The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-11-27
The Daily Arsns.
aoCx rsIAHD.
Rapids City Lester.
RAPtDs Cry. Nov "a.

Rapids City letter.
RAPDs CRY, Nov. "a, 1877.
To the Editors of The Argus:
They all do il. aeveD My Grandmother,
land that awful Baby is sure to cry. That
Wife OF Mine says that Husband of Mine
lisa Brick. But oh, My Alosher-in-laW
says give rs rest land here It Is.
Rapids City is now IN the depths Of its
Eglory-mud all around MS though what
used 70 be a sidewalk loom up occasionally.
We hope the next board of trustees Of
this village will have the sidewalks put
down and get stuck 10 the mud. fast.
The Rapids City railway com pany track
e tneariy finished. Fl. Nj. Gilchrist 4
TO. can soon supply customers without
tail. One great trouble heretofore was
that teams had to stop whenever II rained
or the roads were bad, and Consequently
their customers were disappointed This
will be oDyiated now. The track will be
Ifirst-class in ell respects. The scales are
from the Victer company, Moline, and are
50 feet long.
james McFadden, former resident OF
Rapids City, has been jailed at Muscatine,
Iowa, tor some irregularity in his conduct.
dc. and Mr.. Cole left here some time
ago With q mule team. Their families,
who are still here. are reported 10 be in
very needy circumstances, and [ believe
have made application to be taken care of
by the county.
Ed. Williams, our city marshal, has
resigned, and gone to work ia the coal
mines. Ed. had got so fat, and. we ought
to say. tired, thathe had te1i1 something
to keep alive.
Business from the country at present is
not very brisk. Bad roads and corn husk-
Ing keeps the farmers pretty busy at home
now.
DR.. Coggeshall. of Moline, formerly of
TINS place. was in town the other dag. He
reports a good buiness in Moline.
Perhaps ir would not be amiss, as 1t is
drawing to the close of the year, to give
our nelghbors some idea of this thriving
and enterprising little coal burg. 1t is
only about five years ago that business in
the coal trade commenced here, aud Rapids
City has grown from about 800 TO over
1900 inhabitants. aud sto give one an
idea OF the place is TO note its business en-
terprlseS and its business men. First
comes Mr.. Taylor Williams, who operates,
Individuality, the mines known as The
Fort Byron Coal Mines" They have been
operated by him for about years, and the
capital invested in them, including tracks,
machinery and engines, is about 500, 600.
he owns two shafts, and their united pro
duct will load about Is railway cars daily.
de has extensive contracts with the
Chicago q Northwestern railway. and with
the keokuk Northern Line Packet COM
pany. In connection with his coal mines
he owns q company store, as it is
called here. aud carrying stock of about
$4,000, which has to be renewed about
every two months. About 200 miners do
their trading there, besides large country
trade. The store is under the control of
~. Clyde Fleming. a very enterprising
under the supervision of Mr.. Joseph
Wickle, man of large experience 10 coal
business. His assistants are j. w. Lewis,
master machinist. and Joseph Ramsey,
nine boss underground.
Next comes H. w. Gilchrist & Co,
proprietors-of the ''WauIock head mines. y
Mr.. Gllchrist, the manager, is an old
miner old only in experience, but com.
paratitely young man in Years. He used
to work in the mines himself and knows
lust how it is. The mines owned by bis
company were opened about or years age
and has invested capital of about $3.50
including railways-they controlling the
rapids City railway, the steamboat jennie
Gilchrist, and barges, engines for hosting,
etc. They have just about completed 8
tine track for their own use and can load
about 20 railway cars per day. Gilchris
q Go. have contracts with the Diamond
Joe line and a large and very remaDerativ,
private trade. GilchrIst IL Co. also own II
connection with their coal mines compan,
store. under the personal management O
Mr.. FL. M. Gilchrist, assisted by A. II
Gates, and carry a stock of about $4,000
changing every two or three months. Mr.
Gilchrist is also superintendent of the Goa
mines and sees to things himself Asso
ciated with him are Mr. s. u. Magill, O
Clinton, Iowa, and his son John. Tn,
mines underground are under the abb
management of Phillip Gull
The other business houses of the plac
are r. NJ. Mitchell, who has ine stock o
dry goods. and soon intends to put il
, groceries. He buys and sells strictly TO
cash, and is doing pretty fair business
which will undoubtedly increase when b.
adds groceries to dry goods.
A. j. Rowe, the druggist, is doing vel
D and carries fine assorted stock of drugs
Z Cn6mtCais. pAlnlss OltSs Co. ana Keeps
+ good stock of cigars. Associated witt
= him, as regards getting rid OF the drugs,Ii
DR.. w. A. Parker, our enterprising ant
: efficient physician.
In blacksmithing T. p Viderstrom take
!. | the lead, though q rival shop owned b
A. Eicholtz has started and intends (
divide the Business with him. Their trad
" is profitable, and both are doing we'll.
A restaurant has lately been opened
v Schmidt. and be will no doubt make
Z safe thing, having no opposition an
ru1ning bakery IN connection with i
: and supplying the company stores wit
bread of FIRST class quality.
Boots and shoes made to orier are rel
10 resented by D. j. Morris. j. B. Temple
Bros. and +. Hakinson, the latter q ne
Ie arrival. The others get all they can do an
q have no fault to find-that know of.
% Hotels are the Craycraft aud Rettig-
lie both new and hardly ready for busine
yet Both will no doubt get good trad
With this / will take a rest" havir
, given fair outlook of the business no
., done 10 little burgh that several yea
ago was 80 dead that no one would ha,
the post-ofice, because it did not pay al
u thing. Now it's fat thing" and pal
he about $500 year. ID. Il. G.