Middletown transcript., 1891-02-26
rErIr1oNrNG FOR COUNTY AID.
THE ST. GEORGES MARSH co. WOULD
LIKE THE LEVY COURT TO HELP
REPAIR THEIR BANKS.

II LIKE THE LEVY COURT TO HELP
REPAIR THEIR BANKS.
le The st. Georges Marsh Company
+ about to petition the Legislature fol
an act enabling the Levy Court o
q this county to aid the Company t.
g keep up its dykes. The reason fol
this is the same which prompts othel
e companies of the same nature to ask
e for aid. The severe storms of the
9 last decade have weakened or de-
: stroyed all the banks along the river
and bay, and the consequence is that
poverty has settled upon almost every
8 company. We have already men
toned the case of the Long Island
and StrumkiIn Marsh Company as
applying for the same purpose,
and no doubt more bills of the
same kind will be presented. The
first of series of great storms hap
pened in 1876. This storm broke all
the banks and overf1owed the adj
4 jacent lands. When the banks were
repaired, and before they could be
made entirely safe another storm
broke or weakened them SO that the
great storm of 1878 found all the
works easy victims to it's fury. The
st. Georges bank suffered greatly
and it was found necessary to ask for
county aid.
The Legislature at the session of
1879 enacted law allowing the Levy
Court to spend the sum of $1,000 to
help the Company repair the
damage. This was done because the
county roads and bridges crossing
the marsh and being then under
water, measured somewhere about
four and one-half miles. These
roads and bridges had probably cost |
$50, 900 or more, and it was believed |
to be more economical to repair the |
banks than to place the roads above
the reach of the tide. There is now
no doubt that such was the case and |
as the owners of the banks claim that
the roads are again in danger they
ask that the Levy Court be allowed
to spend $500 each year toward MAX
ing the banks storm proof While
there seems to be little doubt that
such course is advisable there still
remains the probability that if aid is
extended in this case every company
owning bank which protects road
will ask for the same help and there
could be no valid reason for refusing
their demands, provided a public
road was endangered. The st.
Georges Marsh Company owns
several thousand acres of land, some
of it valuable, which is protected by
their banks, but through past losses
by storm and depreciation In land
values they now find the raising of
sufficient revenue great burden. If
they are unable to keep up repairs
New Castle County will lose many
thousands Of dollars in valuable
roads, and as their lands pay county, ,
road, and poor taxes as other lands,
and as the county has had its roads
protected by the Company for many
years at no expense except the $1,000
spent in 1879, and as an outlay of at !,
least $50, 10000 would be necessary in
the rebuilding of. the roads it is
believed and thought to be only just .
that the county should pay at least
$500 per year toward the cost of
maintainence.
There have happened events in
teresting to the public, in connection
with Legislation for the benefit of
this company. Outside of the chart
ar, which was granted probably one
hundred years since, the act of 1879 was
Of the most Importance. The present
Register in Chancery then represent
ed Red Lion Hundred in the Senate
and had charge of the bill consider
able opposition was aroused and
while representatives of the Company
were in Dover combating this OPP
position the Capital Hotel was burn
I'd, turning them as well as many
others out in the cold. There was
also some rather unpleasant talk Q
about the bill and about the way it
went through, but the most singular J
Thing in this connection was the
of an act, by the same men 3
who passed the st. Georges bill, COM
oe1ling another Marsh Company in I
the same neighborhood to put.up its q
banks within thirty days, in default e
1f which action the individual
of the Company were to be q
held liable in double the amount of .
damages assessed by the Road Com c
nissioners of st. Georges Hundred a
1pon the county road crossing their p
by reason Of the overflow. t
This bill also provided other out t
andish penalties and strange to say
was presented and petitioned for by a
;he owners of another Marsh Com v
oany now asking for county aid. In G
;he first case the county was author il
zed to help put up the banks to pro- d
;ect county road in the other the n
Company was ordered to repair its v
,anks without county aid, for exact v
Y the same purpose. 8,
A Slight Blaze. u
Shortly after six o'clock last night, Il
md about the time most of the p
people were at their evening meal b
he fire whistle at the electric light n
tation sounded, and although it was
aiming hard at the time the streets W
we're soon filled with people, all ask h
ng &" Where is the fire ?" The blaze q
vas found to be in the old photo =
,raph gallery owned by Mr.. g. w. .
". Naudain and at present occupied R