596 Chronicles of the Cape Fear Rwer

property from Princess Street to Market Street, from Wright’s
Alley back to the river wharf, including a portion of the wharf
owned by the Kuck and the Calder estates, which gives us one
of the most desirable plots for a new custom house at the very
small cost of $69,000, the present value of which is estimated at
more than double that sum.

When this ground was bought the appropriation for the pur-
chase and for a new building was $300,000. To secure this
amount Collector Keith had made persistent effort, supported
by the congressmen and senators from the State. Representa-
tive H. L. Godwin, of the district in which Wilmington is situ-
ated, and Representative Charles R. Thomas, of the Third Con-
gressional District, were particularly helpful, Mr. Thomas, as
a member of the House Committee on Public Buildings and
Grounds and of the sub-committee having in charge all authori-
zations for public buildings in North Carolina, being able to
write into the section of the bill which finally became a law the
item for the Wilmington Custom House and to push the matter
in the full committee. To him is very largely due the credit
for securing the initial appropriation of $300,000. The amount
remaining after the purchase of a site, however, was entirely
inadequate for a building and the plans for one were withheld
until appeal could be made to Congress for an additional appro-

priation. At a hearing before the House Committee on Public:

Buildings and Grounds, December 13, 1912, Representative
Godwin, Collector Keith, and Mr. Joseph W. Little, of Wil-
mington, testified to the need of an additional amount, and the
supervising architect of the Treasury, Mr. Wenderoth, who was
present, named the amount required. Mr. Keith gave a graphic
description of the old building, held together by iron rods to
keep it from falling down, and of the lack of facilities for han-
dling the business of the port, which he stated had probably in-
creased more than that of any other port of the Atlantic coast.
His remarks included the very pertinent statement that many
business firms wanted to come to Wilmington to make it a dis-
tributing point, but were unable on account of inadequate facili-
ties. Some difficulty was experienced later in securing the de-
sired amount, but the collector and others kept up their untir-
ing efforts, and eventually, on March 4, 1913, the law was
passed which raised the appropriation for the Wilmington Cus-
tom House to $600,000.

In retiring to private life with clean hands Mr. Keith is

Peace Restored 597

entitled to the commendation of well done by an appreciative
publie.

The contracts for the erection of the new custom house were
awarded April 15, 1916, the building to cost $368,400 and the
mechanical equipment, $37,746. These contracts call for com-
pletion within twenty-two months from April 15, 1916. The
Secretary of the Treasury states that the plans call for one of
the most complete buildings that he has ever had the pleasure
of approving, and it is stated by the supervising architect that
the room to be used by the United States Court will be one of
the handsomest in the entire country; so that Wilmington may
justly be proud of the building when completed.

JAMES WALKER MermortAt HospirTat.

By Dr. Ropert B. SLocUM.

James Walker, stonemason, contractor, and builder, was born
at Douglas, Lenarkshire, Scotland, April 29, 1826. He came
to this country when twenty years of age and settled in Wash-
ington, where he was engaged with his brother, aged 22, upon
one of the wings of the Capitol building, later, upon the old
Smithsonian building and other important public structures.
The two brothers erected several public buildings in Peters-
burg and other cities of the South, where they were engaged
prior to the outbreak of the War between the States.

In 1857 James Walker was sent from Washington to erect
the United States Marine Hospital, which is still a prominent
building in Wilmington, after which he made his home here,
and during the war was engaged in erecting salt works on the
Sounds near Wilmington, there being a great scarcity of this
necessary commodity in consequence of the Federal Blockade of
all the Southern ports.

He became a useful citizen, and was regarded as a quiet, wise,
and capable master builder. He erected the First Presbyterian
Church, the D. R. Murchison residence, on Third Street, and
many other notable buildings in Wilmington, and was engaged

for nearly ten years upon that model State institution for the
imsane at Morganton.

A year or two before his death, March 15, 1901, he conferred

with his physician, Dr. W. J. H. Bellamy, and with other
friends in reference to his desire to establish a public park as

a gift to the city of Wilmington, but he was induced to supply ,

 

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