Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/50

30 Sloan's Architectural Review and Builders' Journal. [July, diagrams drawn upon the ship timber whereon he sat, while, standing immedi- ately at hand, I copied them in my note book. The Marine Railway on this ground is now carried on by Washing- ton's two sons, John and George, so here are three continuous, lineal genera- tions of the Vandusens, sufficient to pre- vent any uncertainty whatever. The remnant of the great elm was sawn up by Franklin Eyre, who had the shipj'ard east adjoining Yandusen's, and who thereb}' obtained the larger portion of the wood then remaining. Up to the time of this sawing, or rather until his death, which likely occurred rather before, Matthew Vandusen, Sr., who had always utterly refused to sell any part of the tree, with a generosity and appreciation which does him honor, had invariably freely given away pieces of it to all applicants. Had he preferred to sell the relics, he could have made a large sum of money by it ; but he chose the nobler part ; and his descendants may well be proud of it. Washington Vandusen thinks that the Eyre family have much the larger portion of what- ever actual wood of the great elm there — -may be remaining, as Eranklin would naturally secure, in sawing, most of it himself. I believe the same may be said of them, as of Matthew Vandusen, Sr., above ; the wood they have pre- sented, and might again, as an exceed- ingly great favor ; but never did, and never would, sell any of it. In pursuance of the Fernon attempt to establish a square, the damages for 147 feet, more or less, on Beach street, and 190 feet towards the river, Mr. Van- dusen said, were assessed at $51,000. This the Court set aside ; and thus the affair has remained in abeyance to this daj r . The reader will remember, that this little tract contains the very heart of the treaty ground. Inside this, all admit the great elm stood ; and conse- quently, within it the high councils of the two parties must have deliberated and finally acted. I think, therefore, the sum was very moderate, even for the belter and cheaper days when the matter was last agitated. Tbe ground rests at about $6 per front foot on Beach street to Allen, and on Richmond street to Allen again. On Beach street to the river there is no definable limit between $12 and $20 per foot. These points I obtained from him with regard to a business consideration of the proposed matter by business men. The number of feet from Richmond street through to the river, to count at 6+6 + 20=$32, would be, 951 to 955 feet; take the larger number, and $36 per foot through from Richmond street to the Port War- dens' line. The $36 represent the six per cent, interest of $600 ; this, multiplied by 955 feet, produces $573,000, or, in round numbers, $600,000, as the value of the ground. There is, in addition, the value of the buildings, which is not so easy to estimate ; but say $300,000 more. The reclearing and embellish- ing of this sacred spot— the birthplace, so to speak, of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — is no trifling matter, and can be accomplished for no trifling amount. The first point is to secure the ground ; and remove the Penn Society's Memorial to the exact spot. The additional contribution for the piers, the landscape gardening, and the monu- ment and other appointments, would vary from $1,400,000 to $2,000,000 more. The State should appropriate the money for the ground and the en- cumbering buildings ; the people should contribute that for the other purposes. Ranging the present population of the State somewhere between 3,500,000 and 4,000,000 souls, it would be about fifty cents a head, varying from those able and willing to provide many times the quota to those unable to give aught ; and, with concerted effort, the money could all be raised the first election day, by having contribution boxes in charge of a few trusty citizens at the polls, as, although the women and children do not vote, they could hand in their mite through the men.