Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-09-08
A City of Industry.

TWELVE years ago the town of Can
ton, in Stark county, numbered but two
or three thousand Inhabitants, and its
trade consisted of nothing more than
the usual business of so small a place,
being chiefly the exchange of the grain
products of the fertile regions surround
ing it. 1t was a dull, dead old town, and
there was some talk of fencing it in and
rolling it over. It is now a city boast
ing of 10000 or $4,000 inhabitants, and
growing so rapidly in population, wealth
manufactures and every branch of in
dustry, that promises, if its prosperity
continues, to be one of the foremost in
terror cities, not only of the State, but
of the West. No town in the State is
more actively engaged in public and
private improvements, and in the addi-
tiOns to and enlargement of those indus
trial establishments which make a place
famous and prosperous. On all sides
there are signs of thrifty and industry.
The vast agricultural machine works,
employing hundreds of ingenious work.
men at good wages, turn out such num-
bers of mowers, reapers, separatOTs and
other machines as would astOnish even
the extensive manufactures of this city.
These agricultural machines, and many
other machines and instruments, are
generally the invention of some ingeni-
GUS citizen of the town, who adds to his
own fortune while increasing the num-
Der of cOntrivances by which labor is re-
ducGd to mechanical system. There
are 4 dozen men in the town who de-
serve to rank among the best inventive
gepiuses of the age, while there are
scores of competent mechanics who have
cOntrived little cOnveniences and Orna-
ments for their own homes and purDOs-
es, that are striking for their utility and
ingenUity-all showing the drift of the
thoughts of a wholesome and intelligent
labOTing community. Among the pub
lie improvements going on are the con-
structiOn of q new Court House, water
works, public park and rink-the latter
the work of our friend Lewis Schafer.
the constructor and pOprietOr of the
Canton Opera HOuse-a building which
would do credit to much larger cities.
The Court House, soon to be cOmplet-
ed, will be one Of the finest. if not the
very best, in Ohio, costing more and be-
ing more advantageOusly situated than
the new City Hall of Columbus. The
water works, now in course of cOnstruc-
ton and to be completed this fall, are on
the Holly system, and they will be a
marvel in theirway, unless, there should
be some deficiency in the new style of
piping the city is using. No town is
more conveniently and fortunately sftu-
ated to secure cheap and gOOdwater than
Canton. Two miles west Of the citv.
and sixty feet above it, there is a beau.
tiful and extensive lake made by mex.
haustible springs of the purest and best
of water. To tap this limpid lake and
use its abundant waters In the CITY is q
work of comparative ease and economy
The CantOnians are performing with {
| vim and vigOr that promises to make
| their water works superior to those o
any interior in the west.
What we have alluded to is but Z
small portion of the improvements ac
tually going Oh IN this thriving IittI,
city. One of the private citizens anC
manufactOrs of the place is building a
private palace which will probably cost
$500, 600; and he is able to do out of the
ample fortune made in the manufacture
of agricultural machines, he having lit
orally hammered and whitfield his for
tune out of such works. We allude to
Canton at such length only to contrast
its prosperity and growth with the con-
parative SlOwness of our own beautiful
city. Columbus has a hundred natural
advantages over Canton, but is behind
her in the extent Of manufactures. A
dozen good and enterprising men, such
as have made their fortunes and made
Canton a remarkable city, could do
double smUch for Columbus, and make
it the first manufacturing city in the
State. Capital, judiciousIy invested in
producing sOmething-th encourage
ment of mechanical genius and skill
industry, perseverance and enterprise
these are needed in Columbus, and
should be supPlied--especialIy when
there is 50 much money lying idle and
rusting into the bone and sinew of the
City.-CrisiS.