The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-03-26
SPRING TRADE.
Prospects Of Rock Island for the Spring
Of 1870.

Never, since Rock Island Was first settled,
has its Spring prospects been SO bright as
this year. "Bard times" like gloomy
cloud, has Swallowed the whole land. but the
cloud is rent at this point, and Rock island
and it's vicinity, is bathed in the sunshine oi
new born prosperity. Our mercantiie
trade is mainly jobbing and retail, and Its
prosperity depends upon the increase OF the
laboring populstion and their employment
At good wages. That condition OF things
has been secured to US by the enterprise OF
a few of our citizens who have established
in our midst Glass Works, Zinc Works
and a Stove Foundry. These three will
bring into our city laooring
population of 800 people additional ana
will add to the census of the city AZ least
| 2, 600 souls. The government "orhS on 'ne
Island, and the new bridge viii give en-
,lovment TO upwards of thousand more
men. and we can safely calculate on an ad.
di.ion of 5000 to our population before
March. 1911 This is in great measure
due as we have previously stated, to our
increasing prominence as railroad dis
tribu.ing point. The Rockford road coming
in has given an impetus to our city such as
it has never before known, and the substan
tial results of its coming in we will begin to
experience with the opening of navigation.
he &c - h,o a
brighter than ever before, and railroad COM
petition from this city east is certain to
make this the most important point on the
upper Mississippi in transfer business. We
will thus have money pouring into our
midst from various aud certain channels,
and such vitality infused into US as we have
never experienced before. In this connec-
ton we would say, that our primary want
Just now is a large, hrst-class hotel, no,
only for the prestige attached to its posses
sion, but as an absolute necessity to the
travelling public This necessity is to be
provided for this year by the public spirited
enterprise of Ben Harper, who is going &c
erect Fio,ouo nohei Win Oil tas hioueih
appliances for comfort. 1t is
to be fitted up elegantly, and
and it is to be run in such style as to diver,
TO this city the best portion the travelling
public and compete successfully with Dav
export for the patronage Of the same
What We need most 10 view of the
increase of our operative community is
more houses, substantial tenement houses
where cheap rents prevail for the use OF la
/ boring men with families. This want is an
absolute one and must be supplied and we
! learn that Weyerhaeuser d Denckmsn pre-
pose doing their part towards it in erecting
a number of tenement houses. A large guam
tity of building is going to be done this sea
son. Several fne new residences are going
up. The Sisters of St. Francis will build g
young ladies academy on Center lights, a
a cost of So, 900. One OF our merchant,
is going to erect mansion in the lower par
Of the city, at q cost of $4,000. Several
are goingto build houses costing from g, 00(
to $40, 900 A new Baptist church is to be
erected at a cost of not less than s 5000
! The glass works, the zinc works, and the
stove foundry are to erect buildings at a cos
of from $4,000 to $4,000 each. Gu,
/ building contractors and architects have 81
much as they can do, and mechanics viii
have to be imported from other cities sc
meet the demand for laborers. All this vii
diffuse money through every channel o
trade, and make the year 1870 the livelies'
that Rock Island has ever known. Oui
merchants, approaching this, are getting il
full spring stocks of dry goods. groceries
etc, and preparing to do an unusually lsre,
amount OF business.