The Penn's Grove record., 1916-03-10
Il RIGHT
Must ReIQin RiD0i01 RigIS
The Ends Of Main Street and Maple
Avenue Belong To The People

Having scotched the water snake and
being necessarily detained from a special
meeting of the Mayor and Council on
Tuesday evening, we discovered on We'd
nesday while nosing for news, that wharf
rats had invaded the Borough over night
and had devoured the Mayor and Coun-
Gil, but had not eaten irreparable holes
in. the Borough ship of state, because the
meeting was a special one, not called for
the purpose of giving away the peoples
riparian rights to the foot of Main street
which gives free access to the Delaware
river.
The Council discussed and partly de-
cided that $4,000 would be needed to
run the Borough this year, not including
$4,000 which will be needed for schools,
but the most important proposition pas
sed upon was an ordinance purposing to
give away the riparian rights to the
Penns Grove Pier Company, now owned
by the Wilmington and Penns Grove Fer
ry Company who are Horace Wilson and
son, Joseph Wilson, of Wilmington.
No II can blame them for getting all
they can for nothing, but why should the
Mayor and Council gave away a valuable
riparian right which belongs to all the
people to a corporation which may sell
out to another corporation and bottle up
Penns Grove citizens forever.
Capt. Wilson says he needs this ri
parian right in order that he may extend
the wharf 800 feet further out so the
Wilson line boats which ply between
Wilmington and Philadelphia may land
there. He may extend the wharf the
present width, but not widen to infringe
on the riparian rights not heretofore used
above and below.
All corporations are seeking valuable
rights along the river front. The dupont
Company wanted all from Carney to
Thompson Point. But they did not get
all asked for neither should Capt. Will
son without giving the people some priv
ileges and insuring privileges enjoyed
since the first wharf at the foot of Main
street was erected in 1929.
Delaware may claim to high water
mark on the Jersey shore, according to
grants made in 1862 by King Charles II.
and according to maps showing such, but
New Jersey has claimed and exercised
the riparian rights and the fishing rights
and should hold on to them.
In 1856 Charles Elkintop and others
applied to the Legislature and got a
charter for a public wharf at the foot of
Main street. Their corporation is known
as the Penns Grove Pier Com
pany, a public service corporation or
ganized to erect a public wharf at which
boats may land by paying public wharf
age, fishing boats as well as other boats.
Mr.. Elkinton being the principal stock
holder thought he had a right to erect a
building OF the foot of Main street and
have a fence there also. Our older citi-
zens remember the old Fishermen's Pride
restaurant which had to be moved in
1872 at the suit of the Township Commit
tee, the prime mover being William
Summerill. William Curriden was the
road overseer who Executed the law.
George H. Elkinton who owned a ma
iority of the stock of the Penns Grove
Pier Company sold it to John Doyle,
owner of the Major Reybold. He sold it
TO the Reading Railroad party of whom
Capt. Horace Wilson bought it. The Will
mington and Penns Grove Ferry Com
pany is a separate corporation.
When the Mayor and Council give
away the Borough's riparian right Capt.
Wilson will not have to maintain a pub
lie service corporation wharf. They may
surrender their charter and have a pri-
vate wharf, put up a gate and make cit,
zens of Penns Grove pay Is cents or more
a sniff for a breeze off the Delaware
river. He may sell out the wharf and
steamboat lines to the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company. They can afford to pay
an immense price to prohibit water COM
petition. The round-trip between Penns
Grove and Philadelphia has been in
creased from seventy-fiye cents to $1.40
in the past fifteen years.
The thing to do is for the Mayor and
Council to take out that riparian right
and lease it for fifty years, the same as
they grant a franchise to a gas, water
or trolley company for the use of the
streets. The people should have the right
insured to walk out on the wharf at all
times. All boats nave a right to land
at public wharf by paying wharfage.
This should be maintained. For a nom
inal lease for fifty years the Penns Grove
Pier Company should maintain a public
waiting room, and public toilet. A roof
may be put on and c~ommodious space
made for citizens to sit at any time even
though they may not desire to take pas
sage on a steamer owned by the same
persons who own the wharf under the
name of a different corporation.
The only public access the people OF
Penns Grove have to the Delaware river
is at the foot of Main street and at the
foot of Maple avenue at the Cove
These rights must and shall be maintain
ed against all persons or corporations
asking for a free gift.
Men are elected to be Councilmen tc
look after and protect the general pub
lie interest like as it were their own and
mot give the peoples rights and privil-
eyes away for fawning fiattery nor per
sonal favors.
When men talk one way on the street
and vote another in giving the peoples
rights and privileges away, it makes peo-
pie think of Bret Harte's heather Chin
ese. who was known for ways that are
dark and tricks that are vain.