Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-31
GROWTH OF ST. LOUIS AND HER
TRADE

GROWTH OF ST. LOUIS AND HER
TRADE
St. Louis is perhaps the only large
city in the country that shows a steady
increase in both commerce and manu-
features during the past year Of de-
preston. It's population also has In
creased, Notwithstanding the bridge
across the Mississippi and the extern
sion Of street car lines into the country
around, tempting thousands to secure
cheap and healthy homes beyond the
pale Of the great city. Gould's Di-
rectory for 1875 estimates its present
population at 100000 souls, and sus-
tains these figures by variety of data
and statistics. This gain Of 81 per
cent since the census of 1870
is borne out by comparing the
number of enrolled scholars in
the schools then and now; by the
increase IN the number of buildings,
the ratio Of consumption in such sta
pies Of life as flour, and half a dozen
other ways. Every branch Of bust
ness and occupation shows a similar
increase IN the numbers employed.
Theaverage transactions intheclearing-
house for 1S69-7O we're S679, 603, 474
yearly, while those of 1874, notwith-
standing the panic, amount to SL,I59,-
9lS,6S0, an increase Of seventy per
cent. Chicago shows a gain Of only
four per cent, and New York loss of
forty per cent. The value of cattle,
cotton, hogs, tobacco and lead received
at st. Louis increased from $4,000
in 1870 to over St5,OOO,O0O in 1874.
The entire receipts Of 1874 exceed those
Of 1873 by 100000.
The most remarkable feature, how
ever, Of st. Louis progress Is to be
found in its manufactures. With the
single exception of the iron business,
which fell off in sympathy with the uni.
versal depression in that department,
every branch Of industrial enterprise
indicates prosperity, the aggregate
value Of products being fifty per cent.
more than in 1870.
FIGURING mills, pork houses, distiIle-
ries, tobacco stemeries, bag factories,
furniture, paint works, zinc work, piano
making, type fouudries, glass works
and smelling and refining works are
among the more prominent branches
Of interest, the entire value Of last year S
production being S239,GOO,GOO, a gain
of nearly 100000 on the year
previous. This is the more remarkable
in view Of the fact that all the manu-
featuring centers IN the East show
heavy decrease last year.
While the panic mas stopped railroad
extension throughout the country, St.
Louis has continued pushing its iron
antennD into Texas and New Mexico,
opening new regions to It's trade, and
establishing connections which viii
soon place it within forty-eight hours
Of the capital Of Mexico. The fresh
impetus given by the anti-railroad war
to the work of improving Western riv-
ers, willredound greatly to the benefit of
St. Louis and New Orleans, while
helping Cincinnati and Chicago little
or nothing. The steady recovery
and speedy growth of St. Louis since
the war, continuing undiminished
through the past eighteen months of
panic and depression, suggest a bright
and brilliant future, leaving little room
to bubble over the prediction Of
Gould's Directory that the general re-
viuGl Of business throughout the coun-
try will add another $4,000 to the pop-
ulatiOn Of st. Louis before the close
Of the present year.