Evening journal., 1895-12-12
a Gllmpse rhrouah the olouds.

n
Way back In the days before th sss
United States existed, when the now
magnificent city OF Baltimore was but q
little struggling village at the head Of
the chesapeake. oxford enjoyed the dis
tinction Of being the seaport Of that
section. For Il was mapped cut a Rlori-
Gus future, and the man who would have
dared predict that In the years to come
the City OF Monuments would wrest the
laurels from the brows Of the more
prosperous Oxford. aud grow to fame
and rank In the commercial world. while
Oxford would sink into prsclioal oblivion.
would have been laughed 10 scorn aud
been put down as g dreamer Of the most
pronounced type.
In a diary now IN the possession Of
President Henry G Banning, Of the
National Bank OF Delaware. snd written
BY his grandfather. who then resided In
oxford, are numerous references 10 ths
''pretenslons OF Baltimore to ever
dethrone oxford rs seaport" snd
scoiflng at the sSsuraity Of any such
ideas Il came to pas-, nevertheless.
that the presumptions proved realities
Wilmington and Philadelphia at one
time stood In pretty much the same
positions relatively. While the latter
has forged ahead Ia commercial impor
tancs and ranks as a seaport and ship
building city, the former has gone back
wards, has lost the prestige she held
and has seen her commerce dwindle TO
an alarming degree. With Oxford the
apathy has existed 50 long that only by
q miracle could she again become a
rival OF Baltimore. For Wilmington
there is hope and efforts are now being
made to make that hope a reaiity. The
establishment OF rosds to the Delaware,
the securing OF river front. and tho
locating OF mills aud factories on the
now unoccupied marsh lands. q result
which Is sure TO follow, Wilmington,
not the Wilmington of to day, but
Greater Wilmington. would prove
formidable rival to Phllaaslphia and the
mighty ships and mammoth steam
ers which now pour the products OF the
world through her gates would hud a
port Of entry here.
The frst step towards bringing about
this result has been taken, and next year
viii see the chrishans's 3 channel widened
and deepsned. and by q Wilmington
company, the Atlas Dredging Company
having proved the lowest bidders FOR the
work
Rot only does this mean that the
stream. on whose bosom have bsen
launched in past years craft which have
been an honor to our merchant ard
revenue marine, but it means the FIRST
step towards a Greater Wilmington 1,
is estimated that some fifty thousand
two-horse cart loads Of mud, silt snd
dirt will be drsdged from the channel OF
the Ohrisiisna All this will be deposited
on the low land east Of the
mouth Of the Brandywine creek and
between that stream and the Delaware
river. This deposit will raise large
section OF this land above high water
mark and make it available for manu-
featuring purposes Once they arc To-
Gated, ana it is no breach OF confidence
to say that alrendy negotiations are being
made with large manufacturing firms
for the placing of their works ia this
section; once the march OF improve
ment is started rIverward, aud it will be
but few years before the river front
from the jetty TO Eige Moor, and from
the mouth OF the Christians 20 Pigeon
Point win be studded with piers, the
stacks Of mills and factories win have
replaced the graceful oat-tails and the
scream Of the steam whistle have driven
out the harsh oroak Of the bull frog