Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-11-09

government contracts, arrived here yes.
terday week. Mrs. Locke accompanied
MIN.
Colonel Locke looks we'll and is in
excellent spirits. He is of his old sub
stantal avoirdupois and looks as If he |
had no fears of yellow fever or alliga-
tors or any of the other reputed Ills of |
the southern cline.
sob, yes" the big colonel said in re- |
ply to the reporters question as to the |
cause of the trip north, "you know |
must pay my poll-tax, keep up my resi-.
dence as a Delawarean, and look after
the other little matters that call for my
Identity with the Diamond State.
He did not see much of the big storm
that caused so much disaster in that
region recently. Two of his barges got
Rstray. Fortunately they were heavily
laden and were not blown very far
sway.
Colonel Locke wore his overcoat. He
found it quite chilly here after the sun
shine of Florida. The day he left the
thermometer stood S5o. The same day
here it was 500.
He was told of the story of the Cherry
Island Marsh owners troubles. The
colonels comment was as follows:
SIT will cost something to put in such
dam on the river front as should be
there. There should be concrete core.
That is, it should be ditched down sew
eral feet for foundation and then filled
In with concrete. 1t would cost some.
thing, but would be the best and cheap
est finally. The trouble now is that
any dirt bank put in is attacked by
muskrats who bore and riddle il through
with holes. The concrete bed founda-
ton would harden and then the rats
would be stopped. 1t is the only thing
TO do. On that foundation you should
build the bank"
Colonel Locke then told the story
of the death of his sub-contractor,
Marcus Conant, who had come
up to Chicago to see the Fair.
Mr.. Conant was an ex-soldier. He had
been confined in Libby prison during
the war. For that reason he made a
special point to visit the big model of
the notorious war Jail reproduced in fac
simile on Wabash avenue. When he
got inside he asked the attendant TO let
/. him lie down in a certain room in the
corner he had occupied when in Jail.
"Now bring that little table here"
Mr.. Conant said, explaining that it was
iust like one he had at Libby. The at
b l6uuduh NllA oOs ulAs SOudht luJ uOm
Strange to say, he Immediately became
i'll. He died before he could be re-
moved from the mock prison.
Colonel Locke remarked that Viii.
mington seems Frightening up. The
streets and pavements are looking bettel
than year ago.
"BuS," he continued, ~ was passing
by your new postoffice just now. l wan
to tell you that my opinion is you or.
getting along very slowly with it, much
slower than we in Jacksonville are will
ours. You had your cellars dug thre,
years ago Ours was started after las
Christmas, and now it is nearly finished
IL is larger than the Wilmington one.
"Colonel, you should wait and sec tn
fine new bridge we have at Washington
street and the grand entrance way
gives to the city,"
"Yes, that is all right" the visitor re
piled, "but you should have built tina
bridge at Broome street"
"rhen colonel" the reporter cor
tinued lit was just 1880 p. m.) 'you hav
arrived just in time to hear of the passin
of the Silver Repeal bill. Here it is
the message hot from the operator
desk"
Eyes, that's what l came up for. W
nIC lubcfeSltu III biidb III lOTlud.
down on the Senators there who oppose
it. Wait until they come up for re-ele,
ton again. They will find out the voter
opinion of them.
is "All the people, the merchants, an
Boards of Trade of the State, thol
OF jacksonville and Tampa leadil
them, resented the action of the FloriC
Senators. j am q member of the JAG
sonville Board of Trade, and l kno
what am saying.
"It's q live Board of Trade, too,
should like to tell you. They don't ha,
10 scurry around the city at night-tin
TO look for quorum. They are pu
ting up fine building of their own al
viii be in it next month. They ha
endorsed the movement, which is SD
cessful one, of bonding the city
$1,000,000, the money to be applied
the improvement of Jacksonville. Il
press and the people have Joined in {
manding that the work be done"
DEPRESSING TO other topics, the color
said there is fine shooting in Florit
There is plenty of wild turkey.
81 am going to buy good long-ran
rifle TO take back with me-"
AS to fishing, he said the finest in /
world is TO be had there. The best
what resembling the sun fish. 1t
without scales, They come next to
river trout for table daintiness. 1t 81
at 20 cents pound. The shad are i
as good as the Delaware fish. Shad ii
ing commences in two or three week
The farmers have begun planting
tatoes. Talking of what one sees on
family dinner table, the visitor said i
hard to get good butter in the sunni
weather. You can buy it by the qu
Ice costs 40 cents per hundred by the
pounds. II is all manufactured ice.
the winter season anything obtaina
in the New York market can be bou
in Florida. Farmers raise two crop
the year. Three crops of corn are raj
the same season.
"Did you see the Judges fam
city of TaYares ?" the reporter asked
II was not there but | can endt
about all that he says on Florida"
the answer.
Talking of crime in Florida, Cole
Locke answered q question on
topic by relating what was said to
by an ex-mayor of Gainesville whe
similar query was put to that officia
"Wel," the old man answe
''there's been no man shot there for
past two weeks-or at least amt he
Of it,"
There was a kind of a jack
Ripper down there, q negro, whom
county authorities had offered 81
sor, dead or alive. He was at last
BY q l4-years'old boy. The lad got
$1,000.