Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-05-04
KANSAS CITY.
A City OF HiIIs and Hollows-The
Utilization of the Missouri River
Vast Immigration 10 Kansas-
Scarcity OF Dwelling = House,
Grain and 1.-Two stock -AgrioUltu.
raj Implemcnts-Turkish Baths.

kansas CITY. May .. 1878.
Kansas City 10 built upon hills and in holloHs;
its streets are cut through bluns. and 1t Is q mat
ter OF wOnderment to the visitor why = town was
built upon such u site al all The location. how
ever, although afordlng but little opportunity
for laying out broad streets with fine perspec-
tives. gives the city An unrIv.led position as the
center OF N vast territory rich in agricultural and
mineral resources.
Kansas City Is the focus Of u netway OF Inil-
ways that gives her almost unsOunded trans
portation facilities: and then she has the vast
waterway of the Missouri river al her very feet.
awaiting development. The utilization of this
waterway would give her Ii communication
with the sea board. available during the greater
portion Of the year, and would also tend 10 pre-
serve her from the disastrous influences OF rail-
road pool organizations The subject OF placing
a barge line on the river. to ply between here anu
st. Louis. was very thoroughly discussed last
winter. Public meetings were held. and no
small amount of enthusiasm excited 1t ID to De
hoped that a permanent utilization OF the river
will soon be effected, as this great natural out
let needs only development to render 1t a most
important artery of commercial communication
between the new west and the sea-board.
The immigration to Kansas. this spring. has
been eIormOus, and the bulk OF it passed through
Kansas CITY. a, this city 10 the chief purchas-
Ing and supply depot for an immense area Of
| country west of 1t. whatever tends TO develop
that country will necessarily add TO the prosper
Ity Of Kansas City. The results oil this immlsra-
ton are already becoming apparent. Hotels
and boarding houses are filled to overhowinS. Ii
is exceedingly difficult to find II house to rent IN
any portion of the city. and building Is being
pushed as rapidly rs circumstances Will admit
l -,.,.aI .al r,.tar,ul .sn.pIutIv hTirk aTp not
quite SO available here as labor. and that lie one
reason why houses are not more plentiful. de
who has money invested in real estate here is sure
of ultimately making n large margin of profit;
but in the meantime. although the supply OF
dwelling houses il not equal to the demand,
building Is not progressing as one would expect
to see It.
The city has seven grain elevators with an az
gresate storage capacity oil two million bushels
and the records Of the Board OF Trade show that
: 500. 900 bushels Of wheat. $50. 90 bushels si
corn, with oats. barley and rye in proportion.
were received here last year. During the same
year $50 600 hogs and 80 900 cattle were killed
and packed. These figures serve to give Al
~idea-without going too far into statistics-ot th'
amount OF business done in the staple comrnod'
tiles Of grain and live stock. OF course The
amount of live stock that passes through here,
IN route to the East. is immense. There Is slst
a large business done in ore, and the establish
ment Of a mining stock exchange is contem
plated.
The cultivation Of the soil requires the use o
appropriate tools. and accordingly we nnt
Kansas City to be the centre of a vast trade II
agricultural implements and farm machinery
The day In which these implements can be man
J ufactured to As great advantage here as they cal
in the East. is, probably, not SO very III
distant, and the establishment Of suitahl
factories will make this city u metropolis equa
to st. Louis or Chicago. Coal and iron ar
easily attainable; wood can be procured, labo
is abundant, and all that Is required is capita
.nd enterprise. These will be Forthcoming
when the suspicious day arrives in which the
can be used to advantage
1t is not my purpose in this letter to so int
detail concerning Kansas City; l merely wish t
give = general IDEA of its iiveliness. The nu
embargo Of last winter had a depressing %lnisenc
. upon business, but all departments OF whoiesal
during the past six weeks. The people Of tn
i CITY like to be anused. anu several Grst-clas
COMPANIES have performed at Coates oper
house. during the spring. to large audiences
il There is. also, an excellent variety thcater here
under the proprletorship of Mr.. Valentine Love
1 have been enjoying the benefits of ID
8 kellogg's Turkish Bath Institute. This is til
only establishment in this country which is cor
| Quoted upon the high heat principle Of III
/ celebrated Institute at bristal, England. pI
+ Kellogg's system has effected many wondertl
o and well authentics ted cures. He has q iarG
local patronage. and the Institute ia general
filled with patients from every part of the unior
have reason to believe that excursion ticke'
. on the Narrow Gauge will soon be issued in sue
q manner Ms to make q visit to Kansas CT
q easily available to the ciiizens Of Aexingtor
. The baths are certainly wonderful in the
p over over certain classes OF disease, and near
an disease are benefited by their use. TIL
Il establishment Is complete in every detail, an
patients have no need to leave the house Tor sn,
- thing. The cost OF board and hatEin Is Sl2 p
week. III.