The Cliffs in Philadelphia Pennsylvania Built By Joshua Fisher of Lewes.

The Cilffs is a Registered Historic Place near 33rd and Oxford Streets , East Fairmount Park, in Philadelphia. built in 1753 by Philadelphia merchant Joshua Fisher who lived 107 to 1783, the great grandfather of joseph Wharton. It overlooks the Schuylkill River from the east.  It is acountry house in the Georgian style, constructed in stone, two stories and basement, heated by double fireplaces on both floor and basement. The estate included a farm. During the Revolution War, Ben Franklin daughter, Sarah Franklin Bache and her sewing group made clothing and bandages for continental soldiers.

Joshua Fisher had settled in Lewes Delaware, marrying Sarah Rodman , and had started a hat making business using locally plentiful animal skins and became wealthy.  In 1746 he moved his family to downtown Philadelphia and built the cliffs as a country getaway where he brought the family in the summer .  The house remained in the Fisher family over 100 years. . 1868 it was purchased by Fairmount Park, was rented and maintained until 1960's.  In 1960's it was maintained and repaired by the Shackamaxon Society then became vacan when money to keep it up became scarce.  It burned in 1986 and today is a shell of masonry . 

GOLDSBOROUGH ESCAPE 1869

THE ESCAPE FROM SUSSEX COUNTY

OF

ROBERT H. GOLDSBOROUGH

NOVEMBER 1869

Robert H. Goldsborough, the convicted murder of Charles Marsh, and sentenced to hang on 10 December 1869, is reported to have escaped . The “Commercial” newspaper of Wilmington has let the following account:

We have received the following particulars as to the manner in which he accomplished his escape and they leave no room to doubt that he had outside assistance in getting away. He had evidently been furnished with an instrument with which he sawed off the bolt of the leg irons and this left him manacled. He then was able to saw an eighteen inch hole through the floorboards of his cell to the outside wall, dig a hole beneath the outside wall which allowed him to get into the outside yard, also enclosed by a concrete wall where he removed an earthen drain and enlarged this hole to craw through to the street where a carriage was waiting to carry him off toward Lewes and the east.

A Goldsborough relative had visited a short time ago and left a jar of beach plum preserves which is believed to have contained the sawing instrument concealed. Goldsborough is connected to a wealthy and highly respected Maryland family and it is supposed sufficient means have been been place at his disposal to make his freedom.

The Delaware Governor has offered a meager $1000 reward for his capture.

The schooner John Gilprin

SAILING SCHOONER JOHN GILPRIN

MARYLAND

1831 TO 1845

The schooner John Gilprin was begun in 1826 at St. Michael's and launched in 1831 , sent to sea the

year following. Most of it's voyages were with the China Tea trade. The John Gilprin was a two

master brig 104 feet in length and is said to be the last large ship to be launched at St. Michael's. Ar

Michael's was at the hub of the Eastern Shore, once having the material ready for building such vessels,

such as live oak, locusts and cedar, carpenters with the knowledge of the use of hand tools necessary to

construct such a ship. It could take several years to complete these vessel's said to be a link between

the early Baltimore Clipper Ships and the larger clipper ships of a later era. The ship sank off

Newfoundland sometime around 1845, having traveled some 228,533 miles during the 144,323 days

she was afloat. She held a record of a 56 day, 4 hour run, from Callao , Peru to Lintin, China in 1837

which she held until 1843 when the record was broken by the Helena, a larger ship.

A model of the John Gilprin rest in the Chesapeake Bay Museum built by the historian R. Hamiton

Gibson.

Source: Dick Moore, Salisbury Daily Times, 30 March , 1977

Pilot Boat Tunnell

SEPTEMBER 1889 GREAT COASTAL STORM

AND

THE PILOT BOAT TUNNELL

Lewes, Delaware September 14, 1889

During the past few days since the Great September East Coast Storm, excitement in Lewes has it's citizens busy doing what needs to be done to assist those that are in need of assistance and many gathering around the Virden House in downtown listening to stories and the news going the rounds.

One of those stories is of the Pilot Boat Tunnel, under the charge of Pilot John M. Barnes, which has been listed as missing. All of the prayers and hopes of the pilots dear ones involved were answered this morning as the sun, which has been shut out so long by the storm clouds rose in all it's glory over the sand dune which is occupied by the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse, here comes the missing Tunnell, full speed under full sail, into the harbor.

The account of the perilous cruise was offered by Pilot Barnes. “ We took the gale in it's full force at 8 in the morning, Tuesday, ten miles off the Capes, and made doubled reefed sails all around. Then the gale winds increased to a hurricane. The main sail was blown from it's ropes as we headed out to sea some twenty miles before the winds. Eventually they got the storm-try sail on her with great difficulty , and hove to, laying easy but working off shore. The gale winds increased until Wednesday about ten in night.

During the height of the gale, the oil bags were brought out on deck and gave some relief to the cross wind and heavy seas. Wednesday night, after the wind veered to north and lulled a little, the double reefed foresail was lofted and we headed for shore. From two hundred and fifty miles off land we made slow headway toward the capes until Thursday morning when more sail was made and we made one hundred and two miles. Thursday evening was when we sighted hog Island and the Tunnell arrived at the Breakwater this morning at three o'clock.

Tuesday during the winds she skipped a heavy sea, upsetting the cook stove and utensils , etc. Pilot Barnes, one of the Tunnell owners, gave credit to the sea going qualities of the boat, and said if it were not for these they would have been lost. As he was also out during the 1888 March blizzard he felt the late storm was more severe.

A young friend of Barnes, Harry Hickman, who was on board, has abandoned his desire to make a voyage across the Atlantic when his school days are over, feeling sure that Lewes Creek will be as far as he cares to navigate.

Source: The Monday, September 16^th 1889 issue of Wilkes Barre Record newspaper of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Newspapers.com

BROADKILN RIVER

SUSSEX COUNTY BROADKILLN RIVER

WHATS IN A NAME

Abstract from the Friday, October 16, 1891 Salina Daily Republican, Salina, Kansas.

The name “Murderkill” applied to an important stream in Delaware is explained in proper tradition by a curious story that is told of early settlers. According to the legend the stream took the name from the fact that an early European Explorer, having landed on the bank of the creek, persuaded a dozen natives to drag his ship cannon by a rope tied to the muzzle and then when they were all in line touched off the gun with murderous results. The name. Of course, is merely a corruption of the Dutch Motherkill, meaning another stream, because it is a large creek with many tributaries.

There is elsewhere in Delaware a Broadkill, which has become to be spelled with a final 'n', applied because the English settlers took its last syllable to be the same with the last syllable of limekiln.

Lewes And Rehoboth Life Saving Service Crews Save 194 Lives During The 1889 Great Storm

On October 13, 1889, from Washington, D.C. the General Superintendent of the Life Saving Service, S. J. Kimball, wrote letters to John A. Clampitt, Keeper of Lewes Station, Theodore Salmons, Keeper of Cape Henlopen Station, and Thomas J. Traxton, Keeper of Rehoboth Beach Station,  in which he said:
  The splendid conduct shown by yourselves and the crews under your command during the great storm of September10th to the 27th last,  has been noted by this office.  Upon that occasion , notwithstanding an unusually high tide that flooded the beach so as to embarrass your crews you gave efficient aid o no less that 22 vessels, taking off by boat 39 persons,  and by line apparatus  155, at total of 194 persons, not a life being lost from any vessel that came within the scope of your actions. In this successful work you showed a zeal and discretion and an ingenuity in availing yourselves of the resources at your command worthy of the highest praise.  Undaunated by the perils you encountered you and your crews manfully worked throughout each day and night without food  enduring extreme fatigue. Such service as this does honor to the Life Saving Service and the country.
  It is the desire of the Secretary of the Treasury to recognize as far as is in his power the worth of your achievements and he has accordingly directed that the pay of each of you be increased to the maximum amount allowed by existing law  to officers of your grade, namely $800 per year.
It is a matter of deepest regret that no means existfor recompensing in a similar manner the brave surfmen of your crews on that occasion since, by law, they receive already the maximum salary.
                                                                                    Respectfully yours,
                                                                                   S. J. Kimball, General Superintendent

EARLY AMERICAN INDIANS CUSTOMS

The Comanche Indian Nation do not have a written language and during World War One,  also World War Two, Comanche Indian, U. S.  Army soldiers ,  were used to transmit messages over radio and phone which were stranger to the enemy than any code the American's ever had.