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

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 its vicinity, is bathed in the sunshine OF
a new born prosperity. Our mercantile
trade is mainly jobbing and retail, and its
prosperity depends upon the increase of the
laboring population and their employment
at good wages. That condition of things
has been secured to US by the enterprise of
few Of our citizens who have established
in our midst Glass Works, Zinc Works
and Stove Foundry. These three will
bring into our city a isboring
population of 800 people additional, ana
will add to the census of the city Al least
2, 900 souls. The government works on the
Island, and the new bridge viii give en-
nlovment to upwards of thousand more
men. and we can safely calculate on an ad-
dirion Of 5000 to our population before
March. 1871. This is in great measure
due as we have previously stated, to our
increasing prominence as q railroad dis
tributing 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.
The prospects of river business this year are
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 and 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 large, 6rst-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 Il
erect a $4,000 hotel with all the modern
to be fitted up elegantly, snC
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 Dsv
export for the patronage of the same
What We need most in view of the
increase of our operative community II
more houses, substantial tenement houses
where cheap reGts prevail for the use OF la
boring men with families. This want is al
absolute one and must be supplied, and We
, learn that Weyerhaeuser Il Denckmsn pro
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 fue new residences are gUinG
} up. The Sisters Of St. Francis will build
young ladies academy on Center flights, a
a cost of SIS, 000. One OF our merchant
is going to erect a mansion in the lower par
of the city, q, a cost Of $4,000. Severa
are goingto build houses costing from 8, 90
to $4,000 A new Baptist church is to b
J erected at cost of not less than $4,000
The glass works, the zinc works, and thu
stove foundry are to erect buildings at a cos
of from S. 900 to $4,000 each. Gu
building contractors and architects have q
much as they can do, and mechanics vii
have to be imported from other cities t
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. Ou
merchants, approaching this, are getting i
full spring stocks of dry goods, groceries
etc, and preparing to do an unusually larg
. amount of business.