Evening journal., 1891-01-20
.SILVERBRO0K'S STREAM.
FORD MOROCCO coMPANY's SIDE
OF The QUESTION.

Vt tFlE AONO iOh-
Peter J. Ford Says That the City Could
Buy All Rights TO the stream for $50. 900
and He Asserts That Great Benefit
Would Result From Lifting the Ipjunc-
tions.
A reporter visited Silverbrook yeEter
day and went over the land through
which the stream runs, that until recently
carried of the drainage from the Ford
Morocco Company's factory. and which
caused several law suits. The Ford
Company has been compelled to lay
sewer mile and a half in length,
through which tho drainage water from
its factory is now pumped from Second
and West streets TO Front and Adams
streets at a great expenfe, The stream
begins short distance above the factory
and winds down along the tracks Of the
B & o. railroad, on the edges Of the lots
on each side The only farm land that
the run intersects is at a point few
Yards northwest Of Elsmere station
Here It crosses two lots, the soil Of which
is stony and can never be titled. One OF
these is about 200 by 150 feet and
another about so by so feet About 500
Yards below this point the stream Joins
Mil creek and thence runs down through
some marsh land to the Christiana, into
which It empties,
The stream carries of all the drainage
water from the tenement houses ard
other buildings for several squares
around. Beginning as FAR up as Eighth
and Scott strests, the drainage water
runs to Fourth and Scott streets Here
it is turned down to Union, and thence
to Front streets. taking waste water
from al the buildings. stables and pig
pens in this vicinity This runs down
back Of the car stable at Front and
Union streets and empties into the
stream.
Peter J Ford Of the morocco company
was seen az the factory, and asked about
the statement that the Jessup and Moore
Paper Company had to depend wholly
on the stream for its supply OF water
BE emphatically denied the statement
and said that nine months out of the
year the company is compelled to draw
its water from the Christiana III that
company had to depend on another
source Of water than the Christiana," he
said, it could buy from the Richardson
eRtate eleven acres Of land, with excel
lent water rights attached. The Rich
ardson stream furnishes 90 per cent. of
this water flowing north OF Newport
pike. Everything from that point to
the paper works it could purchase
and lay all its pipe for $50, 0J0
Even IL this could not be done the works
could obtain their water from the city Of
Wilmington, as her firms do, instead
of shutting down should the water run
in the stream from the morocco factory.
During the progress of the suit be-
fore the chancellor, which terminated in
our having to shut of our drainage
water from the stream and pumping IL
into Wilmington, we were twice arrested
for contempt of court. and II the chan
cellor had been satisfied at everything the
plaintiff swore to- he would have given
us fifty years in jail Some things they
swore to brought bushes to the cheeks
Of their own attorney positively deny
that we ever thought Of disposing Of our
refuse without any difficulty. In answer
to the absurd statement that the city
would be involved to the extent Il
al 600 600 In awarding riparian rights |
will say. without fear OF contradiction
that the city can buy all the land through
water pipes from Richardson's mills to
the Jessup and Moore works, including
the Richardson property, for less tnan
$50. 900
The Ford Company will present a com
munication to the Street and Sewer De-
partment this evening stating, first that
the dwellings throughout that portion Of
the city do certainly discharge large
quantities Of sewage into the stream
that all land owners contiguous to the
city boundaries, as is the property Of Dr.
Joseph p Stidham, must be benefited by
the present growth of the city To such an
extent that it is selling for Sc 900 to
S. 600 per acre, and the more rapid ad-
vancement OF the city is being retarded
from the fact that manufacturing indus
tries cannot locate on the stream except
at the risk of law suit, despite the fact
that the location Of more houses and mills
along the stream would greatly increase
the city's revenue.
Mr.. Ford will present a memorial TO
the Legislature, stating the company 3
side of the case. and asking for the ap-
p0intment Of a committee 20 assess dam
ages along the stream He says that this
action has also been suspected by the
plsintiffs In the suit, aud they have sta.
toned spies at times along the steeam te
de- ect some contempt of the injunction.
These, he says. are the self same men
who made records IS swearers before the
l ahanpa1fnr