Evening journal., 1913-09-08
COUNCILMEN
VIEW CITY'S
WATERFRONT
Get Ready to Take Action to
Carry Out Wishes Of
the Voters
ALSO INSPECT WHARF
AND BRIDGE SITES

ance committees of City Council and I
representatives Of newspapers made /
a thorough inspection of the land
known as the Delaware Riverfront
on Saturday afternoon so that the I
councilmen might be more familiar /
with the tract and be in a better posi- i
ton to carry out the expressed /
wishes Of the large majority of the
voters to test the consritutionality Of
the Bulkhead act of 1901 and for the
city to acquire by condemnation or
purchase all or some of the land "
ing east of the old hay road and run
ming along the Delaware river.
The purpose Of the trip was for the
members OF Council to get the lay OF
the land and to determine the amount
Of land that should be taken pur-
suant to the referendum questions
which were voted on at the last cleo
ton, making It obligatory on the part
Of Council to determine how much
land should be acquired. Those in
the party were President of Council
William P. White, Councilmen Will
liams, Slower, McGoldrick and zim-
norman of the navigation commit
tee and Councilmen Kane ana Grant
land of the finance committee
The trip was made in two automobiles
that had been rented from j, A. Reese.
CITY Council does not have an automo-
bile and during the trip the members
discussed the advisabilISy of having
machine. Councilman Grnntland sug.
gested that Council should have a ma
chine 30 that the members could get to
the different parts Of the city more
quickly.
The riverfront was reached by Sew
enth street bridge which runs into
Fourth street extended below Seventh
street bridge. Fourth street extended
runs elenr to the Delaware river bank
and is as level as a table top. With
blue print of the property the Council
men located the various streets and lines
of nroperty and walked from the foot
of Fourth street to the foot of Eighth
street The land was found to be in ex-
cellent condition The land adloins the
government reservation on the south
which was filled in many years ago.
Adjoining this tract is another tract OF
loo acres which was filed in during
more recent years.
In discussing the project President
of Council 1hite asked whether the
vote of the people made 1t nanda-
tory for Council to acquire the land
east OF the Hay road. He said that
he had talked with several people
concerning the project and that It had
been suggested that the land on the
south Of the Christiana river would
be the logical place for the river
front. He said that he was favorably
Impressed with this view and wanted
to know whether the Council had the
power 10 select any other place for
the riverfront The other members
of Council agreed that the vote was
mandatory and that the Council
would have to acquire the land lying
east OF the Hay road and adjoining
the government reservation.
The members found a great di-
versity of opinion among themselves
as to how much land should be taken
by the city and whether it should be
purchased or condemned. Mr.. Zim-
norman was firm in his opinion that
the city should acquire all the land
constituting the present bank OF the
river and lying between the
city limits on the north and the gov
ernment reservation on the south.
CounciImen Slower, Kane and White
thought that the land lying between
Fourth and Eighth streets would be
all that is necessary for the city. Mr..
Zimmerman said all of the land
should be bought even if it should
cost $4,000 for it, would soon be
worth more than a million. The 9TH
er Councilmen agreed that the prop
erty would be very valuable. The
members Of Council agreed that it
would not be necessary for the city
to acquire much of the land back Of
the river bank as a narrow strip run
ming along the present bank would
give the city the ownership of all the
land which would be made in front
Of it by reason of the bulkhead and
the government work.
Most of the Councilmen were of
the opinion that the land would be
used for the purpose intended in the
riverfront questions such as manu-
featuring and factory sites. It might
also be used by railroad companies
Several of the members of the
party thought that the land could
not be purchased because the price
would be too high. It was suggested
that a strip of it be condemned for
park purposes with the understand.
ing that the land would eventually be
used for manufacturing sites. Coun.
Gilman Kane said that he did moi
think thar this could be done, as the
law would require that the true
reason for the condemnation and the
use intended of the properly would
have to be shown and that once the
land was condemned FOR a purpose
it would have to be used for the pur.
pose or the ownership would revert
back to the original owner. II wa:
suggested that strip about 10 fee
wide running along the riverbanl
would be all the land necessary fol
the city to own to get the benefit o.
the lana that would be filled in, bu
Councilman Kane said that h,
thought the court would require tha
the city take more than this amoun
OF land
From their viewpoint on the rive
bank the members of the party coult
see the partially completed bulkhaat
running from Edge Moor toward vii
mington and wei nrie to Seine ~
imaginary line following which tn,
bulkhead, if built by the government
would run. 1t was seen that thi
bulkhead would have to extend for
considerable distance out on thl
south end, from the present jetty a
the mouth of the Christiana
President White said that h
thought the city should acquire
large portion of sthe new made lanl
so that il could be given away or sol,
at reasonable price TO factories AM
manufacturing plants that desire {,
rfxf NH