Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-05-09
PUSH AND PLUCK.
FORD a. RYAN'S MOROCCO
MANUFACTORY.
The Difficulties They RECOMMENDATION
They Surmounted the Difficulties
-Enlarging Their Works.
Overrun With Orders

The success Of the Ford s. Ryan mo-
rocco mandatory In Silverbrook shows
what push and pluck can do by plucky
business men. The Messrs. Ford, Thomas
and Peter j., built this mandatory in
the face OF insurmountable difficulties.
Some people said they might almost as
well go out of the world to build one as
to stick 1t down in Sllverbrook, but the
brothers didn't mind that. They went
ahead and put up their building, one of
the largest in the city. Mr.. Ryan Joined
them and they went to work manufacture
ing morocco. Soon a real difficulty met
them.
They were located on silverbrook
stream and the refuse from the works
tainted the water so much that farmers
through whose land the stream ran COM
planned on account of their cattle that
would not drink the water. A reservoir
was made and the refuse from the factory
was forced into it and then II was carted
and dumped on the land surrounding the
place Stlll complaints followed and
| suit was eutt red, and the Messrs. Ford &
Ryan fined heavily. A great many people
among them, some envious. jones, said,
"Now the Fords' have gone up sure; they
have 10 pay heavy fines and their works
will have TO STOP" They did partially
stop for a short time, but not because the
plucky proprletors intended to give 1t up
for bad job.
They tried to get an act through the
Legislature vacatiug Silverbrook run, as
1t would soon be lost to sight anyhow In
the improvements of the city that were
rapidly pushing westward, but the farmers
In the Legislature 'tcouldn t see it, and
killed the bill. The Messrs. Ford did not
at that time see what tine-peint tactics
could be employed In getting bills
through the Legislature as was employed
the last session or they might have got
their bill through, but they didn't and
their effort failed. Many persons would
have given up the struggle and let the
Sheriff take the building, but the Fords
were not that kind of men. What next
Why, In q very shcrt time gang oi
workmen, with shovels and picks, were
digging trench and laying pipes from
the factory up over the hill, In FROM
street and on down the old poor house
slope until they made connection with
the Adams street system OF sewers.
A pump was put in at the factory and
then and ever since for several years the
ie use OF their works has been forced
through that sewer up hill and dowr
; hill, and now their is no more complaint
from cavelling farmers or anybody els'
about the pollution Of Silverbrook. Push
pluck, and independence trlumphed at 1
cost 1t is true of several thousand dollars
but what do such men care for tina
much money? They can soon maxi
1t up and much more.
What do we hear next? Simply tina
these men are enlarging their building
Everybody wondered what in the worl
lteey wanted with such big buildin
Q when 1t was first built. But 1t has bee
5 llled and running over for come tin
i past. They employed before, 1876 hand
e and the addition will enable them to em
I ploy $50. The daily output is frou
e 81, 800 to 81, 600, and the firm has NOR
{ orders than 1t can ill. Besides all thi
F., Peter j. Ford, the real active movin
d, spirit of the concern, has a little time
l look after politics. He came within
! few votes of getting the Democratic nc mi
nation for Sheriff of New Castle count
last fall, and he expects to get 1t alto
gether in 1890. Push and pluck mus
win