Evening journal., 1897-05-11

THE LAND BEFORE EXEMPTION
GOES INTO EFFECT.
staff Correspondence Evening Journal.
Dover. May 1.-THE House passed
the House bill exemptng the Cherry
Island marsh property Of the Delaware
Construction Company from bank tax,
with an amendment constituting the
city engineer Of Wilmington the judge
OF the height of the land before such
exemption shall go into effect
Messrs. Dempsey, Donaldson and Ha-
zell spoke in favor of the bill and Mr..
Mccullough opposed II. 1t was passed
by a vote of IS to 8. those voting in
the negative being Messrs J. II. Hop
lSins. Dempsey, Mccullough Thomp-
son and Adams. l.. S. Hopkins was alb
sent.
During the noon recess the opposing
sides were given a hearing in the Hall
of Representatives. Lewis G. Nande-
grift. Thomas Weldin, j. Atwood Wei
din, William r. Sellers and Thomas T..
Robinson were the speakers in opposi-
ton to the passage Of the BILL while
the orators In favor Of it were Alvan
r. Morrison. John II. Rodney and Sec
retary Moylan of the Delaware Con-
struction Company.
The bill is entitled "An Act for the
Relief Of Certain Marsh Owners in the
City OF Wilmington" and received an
exhaustive explanation before the COM
mittee. and on its passage the vote was
10 to 5.
The land to which the bill refers and
for which equitable relief is asked for
the owner without injustice to any
~ Il. -.
belonging to the Delaware Construction
Company below tide level about thr-
teen acres In extent, ON the westerly
border Of Cherry Island marsh, with a
frontage Of about 800 feet on the
Christiana and Brandywine rivers, and
is entirely within the limits Of the
city OF Wilmington.
Cherry Island marsh consists, as a
whole, OF about $50 acres of marsh
land within the corporate limits OF the
city of Wilmington, and is bounded by
the Delaware, Christiana and Brandy
wine rivers, and also by the high
grounds or fast land of the built-up
part of Wilmington on the westerly
side OF the marsh and the fast lands
near Edge Moor on the nOrtherly side.
Those marsh lands all below high
water are protected from overflow of
the rivers by a tide bank about 5000
feet in length along the river fronts.
This bank is maintained by a bank tax
levied yearly by the directors Of the
Cherry Island Marsh Company. upon
all the land, each acre paying alike.
The fact that this large tract of land
is within city limits and closely ad-
Joining the built-up and manufacturing
portion of Wilmington, with water
mt on IL
convenient railroad connection, and
with public street of Wilmington. 1OC
feet wide, extended and improved by
the city authorities. to and across the
island TO the Delaware river naturally
suggests its advisability for manufae-
turing and commercial purposes. II
has been used for 100 years or more as
farming and pasture lands, from which
there is not enough return to the own
ers to pay the yearly interest on the
value OF the land, nor even pay the eX-
pense incurred for building the banks
consequently total debt of about $40.
600 has been incurred, for which note.
and obligations have been given by The
directors.
This debt has been allowed to remain
for several years without any attemp,
on the part of the directors to clear 4
on, either entirely or gradually, b,
bank taxes or otherwise, upon the ple;
that the land could not afford to pa,
for 1t. and consequently it has beer
carried along from year to year and al
additional expense Of about 5000 a yea,
has been incurred for the past eigh
years, and continues to be incurred TO
interest alone. besides which this deb
hangs over all the land on the marsl
4 infnf hrrrdnn d,
owner cannot free himself legally b.
paying his proportion when he desire
to do so. thus making it impossible 70
any owner TO sell and give a clear it'll
70 those who desire to purchase tn
land for manufacturing purposes. an,
who would not invest large capita
without a perfect title.
Neither viii manufacturers inves
large capital and place extensive build
inRs and machinery. much more vaIu
able than the land itself, on lands stu
ated entirely below the tide level an,
protected only by mud banks liable q
be destroyed by every heavy storm
which experienve has been shown to b
TOO common, nor can they use 70
manufacturing purposes land that is to-
low for the drainage Of storm waite
and the waste products Of manufac
ture.
As one instance out Of a great man,
occurring every year can be cited tn
case of Goldings and Sons Company
who, during the past few months, Wis
tied the city of Wilmington at the in
Vitaticn of the Board OF Trade with
view Of establishing a large manufac
turing plant cn Cherry Island marsh
The Delaware Construction Company
together with a number Of other enter
prislng marsh owners. showed them tn
lands aEd offered them a plot of 81,
acIes Oh land free nl nncl On nnrt no