The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-01-20
FROM CHICAGO.

CHICAGO, ILL, Dec. 2Sth, 1880.
KANSAS CHIEF Il find myself in this great city,
nearly two months later than told YOU would be
but the numerous labors of the farm employed my
time till days passed into weeks, before my depart
ure on my anticipated trip to the great East left
st. Joe the l6tl on the O. clock D. m train for
Kansas City; arrived there in time to get off on the
night train for Chicago, the Wabash, ST. Louis
& Pacific Railway, via Hannibal. We arrived in
Chicago at 40, p. M, next day; had q good run,
but We found no reclining chairs, nor free palace
cars The sleeping cost three dollars. and poor at
that; the track is not smooth enough to make q
person easy in their mind unless they had been edu-
Gated to early piety.
have got off the subject little, but here / am
again. switching back TO city of 500 900 inhabitants
an increase of over 100000 in ten years-but the
trade has increased in much larger ratio. The
grain trade will reach 900 bushels for the
year 1880.
Every kind Of business is carried on, on a colossal
scale, and the railway system converging and di-
verging to and from this point, makes it the great
Depot of the West.
visited the great packing houses, and saw many
of then in full operation. Icould mention the names
of several, but will only say that, all combined,
when in full operation slaughter, cut and pack
away loO,O 900 daily. Armour & Co. have n capacity
to slaughter 5000 daily. Every department moves
like keclock-work-perfect system everywhere. Armour
& Co. filling their icehouse. 1t has a capacity
Of 900 tons, and they putting in $50 loads
per day, when was there. The total slaughter Of
hogs in Chicago, for 1880, was 5,373,0OO. The live
stock lumber and grain trade of Chicago is almost
beyond conception. If l should 90 into details, it
would occupy my pen leng time
The weather was very cold, with snow, and
all kinds of business was brisk-as it was during
the holidays which is generally live time with the
Yankee element.
see great many things here that are of interest,
and worthy of notice and comment visited the
water-works, and watched the workings of those
ponderous engines, four in number. The water that
supplies the city is brought in n tunnel Its outer
end is three miles distant, in the lake. The tunnel
is six feet in diameter.
visited James s. Kinks soap establishment. 1t
consumes 800 barrels Of grease per day. of average
of 400 lbs. each, and the soap is shipped to every
point in the West
The Bessemer steel works arc not without much
interest is but few years since the present pro-
cess of manufacture introduced, and became q
success. The capacity of any single mill is measured
by the number of eonverters. There only thirty
two converters in the United States and arc divided
follows: Pennsylvania, IS; Illinois, 8; Missouri,
2; New York, 9; Ohio, ,. An aggregate capacity of
2o9 tons per day. In 1870 the whole product in the
United States only 5000 tons In 1880 the pro-
duction was $50 900 tons. l cannot give a full ac-
count of the process, without too much trouble. 1t
was very interesting to me, have studied and
taken some interest in railroad machinery for the
past forty years.
The improvements in the past fifty years out
of the power of man enumerate and the increase,
progress and expansion of the United States is al
most beyond the power Of man to fathom. For in
stance fifty years ago there railroad west of
the Hudson river, and only five log huts in Chicago
no telegraph, ocean steamer and a thousand I'M
provemcnts and inventions could name.
have tramped around Chicago till l am tired out
have ridden the steam street cars, horse cars,
walked under and over the river, been in the new
postofce rode to the top of the building in steam
elevator, the largest hotel, have seen beggars
the most fashionable Streets visited Field Letter
& Co.'S great retail house, with its 1000 employees
where you get needle for penny, or shawl for
$1,000, or dress ready made for e. for $780,
and even more. My machine is run down, so good
bye. A. w. wArERs.