Smyrna times., 1888-02-01

AT meeting of the stockholders of
the Peninsular Bone Fertilizer Com
pany on Monday, the old officers were
reelected, and a dividend of eight per
cent declared.
A. 2. CROCKETT, whom we announ-
ced last week as having decided to
start creamery in Smyrna, commenced
on Monday to make the necessary
changes in the building on Commerce
street to have every preparation neces-
sary to commence operations by the
first of March. Elwood Webb who
will have the practical charge of the
creamery will move his family here
from Delaware City.
No one can complain that the wealth
er of the past week has not been " sea-
sonable." With the thermometer how
ering around zero it is difficult to keep
warm or even comfortable without ex-
cessive drafts on the coal pile. We
are ready and anxiously waiting for
balmy spring. Our ice house is full,
and we have had our fill of skating
and sleighing. Let the gentle zephyrs
come, and hasten along the bluebirds
and the arbutus.
SAMUEL A. BENSON who came here
from New Castle and opened a Candy
Kitchen has finally wound up the bust
ness and departed with sundry debts
left unpaid. He skinned the cream.
ltor his business was a novelty, as no
other business of anything correspond
ing in capital did. He left the first of
the year, as he undoubtedly must have
done, flush with money from the holt
day trade and went to NOrristOwn, Pa,
leaving his son with his debts and
promises behind, and Monday the son
likewise departed. Pass him along.
SOLOMON HERsEY, of Wilmington.
and A. A. Jones, for the present located
in Dover, were in Smyrna on Saturday
on brief initial visit in the interest of
the Dayton Hedge Company. In the
few hours here they saw and explained
to several Of our leading agriculturists
the desirableness of their hedge fence
over all others. The large number of
Usage hedges already set in Kent county
initiates somewhat against the Dayton
| just at this time, but there is little doubt
that it will come into rapid favor as the
fence to supplant all others.
The publication of " canard" about
Smyrna has got to be a weekly thing
with the EUery EUening. Some Of
them are too trifing to be noticed, and
all are too absured to be given Gre
dence. Of three we might name, it
would be difficult to decide which was
the most absurd the thirty diphtheria
cases and the new paper item sent by
its Smyrna correspondent, or the item
copied from the Record of last week
that " body snatcher" was here and
offered cOlored man the half of $50
what he was to get, to aid him in re-
moving corpse. If our city cotem-
pOrary would publish these items as
Jokes, or under the head important
if true" it would be more admissible
than spread out under the head of
"solid facts"
For the past few days the Delaware
river has had an especially dreary look
and resembles a scene in the Arctic
regions more than our own usually
placid stream. Great fields Of ice.
reaching from the Pennsylvania to the
Jersey shores, ebb and flow with the
tide and navigation is practically sus-
pended except for crafts propelled by
steam. A sailing vessel would make
no Roadway even in the wake of an
ice boat, and the few sail that make
their appearance are in tow of steam
er until port or the clear waters of the
bay are reached. 1t requires staunch
crafts like the powerful ocean steamers
or our well built freight boats to push
their way safely through the horse
shoe" to and from Philadelphia. The
ice boats have had busy time to keep
the channel clear and if the "cold
snap" continues they will have harded
work than ever.