The Omaha Sunday Bee
PART VII
COMMERCIAL SECTION
PAGES 1 TO 8.
A Paper for the) Horn
THE OMAHA DEC
Best A". West
VOL. XXX VII NO. 15
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 29, 1907.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
OMAHA THE MARKET TOWN GROWS WITH THE COUNTRY
OMAHA IS THE MARKET TOWN
Growth of Local Trade in All Linei
Proves This.
SOME FIGURES ON THE INCREASE
(Jreat Prosperity of the liuoi Is Re
flected In Reports from Men
In All Kinds of
H salea.
Development is the watchword of Omaha.
The city's ' business Interests are using
their energies In every direction Increas
ing the jobbing trade and erecting whole
sols buildings that are a, credit to any
trade center. Increasing the manufactured
production 100 per cent in ten years, ex
tending the city's influence over th grain
and live stock business of the west, build
ing parks and homes and schools and
churches. The period from 1300 to HOT has
been one of unparalleled prosperity. Such
remarkable advantages as Omaha has of
fered both to labor and capital during this
period could not have failed to attract
large numbers of people hither to win their
bread and make their homes. They come
on every train, from spring to autumn and
from autumn to spring they come, until
every , house in the city is filled and the
builders are taxed to their utmost to sup
ply more.
If Omaha has not a population of 200,000
In 1910, it will be because financial de
pression hits prosperity on the head with
a club within the next two years. And it
is doubtful if even that could stop the
growth, for the Nebraska metropolis Is in
the center of the llneet farming country
in the United States and a city fortified
with farm products does not fear the
Hurries of Wall street any- more. Surely
the present enormous influx of population
is enough to make a 300,000 city In two
years more.
The west was ever the land of oppor
tunity. It is so today. New York and the
older commercial centers are losing their
czar-like grip upon the commerce of the
western hemisphere; they yield inch by inch
to younger marts like Omaha. In Jobbing,
in manufacturing, in money matters, the
west has learned to know that it can fol
low its own lead, i'ears of good crops and
high prices have taught it.
No longer does Omaha beg each year for
monoy from New York to move the crops
of Nebraska, but it has money enough to
handle the crops and some left over to loan
to Wall street. At the present time the
Omaha banks have 13,000,000 In first-class
eastern securities, and that at the very
time when money Is most needed at home.
And yet every customer at home was cared
.for before the banks sent that $3,000,000
eastward.
- Story ns Told by Banks. "
Bank clearings and the general conditions
of banks form an index of the commercial
prosperity of a city, and the daily and
weekly statements of ths Omaha Clearing
House association speak plainly of Omaha's
riurlnn -ar-h wealt are apoui
n ,.nf . na.riv ia.eOB.ooo heavier than
I w yi '
they were for tho corresponding week of
'last year, and total clearings for 1807 will
surpass the figures of 1908 farther than
those of 1006 surpassed those of the pre
ceding year. Clearings for 1806 were $601.
$88,764.90. having Increased steadily from
I2B7.432.370.3G in 1896.
Omaha ranked seventeenth In ISO among
the cities of the United States In the mat
ter of bank clearings, and with the rate of
increase that is being made at present
there is good ground for prophecy that
the city will finish this year fifteenth or
better.
On August 22. in response to a call from
the comptroller of the currency, the five
national banks of the city Issued state
ments showing their deposits to be $40,
813.4ls9.31. the highest figures on record, and
S.7 per cent above the figures for the corre
sponding statement of the previous year. .
The bank stockholders are making money.
In the last twelve months, during which
time dividends of 6 to 10 per cent have
bean paid, the surplua-and undivided profits
of the five banks show a gain of 16 per
cent on a capitalisation of 12,800,000.
"Wall street worries don't bother us
much out here In Nebraska," said a
banker. "With good crops and good prices
we of the west are prosperous. Our banks
have enonugh money to move the crop
and some left over to lend to New York."
Railroad Facilities tho Best.
It Is not surprising that with all Its ad
vantages of location, railway facilities and
fertile surrounding territory. Omaha should
become so prosperous and should come to
be the recognized commercial capital of a
vast scope of rich country comprising sev
eral states. No other city In the won
offers such manifold advantages and such
a largs field for exploit to the manufac
turer, the professional man and the busi
ness man. The tributary territory Is not
surpassed la fertility by any in the world.
Five hundred thousand consumers live
within a radius of sixty miles, and yet
this Is but a small part, for the territory
which pays tribute to the city stretches
away for hundreds of miles. Twenty-six
railroads, all radiating frem Omaha, line
the country with their rails. Omaha's
traffla in many lines reaches to ths waters
of the sundown seas, while In the line of
manufactured products the city Is com
peting with Chicago and St. Louis in their
own territory. The local gialn market,
the colossus that has grown from a baby
in a few years. Is stretching Its hands
now across the Atlantic to furnish wheat
and corn to the millions of Europe. The
first direct shipment of Nebraska wheat
to Liverpool by an Omaha firm was made
recently and tho prospects of making
Omaha a great export point are excellent.
At first thought one would not imagine
that the manufacturing bustnesa ts greater
than the jobbing business. But it Is, when
you count the packing houses as factories,
for they alone turned out In 1906 1123,060,000
worth of products, which, with the prod
ucts of the smelters and breweries snd
other plants, make a total manufactured
output of li)5.460.(f0 for the year.
It used to be that the products of the
west were shipped east snd returned to the
west as finished product. The error of
that system has been Impressed upon the
minds of the westerners, who now realise
the a'Tvartates to be pained by establish
ing manufacturing plants where raw mater
ials are abundant and In the heart of the
consuming district. One little manufac
turing enterprise was encouraged by ths
success of another and a third took heart
t the success of ths two. until at present
there are 150 factories in Omaha, employing
more than 15.000 workmen. Look down the
pages of the Omaha classified business di
rectory, beglnn'ng at A, and you find man
ufacturers of art glass, awulnes, baby car
riages, badges, bugs, bank fixtures, barrels,
taking powder, boots and shues, boilers,
buttons beer, brick, brooms and buggies.
Down at the end you find umbrellas, wigs,
woven wire, white lead and yeast.
Loral Oilpit for Year.
The local output of finished product for
1906 Is tabulated as follows:
Valuation
Parking house products $l23.'A).0n4
Refined metals 44,659,400
Brewery and distillery produce... 4.uu,ui
lalry products 9,200.000
Boots and shoes 5tt,0i0
Bag factory products l,2oO,000
White lead 850,000
Structural steel and castlron pro
ducts 425.600
Stock foods SoO.eOO
Soap 2,0i0,000
Sash, door and blinds O,fl00
Products of U. P. machine shops 2,546,000
In addition to this there are: ,
IB concerns whose Droducts ag
gregate l,2O0,000i
13 concerns whose products ag- -I
gregate 775,000
42 concerns whose products ag- -gregate
2,100.000
55 concerns whose products ag
gregate 1,650,000
48 concerns whose products ag- I
gregate 960,000
17 concerns whose products ag
gregate 670,000
24 concerns whose products ag
gregate 220.000
World la Omaha's Field.'
Omaha products find their way all over
the world. You find Its soaps wherever
people use soap and Its hams and bacon
wherever civilisation obtains. One stock ;
food company exhlbjted Its products at j
the recent International exposition in New 1
Zealand, took large orders and has now '
opened a selling agency In that far off
land. It's goods also go to Mexico, the
West Indies and Canada. One trunk fao- :
tory has recently sold goods In Chicago 1
in competition with Chicago manufactur-,
ers. A whip factory has sold whips In
large consignments to hardware and har
ness houses In St. Louis and jobbing
houses In Chicago. Omaha-made shirts
and overalls ars sold to the Pacific coast
and the demand for them la rapidly being
extended eastward into the territory of
trade competitors. They are sold every
day In Iowa and Illinois in competition
wtlh the products of Mississippi river
towns.
Packing- Immense Industry.
There Is no need in these days for the
stqck raisers of Dakota, Nebraska, Mon
tana, Wyoming and Colorado to ship their
stock a long distance to Chicago, when
they have at South Omaha a market that
pays Just aa much money and Is much
nearer. For many, many years after
Omaha came to be known as a city, the
sheep and cattle and hogs of the west
passed right through Omaha on their way
east, to be made up Into dressed meat,
lard and soap.' This economic error has
been remedied and the stock is now slaugh
tered close to the source of production.
Last year the packing houses of South
Omaha paid tT3.8G4.699 to the stock men
of Nebraska and other western states for
cattle, hogs and sheep. Receipts of live
stock were 1,079,373 cattle, 2,393,561 hogs and
2,165,116 sheep, while shipments were 303,342
cattle, 170,603 hogs and 1,176,843 sheep, the
difference being the number of animals
killed In Omaha.' The value of the finished
product of the packing houses for that
year was greater than the nation's total
production of gold and silver and the
a an I gala to live stock men In that ' activity. The expansion will continue, but
year was within 17.000,000 of the gold sup- ! It win be on a solid basis. Omaha has
ply of the country. Twenty-eight years ! come to be looked upon as a financial as
ago Omaha pointed with pride to the well as an Industrial and commercial cen
fact that It packed In one year 160,000 hogs ter, and the growth of the banking busl
and that it received 243.000 farm animals ness here more than Justifies this view.
In 1879. In 1906 the receipts were ,101,$1S The opinion of local bankers was therefore
animals. In the last twenty-three years sought by The Bee as to the general out
the tatal receipts have been 69.e23.567 onl- loot Opinions expressed are In dne with
mals. of which 18,118.951 were shipped, and conservative utterances of experienced
61,604,606 killed at home. The home con- , bankers everywhere.
sumption in 1906 more than equalled the I McQrew. rice president of the
number of farm animals on hand January Omaha National bank, when asked, for
1 In Iowa, Nebraska, Kansss, Wyoming. his views, said:
Colorado. Washington and Oregon. "The rapidly Increasing prosperity of the
Butter aa a Factor. oun'ry for he last few years may be lik
Nebraska butter ranks with the best in
the world. Omaha's seven plants In 1906
produced 12,000,000 pounds, retaining first
place among the butter producing centers
of the nation and beating Its 'own record
of 1905 by 1,000,000 pounds. The average
price of the butter at wholesale was 22
cents, thus making the city's production for
one year worth $2,640,000. The beauty of it
all is that the market has not by any means
reached its full development; all seven
plants are working their fullest capacity
and are Increasing their facilities as rap
Idly aa possible.
Jobbing Trade Growing.
Omaha's Jobbing business amounted to
$84,760,000 In 1906 and will approach the $100,.
000.000 mark this year. 8uch has been the
development of trade that no retail mer
chant within a radius of 300 miles from
Omaha has any need to go to Chicago or
New York for any sort of goods. Whatever
he wants, he can get in "Omaha, the Mar
ket Town." Peoplo to the west of Omaha
naturally come hither to do their trading
and people to the east are fast being won
away from Chicago. The fame of the Mar
ket Town has been spread largely by the
prices it has been able to offer Its cus
tomers, and It has been able to Interest
prrospectlve customers long enough to give
them prices by a campaign of Judicious ad
vertising which Included expensive trade
excursions by the membership of the Com
mercial club. Kansas, Nebraska. South Da
kota and Iowa have been cov'ered time and
again.
The great feat of the boosters, however,
and the one which made Omaha most
talked about from the Missouri river to the
Pacific shore, was ihe excursion to Puget
sound early last summer, going by way of
the Northern Pacific and returning by the
Union Pacific, stopping at every city of any
considerable Importance In a trade way.
Such advertising as this is potent to in
crease trade. In the few months since thst
excursions local Jobbers report orders from
merchants tn places where they never be
fore bad customers. Many have had to in
crease their force of traveling salesmen and
some have opened branch offices In the
west, even as far as Seattle, Spokane and
Pn Francisco.
A row of magnificent new buildings on
Ninth street and Tenth street proclaims the
growth of merchandising. One wholesale
dry goods firm covers an entire half block
with a building eight stories in height, and
a number of others have buildings of like
height on a fourth-block. To a traveler
coming across the Union Pacific bridge
from the east, the western sky-line is so
ragged with towering commercial structures
as to suggest the pictures of New York
from the river. A visitor from Minneapolis
at the Real Estate exchange the ether day
said Omaha had several buildings with
which not a single one in Minneapolis could
compare,
Grain Market's Strides.
And now Omaha's Infant prodigy, the
giant of tender years, the local grain mar
ket, clamors for recognition. Ths Omaha
Orain exchange is but something aver three
years old. but since Its organisation the
(Continued en Faae Twow
Omaha
Omaha's bank! clearings amount to $3,000,000 a
day, the per cent of Increase being larger than that
of any other city In the country.
Omaha has the most extensive smelting and refin
ing plant In the world.
Omaha has the largest butter market In the world.
Omaha 1b the second largest corn market In the
world.
Omaha Is the third meat producing point In the
world.
Omaha's pacing output in '1906 was valued at
$120,00,000, an increase of $10,000,000 over 1906.
Omaha manufacturers produced goods valued al
$230,000,000 in 190G.
Omaha's combined commerce in 1906 amounted
to $400000,000
Omaha packers paid $74,000,000 for live stock last
year.
Omaha' stuck yards handled 5,680,000 head of live
stock in 1906. '
Omaha's bank clearings in 1906 aggregated $504,
388,764. Omaha and South Omaha banks have deposits in
excess of $53,000,000.
Omaha's Jobbing sales amount to $90,000,000
annually.
Omaha manufactured 12,000,000 pounds of butter
last year and will increase the output by 25 per cent
in 1907.
Omaha is the second largest agricultural lniple
.nient distributing point in the world.
BUSINESS ON A SOLID BASIS
Bankers of Country Unite in One
' View of Conditions.
EXPANSION IS NOT SHUT DOWN
Conservative Methods Check Ten
dency to Go Too Fast, bnt Do
Not Retard Real Progress
of Coantry.
Financial conditions tn the United States
have been the subject of much anxious ap
prehension during the last few months,
but now the conservative men who stand
at the head of the banking institutions of
the country give as their opinion that the
crisis has passed, and hat the business
affairs of the public are on a safe going
basis again. The unexampled expansion of
business in the United States and Canada
had been the cause of the feeling that we
were going too fast, but the wise policy of
the bankers and business men In general
has brought about a more healthy tone and
without serious interruption of the' general
ened to a limited express train wnose speea
is being constantly accelerated. So long aa
the train clings to the track, encounters no
broken rails or open swltohes, and the engi
neer keeps his nerve, all ts well. Bnt let the
speed Increase until the momentum over
come the laws of gravity or cohesion, then
the train plunges into the ditch, bringing
destruction of life and property; the man
at the lever, being faithful to his trust, ap
plies the brake, the speed la gradually re
duced and the train with Ita precious load
of life and property glides , safely to its
destination.
Wonderfnl Strides ef a Deeade.
"History does not record an era In whtoh
the wealth of a people has for so long a
period continued rapidly to Increase as has
that of North America Canada seeming to
have equally ahared In the prosperity dur
ing the last ten years. To aocompllsh this
we have been moving at a high rate of
speed; more trouble has been encountered
in procuring help and capital with which
to carry on legitimate trade than In procur
ing the trade on a profitable basis; lower
rates of Interest than were ever before
known prevailed for several years; money,
or, more properly speaking, credit.
plethoric; many of the legitimate lines of
trade have expanded so rapidly as to em
barrass their conduct; railroads have been
unable to find motive power or cars with
which to convey the large increaae of grain
and merchandise from one section to an
other; earnings were larger than ever be
fore, but enormous amounts ef money were
required for betterments with which to
handle the Increase of traffic. Confidence,
the basis of credit, was firm and undis
turbed. Occasionally a few passengers be
coming frightened suggested a plan for as
set currency, which was only supported by
those few tn favor of inflation; and confi
dence still remains.
"The increase ef business has not been
confined to any one line of trade or to any
one section. From 1897 to 1907 the deposits
with all the national banks Increased from
$1,966,489,080. to $5,154,128,491, an Increase of
163 per cent; the gain In deposits of the
seven large cities being only 100 per rent.
Indicating that the growth was general
throughout the country. The export to for
eign countries for 19(4 exceeded those of
1897 by $686,945,779. while the gain in Im
ports was $437.m.81S, showing an increase
in the balance of trade ef $248,632,96.
Wreck Has Been Avoided. '
"That such a rapid growth of prosperity
could not indefinitely continue became ap
parent Conservative manufacturers,
tradesmen and bankers were compelled te
admit that unless the brake of conserva
tism should be applied to this train of
prosperity and the speed gradually les
sened, a serious wreck a panic would In
evitably ensue. Such a feeling seeemed to
prevail during the early montha of 1907 and
aU Interests ought new to adopt one policy
and gradually curtail business la keeping
with the volume of their capital; expenses
with Income. Conditions now seem te In
dicate continued and substantial prosper
ity, but to a lesser degree, mors com
mensurate with safety; that after the trala
has slackened speed sufficiently to take on
a new supply of fuel and water, la thj
Facts in Tabloid Form
Omaha has siity-sevenpubllc and private schools
and eleven colleges, attended by more than 80,000
pupils.
Omaha's grain exchange received and shipped 84,
500,000 bushels of grain in 1906.
Omaha has 100 mile of electric street car lines.
Omaha, including South Omaha, has an actual
wealth of more than $300,000,000.
Omaha's postoffice money order business in 1906
was $8,216,345. .
Omaha Is the center of a railroad system which
has 60,000 miles of tracks, giving connection with
every principal point in the United States.
Omaha is the) center of a circle, having a radius of
150 miles which has a population of 3,000,000 people
and produces more agricultural wealth than any simi
lar area on the globe.
Omaha is practically the physical center of tho
United States.
Omaha's population is increasing at 12 per cent
per annum.
Omaha is one of the healthiest cities In the nation.
Omaha is the established financial center of the
country between the Mississippi river and the Pacific
ocean.
Omaha is the best distributing point in the middle
west.
Omaha offers more advantages to merchants, man
ufacturers, laborers and home-seekers than any other
city in the country.
form of increased capital, Jt will be safe
again to enlarge the limits of trade."
Conditions Are Very Strong.
. Victor B. Caldwell, vice president of the
United States National bank of Omaha
being Interviewed, said, "The financial
situation of the United States is today
very strong. The recent wars and the
earthquake tn San Francisco disturbed the
world's markets. The loss of these many
hundreds of millions of dollars of value
shew how stable Is the present prosperity
of the world. Such a catastrophe coming
a generation ago would have been followed
by panics In every country doing an ex
tensive commercial business. It is not
alone the loss of value, but the .loss of
productive power and the loss of the
creation of new wealth out of the soil
that amounts In millions to a vast sum.
The wheat fields of other nations, always
In competition with ours, have produced
much less since the wars and this, with
other causes, has made the big prices our
cereals have commanded over a period
of many years. All this has come at a
time when the Industrial activity In the
United States reached the highest point
ever known. ' The natural result of the
loss of capital to the world and the great
expansion of Industry during the same
years ts a greater demand for money at
a hlghec rate of Interest. Various causes
have checked oar over-extended commer
cial expansion. Our country was going too
fast and must stop either by running Into
the Jumplng-off plaoe er by putting en the
brakes hard. We have been putting on
the brakes.' The teat of our ability to
meet our obligations occurred ' In August
and September, the period ef the mov
ing ef the crops, and for awhile the
country balanced upon a scale uncertain
whether to go up er down. The eastern
banks are full ef securities undigested
and for a long time have not been able to
take care of the commercial and manufac
turing necessities of the country. The west,
southwest and northwest have not only
moved their own crops, but they have been
In the market cenatantly to furnish funds
for the best eomerclal and manufacturing
industries of the country. Had it not been
for -the ability ef the great west to not
only take care ef its own necessities, but
te reach eat and take care of a large pari
of thoae of the east we would have had
a sharp Industrial panle this fall. The
west not only has sufficient for its own
needs, but also for much ef the necessities
of the east. The crisis was passed by the
west turning the scales upward and for
the next year er two, with good crops as
a promise, the outlook could not be better.
The country will net go ahead as fast
as It did but fast enough. Its progress"
will be steadier and more certain. I can
see nothing ahead but oonttnued prosperity
for the United States as long as the crops
of the west are so abundant and Ita people
so contented."
Preserving Famous Honaes.
LONDON. Sept. a. (Speclal.)-There la
a deluge of talk about the preservation" of
old houses In or near London which have
been made famous by great literary lights.
On the outskirts of town Is Dollls Hill
lh"ul ""ere Mark Twain lived In 1900, The
house was built some ninety years ago by
the lord Aberdeen ef the ported and stands
in a 100-acre park, now owned by the vil
lage council. It Is suggested that the house
be turned Into a Oladstene museum and the
park be called Gladstone park, after Eng
land's grand eld man. who week-ended there
for many years. It was there also that
Gladstone and Joseph Chamberlain dined
together previous to their estrangement
over boms rule.
Mark Twain was fascinated by the place
and wrote of It:
"I have lived In a great many places,
but have never seen anything so satisfac
torily situated as this, with Its noble trees
and stretch of country, and everything
that goes to make life pleasant and peace
ful." Hood's house at Wanstead, also on the
outskirts of London, will soon be pulled
down te make way for modern building
operations. The house and Immediate
grounds were offered the Hood society for
$30,000, but the money could not be found.
A final attempt Is to be made to save the
place, but It is scarcely likely to succeed.
Tennyson's house at Somersby Is the sub
ject of an appeal to the public. Many
Americans yearly visit the old place, pay
their 26 cents and even penetrate Into the
bedroom where the poet laureate was
born. This room Is used nowadays by the
resent occupants aa thatr bedchamber.
The rest ef the house Is la sad repair. The
walla are losing paper and plaster and
the floors are full of helea.
As there Is already a proposal on foot for
the celebration of the Tennyson centenary In
1909. there may be a chance that the old
and beautiful house may be properly pre
served. The poet spent his later years and Indeed
died at Haslemere and It Is proposed for
the centenary te enact seenea frem the
"Idylls of the King' in the grounds and
also to build a Tennyson hall at Hasle
mere. Something will undoubtedly be done.
for Lord Tennyson's memory and his works
ars dearly beloved by ths Ska tubman,
OMAHA AS THE WOOL MARKET
One Place that Offers Much Induce
ment Locally.
EXPERT WRITES OF CONDITIONS
Dealer Joans of Boston Sets Forth the
Needed Steps nnd the Many Ad
vantages to Grower and
Bnyer.
BOSTON. Sept. 26,-To the Editor of The
Bee: An article in reference to this sub
ject which you recently published and which
states there Is a movement on foot to
make Omaha the principal wool market of
this country, has been forwarded to me
with the request to write you my views on
the subject, as having had practical ex?
periencr. in this line In Omaha and having
been engaged In this wool business as
buyer, salesman and merchant for twenty
five years in Omaha. St. Louis and Boston,
it might be that I could suggest some things
that would be useful In achieving the de
sired result.
In the the first place, I think it is Im
practicable at the present time for Omaha
to become the largest wool market in the
United States, but I do -believe, with a
proper financial organisation and a wise
and experienced management, It Is easily
possible to make it a large market, and to
occupy a position, tn the marketing of this
great ataple article of commerce which It
should do, whereas now It Is nowhere,
many small towns handling fifty times as
much wool as Omaha ia doing.
The location of Omaha In respect to the
handling of the wool production of Ne
braska, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah
and Oregon (all large wool growing states),
Is ideal, especially alnce the railroads are
no longer able to give the large eastern
buyers special rates and Omaha, belpg a
basing point for freight rates from the
west to the east is a very powerful point
In its favor. There are many other advan
tages which Omaha possesses, but I need
not elaborate upon them as they are readily
discernible and familiar te the practical
business men, capitalists and bankers of
your city, and the same reasoning applies
to the many advantages which would ac
crue te the city, If the project can be car
ried out, so I will therefore tn this brief
discussion of the subject give emphasis to
what, in my Judgment, are the salient
points necessary to turn tt Into an actuality
In place of a theoretical proposition.
Money the First Thing.
The first thing r.ecessary In a business
proposition Is mony. The question of how
It .can be obtained for the purpose and Its
probable reward, for when you propose to
any one to put his money Into an enter
prise the most important point Is to be
able to prove It a safe, practical, profitable
Investment, and It must be organised In
that way to command success. It must be
on such a footing that the banks of Omaha
and the surrounding towns would feel ab
solutely safe in loaning money te It, and
In this connection I can ssy from personal
experience the Omaha banks are ready and
willing to extend their aid to any enter
prise for the upbuilding of the business
Interests of Omaha, providing it la con
slstent with safe and conservative banking
principles. Apropos of this, I may be
pardoned for mentioning a personal Inci
dent. Several years ago, having decided
that Omaha was very favorably located
for the wool business, I came here and
went to a prominent national bank, and,
upon being Introduced to the president, ex
plained to him the method upon which I
proposed doing business with the bank. Ha
was perfectly willing and did extend to me
such accommodations and loans as my fin
ancial standing and collateral reasonably
Justified, and the transactions were carried
out and ended in a mutually satisfactory
way. The reason I abandoned the business
there was that I was offered a responsible
position in a large wool house In St. Louis,
where I continued until I started In the
wool business In Boston. I mention this
simply to Illustrate that the banks of
Omaha would undoubtedly lend their as
sistance to the establishment of Omaha as
a wool market, providing the business was
organised and run on correct business prin
ciples. Omaha Wenld Improve gltaatlen.
The statement you make that the present
method ef buying, selling and handling of
wool can be greatly improved by the estab
lishment of a wool market In Omaha, is
true, and I believe it ran be done in such a
way as to be advantageoua to the wool
growers, the eastern dealers snd the woolen
mills, and, at the same time, profitable to
the company in Omaha,
Under the present system the grower Is
often compelled to bring his sheep; at
considerable trouble. Inconvenience and ex
pense, to some shearing place contiguous
to a central local wool market where the
buyers congregate, and wait around for
daya. often weeks, before he can maka a
satisfactory disposal of his wool, as while
in one place It may bring twenty-five cents
In another, possibly, not over twenty-three
cents Is obtainable.
In a long experience I have not found
the wool grower the unreasonable person
he Is often pictured, the attitude which
gives any reason for this assertion being
due to the positive uncertainty he Is
forced Into by the present system as to
the real, actual market value of his product,
often intensified when he sees clips sell at
the same price as his own which he knows
to be inferior, and I positively say from a
large, practical experience the wool growers
as g class are men who want to do what Is
right, are honorable and fair men to do
business with and want only what they are
entitled to, if they had any means of find
ing out Just what that was.
Not the Buyers' Fault.
But, on the other hand, It is not the wool
buyers" fault that this condition exists;
they are JiiBt ns honorable and willing to
do right as the growers. It is the fuult
of the antiquated system under which the
business Is conducted, and which could bo
greatly improved If Omaha was established
as a large primary market. In fact, I do
not think there are any business men In
any community who will a vera see any bet
ter than the wool growers, wool dealers
and woolen mill manufacturers of this
country.
But to return to the practical starting of
such an enterprise In Omaha. Wha I
would suggest is the getting together of
as large a number as possible of the prin
cipal business men and capitalists and the
organization of a stock company with r
paid-in capital su.Tlclrntly large to Inspire
confidence with the sheep men and also
with the financial Interests, so that each
would feel assured of absolute safety In
doing business with it. An Investment In
the stock of such a company, carefully or
ganized, would be perfectly safe and should
pay a good rate of Interest to Its stock
holders and would thus command the sup
port and confidence of the wool growers of
the west, as well as the buyers and users
of wool, to whom It would be of mutual
advantage and also add largely to tho busi
ness welfare of Omaha.
It ts Important, in my opinion, that if
such a company is formed it should be
in such a way that it would bo a safe in
vestment and reasonably sure to pay a
mir uivinena. i minic it would be a
profitable concern.
very
With best wishes for the success of the
project, yours respectfully.
R. EDWIN JONAS.
CROWS DO A BICYCLE STUNT
Bold "Xature Fakir" Tells a Remark
able Yarn nnd Labels the
Go.ds.
Last week while out at a farm near tho
metropolis of Peanack, N. J., one after
noon, I was behind the barn cleaning my
bicycle. In the nearby meadow is a clump
of scrub oak trees, and these at the time
were used as a resting place by a flock
of crows. Evidently the dry weather and
a lack of food had made them bolder than
usual, for when I threw them a few crumb
of my lunch they flew down and devoured
It greedily. My wheel I had reversed, rest
ing It on Its handle bars and saddle the
better to get at the spokes, etc, Having
finished the cleaning. I left It as It was,
throwing the remainder of my lunch on the
ground and went Into the barn. As I en
tered I glanced behind me and was sur
prised to observe one of the crows (almost
Immediately followed by another) swoop
down toward the bicycle, evidently Intent
upon getting the remains of my lunch.
He "lit" on the riirht pedal of the ma
chine, which happened to he ur, but his
welrht was such that he caused It to make
a half turn, and at that very Inntant the
other crow 'llt" on the left pedal, which
was now up, and his Impetus was such
that he now also made a half turn, thus
bringing the first crow up again. This one
then "hunched" himself In his endeavor
to fly off, but this very "hunch" was suf
ficient to cause his pedal to sink down.
This operation was then renented by the
left pedal crow In turn, and so they kept
the wheel revolving and see:.ilnply were
unable to leave It. I watched them for a
half hour, and When I returned at sun
down they were etlll at It.
I dislike to see anyone work too hard,
so I stopped the wheel by grasping the
tire. The two birds were so exhausted that
they fell to the ground and I easily pieced
them up, but after giving them a little food
and water they appeared as wejl as ever.
There were soe leg bands In the barn
and. after marking one of them "Roosevelt"
and the other "Dr. Ixing" I fastened one
to each of tho birds and let them fly. Upon
looking at the cyclometer, which was at
tached to the rear wheel. I saw that I
registered thirty-two and one-half mr-r
more than when I last noted It. Now
some students of nature may doubt the
above, but to convince them I shall b
pleased to show them the wheel and Its
cyclometer; also Peanack. the farm, the
narn, the meadow and the clump of oaks
The birds, of course, have flown awav
but, no doubt, with a Utile salt they could
oe recaptured. New York Times.
Champion Men n Man.
The meanest man In Connecticut Is the
Inheritor of a larre landed property he Is
not a Connecticut Yankee, by the way, hut
Pennsylvania born whn riernnnA nt .-
artists frequenting the picturesque pastures
of his old farm an annual toll of $10 for
the use of any of his "palntable" clumps
of trees or ledges, stone walls or bowlders.
In their landscape compositions "You make
money out of them," he' said to a well
known cattle painter the other day; "they
are my trees and land; why shouldn't I get
something out of itT" The artist was one
of those who receive from $000 to $1,000 for
a picture, and he had happened to sell a
couple of thousand dollars' worth of his
work this season, but he had no $10 for
the would-be cornerer of the beauties of
nature, and he and the whole fraternity
of painters In tne neighborhood have now
simply boycotted tne whole place. The
Connecticut valley ia wide and long, and
"you cannot ehui the windows of tiie sky. "
The truth is that the champion charger
from the notoriously rotten-ricn community,
some of whose citizens peddled cold water
during the long battle of Uutlysburg to Its
defenders from other state ot the union.
If he had an emotion beyond the Juy of
money getting might well nave ben willing
to pay the artist painting uny Still or iak
vt his estate at least $1U for discovering to
him the beauty that lies right under his
nose without his being; able tu sens it for
himself. Boaton Transcript.
Reflections of a Bachelor.
No really lazy man was ever in, love.
Few men duaerve all the cunning tncy get
In life, and absolutely none the praise
they get after death.
A farmer has a splendid time having
everybody think he is entitled to damn
his lucki
Probably almost all of Jonah's enemies
wene around aaylng that his first story
was that be swallowed the whale
When a woman sits down to play the
piano In the dusk, she always plays the
tunes they use when anyone Is dyuvg ou
the staK.-Nw Ywrk I'tota,
SOUTH OMAHA AND PACKING
How a Great Industry Has Been
Built Up.
GREAT PLANTS AND THEIE OUTPUT
lalon Stock Yards, Cudahy's, tho
Omaha, Swift and Company and
Armour's Do Bnslneaa
In Millions.
The third greatest live stock market ia
the world has been created In South Omaha
within the Inst twenty-three years. That
truth Is stranger than fiction Is a thread
bare saying. Yet. the story of the growth,
of this great parking center la so wonderful
that It taxes tho credulity of those who
hear It. And In relating It the writer meets
a two-fold difficulty, for If he gives the
story the dramatic color and swift auction
which actually characterized the events,
thor.e unfamiliar with tho facts might re
gard the narrative as exaggerated, while
if he tones down the facts, those familiar
with them might well feel that half ths
story had been left untold.
One morning In the spring of 1SS4 a little
party of Omaha business men drove out
through the prairie and cornfields to the
south of the city of Omaha. They stopped
In the midst of the broad stretches of farm
land whevo not a house was visible,
"Here," they said, "we will build our stock
yards and around It a city will spring up.
There were detractors and pessimists In
those days who stood aloof and smiled
knowingly on these men whom they called
visionaries. But the men went ahead and
today the city of South Omaha and the
vast plants of Cudahy, Armour, the Omaha
and Swift packing companies are the re
sult. The prairie on which those men deter
mined to establish the stock yards was
rolling and cut by deep ravines. T,hts nag,
been leveled off by the removal of many
thousands of cubic yards of ground and now
the entire gigantic establishment -stands on
level ground.
t'ndnliy's Great Plant.
Out at the west end of this vast structure
a dozen tall smokestacks mark the location
of the great Cudahy Packing company
plant. Its buildings cover thirty-three acres
and the floor space In the buildings Is
1,400,000 square feot. In other words, this
floor room Is equal to a space fifty feet
wldo (the width of a city street) and sis
miles long. This company has Just closed
its most successful year, during which- ani
mals were slaughtered as follows: Cattle.
2S-2,0Q; hogs. 6S0.000; sheep, 84L',O0O; Calves,
10,000. Tho total value of these animals
was $22,000,000.
The employes of the Cuduhy company in
the plant here are 2,700 and 400 people are
employed In the offices. ,
The products are of great variety. Includ
ing dressed boef, pork, mntton and veal,
canned meats, lard, sausages, hides, glue,
t soap, o'leo oil, neutral, fertilizer, hair, bris
tle, beef extracts, mince meats, butter, gly
cerine, Dutch cleanser, pepsin, oleomargar
ine and renovated butter. Most of these
things are produced in the other packing
bonnes also. j
Omaha Company's Works.
The Omaha Packing company originally;
sprang from the plant established by thei
Fowler brothers In the early days. Thin
house was opened In November, 1885. It
later became the Anglo-American Provision
company and In 18S8 was reorganized and
became the Omaha Packing company. This
company has been forging to the front, and
especially during the last year It has made
Improvements which give It a plant of tho
highest order. The old plant which was
located near tho Cudahy plant Is now used
for warehouse purposes only.
The new establishment is on the site of
the old G. H. Hammond house. The build
ings and yards cover nearly twenty-five
acres. There is a floor space of nearly
thirty acres In the various buildings. Dur
ing the last year the capacity has been
greatly enlarged. The company has 1,009
employes.
The killing by the Omaha company dur
ing the last year was as follows: Cattle,
135,000; hogs, 450,000; sheep, 276,000, and
calves. 5,000. The capacity of the estab
lishment la double this, as In equipping the
new houses allowance has been made fog
broad growth.
Swift and Company's Growth.
Swift and Company were among the earl
comers to the new packing mecca and es
tablished their business In a comparatively
small way in 1887. From that time this)
company has added to its capacity contin
ually. Today the establishment, compactly
built, extends over an area of more than
twenty-three acres. In the many building
there is a floor space exceeding thirty
acres. During the last year a new building,
a "beef house," has been added 'to tho
equipment. This is six stories In height and
Is constructed throughout of solid concrete.
Swift and Compsny has more than 1,800
employes In the various departments of ita
manufactory exclusive of the large offloa
force.
Armour the Latest.
The newest plant In this quartet of great
Industries is that of Armour tt Co.
This was established tn the summer of 1897,
but has grown with such rapidity that It
Is now a vast enterprise which handles
mere hogs than any of the other plants
snd is equipped with the most modern
buildings and machinery. The compara
tively recent establishment has enabled this
company to take advantage of modern
methods of construction und It has on
big five-story building of solid reinforced
concrete. The Inner walls are faced with
white enameled brick. This building is de
voted exclusively to the manufacture of
oleo oil. which is used in making oleo
margarine. The Armour plant killed during the last
year the following: Cattle, 200.000; hogs.
900,000; sheep, 250,000, and calves, 10,000. Ar
mour A Co. have 2.000 employes In South
Omaha, exclusive of tho office force. There
are about twenty-five separata buildings
and the ground covered Is about
twenty-five acres. The floor space of the
buildings Is thirty-eight acres. Among the
buildings is an eleven-story cold storaaa
plant. This structure is 20 feet square and
is equipped throughout for the preservation
of various perishable products at the tem
peratures most favorable to each. It Is
the largest cold storage plant In the west.
Armour & Co. have a horsepower and
boiler capacity of 5,0ua They have a re
frigerating capacity of 1,200 tons of Ice a
day. The plant Is a model also tn that tt
is run throughout by electricity. Victor-
of various sixes and powers are installed
at each piece of machinery and the current
.(Ooutinusd on Page Twe
