The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-02-16
ROCK ISLANDS PROGRESS.
What We Have Begun to do Since January LIST.

progress Tor SIX mouths past, not Tor What
it has dons-for its tangible advancement,
although considerable, ia small in compar-
ison to what it has taken initatory steps to
perform. For six months past, . certain
new life has been inspired into Rock Island
This is the result of the future promise OF
prominence which the coming in of railroads
has assured 10 US. This was blown into q
blaze on the coming in of the Rockford
road on Monday January 10th, and express
ed itself in a grand public jubiission day
or two thereafter There is nothing that
has gone so far towards giving us prestige
and importance abroad in the history of the
city as that same banquet, except, possib bly,,
one of similar character made to celebrate
the coming in of the Rock Island road. At
the coming in of the Rockford road, there
fore. We can date the 6 rst step in our he"
vitality. Then followed the letting Vi the
contracts for the new Harper House, which
90 ma What has become an absolute
nrs, reouisite to q FIRST class commercial or
manufacturing town, to.wit: a first class
hotel. The Importance of this improvement
cannot be over rated, as a lack of that enter
prise in our midst, which would undertake
its erection, would throw us back number
| of years III that certain advancement in store
| for US.
/ Shortly afterwards there came to this city
from Chicago the Lady Superior of the Order
{ 81, ~, Co. Law
female seminary, the erection of which
would cost$60,0 900. Messrs. Harper and Rob
inson donated the requisite ground on Centre
Heights, on the line of Moline Avenue. The
laying of the foundation for this large build
ing will begin early in Spring, and it is
thought will be completed and ready for oc
cupation by the end of the season. Thus
we have made a giant stride in the educa
tional facilities of Rock Island
About a week thereafter, some Of our cit
zens received overtures from Messrs. Ham
mond h White OF Geneseo, to transpor,
their stove foundry to this city, and make 6
fresh beginning with doubled capital. This
was taken into consideration, the matter care
fully investigated, the capital readily sub
scribed, and a stove foundry with . capita
of $4,000 is now an accomplished fact, g.
far as the money to effect the work is con
cerned
A site has been chosen for the erection o
their building; below Buford's plow works, OF
the track OF the Peoria i Rock Island road
though not definitely. 1t is, as we have
heretofore stated, proposed to increase thu
establish mens from time to time, till it be
comes one Of the largest and most i'm portss
of the West The Messrs Hammond, White 4
Co., who own two ffths of the stock, are thor
oughly experienced in stove foundry works
: and they have the sole right of manufactur'
t of several of the most popular patterns 0
heating and cooking stoves.
The next manufacturing interest we have
to note as having arisen within the month o
January, is the establishment by the kahlk,
Bros, of boat ways, in the lower part o
town, who propose, besides, TO begin th'
building of lighters, barges, fat boats, etc
VI tt4IS pOeC bofC sSSpAcu tdC 4SoS'
Of commodious levee room for term o
fifteen years.
The Camden dummy railroad has also
been revitalized and there is every pros
pect Of the stock being raised and the road
put through within year. Thus we vii
be brought into immediate connection with
our lower suburbs, and the growth of GU,
city in that direction insured.
Zinc Works are the next important
feature OF our advancement. A week
or two since the matter Was taket
f seriously in hand by our citizens, an exam
inaton made into the working of the
: monster zine concern of La Sale, and tbs
result is that the capital stock necessary Il
put the works in operation has been raised
and the commencement of the works is nov
pending g further investigation into the leae
regions of Wisconsin. from whence ths
crude mineral is to be brought.
G lass works are now on the carpet, anc
their establishment being seriously con
sidered with sdou btless favorable result, con
sidering the fact that we have the best white
sand in the United States at our very doors
and cheap coal in abundance to transform
it into transparent plates. When we consid
er that these Improvements have been msds
in the mids. of ''hard times in town o
1900 inhabitants, with little in the way o.
agricultural regions back to support it, thu.
evidence of increase is something wonderful
Blu. it is only the beginning. The compile
ton of the Peoria road, sad the Spring field
& Northwestern, and the extension of the
Rockford road to St. Louis are the eventus
tons which are to make US the greatest city
on the Upper Mississippi. Far in thu
future we see looming up as a reality, how
ever distant, the digging of the ship cana
uniting the Mississippi and the Lakes having
its outlet at this point. All states
men and generals who have broad views o
National affairs unite in pronouncing such
canal governmental necessity, for the pro
lection of our British American frontier
Its completion would secure in time o
war immediate transportation of all tn.
gunboats of the naval marine to the lakes
via the Mississippi. This added to its com
mercisl Importance will ensure its completion
eventually. We will thus have cheap trans
portation from the iron and copper mines o
Lake Superior, and as q result boiler works
machine shops, steel manufacture by the
the Bessamer process, and the subsequen
improvements on that great discovery, viii
spring up like mushrooms in a moudy eel
lar. The secret of all tnis progress, which
we shall certainly make, and with unprece
denied rapidity when once fairly begun, is
first, our geographical position, our practlc
ally mex haustible coal fields, our unlimited