Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-02-23
OH, THAT TURNPIKEl |
1T CAUSES coNsIpERABLe
TALK.
Another Kicker Examines and Report,
Upon the Condition Of tho Whining
ton and Philadelphia Turnpike
"A Reply to aKiciser."


iconMUMuATKp.)
Having seen communication In your
valuable paper Of February 3rd, signed
"Kicker," In regard to the condition oi
the Wilmington and Phiadelphis Turn
pike, L VIII, BY your permission, give
your readers a bird's eye view of the so
called turnpike. "Kicker," In his arti.
Gle, referred 10 the patriotic feeling of our
iorefathers, who rebelled at the stamp
&C. and taxed tea, and yet their descend
ants put up with such nuisance 40 the
Philadelphia Turnpike. j do not think
Kicker" knew that the forefsthers OF
seine oi the stockholders of this turnpike
were on the wrong aide during the colo
| NAL struggle for .ndei erdepce, and there
fore bis remarks did not apply.
But follow me over this turnpike, com.
menciDg at Clouds Hill, which is rough
enough 60 jolt the heart out OF an anvil,
ard AT the culve;t In the hollow there is
no pike, for the d rt Tor the last five years
has been WASHED down from the bill and
accumulated at the bottom until II 10 no
mo:e than mud hole, Coming on To
the toll gate 1t 10 rough and Ia ruts and
hoiluwe.
We now come on to the res ldence oil
Mr.. William q. Lodgs, where the pike Ia
In a very poor condit on indeed. The hill
opposite Mr.. George BiRgei's Is also in q
wretched condition. The breaks run
diagonal across the pike, II you please
to call IL such. Below tho arch there Is a
small pile Of broken stont, | suppose TO
fill in the hole At some fu nre day, If the
man With the wheclbArrow should live
long enough to get up that far. When
seen last he wss at Shellpot hill, some
time Lost summer. Hi progress is very
slow, but he may get aloi & in a year or
two. The lill opposite lhe estate OF
Christine Perkins Is y lovely place to
drive over II you are liver grown. Now
we come along toward Mr.. 4. Sharpley
Perkirs' farm, where there ale rut holes
that were not hlled up all last year. The
poor wheelbarrow man will have a good
time fixing them up this year. Now we
come along OPT osite to Mr.. Witherall'e
plate, and still the pike grows woise.
On the bill there are six boulders, | oki og
taeir round h.ads up six inch above the
surface Of the so-ceiled pike. l suppose
they are LETT taere ior brakes, or mor,
likely TO bresk wagons md make wosl
FOR some poor blacksmith, On up th,
h!li towards Mt. Pleasant NJ. L. Churct
the (pikei) 10 rough and craggy.
Opposite Mr.. Conrow's property Is an
other small boulder that would Weigh
full ton Of 2,2l0 pounds. Opposite III
properly Of the late John Beeson 10 81
old side road from five to six feet deep
with no guard 10 keep he poor toll paye
from Eeihg over some dark night an
perhaps lose bis or her life. And now W
come along the pike % TO Mr.. John
Bee on's place, where there are stone
that have been there some ten months
scattered around loose. But hear tha
this is blamed on Mr.. Beeson's chickens
Tqsy tried to scratch dirt over them, bu
made . failure.
But now We come along to Penny Hill
where the wheelbarroW man had beef
some time last summer. While the Leg
stature was In session two years ago som,
stone were hauled there, aud the pik,
owners tried to do little better, fearing
very likely that some fool toll payel
might make a complaint Come alonl
now opposite TO the railway track. Herr
all 10 lovely and serene, and travelling has
been fine all summer. Now for the next
toll gate. Be careful, for | hear toe
keeper has got a gun. We are inside the
city limits now, where | think the road
should come under city control. What
do the toll payers flnd herel What kind
of road have they got to travel on as far
as the bridget
1t 10 rimply unsafe for man and beast.
AL of last summer there were piles OF
dirt left Al pight without danger lights.
A person might think the Mayor ana
Chief OF Police were like the constitution
Of the State--erown old and us. less.
Now, Mr.. Editor, that Is what Brandy
wine Hundred farmers have 10 contend
with and are complaining about. II
these turnpike owners would give us q
good pike 20 travel on we would not COM
plain about toll. do not believe there
is half mile OF the so-called pike ON
Wilmington bridge to Clouds Hill hat
is as 1t should be, but the poor toll payer
must come down with the full amoIn,
whether the y Ike Is good or bad. They
are not like the rest Of mankind, thsy
have no choice. II you go to your dry
goods store and you flnd the yard-stlck
short, you can get satisfaction then aud
there; II your groceryman's weight is to-
light, you can 40 10 ano'hcr sto g +,
AID II countryman has snall hall
peck the clerk of the market will confs-
cate 1t, aud II his butter draws ght
weight he will cut 1t In quarters and
make HIM feel like frozen turnip, but
there Is no feeling 10 this so-Called iurn-
plhe SvulpAby, TnhPs eVine Ot tntte
turnpike osn,rs may yet be troubled
with something like the poor millr's
dream. He In life, It is aid, had taken
too much toll from his customers greiD.
He awoke his wife and told htr he had
be-n dreaming. She found him 10 q
cold perspirstion and asked: "My dear,
What have you been dreaming?"
'Ob, dreamec had died and that
went TO Heavrp," he replied.
"Whst kind of . place was II, and
what did you see therep she asked him.
"oh, it was splendid, but they drove
me out, indeed they did. The first angel
met HIT me with q toll dinh just like
the one at the mlli," be replied.
'And what did the angel do that forP
she asked.
"Why, It was little too large,
Marial" "ANoTHER KIOKBR."
gsra. Al. 49,, ~. Fu,u.