The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-12-24

call ate ltiOn to horse Imminent are
masterpieces in their way. So is the
great picture of q Centaur that was for
merly seen on many dead-walls in this
city. There is no more popular man in
the business than Mr.. Bradbury. He is
well educated, dignifed, modest, unas-
suming, and withal very energetic.
His partner, C.. 8. Houghtaling, is q
specimen brick of considerable richness.
He says: "Brad and formed part
nership, opened an Office in Fulton
Street in 1872, and to-day we do nearly
all the work that is done. You'd be
surprised at the work we have done
during the seasons of '78 and 80. One
tobacco firm pays Us $40, 600, and an
other S27, 900 for the years work. Our
contracts for the season amount to
100000. I'm giving you these figures
from our books, and will swear to 'em.
To do this amount of sign-painting we
use forty tons of white lead, 200 barrels
of linseed oil, 200 barrels of turpentine,
1900 pounds of lampblack, and 1000
pounds of various other colors. These
materials cover a surface of 1900, 900
square feet of sign painting in over 800
of the principal cities and towns in the
United States and Canadas. We have
employed thirty expert highway ar
fists, who have travelled over 100000
miles. Thirty-one thousand dollars
have been paid for the erection of bulle-
tin boards and for the rental of promi-
nent advertising privileges. The signs
will stand for an average of three years.
There are figures for you, and figures
won't lie. 1t amt a bad showing for
business that started on capital of one
paint pot and brush, is it?
falling, with vivacity. 81 should say
so. A man can't travel as we do and in
our business without having adventures.
At Lookout Mountain 1 was up on the
top just for the fun of the thing. and,
looking down, saw fine flat rock down
by Craven's Hallway House. 1t was a
beautiful place to paint sign, and |
made tracks for it, and soon was hard
at work painting an advertisement OF
q Bitters. When nearly through
l heard a plug, and something struck
the rock. Ipaid no attention. plug
it came again, and something again hit
VIC AoSh. PdiuICu vi. lug OdAAS
the sound again, and this time a piece
of fattened lead rolled down to my feet.
looked around. There above me was
fellow waving his hat, hollering and
occasionally shooting. 1t was photo
grapher, who had his shop there at the
Hallway House, and made living by
photographing the fellows and their
girls when they came up to the noun
tain. The big, flat rock made an ex-
cellent background for the photographs,
and he naturally objected to my dec.
Grating it. After that every photograph
that he took there had a background of
those Bitters.''
lis the business growing still, or
have you covered all the eligible places?"
"Bless you, no. The business is bet
ter every year. Every new railroad
opens up new sites. We are making
places where there are none. See the
hundreds of feet of bulletin boards
wherever train stops on any of the
roads near New York. 1t is getting to
be business in itself to locate the
boards. Patent medicines, toilet arti-
cles and tobacco, as you know, are the
principal articles we advertise. Well,
they are changing all the time-old ones
dying and new ones coming out-and
there's no limit to the highway decorat-
ing art. "-NeW York Sun.