Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-07-20
ITS NAME IS wlsnINeroN BRIDGE.

I'D ANh4h II 10 VsioAAA bEfbuE
The New Bridge Gets Its oHiciai Title
From the Levy Court---It Will he Lit
with Gas and Will Have White and
Ruby Lights.
The talk Of the Park Commission
erecting little fence along the north
ern approach TO Washington street
bridge is the bit Of fireworks that has
apparently set up racket all along the
line, and has given the opportunity of
involving almost every public body and
the citizens at large in the turmoil.
First, the citizens are mad at the
trifling delay. They see the new bridge
itself is finished, and they are out Of
patience with those who are responsible
for its not being opened. Now, the
North Side Improvement Company are
calling out that if the bargain is broken
with them, they in turn will withdraw
their $1,000 subscription to the cost Of
the bridge. Then, looming up .porten-
tiously back of this big threat is the
bigger one still coming from the direc-
ton of the Water Department, that that
commission will withdraw its aid Of
$4,000.
The citizens cry" "a plague ON all your
commissions, and from every direction
+. there is expression Of a very wearied
feeling In regard to set of governing
bodies that evince such lack of public
business qualifications. B4
1t looks as it were possible that the
county will have to pay an amount of
$17, SEQ more for the new bridge than
they reckohed on according to contract.
But the Levy Court has the North Side
Improvement Company's agreement
down in writing to pay the sum OF
$500 when the bridge is finished and
officially accepted by the county. The
| public, in turn, will tolerate no accept
,ance Of bridge without approaches
and with no way to get on nor off Of it.
From the direction of the Water De
\ partment it is understood that the criti-
| cism is that an electric line would SC
shake the bridge that the safety of the
mains would be endangered. There Is
some talk also in regard 10 the pipes be.
coming "pitted" through the fact Of
electric contact. The Levy Court has
made no distinct utteTance yet in regard
to giving permission to the City Railway
TO cross the bridge. The fact is thai
/ there has been no official discussion BY
that body'on the subject as yet. Still
4 no one supposes but that the tracks vii
cross the bridge at some date early Of
late, In his annual report OF Tuesday
week the president of the City Railway
Company distinctly asserted that tina
fact would be an accomplished one a
an early date. Itis probable that Pres
ton Lea knew what he was talking
about. The Wilmington Gas Compan.
has already commenced laying its pipe
across Washington street bridge, ant
this without word one way or th
other, or of any expressed fear OF th
company's pipes being 'pitted'or Of
, | fected by electric contact.
III In Justice to the North Side Improve
ment Company it should be stated tina
| its officials announce themselves read
at any moment to, carry out all thei
,, engagements, written or implied, an
: that the Levy Court Commission has n
criticism or fault TO find with them.
J President William NJ. Candy of tn
| Park Commission, was seen by a repre-
3 sentative of THE GAZETTE Thursda
2 and interviewed on the subject OF tn
! bridge muddle
! He had some objection to the idea c
getting into controversy over the maj
z ter. Still, as public official, he fe
1 that the status of the Park Commissio
:. in the question ought to be understoo
e by tine public. Neither he nor an
= members OF the commission have an
!, y idea of standing in the way of the opel
e ing of Washington street bridge. i
n desires 10 see the work finished with dt
y celebrity. All he asks is proper co-oper'
ton from the other public bodies.
Il The following was gathered from M
d Candy on Thursday. The Park Cor
l. mission was asked by the North Side II
t. provement Company to allow boul
j. ward 100 feet wide to be made throut
n the park lands. This involved u
70 loss in the boulevard land itself al
5. the cutting off of jib lot of betwe'
Is four or five acres of the most yaluah
l. land in the park. But deeming the pu
At lie welfare required it, the Park Col
n. mission reluctantly consented provid
s' the Improvement company would gra
is and pave the roadway of 40 feet
N width. The affair remained in this w
Is until the beginning of June when
o, improvement company desired the pa
a. engineer 10 Sthh6 Out tho iouu""5 -
is give the grades. At meeting on I
I'd grounds to arrange for this 1t appear
that the earth to be taken out soil and
H. was TO be dumped on the south o
Nv proach to the bridge. We desired
he have the soil, having had experience
sll Kirkwood Park, how very. costly a
ar difficult it is to get this when needt
be This was demurred TO although reno
ly ING the soil first would have given
ed Improvement Company the advanta
IN. of a shorter haul We were not then
ly formed (which has since transpired) u
he the Levy Court were really to do
ng grading and thus save the lmproyema' 9
he Company the expense they had at n
expected to he at. The commission
all Law Of two or three weeks was caused
,er this and this enabled the Levy Courl
OBTAIN the earth necessary for their p
noses on the south approach TO
bridge for nothing. From this arose