Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-04-14
The bridge and street..


acceptance of the Cherry Island Marsh
Company's new bridge, but really, as we
gather from the newspaper reports, this
subject was hardly touched on and the
greater part Of the time was taken up
by Mr.. Job H. Jackson in ventilating
his objection to opening Seventh street
below the railroad to public travel. Mr..
Jsckson's attitude on this calamity" as
he designates 1t, is just what it was
eleven years ago, only little more SO,
and if he is allowed to have his way he
will be still more determinedly opposed
to opening the street eleven years hence,
supposing there should be anything Of
/ 1t left to open by that time.
Let US consider the situation. The
Jackson 6 Sharp Company occupies the
neck of tho peninsula lying between the
Brsndywine and Christiana. This pen
insula is geographically connected
with the rest of the city by Seventh and
Eighth streets. Eighth street has long
since been acquired and built up by the
jackson & Sharp Company. The city
has entirely surrendered it-sold it, we
presume, and received the money; but
we assume that the jackson g. Sharp
Company was glad to get it and to pay
for it and there was no question of
philanthropy in the transaction. This
leaves Seventh street the only passage
way to the Brandywine peninsula. Mr..
jackson claimed eleven years ago that
it would damage him over 100000 to
lave this street open to public travel;
now he says sit would do US vast harm
and cost US large sums of money yearly
We might reasonably ask why? His
shops wall off the north side of the
street from the public--and we are in
formed encroach several feet on the
street bed; on the opposite side runs the
fence of the Mccullough rolling mills.
Below Mr.. Jackson's car shop he can do
as the Mccullough company has done
put up fence. The public has heard
of no apprehension, from the McCul-
Tough company, of damage from public
travel.
"Stop this everlasting cry for opening
up of streets through manufacturing es-
Establishments" cries Mr.. jackson. Isn't
it pretty near time for the people to say
something about stopping manufacture
ing establishments from closing up their
streetsp How many streets are there
now remaining unlocked on our Chris
tiana front?
But this is not a case Of opening up a
street through a manufacturing estab-
lishment On the contrary, it is a case
of preventing manufacturing estab-
lishment from continuing to close
against public travel the only street by
which the public can reach, without a
long roundabout trip, about 100 acres Of
ground abutting right against solidly
built-up section; 100 acres that would
be Immediately available for improve.
ment but for Mr.. Jaekson's dog the.
manger obstruction.
Some Of our citizens have seen the
Baldwin Locomotive Works in Phila.
delphia. They constitute rather i'm.
,portant manufacturing plant, quite as
large as that Of the Jackson & SHARP
2 Company. But the Baldwin Locomo.
tive Works have not blocked up public
streets; the tide Of public travel flows
right on uninterfered with through the
several streets that intersect the com
ponent parts Of the immense works anc
no harm is done thereby.
The Jackson & Sharp Company hai
done its full share towards, as Mr.. Jack
son Gays, "making the city what it is. ;
So have, with due Difference to Mr.
jackson, the newspapers of Whining
ton. But is that sufficient reason to war
rant, for instance, THE GAzETTl
blocking up Fifth and Shipley streets
building over the intersection or putin!
gate across the same and pleadin,
that, since we have done so much TO
the city, it would be small matter i
demand in return that every one VIII
wants to get from Fifth and Shpley
say to Mitchcll's roofing place, SHOULD
go round by way of Market street, t
Fourth street, to Shipley street, an,
thence up Shipley? Mr.. Jackson vii
probably say that the cases arc not pal
allel, since there arc no roofing estah
lshments, or anything else, on til
Brandywine peninsula. And ther
never will be unless Seventh street
opened.
We certainly have no desire or dispc
sition to belittle or underYalue the pal
that the jackson & Sharp Company he
done in making Wilmington "what
is" But Mr.. Jackson will not preten
to claim that his company has been ru
as philanthropic or eleemosynary CO
poration. II has been run for the pul
pose OF making money and the cons,
quent building up Of the city to whic
it has contributed has been a result
the money making progress Of the estal
Iishment. If it did not pay the Jackso
q Sharp Company to enlarge its plan
to employ more men and to pay o.
more money for wages, tho jackson
Sharp Company would not do the
things and the city Of wilmingtc
would not reap the benefit Of ther
This is plain business statement oh1
GUS to everybody.
But, when it comes down to the re
question upon which the opening
Seventh street in the near future hing
the acceptance by the county Of i
new bridpe-we believe that the net