Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-12-14
FHFGHRONIGEE.
'iG2 (OH
swEDSEsDAx, DzgEmERIxmazz
The Business of Cfeveland IA
z Years Ago and Now. 90


The Business of Cfeveland IA
r Years Ago and NoW.s .r9s
IN the year 1856, wewere compelled BY
9 defect in our physical ~machfnefSit to
spend some three months in Cleveland,
under. treatment by tho late Dr.. Ackley ;
and again, the last few weeks, being
msnded BY DR.. Webor. land to the great
skill OF both Of these celebrated surgeons,
We bear grateful te.timony.) and the
forced leisure which q state of semiinvs.
kdism brought, We TO some extent en-.
ployed in both instances, in noticisq the
state OF the business of the city, general.
~. Kaving both then and now, a some.
what extended acquaintance among the
business men. of the city. and ST. whom
kindly permitted themselves to be bored
eyfour questions. and gave al the infos-
nEticn we desired, as their statements
verified our impressions we think those
Impressions were tolerabiy correct, and
the change, both in the amount and char
scter of the business. which hes taken
place within the last IA years strikes US as
being wonderful The number ofstores
does not seem to have greatly enlarged;
bnt We believe the value Of the goods
sold annually, has increased from twenty
70 forty fold. There were then but very
few. I've think not more thaa four or Eve
stores. which did an exclusively whols-
azle, or jobbing busine.s- o
There was bat one exclusively whole
sale dry goods house. billiard, HAYES {
cos) not more than one or two whole
sale srooesy stores, not one Wholesale boot
and shoe. drug, or clothing store. The
sAlss Of rot more than two or three of
these exceed a hundred thousand dollars
annually, The rate OF profit charged
must have averaged from twenty-five to
nfty per cent, and but rery few. and
those very small county dealers pur.
chased their stock in Cleveland In fact.
was almost enough to rnin the
credit Of & country merchant If IL was
known that he wes il the habit of buy
ing his goods there, for he was either
obliged 70 demand such prices that Gus
toners 1osld not purchase, c. TO sell at
profits 30 small es to starve himself.
Now there are at least sixty es.
Establishments which do an exclusive.
y jobbing business, the sales of
most Of which are counted BY hundreds
Of Thousands Of dollars annually, and
those Ct several Of them By millions. and
thsre are, besides. some very large houses
ehich both wholesale and retail goods
Many Of these purchase domestic goods
from the manufacturers several are i'm
PoFters OF foreign goods, and al OF the
largest sell at so small q margin of profit,
that many prosperous country merchants
Purchase their whole stocks in Cleveland,
regularly, more ''sort ur.p and such in.
ancements are offered to all that Cleve>
hnd bids fair to become in q few years
the depot from which q large portion Of
be- country dealers in northern and CEN
trsl Ohio. and Indiana win obtain her SUP.
pkos. Fourteen years ago, the msnufac.
tories Of Cleveland were few and small.
There were two or three iron foundries,
one or two furnaces. some =shipyards.
two or three planning mills, as many car.
rage shops, two or three good Touring
mills, some machine shops-perhaps one
car factory, and these are all of tie larger
Sproduciary" establishments that We car
recollect. Now all this is changed
From the top Of the Atwater block, at
the foot Of Superior Street, one can see
the steam from the escape pipes of near,
~ hundred engines, doing the work
Of thousands Of men in the hundred diff
fsrent kinds Of productive industry.
There are extensive iron rolling mills,
car and machine shops, iron and bress
fsandries, FORCES, furnaces, an extensive
woclen mandatory, bag and sack, wood
en- ware. white lead, lard-oil, soap ard
candle factories on q large scale. and 9th.
ers, some smaller, too numerous to men
ton. The refining of petroleum has be
come an important interest, and the num-
ber Of re6neriss is not less than thirty
Several large slaughtering and packing
establishments are in successful operation,
Afording a market for thousands Of the
surplus cattle and hogs of Ohio. Indians,
and elsewhere. The coal trade is enor.
NOUS that in Lake Superior, iron snd
copper. already very large, IL swelling
yearly. But to attempt TO give anything
IKE q detailed list of the different kinds
OF trade snd manufacturing now carried
On IN the city, would tire both our read
ers and ourselves. Suffice it 70 say that
instead Of the impression made upon US
fourteen years ago. that Cleveland was a
city where wealth if acquired at al, it
was by wild sp~eculations il real and ur.
real estate, in Isle Royal and Lake Supe-
Fior copper stocks, and similar uncertain
operations, and each was hollow; Il seems
now to be n where wealth is created by
the steady process of manufacturing ana
producing, and gathered by q sound and
inpidly increasing commerce. Instead Of
business society taking its tore from o
few fortunate gamblers in land stocks,
sound, solid, reliable business men are at
the head, and the city and community
are steadily progressing in real prosper
ity.
Reunion OF the Presbyterian
Church. s.iEs
The Rev. u. /. P. Thompson. y. C.