The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-01-30
OUR CHICAGO LETTER.
CHICAGO, Jan. Goth, 1868.

has ever occurred between the people of
! Chicago and the shrewd spectators who
find here such large and fertile field for
the exercise Of their ingenuity, is that
now in progress over the apparently in
nocent scheme of securing the Lake
shore property to the CITY, 1t is all a
cheerful dodge to get it into the hands of
the Common Council from whom the
spectators believe that they can easily
buy il. the right of disposing Of this I'M
mensely valuable property. At present
the United States has jurisdiction over
the water along the shore, the State OF
Illinois over the land under the water and
the city over the land at the edge of the
water 1t would be rather an extensive
contract for the enterprising capitalists
who have this large thing IN view, to
undertake to buy Congress, the State
! Legislature and the Common Council, all
three, but if they can get the thing nsr-
rowed down to the latter body alone it
may be worked with comparative ease.
So they have introduced bill into Con
eress to attain this end and greatly are
our people exercised thereat. AT present
the government is building an immense
pier, running out from the South side
Of the river, which will, when completed,
extend a mile into the lake. If the
spectators succeed in getting control of
the lake front, they propose filing out
with made ground and building docks
and piers out in the lake from this pier
to Hyde Park, tract of twenty y-seven
hundred acres Of the most valuable prop
erty in OF about Ch:cago. Il viii, Il sold
by the city, be got for less than million,
one-haif to be paid in filling, while it's
actual worth is nearer to hundred mil
lions. There are three other considera-
tions which cause serious opposition to
the scheme, e,-irst it will shut off the
residents of Michigan Avenue from their
vlew of the lake and condemn their ele-
giant residence property to business pur-
poses, second, the creation of all this
dock, wharf, and warehouse district will
carry the city, with all its deposits of
filth within mile of the spot in the lake
from which we draw oursupply Of water !;
third, these docks and wharves will
multiply ten fold our facilities for ship
ping and will divert it from the river
where it now is, to the great injury of
pc rc?ty-oWners along the river. There
are other minor considerations but have
noted the main ones and shown how
vastly important to Chicago this specu-
lative enleayor is likely to be-
/ have frequently of late, had to revert
to the dullness of trade in Chicago, and
row wish to say few words more on this
subject, as warming to the young men
among my readers who may be, about
this time, cherishing the dclusion that it
would be good idea for them to come to
Chicago to make fortunes speedily. We
nave never had IA duller season than the
present, or q more unpromising prospect
for the month or two ahead The spring
trade will open late, money is very scarce
ami at this time there are from eight to
ten thousand men in this city out Of en-
ployment, who in ordinary business sea-
sJas would be in active demand, OF these,
fully one half are of the nice young gen
tlcnen persuasion, clerks, salesmen, book
keepers, etc. The ''sweetly pooty pattern,
men," young men from the dry goods
houses are prominent sufferers and the
aggregate Of unpaid board bills in town
now, could they be calculated would food
the Lunatic Asylum with insane board
inghouse keepers. Let no young man in
the rural districts, who has fitted himself
at a Commercial College" to be theoret-
icaIly merchant prince, soothe his
soul with the hallucination that he can
come to Chicago in this season and jump
Immediately into fat salaried situation.
You no doubt know by this time that
our big charity ball on Monday night
last was astupendeous failure, financially,
huge as it was in every other way. 1t
fell So, 900 short of clearing expenses
Since then the protector Mr..
Gilmore, of Boston, has been striving to
recover his losses by series of magnifi-
cent concerts and has, thus far done
moderately well.
February Sd we are to have the Italian
opera troupe here. The grand annual
masquerade OF the Chicago Turn &c
meinde will also come off on that evening
and will be as heretofore, the srandest
cause of burlesque, humor and wholesale
| iollity which Chicago boasts in the whole
twelve months 1t is a whole carnival
season condensed into one night
/ It's seldom, in this halfway sort of
about fashions, but to-day [ have
little item exclusively for the la
dies, a brief mention of one of the
most charming novelties for their use
which has within long time, come in
the range of my observation. This
novelty is the Royal Chart, an English
invention which guarantees an accurate
fit for any ladies or children S dresses cut
by its rules and measurements and which
is Wlthal so exceedingly simple that the
most inexperienced may learn in few
minutes to operate it with absolute GER
I G.. Il l1r~
been offered TO the public, but they were
widely different from this and very i'm
perfect, while of this one, the most cele-
brated modistes in the country say it
is incomparably superior to any other
system hitherto introduced as a perfect
and infallible guide for cutting and fit
ting Hereafter there need be no mis-
fits to ruin costly dresses, no extortlon by
dress-makers for fits which are too often
but clever guesses. The results achieved
by the Royal Chart are certain as they
are admirable The exclusive agents In
the Northwest for these charts are Messrs
West, Farrar 4 Comfy, No. l06 Lake
Street, Chicago
The city papers of to-day are full Of
criminal news, and little else. We have
no lack of sensational suicides, divorces
murders, roberies etc, indeed they are sc
plenty as to become uninterestlng.
Quotations on change, closed for the
week at following figures Flour, Sl3, u
for White Winter SO, ,25al0,5o fol
Spring Extra Wheat, No. 2, S2,05a2, II
Corn, No. /, SIC; Oats, 571a5SI ; Rye
No. l, S1,54; Barley, No. 2, 50, l0s
: 2,l2}; Timothy seed, $2,27 Hungari
an, 81 ,25 Flax, $3.50; Clover, 81 ,o0a
$40: Mess pork, $40, 75a20, 90; Greer
Hams, 103a10lc; Lard, 12Sal2s
Dressed hogs, s7.20aS,20.
The SunnIamental Reconstruction Bill