The morning news., 1897-07-17
A VOICE FROM wILMINGT0N.
4 section which the County Com
mIssioners Seem TO Have FOrg often.

4 section which the County Com
mIssioners Seem TO Have Forgotten.
Wilmington Island, July 16-Editor
Morning News: The grand jury reports.
In your issue Of June ], that the hands re-
fuse to work the Whitemarsh and Whining
ton Island roads" 1t is evident they did
not understand the situation and the coun-
" commissioners seme disinclined to do
SO. No committee Of any grand jury, and
no member of any board Of county com
missioners, has visited either of these ISL
ands for the purpose Of examining into the
condition OF the public roads. during the
past thirty years, neither seeming to con-
slider them within their jurisdiction as
parts Of Chatham county. The usual time
10 work our public roads has been IN Au-
gust, and having been a road comms-
sioner here for thirty years. I should prob
ably have heard of any recent summons
and refusals if any had been issued
Realizing the fact that the road com
missioners possessed neither the power,
nor the means to improve the public
roads, and that al the sandy roads were
becoming heavier with every working, ]
suggested the resignation of the board at
a meeting some years ago ia order TO place
the entiTeresp possibility OF the care Of the
roads upon the county commissioners.
They took action soon afterwards to abol-
ish the board of road commissioners and
assumed control It is true that al the
last regular summons by the road COM
missioners, three years ago, a few of the
hands at the south end did refuse to work
owing to the anomalous situation of our
roads, and II Is only surprising that any
have been willing 20 turn out under exist
ing circumstances during the last fifteen
q eFf hot
fusal Road Commissioner Augustus Oem-
.er, without any reference TO either county
or road commissioners and solely for his
own convenience, has worked the roads
north and east of the oyster factory with
his operatives, and the hands living at my
place.
AS a matter Of fact, there is no public
road whatever on Whitenarsh and, there
fore, there can have been no refusal TO
work non -existant road and there Is
practically none on Wilmington. about a
quarter mile of the road having been
washed into the river about fifteen years
ago Since then inteFcommunication be-
tween different parts of the island and
access to the steamboat wharf has been
dependent upon a capricious landowner
who put the road comm3 ssioners on notice
tnat no work at this point should be con
sidered as done on the public road Fur
thermore a plantation of 500 acres, the
supply vegetables for canning, is separated
from other parts of the island by an i'm
passable bog on the public road which
affords the only land approach. This
point is submerged at every spring tide
and requires a causeway. In their petit
fion for it the landowners informed the
county commissioners they would supply
logs for corduroy free Of charge.
Whitemarsh Island and two narrow
streams only intervene between Whining
ton and Thunderbolt, yet none of the
property owners. residents or factory op-
eratiFes can reach the mainland except
exclusively by water, and occasions fire.
quently arise when such communication
becomes impossible.
During the last twenty years several ne
uuons have been presented to grand iuries
ana to county commissioners Zone numer-
ously slgned) for a road over Whitemarsh
Island. In justice to the board of which
Mr.. J. II. Estiu was a member mis- name is
mentioned because he favored iO, l must
acknowledge the road would then have
been built but for the unfortunate disa-
greement Of two property owners in re-
gard TO its route. Soon afterwards l oh
tained the promise of the right of way free
OF charge for the road as now desired. ana
IN subsequent petitions the county com
mlssloners We're so informed A part of
the old military road was to be utilized
The grand jury of December. 1892 rao
omtnehdeu that the road on Whitemarsh
and bridge over Turner's creek he buiIt
as soon as the county was in funds. The
matter rests, therefore, with the county
commissioners. Although the bridge
would not be half as long as the greater
OF the two Skidaway bridges, the peti-
toners would have been willing 10 defer
the bridge If they could have had the
road. Separate petitions have also been
presented 20 remedy the other deficiencies
and a respectful reminder OF
these was submitted 70 the
board of county commission
ers about month ago I'm which the public
road over Whitemarsh was mentioned as
OF most Importance, as follows: Gentle
men, permit me 70 call your attention to
the several petitions presented to your
honorable body by the residents and prop
erty owners OF this island. First. FOR a
road across Whitemarsh Island over
which the main land may be reached" etc,
etc.
In the report of the proceedings OF the
board just published this chief item is ig-
nOred and the one OF least consequence
has virtually been tabled by reference TO
committee.
In 1887 there were eight resident white
families or eight freehOlders on the Is
land, and the total tax contribution 20
the county treasury amounted 20 S3s. .7s.
which included the tax on slave property,