The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-05-05
a PEEP AT UTICA.
Il Duh Day tor Business General Features
of the Iown-The New Fridge aad Nord
ON that subject.

having recently been ulspaiC"Vu !" tlc W
lage of Utica, IN this county, submits report
of his observations
The dav was an exceptionally pleasan; one
and apparently favorable for business, but
the town was ms dull as a school house IN Va
cation. The reason was, that Utica is almost
wholly dependent for trade on the farmers,
who we're all busy in their fields. Maniest!y
there must be considerable trade from some
WHERE, for the town has several pretentious
dry goods establishments, with grocery stores
hotels, mechanic shops, saloons, &c, for quite
a large population, and all seem to be moder
ately prosperous,
The largest dry goods, grocery and general
supply establishment in the place is that OF
f. f. Taylor, who carries stock equal TO
any OF our large Ottawa establishments. An.
other store in the same line of trade has re-
Gently been opened on the south side OF the
square by Learned x Co, who display stock
whihh, II not quite 50 large, is at least as at
tractve. Indeed the interior OF the establish
ment had about it such an air of scrupulous
neatncss, that our envoy instinctively busted
off his boots before entering it.
The Boniface OF the town. par erceylsac5 Is
our wnilom Ottawa burgher, |. II. Freden-
burgh, who keeps the only tavern, though
Mr. Mark Prentice was understood to have
leased the Hadley House, which he would
open in few days Fredenburgh, when
resident of Ottawa was not only "mighty
hunter belore-a retriever" but an enthu-ias
tic follower of Izaak Walton, and naturally
we expected to see his table loaded with game
and choice cuttings of the tinny tribe, but
though his layout was taultiess otherwise,
he bill of fare showed neither fish or game;
whence we infer that Fred has either lost his
old skill, or reformed, or grown lazy, or given
! his boarders such a surieit that he had tot
hold up for while.
Utica does pretty heavy business in grain,
and has two warehouses; or elevators to
handle it--one being the old stone warehouse
of Jas Clark & Son, and the other the weld
warehouse now owned and run by Mr. II. 5.
Gilbert. The latter not only buys and ships
half million bushels or more OF grain year,
but also runs heavy lumber yard, and has
| just erected a planning mill, and with an ac-
complished carpenter and builder at the head
of it, Is ready to take contracts for the cree
ton of buildings, barns, &c, IN Utica and ali
the region round about.
OF course the heavy Institutions at Utica
are the Tile Works of Clark, White ~ Co.,
and the Cement Works of JAS Clark u Son.
Both are the largest establishments of their
kind in the west, and when run up to their
full capacity employ three or four hundred
men The depression of the times, however
materially Lighters the demand for their
wares, and the works are running on but
moderate scale. The cement works, after the
usual winter vacation, had just started up for
the season with q force of about 100 men, We
believe.
Whatever may have been the general BUSH
ness languor of Utica on that day, however,
her people walked up and were all animation
in minute when the bridge was mentioned.
Our envoy drove over to the river and saw
that bridge 1t is a beautiful structure. The
piers are taller and heavier than those OF eth
er bridge at Ottawa, and the superstructure
is one of the Canton Company's best iron
bridges. Nothing could be more substantial,
and doubtless IT will be a good bridge hun
dred wears from hence, for with decent care
there Is no reason why 1t should ever rot
down, rust down or break down The bridge
rests on five piers and two abutmeuts, has six
u boa, f,,t
ends so feet long, and cost, finished, painted,
with approaches ard everything complete
s3j,251j5.
1t is precisely here-when Tie cost is mrn.
uoned-that Utica man brislIcs up. The
bridge Is free, and the original agreement
vas that the cost should be equally shared
by tic towns of Utica and Deer Park. Hav-
ing ascertalned the cost Of the bridge, both
towns held an election to decide whether they
would incur the expense of its erection. Utica
voted on the 14th of February, 1876, and by
l5S to 20 decided IN favor of the bridge. Deer
Park voted May Goth, 1876, and after the hot
test election ever held in the town, decided
also, by ~ majority, IN favor of the bridge
The road commissioners of the two towns
thereupon met, decided, agreeably to the
general understanding, in favor of an iron
bridge, and advertised for proposals. Nine
or ten different compauIes put in bids, and
that of the Canton Com pany, being mani
festly the "lowest and bcst," was accepted
The bridge was built under the superintend.
ence of the commissioners of the two towns,
and when completed accepted from the con-
tractors by the commissioners of both towns
Then, however (and here's where the Utica
mad comes i'm when II came To forking over
the money, or town Donds-for the contractor
was To take the latter as part pay Deer Park
went back on the contract, her supervisor