Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-12-20
The Business or Cleveland FOurteeI
Years Ago and Nov

We clip the following readable article,
under the above caption, from the Warren
Chronicle:
In the year 1850, we were compelled by
q defect in our physical machinery to spend
some three months in Cleveland, under
treatment by the late DR.. Ackley, and again,
the last few weeks, being mended by DR..
Weber, land to the great skill of bo b these
celebrated surgeons we bear grateful testi-
mony,) and the forced leisure which a state
of semi-invalidism brought, we to some
extent employed in both instances, in no
ticing the state of the business of the city,
generally. Having both then and now, a
somewhat extended Acquaintance among
the business men of the city, and all of
whom kindly permitted themselves to be
bored by our questions, and gave all the in
formation we desired, as their statements
verified our impressions, we think these
Impressions were tOlerably correct, and the
change, both In the amount and char
acter Of the business, which has taken
place, within the last fourteen years, strikes
US as being wonderful. The number of
stores does not seem to have greatly en-
larged, but we believe the value of the
g foods sold annually, has increased from
twenty to forty-fold, There were then but
very few, I'VE think not more than four or
five stores,) which did an exclusively
wholesalei or jobbing business. There wa
but one exclusively wholesale dry goods
house, (Hilliard, Hayes & Co.,) not more
than one or two wholesale grocery stores,
not one wholesale boot aud shoe, drug, or
clothing store. The sales of not m0re than
two or three of these exceeded hundred
thousand dollars annually. The rate Of
profit charged must have averaged from
twenty five to fifty per cent, and bus very
lew, and those very small country dealers,
purchased their stock in Cleveland. In
TACT, it was almost to ruin the credit of q
country merchant if it was known that he
was in the habit of buying his goods there,
for he was either obliged to demand such
prices that customers would not purchase,
or TO sell at profits 80 small as to starve
himself
Now there are at least sixty establish
ments which do sn exclusively jobbing
business, the sales of most of which are
counted by hundreds OF thousands of dol
lars annually, and those of several If them
by millions, and there are, besides, ne
very large houses which both wholesale
and retail goods. Many of these purchase
domestic goods from the manufacturers /;
several are importers of foreign goods, and
all Of the largest sell at 80 small margin
Of profit, that many prosperous country
merchants purchase their whole stock in
| Cleveland, regularly, more sort up," and
such inducements are offered to all that
| Cleveland bids fair to become in few years
the depot from which large portion Of the
country dealers in northern and central
Ohi7 and Indiana will obtain their supplies.
Fourteen years ago, the manufactures
oi Cleveland were few and small. There
were two or three iren foundries, one or
two furnaces, some shipyards, two or three
planning mills, as many carriage shops, two
or three good Touring mills, some machine
shops-perhaps one car factory, and these
are all of the larger "produciary" estab-
lishments that we can recollect. Now all
this is changed.
From the top ofAtwater block, at the foot
Of Superior street, one can see the steam
from the escape pipes of nearly one hun
dred engines, doing the work of thousands
Of men In the hundred different kinds Of
productive industry. There are extensive
iron rolling mills, car and machine shops,
iron and brass foundries, forges, furnaces
an extensive wooden mandatory, bag and
sack, wooden ware, white lead, lard
oil, soap and candle factories
on a large scale, and others, some
smaller, too numerous to mention.
The refining Of petroleum has become
an important interest, and the mum
| DER OF reuQerleS Is not less Ludu thirty
Several large slaughtering and packing
establishments are in successful operation
affording a market for thousands of the
surplus cattle and hogs of Ohio, Indiana
and elsewhere. The coal trade is enor.
nous. That in Lake Superior iron anG
copper, already very large, is swelling
yearly. But to attempt to give anything
like a detailed list of the different kinds
of trade and manufacturing now Carried
on in the city, would tire both our read
ers and ourselves. Suffice it to say tha
instead of the impression made upon u
fourteen years ago, that Cleveland was
city where wealth, if acquired at ely it 70
most commonly by wild speculations IL
real and unreal estate, in Isle Royal anC
Lake Superior copper stocks, and simila
uncertain operations, it seems now to b
one where wealth is created by the stead.
process of manufacturing and producing
and gathered by sound and rapidly IN
crossing commerce. Instead of bushes
society taking its tone from few fortunat
gamblers in land stocks, sound, solid, relia
bic business men are at the head, and tn
city and community are steadily progress
ing in real prosperity.