Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-11-14
OPENING OF RIVER FRONT
The Massmeeting Wednesday
Night In Its Behalf.
MUCH ENTHUSIASM MANIFEST
Adoption of a Resolution
Recommending the Project.


the Board Of Trade. About 100 persons
were present. William Lawton called
the meeting to order and Anson A.
Maher stated the object of assembling.
Washington Hastings was chosen chair
man and John @. Farra secretary.
Gen. James H. Wilson made the first
address. He says he wants to see the
city extended to the river front and
urged cooperative effort LII the
citizens of Wilmington had the proper
energy and push, he remarked, they
could do what they want to do. A
prominent citizen had told him that
the proposition 10 make road to the
river is rot This man had spoken
about the difficulty of building on the
marshes, where piling would have to
be driven 30 feet to find foundation,
and he (Gen. WILSON, had told him
that much of tho city OF Chicago is
built on ground whore piling had to
be driven 80 feet TO find a foundation.
The same party had said that Will
mington is only suburb OF Philadel-
phia and he (Gen. WILSON, had re-
minded him that Brooklyn and Jersey
| City are suburbs of New York, that
| Blackwell is suburb of London and
| that Birkenhead is a suburb of Liver
| pool. He asserted that towards the
Delaware is an extraordinarily intelli-
gent direction. The fact that Will
mington is suburb of Philadelphia is
no reason why we shouldn't try to
make something out of it. Whining
| ton has some advantages that Phila-
delphia hasn't. 1t is % or 80 miles
nearer the sea. He believed it is the
duty of the United States to open the
| channel up to Philadelphia. Ii it is
opened to Philadelphia it is dead GER
tain that it will be opened to Whining
ton. With the channel opened we will
have as good water facilities as Phila-
| delphia. If the people of Wilmington
had done what they should, he be-
lieved, we would have deeper chan
mel to-day. He favored the laying out OF
streets between this city and the Della
ware. He spoke of the adaptability OF
the low-lying land for spinning mills
and said this land, if it were located
at Fall River, would be worth from
81, 900 to $40, 600 per acre. He thought
the Third and Seventh street routes
should both be extended to the river.
Ii he had his way there would be q
drive 40. 60 or so feet wide, with trees
on each side, around the city.
United States District Attorney
Lewis g. Vandegrift, who spoke next,
said Wilmington, to-day, is what it il
by the individual efforts of its citi
zens. The handiwork of its inhabi
tants is spread all over the globe. Hi
stated that the city ought not to stoI
with the individual efforts of its citi
zens. We have one wharf on the Della
ware where thousands of dollars worth
of imports are received every year and
we ought to have more. He spoke Of
the result of the agitation for improved
streets He would hesitate to advocate
any particular road. He thought that
il road were built it would do little
good unless the marshes were filled uI
by the mud outside the river banks.
If something of this kind were moi
done the city would go TO the river by
the line of least resistance, and this
would be by way of the fast land.
Daniel W. Taylor read letter from
John Il. Hadden of Philadelphia, who
stated that charter for the building
of a road to the river was obtained
from the Legislature 30 years ago b,
John Logan, Mark A. Bassett ant
himself but the moneyed men of thu
town would not take hold of the enter
prise. If the plan had been carried
out, Mr.. MADDEN claimed, Wilmington
would have $50, 900 population now in
stead of 10000.
Mr.. Maher offered the following reso
lution
tWhereas, In the opinion Of thi
meeting the future progress of Viii
mington would be advanced by tn
opening up of that part of its territor.
known as the Delaware river front; anC
"Whereas, The city in its municipa
government has il in its power to brinl
A the Delaware river front within cas-
access to Market street; therefore be i
Resolved, By the citizens Of Whining
ton in massmeeting assembled, that W
do hereby recommend and urge tn
: construction of roadway to the Della
ware river at any point which vii
offer the greatest advantage
Mr.. Vandegrift asked the chairma
if Wilmington wouldn't have receive'
some of the public contracts recent
awarded if we had had shipyards o.
the river front. Mr.. Hastings replieI
that that advantage might have &C
/, crued but he was not prepared to sa
I that he believed it would.
: A. G. McCausland Esaid there woul,
s, be pc occasion for Cramps shipyarI
! at Philadelphia il we had had ship
:. yards on the river front 60 years ago
He asked what advantage would result
from having a road to the Delaware
He thought the deepening of tn
, Christiana would make Wilmington
} bigger city.
Mr.. Lawton asked what large cit
, isn't on river. Talk drcdge as niue
} as you want, he said, but there ism
as much water in the Christiana nol
as there was 10 years ago. The Chris
tiana is drying up and is nothing bu
a brook.
David Lemon said he favored wha
! Gen. Wilson had said. He also though
we ought to have all the trolleys "
can get.
John D Kelley said if we had ship
I yards at the mouth of the creek W
! would not sec so many boats going t
! Cramps and Newport News.
Il. Chakley Hatton thought Fourt
street would be the best route. III
! also favored the deepening of tn
, Christiana and the building of tida
gates.
Gen. Wilson said Tidal gates woul
: cost half million dollars He under
! stood that the United States engineer
! who recently visited this city disaT
prove of tidal gates for this harbor
He commended that dredge boa
will keep the channel clear, Don't b
satisfied with 20 feet, he said; deman
the depth that will admit the bigges
boat. Get out and yell and shout for ii
A. s. Reed said road to til
Q river would cost half million dollars
He asked whether money would hay
Q to be borrowed for the project.
Il Jacob Pusey favored the movemer
Q and volunteered to take persons to th