deep interest In the condition Of th,
brandyWfne water. His theory is thsI
al the tYouble ts In the growth of alRa
in RocklAnd DAm. II that Is the Gas,
why has Vt not been blamed beioreP
That same growth las been there 81
long, or lonaer than our city wAteT
works, and very little complaint ha,
been made. Mr.. Porter knows as well
as any other man that the filth nut in
the BrandYwine below Rocklaad has
more to do vita the bad cnelling water
In tho basin aud hydrantS of our city
than the alk %. for while the plant 10 In
the dam 1t IL harmless, and when IL Is
let loose and comes down the creek,
passing through Rnd over the u1auy
different water wheels, Q distance Of
some ave miles, tbs Alg@ has the life
taken out OF 1t. Below RocklAnd there
are four very large manulAoturinG
Embellishments, two paper nills aud
two cotton factories nnd bleach: workD,
which are compelled to evAporate OF
put the refuse matter into the Brandy.
wine, where 1t hnds Its way into our
reservoir and into our hydrAnts.
MT. Porter certainly knows that at
RocklRnd paper mill there are daily
manufactured some ten tons OF white
paper, mostly made from colored rage
bcouRht from nearly all quarters Of the
globe and terribly filthy.
There 10 not q WasheTWoman TO be
tound but knows that the filthy water,
In washing some ten or twelve tons OF
colored rags white, would take many
hundred gallons Of water, and when
the rags was clean and white the water
would be very dirty. New, oil Of that
dirty water comes down the creek; the
whole fiow Of the creek is about l9o,.
900, 900 gallons daily, and seven million
gallons are pumped up daily to the
basin.
The other three manufacturers, name.
ly, Bancr0fts', Riddles and the Lower
FAper MIL have made arrangements TO
keep all hlthy matter out OF our drink
ing water. But IL is very likely
that there IL still much filth gets into
the creek from these three last men
honed places. 1t iB q great pity that
the very fair offer Of the Mr. Bancrofts
had not been taken some years ago,
when they offered the city . chance to
take the water for the oity's use cut OF
their dam.
OF course the city would have bad to
have paid the DUPONT Company go, 600
ior their share Of the creek, and the
damage to Bancroft, Riddle and Jessup
for the water that was taken out and
reducing the stream say one-twentie5 ID
then BOme arrangement could have bsen
made with the RooklAnd paper mill
about sheir dirty wash water coming
down. and we could now be enjoying
the water comparatively clean and
saved the expense of raising the water
some BiXty-fve feet
Bat by the Aotion Of our Water Com
miSSioners they are determined 10 let
the water run down to the very lowest
level aud through every filth, to the
great disadvantage Of the citizens of
Wilmington, both in regard to tax and
health.
another fostering flow of RitA that
enters our drinking water inside OF the
city limits and which the Board Of
Health has known OF for years, but 1t is
still pouring Its poison through Its
winding oourRe-Crooked Run--to min
gle In our drinking water.
The members OF the Board OF Trade
are talking OF putting out . book to
boom the city; they had better be care
ful, or this boom might be dampened by
the sinking water OF our hydgAnts and
basins.
There might be much moss written
about the neglect Of our Water and
Street Commissions, but as they and
the Board of Health have concluded to
rest q while and let Providence help
them out by sending oOpiouS showers OF
rain to clean the streets and wash out
the nlgS Of the BrAndyHiRs and other
hlthy places for the Board of HeAlEh's
benefiF, while the figure heads of the
different departments tEhe their eass on
the BeAshore Or mountain top.
A. C.B