The sun., 1900-11-24
RAILWAY ON BOULEVARD.
City Railway 20. Will be Given
Permission to Lay Its
Tracks There.
The West Chester Line Withdrew
Its Application, But Asked
for the Use or Other
Streets

A special meeting of tho Street and
Sewer Department was held yesterday
to hear the arguments of representatives
of the Wilmington City Railway Com
pany and the West Chester Company in
reference to laying tracks on the Boule-
ward.
j. II. Hoffecker and Leonard Il. Wales
representing the Wilmington and West
Chester line, were present, and W alter
III. Hayes and Joseph G. Lugar, were on
hand in the interest Of the old company.
Mr. Hoffecker presented an applica-
tion in which he said the original plan
of the company to lay tracks on the
Boulevard had been abandoned, and
new route taken up. The desire of the
company, he said is to operate line
which, without conflicting with any other
company, would bring people from West
Chester and the surrounding country into
Wilmington. He then presented sched-
Ile of the streets that were desired to be
used as follows: Beginning at the in
tersection of Fourth and Pine streets,
north on Pine to Twelfth, to French, to
Sixteenth to King, and from thence to
the northern approach of Market street
bridge over the Brandywine. Also for
a second line beginning at the intersec-
tion of Eighteenth and Market streets
and extending northwesterly along Eigh-
teenth street to the city line. This route
said Mr.. Hoffecker, would not conflict
with any of the present companies lines
in the city, and it was not the purpose
of the West Chester company to attempt
to compete with other companies for
city travel and that the original project
of crossing Washington street bridge had
been given up.
President Simmons said they had no
authority to grant the right of way in
any street to one railway company which
was already used by another company
and asked Mr.. Hoffecker how he pro-
posed to do in the matter of crossing
Market street bridge. Mr.. Hoffecker re-
piled that they had not asked permission
to use the bridge.
1t is understood that when the Will
mington and West Chester Company
filed its charter with Judge Spruance,
in which was a clause that included
the use Of Market street bridge, Judge
Spruance called attention to section 1913
of the corporation law, and held that
bridge is n street and that the
bridge could not be made use of by the
new company in the manner desired.
1t was then necessary to amend the char
ter before filing it, which has been done
to comply with the statute
y resolution was offered by President
Simmons and given two readings, giving
the Wilmington City Railway Co. the
right TO build and operate a line on the
Boulevard from Washington street
bridge TO Twenty-second street, thence
easterly on Twenty-second street to
Washington.
The company already has the right
to build on Washington street from the
bridge to Twenty-second, but that fran
chse, il unused, would expire on the
first of next April. The company in
tendes to use it and have a belt line.
The resolution read requires the com
pany to have the line in regular daily
operation within six months. Groovcd
rails must be laid if required by the
department, and between two and three
feet on each side of the tracks the streets
are to be paved with Belgian blocks.
As yesterdays meeting was special one
it was decided that the first legal read
ing cannot take place until next Tues
dsy,and it il altogether likely that the
franchise will be granted next Tuesday
week, one week being required between
the first and third readings.