, 1864-02-03
WHOLESALE DRY GOODS.
Old Friends under a Nexv Name-The
Ftru Of Farwel1, Field d Co.

The wonderful growth Of Chicago and her vast
commercial influence Ia in no respect exhibited
more forciby than In the dcvelopemeut OF the Dry
Goods buainess. Clothing IL equally necessary rs
food to the civilized man. Hence while by virtue
Of her position, Chicago forms the key to the Great
West, and the enterprise Of her merchants gethcts
its exhAust1ess products for the snsteuance Of the
East and Of Europe, she is also the depot whence
ate sent ont all over that tributary region the
te.ial with which to elothe the great army ofpro-
ducers. Dry goods houses weEe located here in
1881. while Jet the tavern and grocery were their
only mercantile couconaItantr. The trade has Kept
pace In it, development, With that Of other de-
partmente Of commercial activity, and the Dry
Goods merchants Of Chicago now supply at whole
sale the retailers Of the whole Northwestern
country.
Prominent among these, indeed we may say
frs, - stands the welLkpown house which till
two days ago dld business under the hrm name Of
Cooley, Farwen d Co. For sixteen years it has
led tho vnn, having been the drst exclusively
wholesale dry goods house In Chicago, and has
done more than any other to bring the Wholesale
t1ade Of the city to its present magnitude. Seven
years 61nce the firm ventured On what was then
considered = hazardous experiment-the erection
Of their present building on Wabash Avenue,
south Of Lake street, 10 feet By 60
feet on the ground floor, and Elk stories
J.
enough Of business could be done to hn or pay the
expenses Of such q large structure. But the wis.,
dom OF the frn has since been nhundantly juBti-
led. Tho whole building is filled from cellnr to
roof and the four large salesrooms arc con .tanty
througed with buyers, while more than eixty
clerks are Kept thoroughly occupied In attending
to them. 1t VIE an innovation in another respect:
1t was tbs first departure ftom the recognized ave-
nue. OF trade the only house south Of Like etreet.
1~SS1$ to- nx.A
the busy Commercial mart will doubtless extend
itself far along Wabash avenuea and other parallel
sire eta
The fIm has been emincntly successful In every
respect. Previous to the breaking out OF the wnr
1t had established itself on firm wide basis:
since that time It has extended nightly and Its
sales during the past year have been almost tabn-
Ions in amount. The business Of the firm extends
ali over the Vest and reaches far into the South.
Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Mime
sofa s1e largely supplied with dry-goods hy them.
to eay nothing Of the more northern districts; and
down the Mississippi goods bearing their mark
are constantly passing. Thar business has pro-
bably been increased elghuo1d since the begin
ming Of the war.
I'm Monday last the house was recognized, Mr.
Cooley retiring ftom the firm And1eavluE at its
neaa sonn '. Faswell, gentleman Of whom 1t Ia
1mpoehbie 70 speak except in terms of the highest
praiee. whether al member Of \ 1frn whose proud
pre-enfncnce has been largely due to his clear.
sighted eagacity. his energetic buainess habts ar
aA exhibiting the Christian virtues in his nr;vnte
life. VezJ few Of those who have sided In thr
work. and been pleased by the 1abors OF the Chr,t
tian Commission, have any idea of the laree
amount Of Its efficiency which may be Justly cred
tied to John Y. FatTe This gilt Of f1 900 for The
relief Of the sufferers IN the Iabby, at Richmond,
was princely donation, but 1t Was only ono of
very many nnnidceut contributions to holy
canse. Sabbath School enterprises and worka Of
home-charity have have al enlisted his sympa-
thtes, and his pursc has been opened to them A
President Of the Mercantile Association he has en-.
tered deeply Into the wants and abilities Of the
Mercantile community, and has contributed lav-
tshly to every work taken In hand By that body.
whether Of pure bustness nature, OF relating 10