Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-08-17
onUsoH STREET FRUIT WHARF,

Where Wilmington obtains Its Largest
Daily supply of Fresh Fruits and yege-
tabIes--A Place Well Worth an Even
ing's Visit.
One of the livelest and most interest
ing spots around the city, and one well
worthy Of visit these cool summer |
evenings is the Church street wharf. 1t |
is the place that the jersey truckmen
bring their big loads of vegetable produce
for the Wilmington market.
Passing along Church street about
dusk the approach to the wharf is
reached through streets black with the
coal dust and fumes of big foundries
seen on every hand. The glowing fires
of the puddlers are easily observed as
the visitor passes along. The perspiring
workers are stripped to the waist. Their
long muscular arms sway to and tro
moving the weighty iron pole with
which they stir and rake around the
bright molten metal in the big cauldrons.
| The vivid ruddy glare makes very at
| tractive picture in the evening light.
| Strolling along south for block or two
| the wharf is reached.
The fragrant aroma of sweet canta-
loupes, waited around in the dusk tells
| the visitor long before the Jersey boats
| or the big pyramids of fruit baskets are
distinguishable in the twilight, that he
has arrived at his destination. 1t is a
grateful change from the CRIME and
heat of the neighborhood of the foun-
dries.
Church street wharf is one of the
few public properties yet remaining in
contestably in the city fathers hands.
And the prayer of the Wilmington
housekeeper is, or should be, If she
knew her rights, and the value to her
that this wharf is, that it may long so re.
main piece of public property.
This wharf should never, under any
circumstances, pass out OF the city's
hands, for through its existence the
housekeeper is enabled to obtain fresh
vegetables daily, and at a price which is
half that she would have to pay were
) the market closed and tho Jersey
truckers prevented from Offering their
goods to the people as il is now done, al
first price, straight from the growers
hands. There is no middleman here
and the consumer has the opportunity
to come straight to the producer an6
; buy what he needs fresh from the tielo
or orchard.
There are some % or so regular truck
9 ers who bring their vegetables and fruit
here every day. There are from 30 to 81
. boats daily engaged in carrying the pro
duce to this market. On "a good day il
:. the season there will be as much a
! $4,000 worth of watermelons, apples
: analoupes, sweet potatoes, corn ,peache
: and other truck offered for sale. The fac
:, is Wilmington would have to pay yer,
Y much higher prices for its table vege
= tables but for this market The tw
DAYS curbstone market is hardly a cir
!. cumstance in the needs of the city. Tn
= larger share of the regular table needs q
:, the Wilmington housekeeper comes i
y some way OF other from this whari
e The truckers come all the way fror
:, seven to four miles from points alon
= the Jersey coast. 1t is now one of the wei
established businesses of the city, nc
?, necessarily that the city makes any bi
70 revenue from il, for 1t should not. Wer
. any heavy impost laid it would all n
y, turn ten-fold on the backs of the thol
"a sands of families of the community. A
y. "a ii is now the people of Wilmington oil
~ I, tain the freshest produce, or can get
~ and at the lowest price. The trucke
W come from Pedricktown, Pennsgrov
- Pennsville, Corson's Landing and 9th
L., points. ..
%, They gather the truck in the mornir
~ and il is here at the wharf by moo
y, One of the busiest of the Jersey true
y, ers, q young man from Pedricktow
~ Frank Biddle, says the Wilmingtt
10 market is good one, 1t pays him al
~ his fellow-trucker much better til;
~, Philadelphia. Each boat arriving he
20, from Jersey is taxed for wharfage q
W cording to its size. A 25-ton boat pa
ae at the rate of $l.75 The only other II
~ paid is to the night Waterman. I
- truckmen are at their stands from
aa. o'clock in the morning to 8 p. m, a
~ every day in the week. IL would
~ much better for the citizens IF Wilmir
~ ton did the city keep the wharf and |
~, sell out the franchise at all but let t
'ls' truckers have it free. II would me
~, cheaper vegetables to thousands
us' households, for many more truckm
80 would como and there would be a larl
10 supply in the market The city
t r., rented the wharf to the Wilmington
nos Northern railroad for what is, in reali
On, nominal rent. The wharfage rates
ius' is stated, have been increased this "
opo largely over what they were last or a
his previous year. The Jersey truck
a aI have not Jared very well at the hands
a soS certain people of the city. Last y
iieS' eighteen OF them were arrested d
liz IN, hauled up before Judge Ball on SO
Mn M trumped up charge of selling to C
Sn sumers. The truckers were quickly
,,uS charged by the judge, who told Il
' ~ accusers that if the men raised We
oedi tables on only foot OF ground, tt
a ;rn had the right to come here and o
,aSI their products to the Wilmington c
a., 40 sumner unhindered by any one. 81
w. ~ then the truckers have had an ea
ai a. time. On the occasion referred to 4
s uo lost about 5000 worth of fruits
I'D vegetables by the annoyance. 81
. Iie, them. The goods were perishable
III. became unstable by the time the
val got out of court.
MI PATR0LMEN UNDER FIRE.
II | Charges Preferred Against Several