davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
, 1877-01-01
SALT.


TUE nEckIrTs INCREASED
about $4,000 brls, snl the shipments s., 900
br1s. The market was very steady at the closing
p1iecs Of last gear, except for fine salt, which
declined 5Gf10c per brI, and advanced after the
close Of navigation. THIS season the bulk Of the
fine satt camc from Saginaw. where tho produc-
tson was increased, aud the different companies
formed III association In tho spring, and cs-
tatlIslcl prices that made It Improbable
to ship fine salt from tho East, consequently
less fine 0non1aga was received than in former
years. But New York furnished tho packers
and dary suit, the sales Of which were tlnusu-
ally large, and probably compensated for the
1osa Of train in ffnc. The Michigan salt works
are run in connection with tho saw.sntla; and,
by using tbs exhaust steam, md tho wastu !u1n*
bcr us fuel,
Tng cosr OF MANUFACTURING SALT
Is much reduced; which fntt, together w!th the
very low sscights, has made It possible for thu
Saginaw manufacturers to sell At prices TINT In
,a,ensuro shut out competition. Fho receipts
frotu Canada wero 81, ISL tons and ~. bss, from
0ntlesicl, aud NinearIlac; and 69s tons an,l
1851 sacks from Kingston and tluebee. Fine
ealtsold In the 1rst part Of thc ysar at ~
S1.40. Coaree salt sold at $l.70, and dairy at
sa.I5.
Tic State Inspectors report gives the produc-
ttou Of saltin SIchieaun 137Gat 4G, TO bsst be-
ing m inernnso of $50 B74 br1s oyev the mannfae-
turc Of the previous ycaf. Thotqrrcasc was chiefly
In the Saginaw Valley, where, los reaseus given
nbove, the cost Of manufacture is light; but
uttcr pasts Of the State, aud the producing ter
titory Is yearly Increasing: MICHIGAN now has a
manufacturing capacity of II. .003, ,0U0 brs, aud Is
one Of the grst t-yielllnX States.
, 1877-01-01

In the business, a. measured by dollars, Is re-
ported In this department, which Ia Que OF tho
very few that have been really prosperous dur
Ing the pust year. Tho volume Of sales was
nearly " per cunt greater than in 1875; with
shrtnkaga Of uot far from 10 per cent In the SELL
Ink prices, the depression beius gTcatest iu the
6rst half OF the year. The aggregate sales ara
estimated a. 3ls,0u0,00o, against SIS, 0N
tu 1915. Thls haa been transacted on
capital Of $0,30o, GOO, Including that
employed Ia manufacturing; being
an invlease Of about per ceut. There have
been no additions to the number Of hu0ses. no
failures iu the tsads hcFs during tho past twelve
mouths, and ths business has been moderately
profitable, though transacted OH lesa margins Of
proat than heretofore. The uuusuully la1Eu IT,
crcase In the volume Of buslue2s transacted is
III no snail degree due to tho "hard times "
which have pressed 80 heavily on msuy other
branches. That prcssure has led to moro gen
esal patronage Of the ready-msdo ayticls lustead
Of thu ..so order goo<4s~ The making of boots
aud shoes to the measure Of the weaFee u 4
brauch Ut industry that Il rapidly decliutng.
The arns now engaged In the buslness nanu-
facture
NEARLY ALL TUE uzkrr GOODS
tAey sell. End It IL estimated that not far from
, 1877-01-01
THE WHOLESALE TRADE.

The general course Of business among our
Wholesale merchants differs but lIttle from that
Of the preceding year. The volume Of trade
Shows an increase A. measured by tho quantity
OF goods sold; but a slight falling on tu the
amount received therefor. Prices on most de-
settpt!ona Of merchandise have s!ruuk still
further than In 1875, though the general opih-
ION then wRs that VIC were 'down to 1asd pau,'
most quotations being fully Rs low as bcfnro our
great War. The country u still suffering tho
ELECTS Of the panic OF 1873; md consumption,
especially In tho Eastern States, has bccu limit
e4oy general poverty among purchasers. Tho
Eject OF this has been 10 keep down prices on
The raw material, and to at!ll further reduce the
eomRensatton paid to workers.; while the COM
pes1tion among sellers has shaved profits csen
more closely than bcfure, and ! material rcdue-
sson IN rents has enabled dealers to stll further
.at down tho advance asked on Grst cost. Goods
nave been handled at tho lowest possible per
seotxgs Of profit, both at Wholesale
sna retail, and Improved methods Of
naoatlng nccessitatcl by tho closer COM
pstl''on among sellers. The consequence Is
.aas pftces arc very low. We arc almost afraia
WaaJ that they l,ayp nou touched bottotni bo.
ssute recent experience has shown that the
H.aest OF our buslneds men may f'e mistaken on
,aat point. Nevertheless, the coursc OF cyeuts
aaHn2 The past few mouths shows a pcrcep4iblo
Improvement in several directions, which war
sAAs sne belief that the minimum has indeed
rs sa reached and passed. THIS IL accompanied
u, AMsht revival Of confidence among dealsft.
.,,.' sn afe more inclined 10 take hold ol large
.'ss saseues and depart from tho haud-to-mouth
p1s WHICH has ruled for three years past; and
s ,s,.' 20 !ess willing to put out their goods Oh
."le ~ oottoM pricea There II. tou, m actual
, 1877-01-01
HATS, GAPS, AND FURs.


for 1876 Is estimated at a. 800 00o which IL 1oJf
per cent less than In 1875 while tho capital cs,.
ployed In the business ia larger, being about
$4,000. Tho quantity Of Eoots handled was
nearly the faMe In tho two years, prices having
declined 10lel5 per cent within the past twelve
months; and tho trading waa less profitable. Us
4 portion Of the loss due to this shrInkago was
necessarily borne by the 1obbess, They have,
however, ended tho year with fewer goods left
ovcr than usual; and there Is probably no city
Ia The United States In which tho wholesale
trade in this department IS on ffFmcr founda-
tiou Than Ia Chicago. Trade was good during
tic spring md summer, but 1t was less sat!siac
tori In the autumn, being injured to some cx-
tent by ths election excitement, aud moro by
the Centennial. Visitors to Philadelphia bought
freely atthc East, making the bustucsz unusually
fat ia September, which IS ordinarily the most
active month Of tho whole year. Tho trade tu
fnrs In the latter months Of the year, IVES better
than twelyo months previously. Tho popular
furs-scal aud AlnskR-haye not changed
materially In price, while mink goods are much
lower.
STRAW GOODS RULED VERr Low
Ia price, and numerous failures occurred among
t1o Eastern manufacturers Ut these goods, who
hail carried heavy stocks oycr from tic previous
year. This fact greatly lnsett1ed quotations by
the demand.
Tho retail trade OF the city was poor, as 4
rule, and the ulorc conservative houses made
little effort to obtain It, The country trade IL
extending Westward, following the .mAsrh u
population towards tho setting sun.
, 1877-01-01

THE RECk1fTS or POTATOES
In 1870 were TIC, ,0995 bu, ngaiuat ssG, 100 I'D In
1875, aud 1,1SS, ,0G3 bu'1874. Tho shipments were
80o,7l7 bu, agninst l74,oia in 1876, and 8i4,SAa
bu ip 1874. As shown above. there lias been a
large falling OF In the lake anq rail receipts In
the past two years In consequence ok the heavy
crop Of 1876 {whtch enabled tho farmers IN the
country contiguous to the city to supply tile
locni tra1cl and the short crop OF 1876.
EARLY In tho past ycaz prices wcrc 30
low THAT there was no profit III
shipping to Chicago By raIl; and until tho simc
for new potatoes tho farmers supplied the city
at prices ranging from 101S5c per bualcl Tho
crop of 1916 wus short aud poor, The acreage
planted wns much smaller than In the previous
aeaaon. and the crop turned out badly; TINT Of
PcacEblows failing to ripcn; anl o very
small proportion of tho receipts possessed gosxi
keeping qualities. In so1ne parts of the East
TIM erop wns shortened by tho drought IN
summer, In tho fall tho market rapidly nd
ranvctl under an active local and Eastern
demand, with tho receipts very light, and the
stock left In the leading producing sections Is
supposed 10 he small. The poor. qualify and
ecarcity OF potatoes have prevented dealers from
laylng in full winter supplies; but the stork With
tho daily receipts has TINS fnr been Ample, tho
high prices having greatly relncHd the coasutnp.
tim, and tho market at ihe cioso is somewhat
easier. Easly In the year potatoes sold at 0at
4oc per bu. Iii the fa11 Early Kusc ot 1870 opened
At GOr nnd soil to $l.05, and PcaclIblows ranged
from 15-G1st.10 per bu In cLs lots, both closing
t0910c under outside quotations.
, 1877-01-01

20 pcr cent Of these ars mads. from Chicago
leather. It IA tlis fact which enables tAa busl-
ness to take such commanding position Ir this
city, tho material being obtained BY The manu-.
facturcs At primo cost, and tho goods ara pro
duced entirely FREQ from tho r1psnaet
attending long transportation of ths
material to tho factory, snd of tht
Product back TO the 1obber. Or dealers afs
thus enabled to compete successfully with tliost
Of the East, and ail Tho more SO they p4y
particular attention TO tha quality OF tho work.
manah!p. which Will boar favorable comparison
With thosc made elsewhere. The ins work
la1tes' goods Is still chiefly eupplicd from tho
Eass; but our city nevertheless stands high II
tnanuta:turin9 poIut. A. 4 mercantile rstT she
stands second IN tho qus1ity Of the gootla sold,
bclug led only by Boston, while our sometimes
supposed rival, ct. Louis, h "nowhere In
comparison. This trade is nowhere on 90 large
and FIRM basis ~ here.
fRiCES N0W TEND UPWARD
10 consequence OF 4 recent advance Of N125
per cent on tho cust Of the raw material. Men'a
boots now cost fully % per ease more TO pro-
ducr them than six months Ago, though 1fttle
advance has been made In job6ers' prfces. Our
leading houses. are NOW looking forward 10 4
sti'i larger .traic. and more profitable one,
thaD that Of the past year.
, 1877-01-01
CLOTHING.

- DECIDEDLY rssA1'srAroH1 BUSINESS
Is reported in this branch There wns slight
reduction In tho volume OF sales, which was
Chiefly due to the Centennial, ~ trade was bet
ter tile first six mouths than during the cortc-
.pondIng period IN 1915. There was also fur-
Il cr reduction Of 6,llS par tent In prices, and
both together CAUSED falling OIL to the extent
Of one-twclfth, the aggregate OF sales being
little less than $lf. 100000, against ~, ,0oo, 900
In 1875. II Ii satisfactory 10 know, however,
that tue rolumc Of trndo In wholesale clothing
IL still fully eight times greater than IN 1870.
The capital invested bas not materially changed,
being nearly S. coo, Including TINT employed
In manufacturing.
No failures hare occurred in tho trade lcre.
and fewer In tie interior than In any nrcym,s
rcnr s,rro t,,o ,s., ,,n, T,a tr.,,a :: aan..sI,r
3ear "'''so '''e ,ast PANE ihe'.aoe 10 Ge"cfally
III SOUND condition, business being transacted
m6rc nearly upon cash bass than ever before.
In this city IL In In exccnttonn1ly roo,, ,tandIur
nu,n.t,,1r ond +,,u nor,inr t,sn,., s,,.n.,s.
'AA"5' .'".l VIZ .no .o't's rev" noa1n'
promise 10 DC tho most active Oh any equai PC
rod for Bcrcraa ycnrs past.
, 1877-01-01
CANNED GOODS.


IN CCAfAN&aOH WITH AAK 1kAH
since 1873 tho record Of the past year's business
shows q marked dhnfnut,on In volume. The
"hard times II have told very severely On This
1lno Of goods, aud, had 1t not bern for ths pru-
dent policy of tho packers In Baltimore, who
shrunk the production to the narrow limits Of
the actual eonsumptIyo demand, utter dcmoral-
izatlon Of prices must hAve resulted. The Wis
dom Of thD course pursued by producers was
apparent In tlIe stability which characterized
selling vnlues throughout tho season. With
two or thrce eIceptions-notably tomatoes mud
salmon-prlces we're nat subjected to any I'M
postant change. During tho Gtst half Of the
year tomatoes wera dull and cheap, but later In
the season, owing to the failure OF what had
promised to bo very tull crop, aud aided by the
large speculative purchases of New YORK dealers,
tho prIco advanced from t1.25G9l,80 to $1.809
l.a5 per dozen 81, caus. With tho adyauce In
prices the consumption ieu Oh, and l0c OF the
advances las been lost. In salmon very strong
advance has also taken place. Tho packing was
up TO the average Of former years, but England
took fully thrce-iourths ot tho product, leaving
scanty supply ior hoine consumption, and the
prizes advanced from sl.3o to 3l.so, gold, in San
Francisco, and from Sl.75 to sa2s, currency,
here. Tho high prlco OF salmon helped the
market for lobster, which Is fully &c per dozen
htGkGE than year ago, pcae4ca, which tn this
fall Of 191o met with q very unusual dcmaud,
opened with !teht atoex.. both IN packers an4
jobbosa' haAds, and. IN expectation ot the usual
spring dctuAnd. pstces were aslyaucsl IN MaTrh
Ihc demand, however, 4id not squs! espccta-
seasons packing was neht,-oniy about one
third OF that for 75,--lndt although the de-
tnand was ANAL, tho market has ruled about
15c per dozen higher than during the previous
f,rices OF
, 1877-01-01

tn . IS partially due 10 harl tirneA and partly
bet tuee OF gro Wing preference for Roods Of
dot 'cetfc manui' 'cturc, foreign carpets selling
YER slowly. We note IN inrreaard competition
bct'1een dca1.rt, t'ac holse ltavlnx persistentty
let thc way In selling at bottom figures: Tho
volume oi sales measured IN currency, Is est!-
toats& to have been Ii per cent less tllanln tS7
yr4r. The capital employed IN thc trade Is sup
Iosed to be about st,bOO,000, Dealers are dis.
rosed to expert decided revival. in sympathy
with the healthier tone IN tic wool market.
MiLttSEAr.
Tho Tho1esale millinery trade has been nat,
stale, and unprofltabe, tliiring the crcatcr part
Of tf.e year: The leading establishments }ave
nos esv. ax. afeS .y nt .s aer .aer
profits with certainly no increase IN thu quantity
Of gtsds handled. 'The caal salue at sale. vas
about S4,gmWo, against 81, o5oooo in 16'6;
md little iess than the aggregate for 1sI4.
Tie quantity Of Cools sold was about equal to
that Of the previous year.
lkaw silks ADVANCED last autumn about 200 per
up ly strong partle. when it became known that
the production had materially decreased. But
there las been reduction IN the price Of lalr'r,
which forms a considerable item in the cost Of
2N925 per cent higher. In all th1er depart
nlents there has been ttcady shrink 4gc, priecs
being 10te15 per cent lower than year ago. and
40245 per tent lover than three years stncet 10
At no time since 1853 has there been so muel,
depression In the general trade as In the year
just tfosctt.
Tra1o vas fair In the carly spring, and most
ostllose engaged In the busneas hoped for
prosperous year. but continued bud Weather
etuppc,f travcl in the country, anu many goods
bought by working milllners remained nnsold
whcsi the season was over. In the summer
trade was moderate, and In The AUTUMN
| decidedly tame. There was good deal
Of looking around. and little buying on
tho part of many WIN lacked In on tlleir way
East tu the Exposition; and Rone nf Them
fecured What they believed to bo tho latest
| novelties In New York before returning home.
! There wns not, however, much fuss OF trade in
the aggregate from people who lire wcAt Of
| Chicago. IA not A few Of them became satisfied
TINT they could nut improve upon Chicago. Tho
greatest falling of vas In the case Of n.Illlncrs
in Michigan and 1ndlnna. WHO had hitherto
traded hero altogether, but did not care totnake
another journey after having been to the Con-
tenntal. but even these people hare found that
| ther DID not make money by the change, and
| all Of them will undoubtcIiy trausact their
business here In the future.
business was very good during the Inter part
| Of thc year.
| Only one failure has occurred in the business
| In this city, and that Aut to q large amount.
The trade generally Is on a soun4 basis, and
| prospects for tue futurn arc considered TO be
| very good.
, 1877-01-01
GROCERIES,

THE WHOLESALE GROCERY TRADE
las been subject to lew fluctuations, aud tie
year was one Of average prosperity to those en-.
gagged in 1t. The general market bus ruled moro
ts,an ordinarily steatIy. Tho TolumB Of goods
hnnII)cd VITA 7ealo per cent larger than In 1876;
, ,". n ,,,s mi, v.,uc NJ palns ,,,s t,s1. has
put ~ ~ .aem Duv 1v,,r ~ ~ ~ n tuv,h.s 'a .aa "a'
uase'y hclu IN u"n OWING '', ~ .,.'s ia'saes seua
si,lu gUo,ls aud faucy articles generally hayo
yulr, considerably lower, untl staples hays
...-.,.I I,v.- t,,n, snv n,cvton. vo.r atuco Ma
h,e.*s1" ~ -, ''n. ,,. ~"' a.,> s,', - ~. ~
beginning OF tho War Ihs volume ol sales Is
cstirlatcd nj S7y, ,0O0, ,uO0, agnn6t s15,Qo,o00 III
1s-s. and cou,paripE with $7U, ,O00, 600 ID 1874.
1rha., ] h.. i",r m sncrrax, In tho number uf
tnI's "As A. ".,,..I ,,ia.,;1 a~oo,,, n
little arising from tue profits OF tho luaiuess.
The cap!tul Invested IN Tue tradc ID about y 0.-
, 1877-01-01
FISH,.

TUE yEAA wAs NOT 4 sATIs11cT0hT oHA
10 Jobbess u fish. Tho number of packages
sold WAS as large as for tho previous year, but
the business was douc OH closeF margin than
ever before, aud tho years. profits hare not
Welded fair return Oh the capital invested.
Ip this city onl5 ons failure vas reported, but
IN tho Interior towns numerous concerns {nlost-
" ssnall> hal 10 aueeumb, md tho 1ossss thus
Incurred by Chicago Wholesale merchants were
pretty large In ih1 aggregate. Prices Of most
ki41A Of ruzud asl have ruled materially lower
than for ISIS, and the arfrags shElukage vii!
not fall short Of 20 per cent. The decline was
tho result Of there being eons!dera'
b!y-Increascd supply without corresponding
increase In tho consumptlse demand. During
ahs psss season our tobbe1s sent good many
Dab into Ohio, Psnnsyisania, and Virginia, sup
plying towns which heretofore haze bought st
ths Lake Erts ports. 1his trade tAay had not
previously sought, because they dl not sup
pose TINT successful competition theF. would be
po5sible, tue difference In ffriJhts being largely
against thenl. The
MAckEKEL YIsMEKIE3
were much mo1e sucressful than for tho prcst-
GUS se2sou, thu ''catxh" being from ", W. to
10, uN barrels In e1cc44 ot 1875. Az result, We
hare had considerably lower average Vt pttcrs.
Strictly lat Rlsckesel hare bssu comparatively
, 1877-01-01
scarce and have commanded nearly - good
prices as prevailed during 1876, but she lower
grades hsvc been abundant and cheap.

cODPIaff
In, 1,cen n1entv ut the rourccs ri SUNNY,
but. owing fonn{ayorobIr weather for Ictr3t'Y.''
tic market jIcrc wa., at tttnee entirely bare of
stoek, tc,ulting in ter'ous annoyance to the
irntlc. Prcea itr,rhtti nn law a uuint - kf.lJ
npr i'm liz. h,,t later in The seasoi, she market
slyaf1rei 10 t5.5o15.55. Salmon were in jtgf,t
sup,,Iy thrnurl,ouf thc REASON, though during
liz ;IFs, sJx u,o,,tts Of tic war pr,ccs werc
mucI, lower than for 1s3i.aycrag,pp about
II per hnlf Lri. Hub,cauently Tho price al
talc. have hren fuiiy i11 hrI. t*s tha,, ii mi,
Wh!teijsh were very cheap during thc summer
months. selling dowt, 10 gj,50 under large slp-
btjts. The fail catch yas lcsa s,ccrssfui. and
tLc market advanced to Ills. wlcra il c1oscs
lr1n.
THE FRESH rtsn BUSINESS
suit W.. entirely sati,fattorr the trstie. There
arc now stren i;r,ns cngaNe;l in The trade. The
total sales of the wear arc estimated at 97Ij,OO
against k1O1QD IN 1875, Tht urus, weight Of
tGr ilsh ti.ioprd and received ii Chicago was
l2,2tQ,Wu pounds, aRa1nst 900 n 1915,
, 1877-01-01
MUSIC.

r,,s rp.rp ~ urs,c,r. ,usrart-xrs
s..-- 49, 80. 80 ~
nas oeea Only aooefate uur''g tae greater psEs
Of The ycar, the most active season being
The latter part OF OF summer aud tho early part
~ ou,un,n n ,xo c,ccot thc tvo or ,bra, ,ya.,..
=. o.oaa,,1nr, ~. Ch,,.,.sas ,o1,.' Tns a,,ea,I
psceea'ae 'he Gh!'s's'as hol!aaga' ine auanI'-
~ oi Eooda solu Is cohe'oefaoly Ill excess OF tue
total for 1876; but tho monEy received therefor
~ sono psr rent tcsa. In cnnscnuence Of A
t.-t,,.. .h.,,t.c. l., ,h, a.,,,,- ,r;o.. =, ~.
Au''"e' ~, ~ ~. :" .no oeAe M"e' ~ 'oe
Rooas solt'. we estimate the totAl salce a.
g. 800 600, against 500 600 In 1875, and 81 400
CO.. In ls7j.
mi. FILLING otY Ia no,t,a,,v In, to nm tnr,casei
'S...,,. r.. 49, .,s'," -.,s,, - ~
cohpstH'oh petwceu aea4cFs' "hich uas leu ~
cutting down OF profits, and partly to lct-
srned cost OF production. In foreign goods
thcre hns horn little chanpc. hnt tbe huIs. nf
- =, ~. - s~.1.,s - 1.ss,.,s sH.,,.a
t"o ea'es ase oi "'tc4e' u oo'Aest'c "!aau'as
tnfc,-hs pianos anu reed oFeahs,-tho laeor OF
which costs very muc4 more than tbe raw ma-
tcrtal. Wages have not been reduced 60 much
=, In 1a-. m,t AMI cnourb "a tnok. ncrrenti,
80 -. avss ~ t.. s'.ts s"osa P,t.~
Die difference IN the ontlay hecdca 10 pfoduce
instruments. Thcro has been also q marked
tendency to purchase tho cheaper qualities OF
roods. which look well at frat, but cannot be
e.,,ssa,,."1 ~ .,... .~a,, 1vt,h .t,. tt...
1ua!a.asen n,,. ~ ,f TaF msm. "Lu sn'e tuett
Gst1 uas ustH uesta.1 ueaano M ~ ~ I%ts ~
.nu vus5 ots., WY Nv a t. sRHG
, 1877-01-01
IEWELRY.

AN 1NcHbAsa or TWENTY pkR CENT
In the volume OF goods sold has beou compen-
satcl by shtnkagu Of about that extent In the
se!!!aE yalus, Etytag an aggregate at soms
S4,4W,oo0, against S5,83o,ooo tu 1873. This,
however, has averaged less to tho houses en-
gagged In the trade, rs three or four new 0Fms
have opened out here. an'l profits have been
materially reduced bs the Increased compctiuop.
Thcre are now 10 lasge 1obbcrs here, besides II
smaller ones Business was not materially
Affected by the Centennial. though In refer
ence to tbis point there Is + wide dldsEeHe
Of opinion. The trade OF the 4psing was sa9hsr
SLOW, that Ut the summer aud autumn 1asF. Tbs
be,sday season wss, however, ono ot tha most
aetiys known In several past Jears, so&us houssa
being kept busy night aud aay fn hAinX or
dcrs-
xHE ApovH-KAkEn AadRkaATn
Of aales ilclule4 those Iua1e at retail; 1t u not
possible ~ separate thst department from tbs
retail - in othsr branches Of bpslueas~ Ihs
gouis sold bare arc distributed III oreE tbs
iCoutlnueu GA the Tsnth PAfe.l