Milford chronicle., 1924-07-04
JUDGE GRAY
PRESENTS PLAQUE
Continued from first paee1

their desire and on their behalf that
l have the honor to present to you
this testimonial, which, however
simple and inadequate, may in some
degree manifest their grateful sense
of your unselfish generosity and
their appreciation of the great pub
lie service you have rendered our
state. beg that you will accept it in
the spirit in which it is offered, ac-
cOmpanied as it is with the hope that
finds an echo in all our hearts, that
the happiness of your future life may
be enhanced by the consciousness
that you have done the state some
service"
Memorial Presented
Joseph E. Holland of Milford. a
member of the State Highway Com
mission, presented to Gen. du Pont
memorial signed by thousands of
Delawareans showing their apprecia-
tiOn of the gift to the state.
du POnt Tells His Story
In presenting the du Pont Boule-
ward to Delaware, General du Pont
said:
ITO our Governor, Distinguished
Guests, and, was going to say, La
dies and Gentlemen, but I will say
instead, Delawareans and Friends: =
Il hardly know what to say on an
occasion of this kind, and personally
would much rather the people of
Delaware had not gone to such great
trouble and done so much for me be-
cause know 1 cannot in words,
thank them adequately for all they
have done.
"YOu must know that it is so much
and creates such a deep
feeling in my heart that it is with
lificulty that I can say anything at
III.
Ever since was nineteen years
I'D I have advocated and built, i'm
DrOved and repaired highways to
make transportation more economi- :
al, and think little story of>what i
night have been the starting point
my interest in good roads may en- q q
ertain you.
Started in Kentucky q
Among the first jobs 1 had was n
engineer of a coal mine in
small town in Western Kentucky. d.
his mine sold and delivered all the te
BAL consumed in the town. AS it was OF
new town, there were no roads.
requently in the winter and spring, Sc
would take four mules to deliver m
alf a ton of coal to the residents of
e town. 1t was part of my duties er
look after the teams of the COM te
my and lay out the work for them. =
ear the mine there was a very bad
I'D hole that could not be avoided, r
Id one day in the early spring,
ere were more coal orders than
ual. Early in the morning one of
e teams, and l think it was the
st load, got stuck in this mud hole.
le second load got stuck so that on
e next load, got some poles and
Ocks with which to pry the wagons
t of the hole. After doing this for
rhaps two or three hours, it sud
My occurred to me that it would be
IRE economical to fix the hole than
continue lifting wagons out of it.
e next load of coal that came
ing got stuck too. put this load
Orth in those day $1.25 per ton de-
ered), into the hole. We had no
re trouble with that hole all win
and 1 found that wherever the
npany's teams had to go through
d holes continuously, it was
,aper to repair the road and save
ain on wagons, breaking of har-
IS and single trees, beating of the
les aud keeping the drivers from l.
ng words that are not taught in
lday school, than it was to go
Ough the mud holes.
In those days the coal that went "
)ugh a q inch screen was car
away in carts and dumped until h
'e were acres and acres of what 1IDI
1 was called slack (nOw called
coaD, spread around the mining llIlI
rict. By putting an extra cart on lIlIll
und 1 could dump the slack on lIllIl
roads and make good roads near HILL
mines. IIllII
4ater the village hired two carts lN
the road was extended. Then in lIlI
ear or two, combining with the
ge, the company, instead of was
this slack at a cost of So or 81 Illln
y, paid So or $40 day, and the IllllI
l So or $40, and put on more N
is. In two years all the streets Hull
le town were Stacked and made IlllI
able. The money put into these Hill
S by the little village was, I llllIl
<, more economically and advan- UllIl
)usly spent than any other mon Ullll
)ent by the village. This was in lIlIl
and 1884; I was building roads NIlI
years ago. Hill
Love for Delaware Hill
aving spent much of my child M
along the banks of the Brandy lU
ever since 1 can remember, and Illl J
of my holidays while at school W
college among my relatives I
the Brandywine and in Della lIlll
it was just as much my home Hull
as Kentucky. 1 always had a lIllIl
fOndness for Delaware and Hill
hit some day if 1 ever made lll
I would come back here. This Hill
realized, as most Of you know, W
It a quarter of a century ago. ilIE
lg that l would like to do some UlIlI
that would be of real value to Mill
7are, conceived the road from W p
ington to the Maryland line lll =
My motive was so b
understood at that time that I Will Il
by lawsuits and local IlIl +,
ition from turning over to Del IIIITIInII y,
}, ten years ago, the road that Hill l
today. Hill %
e first thirty or thirty-five :,
Of road was surveyed and con- Hill +
ed in practically a straight I'LL
by the Boulevard Corporation, M