Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-07-11
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY.

DURING the month of May, California.
yielded million and half in gold coin.
SOME of the English papers express,
alarm at the fact that American ship
builders are offering to build iron YES
sells at II ton less than the British
builders.
The cactus is regarded by Californiansi
as nuisance. A firm of ropen,akers in.
San francisco has recently discovered
that from species of the plaat a fine
quality OF rope can be manufactured.
VINE growers in the Sonolna Valley,
CAL, are discouraged says the Petaluma
Argus, not because the grape crop is to be
small, for it will probably be larger than
ever before, but on account Of the pres
ent low price and limited demand for
wine.
MINNESOTA handled 5,25O,0O bushels
of wheat last year, but only As, 900 bushels
were shipped as grain. The balance was
sent to market as flour, by the manu-
facture of which the state is $4,000, 600
better off than if it had been shipped as
raw material.
The Cincinnati papers say there will be
more houses built in that city this year
than in any other since 1868. The reason
is not that houses are in great demand,
but that money is so cheap; the banks
are full of idle money which no one
wants, and it is therefore invested in
buildings, in the hope that it will yield
5 per cent.
HE Bank of Nevada, in San Francis
co, is the wealthiest banking corporation
in the United States. The capital is
$10,000,0OO, held by five individuals
Messrs. Flood, O'Brien, Mackey and
Fair each own 1880 Of the shares or
$2,375, 900 of the stock, and Louis Nc
Lane, the president, 5000 shares, or
100000 Of the stock
SOME fifteen firms are now engaged in
the manufacture of celluloid Soods, en-
ploying from 200 to 1000 hands, and
disbursing in wages from $50, 600 to $780,
900 per month. Each Of the companies.
manufactures some leading speciality,
such as jewelry, combs, brushes, knife
handles, dental blanks, etc., and they
have attended to cutie a marvellous skill
III the imitation Of coral, ivory, amber,
futile shell, ebony, malachite and kindred
substances.
The application of steam to street cars
in Philadelphia has been attended with
such favorable results that its substitu-
ton for horses is predicted in the near
future in that city. Improvements are
being made in the cars and engine,
which will in time obviate all objec-
tions to steam and the existing difficulty
to its use. Already inventions have
been made which enable the engineer to
stop the car almost simultaneously. The
great advantage in favor Of steam is the
reduced cost of such motive power The
cost Of running the Baldwin car on the
Market street line of Philadelphia is 81
for sixteen hours.
Mr.. JOHN COOKE, the head of a large
locomotive mandatory, does not regard
the outlook for that industry as at all
promising. He estimates that $4,000
locomotives are used in the United
States, and that only five per cent. or
1856 engines are needed annually to keep
this number good, whereas the Ameri--
can shops have a capacity to manufac-
ture $500 year. On the other hand,
the RaiIaoay journal regards the situa-
ton very encouraging, since Mr.. Cooke
left out of his estimates the engines ex--
ported. Canada, Mexico, South America
and Australia now buy American en-
ginns, and viii buy many more if build
ers compete for the business.