Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1888-11-08

VINO constitute, terally. as we'll aB 10
urafi7eiy, the bone and sinew of the
community. Aud it follows, logically.
and IS matter OF fact, that Mi suSh
towns have thriving home trade.
Inc extent and prosperity of the loc,l
trade OF the city give full evidence that a
large proportion OF the vast sums dis.
oursed by the great manufacturing con.
Germs to their employees are distributed
among the local retailers of merchandise
Inc wholesale concerns are in no re-.
speot btbiad their competitors Of the
larger citiss, In systematic eanyassice OF
all outlying cities aud towns ia Della ware
and the neighhoring states. The volume
o. th'ir trade i. large, and Is constantly
increh.ing.
10 certtin lines OF merchandise, the
homo wholesale trsfi, ia greatly aug
mented by sales OF supplies and raw ma.
terlais 20 tho many manufacturers
In what are known as mauufaeturers'
oupplies, the variety mud q1sutity con
stantly called for is 80 great as to consti
into the furri,biuR of such supplies a
distinc i've branch of business.
In such staple raw materials as lumber
ana coal, the trade assumes almost in
credible proportions. The metal trade.
especially Ia iron and steel. is immense ;
while for all general bui ding purposes
extensive sales are made In lumber, bricks,
stone. lime, cement, 30. &c.
Perhaps in no Other city Ia there rel.
stivsly greater interchange OF home prod.
ucts. This is chi fly dae to the great
variety OF manufactures In machinery,
wagons and carriages, feathers, woven
tabfies, food preparations, &c.
This local demand exists to such an ex.
tent in some lines, that certain mannfac
turers OF machinery, with selling agents
in New York fad their sales for home
use 80 extensive as to nearly monopolize
the resources OF their plants.
Some manufacturers MAKE local whole
sale houses their selling agents with great
baneft to the general trade interests oil
tho city.
In the free interchange Of home prod.
uots. in reciprocal trade with tho agri.
cultural districts, the extensive whoies Ile
operations over wide outlying populoui
territory, aud in Supplying the many
needs of the large home population, til,
Wholesale and retail merchants of Will
mington transact o tot Al volume OF bust
ness that gives to the mere lutile INTEREST,"
OF the city character we'll oomportinl
with the wide reputation Obtained by III
j productive industries.
HIST ,RIcAL.
/ In the preparation OF this work, as
mainly, plain presentation Of facts ant
I figures relating TO business interests, TO
I the petusal of business men, the striotes
breyity, compatible, has been observed
Discuraive writing, and the insertion o
4 interesting irrelevant matter has beef
avoided 10 the utmost, for the purpose O
! giving, in condensed form, business ia
4 formation concerning Wilmington. N 9TH
ing has been inserted that does no
4 direotiy bear upon business affairs, o
tend to illustrate tue ci;y's progress
through its business SUCCESS.
In adding very brief historical skatcl
Of tho events of the first century OF Viii
inington's existence, business, ~ we'll q
general interests, will be tub3eivsd, in
measure, for the thoughtful reader vii
discover in the narrative OF the earl
struggles of the little Swedish colony.
auffi Jient reason for the slow development
OF tho settlement ct its inception.
Wilmington, originally named Christ
anaham, eDj ,ys the distinction of repre-
senting the first successful settlement o
Delaware river.
Henry Hudson, sailing for the Duto
!. Fast India 90, in search Of new rout
TO China, discovered Delaware river /
1909, bnt did not explore 1t.
dition, sent out in 1923 by the Dutc
West India Co , Is reputed to be the firs
European who sailed up the Delawar
river.
He erected Fort Nassau and establishe
settlement at the mouth OF Tim be
creek a few miles south of the site chose
nt,a later date for the town OF Philadelphia
The settlement languished, and in tn
course of ten years. had been completed
abandoned, though subsequent event
proved that the fort, or trading houss
was not 4 -stroyed.
In 1851 the West Indies Co., sent out
second colony under De Vries, whic
lorsted on Lewis creek, near Cape Her
Iopsn The fort ald settlement Their
tstablished was named Hocrn Kill.
leaving nj this fort a garrison an
colony nunheriug about 80 individuals
Do vries sailed for Holland and returne
in 1882 to find neither fort nor oolonists
The Indians had killed the colonists an
DESTROYED the settlement.
De vries eonoiliated the Indians of th
locality and then sailed up the Del Iwar
TO Fort Nassau, where he fonnd no white
and only few Indians. Failing to &c
supplies for his ship he retraced hi
oourse, and after o varsity OF adventure
arrived in April, 1888 at Manhattan
where the first Dutch governor of Ne'
Netherlands was about to assume hi
official dates.
Tnua had two attempts by the Dutch I
settle the valley of the Delaware signal
failed, though by the law OF nations thei
discovery and occupation OF it had estat
lishsd their Jurisdiction over the rive
and its tributary country.
1t was 10 1924 that William Usselinx,
merchant o, Stockholm, sweden, intel
ested Gustavus Adolphus. the then reign
ing monarch of that country, in a schem
for coloniz .tion in America.
Gustayus had raised Sweden TO til
rang OF q first class European militar
nation, ana was NJ tue min " ms B'ut1
Swedish records denote that the plar
Of Usselinx were warmly espoussd, an
that an expedition actually sailed 70
America about 1927.
That il never reached its destination
obsrureIy attributed TO its destruction b
the 81 aish, with whom the Swedes wei
then &C war.
Gns.ayus was killed in battle in 1853.
and waB succeeded by his infant daGgh't
Christine.
Usseliux did not abandon his sohemes
and in The spring OF 1888 swt dish e.
peditiou under Peter Ainult, Outer
man, sailed up the Delaware, entered
tributary stream which WAS named u
Cb,i,tlana and ut point of rocks aboI
two miles from the mouth OF the strea'
erected a fort and established settlt
,a,,ad IN bnunr IF the aIieai