Evening journal., 1915-06-01
GROWTH Of Town
NOT like MUSHROOM
Big Boom in PennSgrove
Has All Appearance of
Permanence
BUILDERS ARE
NOW IN A FRENZY

PENNSGROVE. n. j.. June 1.-The
metamorphosis of Pennsgrove from a
sleepy village into hustling town is
one of the wonders of the times II is
now freely predicted that the popula-
tion in the next year will exceed 10000
and the frenzied effort to keep pace
with the tremendous growth has put
contractors and builders on the verge
of nervous prostration. The growth is
not of the mushroom character. like
a mining town, as has been presumed,
but nearly all of the new homes and
buildings going up on every hand are
of a substantial and permanent ma
ture The constant additions to the
already large plant of the DUPONT
/ Powder Company requiring more and
more hands, who need more and more
homes and places of shelter have
caused some speculation as to the
permanency of the growth, but the Of
ficials of the company have given
assurances that the present boom is
not temporary in any sense, as the
plant here is to be made one of the
centres of the industry in the United
States.
Is Pennsgrove booming" or is a
new town, Riverview. being put on
/ the map in southwest New Jersey?
Here there is a wide diversion of opin-
ion when the question is asked. and
to it, perhaps. the most satisfactory
answer is a compromise expressive
of the idea that in a literal sense both
of these events are taking place with
a possibility that eventually Penns-
grove will swallow Riverview or Riv-
erview will gulp Pennsgrove down
and one continuous city extend from
the Wilmington ferry to the great
powder plant. Between the outskirts of
old Pennsgrove and the locality where
the great town development is taxi
| ing place lies an open stretch OF
some mile and a half in length. Il is
farmland, cut up, of course, into
many small fields. but admirably
adapted for realty development, and
so in time will likely undergo the
same improvements being made on the
site selected for the new homes which
must house the thousands Of en-
ployes necessary to the operation of
the enlarged powder manufacturing
plant when the latter is in full COM
mission.
Hundreds of New Homes.
As for Pennsgrove the old town,
many houses are in course Of con-
struction, but the great boom is con-
fined to Riverview, where hundreds
of attractively designed bungalows
have sprung up within the past three
months and where hundreds more will
appear within the next year. Thai
the town is built TO stay cannot b,
doubted. The houses completed. thos,
now in course OF construction anl
those yet TO be commenced are de
signed to meet the requirements O.
permanent residence and to find an
easy sale among the future tenants
and they are being disposed of as fas
as completed. Last week 30 familie.
took possession of their new home,
and for $50 nearly completed 800 ap
plications have been fled Next weel
ground will be broken for so more ant
until the demand is supplied they will
be started in blocks as rapidly a,
possible.
OF chief interest in connection will
the new development is the fact tha
tn class of homes being provided ar,
modern in every respect. while in con
struction only the best of buildinl
material has been used. F'urthermor,
in accordance with modern ideas eacl
house stands in the centre of its owl
house lot surrounded in many in
stances by trees and always so placed
as TO secure free circulation of ali
and proper lighting. To describ,
them as shacks. as has been done, il
to convey wrong impression. foi
no suburban town in the east is be
ing more carefully built up than thu
one destined to be the home of th'
. thousands of employees who will liv,
there and who could hardly expec
?, to find things quite so good
Better Than "BOOm Towns,
o And while all this is going OF
what sights may be seen. Many likeI