The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-10

River-Ex-Sherif X. F. Powers APP
peared in the Interest of Citizens of
Fender and Adjoining Counties.
Other Business of Public Interest.
The April meeting of the Wilmington
Chamber of Commerce was held at
$3.50 o'clock yesterday afternoon in the
chambers apartments in the Seaboard
Air Line building. Mr.. Marcus w. ia
cobb vice president, presided and Colo
mel John L.. Cantwell was secretary.
The most important matter which
engaged the ottention of the chamber
was the consideration of a petition to
congress asking for an appropriation
to be used in the improvement of Shell
ter river from Bannerman's Bridge,
up through Pender county for a dis
lance of So miles
EX-Sheriff K. F. Powers, of Pender
county, was in attendance upon the
meeting of the chamber and presented
the petition which was signed by sew
eral hundred citizens of Pender, Dup
lin n Onslow. The petition is as
follows:
Ito the Honorable, The Congress of
The United States of America:
1--WE the undersigned citizens of the
State of North Carolina do most re-
specially and earnestly petition your
honorable body to make an apprOpria-
ton for the improvement of Shelter
River in the county of Fender in the
said state. This river if improved, Will
be navigable for a distance Of thirty
five miles n will materially benefit
an area of country fifty miles long by
ten miles wide, extending it's benefits
into the counties of Duplin, Onslow
and Pender, and will open to market
and m millions of feet of tim
Der which is for want of transporta-
tion facilities, comparatively worthless;
will encourage manufacturing enter
prises and will stimulate and increase
all commercial interest in the entire
section tenfold."
In urging the merits of the claims
for a government appropriation for the
work Mr.. Powers said the improve
ment of the river would greatly re-
dound to the benefi of Wilmington
and he was anxious for the citizens
and especially the chamber of COM
merce TO lend their influence for the
accomplishment of the desired i'm
provement. The fathers n grand
fathers, he said, of the good people in
his section had brought their produce
here and lone all their trading in Will
mington and while the Improvements
asked for in the petition would be es-
pecially beneficial to the tributary
territory the benefit to Wilmington
would be equally great in the increase
of trade.
He is anxious to have the stream
cleared out sc that at least eight feet
draft a be obtained for small steam
ers.
There was favorable discussion by
Mr.. D. L. Gore, M. w. M. Cumming.
! cobb and others the following resolu-
ton introduced by Captain T.. D.
| Meares was adopted to-wit:
Resolved, That the Chamber of Com
merce of the city of Wilmington does
hereby endorse the petition of the cit
liens Of Pender county to the congress
of the United States as being for the
improvement of Shelter river in Pen
der county and hereby requests the
the congressman from this district to
use his efforts to secure the passage
OF an appropriation for the said pur-
| pose.
MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS.
During the meeting yesterday after
noon there was a report from the COM
mittee on legislation, Mr.. John K. Will
liams, chairman, regarding house bill
No. 7734, now pending in congress re-
garding the legislation for the regula-
ton of sanitation in the district of Co
lumbia- The report was to the effect
that it was not a matter in which the
chamber of m of Wilmington
should interest itself.
The Secretary, Colonel John L. Cant.
we'll, read communications from Hon
]. H. Small, Hon. John D. Bellamy
and Senator Pritchard, our representa-
tives in congress-, acknowledging the
receipt of the resolutions recently
adopted by the chamber endorsing the
bill asking for a special appropriation
for the improvement of the Interna.
tiona museum in Philadelphia. In re.
ferring to the matter Mr.. Bellamy
wrote that he was heartily in favor o
the bill and Mr.. Small said that so IA
as he had had opportunity to investi
gate the matter he was favorably i'm
pressed.
During the progress of the meetin,
Mr.. Jacob incidentally remarked tina
he is very much afraid that the cham
Der will have to elect a new presiden
at the next meeting as the committe'
has not yet been able to persuade Mr.
w. z. Worth to accept the reelection
which was rendered him at the annu
al meeting. Messenger readers will re
member that Mr.. Worth was electe,
over his protest, he having insiste,
that he could not possibly find time +
do the office anything like justice, 10
the reason that his business require,
so much Of his time that the interest
of the chamber could but suffer. How
ever members of the chamber are still
very anxious and withal hopeful tina
Mr. Worth acronf tha nraSidancu