Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-05-02


day afternoon for the purpose of con-
sidering st Get railway matters. Rich
ard W. Crook, general manager, and
William s. HIlles, attorney OF the Citi-
zens' Railway Co., and several other
oiitzens were present. The chief object
of the meeting was to hear representa-
tives of the Citizens Railway Co. and
people opposed 70 line on Seventh
street, for which the new company seeks
franchise. Several leople argued
against Seventh street being used for
trolley purposes, but no objection was
made to the other streets which the
company desires to occupy. The fran
chise now pending grants the Citizens
Co. the right to use Fifth street from
Walnut to the western city line, Seventh :
street from Poplar to the westerly city
line, King street from Sixth to Six
teenth, Orange from Second to Tbir. :
teenth and Woodlawn avenue from
Lancaster TO Shsllcross avenues.
The directors gave patient hearing
to all parties who bad anything 10 say
on the subject, but took no action, the
matter going over until the next regular
meeting.
There are other applications pending,
but nothing wEs discussed except the
proposed Seventh street line.
Elections Commissioner Charles f.
Thomas, who was the first speaker. said
he saw no reason for granting the right
to use Seventh street for railway pur-
poses. lie had no objection to the Fifth
street franchise he was only interested
In SeventA street, and hoped the de-
psrtment would permit that thorough.
fare to remain open for people having
teams driving between the city ana ths
rnral district " aat 0f the aifr
William s. Bibles, tho company's at
torney, said hs was sorry that there
| appeared TO be some opposition to tho
Seventh street railway. He thought
| the opposition was unwarrauted, as he
| was Of the opinion that Seventh atreet
In its present condition is not very
| good for pleasure driving, He thought
| IL was the duty OF the department TO
relieve the company. Under present
conditions there will be q congestion Of !
street car traffic ON Sixth street, as the
business OF the Brandy wine Springs
| Go. must be handled over that line
both ways. unless some other street can
be secured. Tbs Brandy wine Springs
| Co, he said, intends. in the near future
to open up to Wilmington, by trolley
lines, Yorklyn, Kenneth Square and all
of that section Of Pennsylvania. Owing
| to the conditions, the Second street
l.le cannot be used to relieve Sixth
street. He pointed out that the only
available street is Seventh street. In
the first Lace. Fifth street Is only
| about two thirds good and there is no
bridge OVER the Is. & U. railroad at
Fifth street. There are now tracks on
Front, Second. Fourth, Sixth and Eighth
streets, and none Of the other streets Tan
be used.
Mr.. Hiles said his company was will
ing to furnish any suburban read with
terminal facilities, believing such an
arrangement would be equally beneficial
to both parties, as we'll as to the city.
| A clause lie in the resolution granting
the franchise requiring the company &c
make such an agreement.
| Mr.. Hilles called attention to the fact
that railways are for the public good
and 1t is the duty of the department
to look after the interests of the city;
to do what will result in the greatest
good to the greatest number. He said
many more people ride in street cars
than in carriages and, while a COM
parati rely few people may be peculiarly
interested in Seventh street SO as not
to want a trolley line there. many more
people of the city are interested in hay-
ing cars there.
Mr.. Thomas said he had no objeo-
tion to the company using Seventh
street west of Broome.
Il. Allen Hilles endorsed what Mr..
Thomas had said. Referring to railway
building, he said Clayton street, on
which tracks had been laid, is in bad
condition. The tracks are laid at grade,
and as some parts OF the street are
below grade, the track in places is from
six to eight inches above the street.
He has about half block between
Clayton, du Pont, Sixth and Seventh
streets. A year ago there were no tracks
there, but now there are tracks on three
sides, on du Point, Clayton and Sixth
streets, and he felt as II be was pretty
we'll hemmed in. he did not want the
Seventh street franchise granted with
out due consideration.
william s. Hilles, the attorney, adj.
mitted the bad condition Of Clayton,
street, but called attention to theifact
that the tracks we're put down Ia winter
and the present condition was due tol
q temporary unavoidable delay in,
putting the street in order.
Calvin |. Swayne thought Seventh.
street should be kept free from tracks. !
On account of the lines recently laid
on other crcsstown streets the vehiculsrl
traffic is more than double now what
it was year ago. He thought IL was
necessary to have a street through the
city and running to the Delaware
River, ard he felt the city's progress
was toward the river. He did not object
to the proposed line on Orange street,
where his place of business is located.
But he did object to the Seventh street
line. Samuel Murphy also spoke against
lire on Seventh street. Two partitions
were presented against the Seventh
street franchise, containing 1i2 pamss.
At the conclusion OF the conference
one of the directors said the department.
did not wish to be hasty In its action
and would give time to ascertain the
trend Of public sentiment.
After the speakers had departed the
directors conferred with each other and
in the course of the conference Mr.
Fahey said the Peoples Railway Co. is
paying with cobblestones on Second and
Sixth streets west of Broome, whereas
the regulations of the department re-
ouire Belgian blocks to be used. He
also pointed out that the charter re-
quires paving three feet outside Of the
tracks, whilst the resolution of the
department calls for only two feet. he
thought these matters should be recon-
ciled and an understanding had with
the company.
The Peoples Railway ca. hesan yes
terday repaving its lines in the eastern
part of the city.
No decision has been reached as yet