The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-02-26
THE ENTEKpRIsING TOWN OF DELTA

A sketch in the San of Monday shows the be
neticent effects of incorporation in the town OF
Delta, York county, Pa. The town has 800 in
habitants and was Incorporated in 1880.
Delta extends about one mile on both side.
of the road leading from Pylesvile in Hartford
county, Nd, to Peach Bottom i'll York county
and is about midway between them. South
Delta is the name generally given to that por
ton of the town which lies on the Hartford
side of the State line, and which consists most
ly of the dwelling houses of workmen employ
ed in the slate quarrieS near by, from which
the famous Peach Bottom slate is obtained.
The town government consists of a chief bur
CESS and six councilmen;; AT the first election
two councilmen We're chosen to serve for one
year, two more for two years and two for three
years. Since that time two have been elected
each year, so that the council always includes
four members who have had some experience
in the duties of their Offices The first CHIEF
burgess was Vincent &. Stubbs, who is now 6
councilman, proprietor of one of the largest
quarry. DIR. II. a. Barton is Secretary of the
council. The government is very economically
administered. The chief burgess and council
receive no pay and the salary of their Secretary
is only S25 per annum, with small additional
allowance for providing room in which the
council meets once u month.
With regard to the Improvement of the
streets Mr.. S. J. Barnett, editor of the Delta
Herald, says: IF you could compare the con-
dition of our roads before incorporation and
now, you would be astonished at the change
that has been wrought. Before 1880 the main
road was at some seasons absolutely impassa.
BILE, especially for foot passengers, and there
were no notwithstanding but mud-banks.'
One of the important improvements lately in.
PRODUCED is electric lights of which the San
says:
in 1891 a stock company was formed to pro-
vide Delta with electric lights. The necessary
appliances were obtained from York. The
dynamos supply both the lights on the public
streets of the town and those in the stores and
some of the dwelling houses. The system used
is the Edison incandescent. and SO lights of 30.
candle power each, extend through the town
not more than $50 feet apart. The town pays
only $500 per annum for these SO lights, in
Guiding the poles and all appurtenances
Lights of 16-candle power are furnished to the
stores at a charge of 60 cents month for each
light The electric lighting company, of which
]. Howard Stubs is President, has expended
$500 on its works, and it is expected that the
stockholders will receive 10 per cent. on Their
investment.
Delta has two national banks, the First Ma
tional and the Miles National; five general
stores, six notion stores and number
of stores dealing in special kinds OF
merchandise !; two newspapers-the Delta
Herald and the Delta Times; three churches
Baptist, Methodist Protestant and Presby-
terrain a creamery, machine shop, elec.
trio light works and number of other indus
tries. The Bulett carriage works, whose prem
ses in Bel Air were recently destroyed by fire
are to be re-established in Delta.
The public spirit of the citizens of Delta is
shown by the facs that they are erecting pub
lie school building, to cost not less than 5000
Its size is 81 by "a feet, with an annex II by
% feet 1t is divided into four large class
rooms, each room provided with cloak-rCOms
and the whole building is heated by steam
Arthur p. RoSser. of York. is the architect, and
the builders are Norris and Barnett, of Delta
The present school building is to be sold as
soon as the new one is ready. Delta is proud
of its graded school, and is not niggardly in its
support. The present principal is Milton E
Smith, and his assistants are Miss Carrie kalk-
man, who has charge of the intermediate de-
partment, and Miss Lille Pope, teacher of the
primary scholars.
Delta was reached by railway from Peach
Bottom in 1876 and from Baltimore in 1884
for an extension of the line running from Stew
artstown to New Freedom to pass through
New Park and Fawn Grove and to give an out
let for the products of the slate quarries by
way of the Northern Central Railway. Al.
though the slate, which is obtained from quar-
ries underlying the Delta ridges, is known us
the Peach Bottom variety, of the eight quar-
ries now worked only two are in Pennsylvania
the other six being in Hartford county, The
depth of the slate below the surface varies con-
siderably. Some deposits are near the ground
while not far off slate is quarried at depth of
$50 feet Steam pumps draw off the water
which flows in at the bottom of the excava-
tions. Large slabs weighing as much as ton
each are brought up by hoists, placed on the
cars and quickly rolled into the shops, where
they undergo variety of processes, according
to the different uses for which they are intend
ed Among the products of the shops are roof
ing slate, slabs for pavements and street cross
ings, hearthStoneS, water troughs and tomb
stones. The slate for roofing is split by hand
with broad chiSel, and the edges are trimmed
by an enormous knife worked by crank. II
cuts the edges as quickly and neatly as if they
were pasteboard instead of slate. The number
of men employed in the quarries is about 300
There are about $50 voters in the town and
each of them must pay poll-tax of 80 or A
cents, according to the nature of his occupa-
ton: The registering is conducted by State Of
ficials. A lookup is maintained for offenders,
but it is generally empty.