Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-09-26
South Bend and her Improve
nentS.
ELKHART, Ind Sept. IS, 1872.

Dear RepubJ5can On the 9th inst, we
(my better half and self left old Laporte
for trip through Indiana and Ohio, to
be absent several days. We called first
upon South Bend; and we must say, were
entirely surprised, with the growth of
this thriving and prosperous city.
The Studebaker Bros. are erecting one
Of the finest buildings in the State, to be
used as wagon manfactory, the dimen-
sions are about six hundred and fifty feet
long, by about two hundred and twenty
five wide, the main part beine four stories
and basement, and the ell being three sto-
ries and basement high. This massive
structure when completed, will be an
honor to the state and pride to the city
and county in which it is located. Then
there is the South Bend paper mill, rapid
ly approaching completion, this building
is five stories in highth and will probably
cost its prOprietors, when completed,
100000. The Birdsell Brothers are ad-
ding $4,000 steam boiler to their mag
niicent clover seed lthrashing manufac-
tory. When this is once again in motion,
the enterprising firm will have their en-
tire building five stories high and about
three hundred by one hundred and seven
ty-five feet), of brick heated by steam, and
be able to turn out $4,000 worth of ma
chimes per diem
The city is also buildirg High School
House, at a cost of S37,95O 30. Out at
Notre Dame the Brothers are also i'm
proving They are putting up a most ell
egant church. of yellow brick. at a cost of
about $1,000. We took.a carriage and
drove over there, and were kindly shown
around by Brother Augustus, to whom
our thanks are due Saw the largest hell
in America, and the third largest now
manufactured. 1t was made in Europe;
SO also were their twenty-three chime
bells, which sound so beautiful when the
wheel is put in motion The BIG bell
weighs 1900 pounds, and cost $40
900, and can be heard at distance of
eighteen to twenty miles on a still dav.-.
II takes eight men to toll it properly,
The freight and charges on this bell from
Europe TO the city of New York were
$4,000. Mr.. Colfax caused an appropri.
alton to be made by the government to al
low these charges. The Brothers first
paid the charges but in six or eight months
thereafter Mr.. Colfax rendered them their
s., 900 back! All the brothers love Col
lax for his exceeding goodness.
Mr. and Mrs. A. O. Miller were in the
CITY during the entire week. .delghting the
multitudes with their sparkling dramatic
entertainments. After travelling through
the states for nine years and having wit
messed several hundred performances bv
various troupes. it is only proper and cor
rect to say that few if anv can surpass
them. Mrs A. o Miller is a most charm
ing LADY and herappearance upon the stage
is happy ere"t for tha theatre going
people South Bend aiwavs heralds their
coming with joy. Mr. A. o. Miller. as
Wool, in the Hidden Hand has no equal.
His delineation Of the negro is unsurpas-
sable: nor IS he less capable in the play of
Elfin, or the cherry tree Inn, as Joe CHR
rup, the blind sailor. They performed ev-
erv night last week, in Goods Opera
House. to large audiences
But to conclude with South Bend. we
/ W =
gre n houses to be found west of Roches-
er, n. Y. They have over one hundred
acres under cultivation and in most ex-
ceedingly fine condition. The nroprietors
Messrs Purdv & Hance, have labored dill
igently to make it so, having spent over
$4,000, during the last two years, in small
fruits, such as strawberry, RASPBERRY and
blackberry plants, &c They have of
these plants over one million of each kind
There are upward of five hundred bull
dings now in course of erection in South
Bend; and it will, with its great wafer
power, ere long, defy the most populSus
cities to turn out more mchinery, or work
better done, than they will do.
We also called at Mishawaka and wit
messed the ruins. Loss $165,0O0, insur-
ance, $4,000. A most awful blow for
so small place as Mishawaka; but we
believe that in twenty four months hence
it will be more beautifully rebuilt than it
was before the confiagration
In Eikhart everything is life and git up
This town, like South Bend, is defying her
sister towns and cities. The railroad shops
(Which we calculate visiting to-morrow),
are turning off great quantities of work !;
and building and improving seem to be
the order of the day. Yours, Truly,
F. NJ. CHAPMAN.