Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-08-20

Building Operations Soon to be Started
in the Pretty Little Town.

in the Pretty Little Town.
Special Correspondence OF Gazette and Journal
NEWARK, Aug. 14.-It seems that
something is TO be done at last to supply
the demand for dwelling houses in
Newark. Ever since the Knauff organ
factory has been in full operation there
has been dearth of houses of good
class. Local capital being engaged in
other enterprises, has not responded to
the opportunity for investment and as a
result many persons are boarding at
private houses and at hotels who would
otherwise set up their own Lares or
household gods The Conservatism" of
local capital preventing any such home
enterprise efforts have for some time
been exerted to several individuals
towards inducing some city builder or
contractor to put up a row of nice
dwellings. Such scheme has Just at
tanned a fair measure of success through
the instrumentality of Theodore +.
Armstrong, who several days ago,
got J. ]. Plucker, well-known
Philadelphia contractor to come here
and look over the town. The result was
that the Philadelphia was so pleased
that he at once expressed desire to
bhha AIiC nOtlHC lOl
soon learned that Is or 90 houses could
be rented at once. At present he is
just completing 100 houses in Phiadel-
phia and vicinity and as soon as these
are done he declared that he would be-
gin building operations here, provided
advantageous terms could be made re-
specting the sites for the same and the
extention of the water main to Cleveland
avenue and the little knoll Just behind
1t. The houses when built will have
modern Improvements and cost about
$4,000 each. The news of project of
this character will be very welcome
here.
Contractor Hills has about dozen
men and half as many teams at work on
the excavation for the new recitation
hall of Delaware College. The once
beautiful front campus looks sadly de-
moralized now with half dozen Of It's
finest old maple and elm trees cut down
and its grass covered with great piles of
earth, carts, &c. The dimensions of the
building being about 100 by 80 feet, a
great deal of earth--something like 800
or 900 cubic yards-will have to be re-
moved. Some of it has already been
made use of in filling up some depres-
sions and irregularities in the campus,
thus making uniform slope to the
street. Some will also doubtless be used
in filling the rear of the athletic field.
On Wednesday evening a special
meeting OF council was held with refer
ence to the improvements being made
TO the street and sidewalk between
Wilbur Wilson's store and the college
property on Main street. Some weeks
ago council began laying about 1900
feet Of new curbing in this vicinity and
it took this opportunity to make the
street of uniform width, that is, 40 feet
from curb to curb, as the charter calls
for. 10 do this private property had to
be encroached upon in several cases.
No opposition was encountered until
the property of Mrs. John Elliott was
about to be taken, when there was talk
of an injunction. AT this point council
ordered suspension of work in front of
Mrs. Elllott's property and referred the
case TO their lawyers, Messrs Bradford
and Vandegrift of Wilmington. Mrs.
Elliott claims that the five feet taken
from her property will greatly injure
the place, while council insists that
it will greatly improve it. AS
guarantee of good faith the owner
OF the property consents to give
the town three feet without claiming
damages, but if the fall five feet are
taken she will claim heavy damages.
The matter was discussed at the meet
ing, and ii was decided that council
should meet on the scene OF improve
ments next Wednesday afternoon and
award damages if it thinks any damage
is TO be done. If their award or con-
clusion is satisfactory to Mrs. Elliott or
her attorney, the Improvement will go
on; if not, commission of award will
have to be selected and the case sub
mitted in due course to arbitration.
There is diversity of opinion in the
town as to the merits of each side of
the contention and the case has attracted
widespread attention and interest
through town for several weeks. Next
week the street supervisor and his gang
will begin laying about 800 feet Of new
curbing in front of the college.
White Clay creek underwent a rapid
change from very limpid, lazy stream
to muddy, raging torrent about 8
O'Clock on Wednesday afternoon, shortly
after the severe storm of that gay. The
rain fall here was comparatively slight,
and at 8 o'clock the creek was at its
normal height. Some urchins in swim
ming were surprised to see the water
rising several inches every minute, and
before they could get across to the OPP
posite bank, where their clothes We're,
rushing flood bore down upon them and
prevented them from crossing. Godiva-
like they had to take to the public high
way in natures scanty garb, and make
half-mile circuit of the stream
by the paper mill bridge to
reclaim their clothes. The same boys
are authority for the statement that the
stream rose five feet in less than an
hour Within two hours the water had
reached point higher than it had at
tanned for four or five years, while it
brought down several pigs and COW
which had doubtless been drowned be-
fore they could get away from the flood.
The paper mills of Curtis 6 Brother
We're stopped for several hours, the
water invading the wheel pits and stop
ping the machinery. The sudden flood
was doubtless caused by cloud-burst
along the creek somewhere near Lam
denberg. All day large gang has been
at work raising the train which went
through "Chambers' BRIDGE" on the
Newark & Pomeroy railroad during the
flood, but the bridge cannot be repaired