Smyrna times., 1882-10-25
For the .SmNrla Timcs.
For the Smynlo Times.
Letter from the West.
SHIPPING BEEF-CHICAGO'S WONDER
FUL ADVANCEMENT-C
LINE STREET CARS-THE
EXPOSITION. &c.

DEAR MEs.-Chicago is still lead
ing the van OF prospering western
cities; Il recent school census shows
the population to have increased over
$4,000 since the last census, making
3,3C4.
New enterprises never cease: the
one looming up into greatest promi-
nence at present is to supply the
eastern cities with fresh beef by the
quarter, shipping from the immense
slaughterirg houses in Chicago in
patent refrigerator cars, special trains
like Delaware peaches, limited time to
its destination.
For two years they have supplied
st Paul and other places successfully.
A Chicago mans ideas has no bounds
they confidently talk not only Offeeding
New England and the Middle States
but England, Ireland and Scotland as |
well. At all events the we'll known
wealthy packing houses of Messrs.
Armour q Bro, Libby and McNeal |
and others are going to venture five or
six millions in the enterprise. 1t may
succeed and its projectors reap Il
harvest of wealth from ii, but it looks
to us like going too far with modern
concentration OF capital, electricity and
steampower, thereby depriving thOus-
ands CT men of an occupation that has
brought them II comfortable living in
all the years past.
Business is good, scoreing Il little
! higher than eve" before and consequent
ly all kinds of property is nj par value.
Mr.. J. f. Griffin of your town is in
the real estate business here, and his
experience iii the past twelve months
is that property is very high, much Of
it held ut fancy prices, and rents of all
description both for houses and flats or
suits Of rooms command high prices in
in advance. Mechanics and arIizans
are taxed TO their utmost to meet the
demands for new buildings; the whole
country is Watching the phenomenal
growth Of this city and the usual twelve
miles Of solid blocks Of buildings will
be more than met by two or three
additional miles this year. Her broad
and roOmy streets, her side walks Of
uniform twenty feet i'll width are
c"owcd, not like New York, one
Broadway of great prominence, but
many broadWays with we'll preserved
and as finely dressed class of people
rs you ever met. The great fire of
October 1871 has been almost forgotten,
: but let me refresh your memory, reader.
, Twenty one thousand building We're
l burnt and over four hundred acres
l were raZed to the ground; there was
no halting between two opinions, no
Z sooner than the debris was cold they
= said it must be rebuilt and the Civil
; Engineers set to rcdistricting and
: Strengthening the streets. Men VicC
h with each other who should be the iirst
to enter their new building. Money
: was borrowed freely from the East anC
= buildings were put up apparently with
u ) out reference to cost only the best ant
!; most modern designs were sought. anC
II that concert of action rebuilt Chicag,
with long lines of trade places of fou
ie and five story, stone or iron fronts
with large plate glass windows tlle'
III as they are to-day with fine displays O
n goods, form feature of strong attraC
III ton noticeable by all strangers.
1t is said Of the visit of the Marquis {
III Lorne and Princess Louise that the
found an almost irresistible influenc
Ut to promenade the streets for sigl
i'' seeing.
Nv Recently some business blocks hay
? been built to the exalted height {
seven or eight stories, but with steal
e. elevators in them it is but little dific
ny ence so far as convenience is concern
lis ed whether you are on the secon
floor or the seventh, but in case of fiji
ler it would be, 1t is very natural tn;
TN the great fire should have develOpC
in. eonH inventive talent which brongl
forth the combined fire escape ladd
l. OFT fn IY1il AiVf
ger on the outside in obedience to a eli
w ordinance. OF handsome residenc
ISL there are many situated on Michig;
est and Indiana avenues running sou
nd from Jhe Chicago River and facing Il
at Lake. In the North Division in {
A. early day fine residences nearly mono
lily oliZcs the best corner lots, as well
vas Intermediates
o'o TIE CABLE MOTOR STREET CARS.
=, have had occasion before to spe;
Of of the cable lines of street cars viii
III move along not singly, but coupled Ii
NJ. steam cars, generally three in ira
ms moving along with great regularity /
,u,- without any visible force. The mott
ino power is large stationary steam engir
aaI ut distance of five miles, turning hu
tbn duIms which put in motion subterren
mr. steel cables running uniformly in o
out uirecIlon MViiouC ccS9"'IUl .n Iolli
or- O'Clock in the morning to II o'clock
night. The cars are drawn by mes
of a gripping lever in the hands of q
man whose duty it is to attend to Il
, III and the brakes, taking the usual sig
IelS from the conductor. The grip is
heS steel the neck of which is half inch
'uS9 9 four inches, passing down through
i ''li. opening of only three quarters of
anu anu inch, to an inch and three quart
l ny cable. Under the surface is netw'
III of ribs of iron strong enough to supp
ohN the tracks and entire structure, 5
'oh' rounded by and built into wal
concrete masonry, having Il three +
opening in the clear except the II
ros-- for the carrier pulleys ut pro
ased distances.
at Standing with the gang of constr
arge tors, l enquired of the foreman the C
(, n. and he said about one hundred the
IS OF and dollars n mile, engines and cal
lnde complete. 4 little surprised, | rema
9ady ed that it cost as much as the EleVa
nds; railroad in New York no he said,
o on does not cost any thing for right
y OF way or property damage. There W
ana men digging Il trench like ca
rity, men putting the iron work togetl
lgar- an engine mixing the concrete mate
year to be wheeled and dumped into
ased wooden moulds for the wall wher
cage must be allowed to stay until GER
unit amount of solidity takes place be
temT the wood can be removed to a new
Igate ting. The quantity of materials on
Rio ground necessary for construction
eatly immense, but when completed it
be as solid road bed as could
conceived.
our THE INDUSTRIAL EXPOSITION.
Par The Eighth Grand Annual ExI
ache, ton is now in progress and will rea
salts grand final of six weeks durat
eaith ending ON Saturday the 21st inst.
other course it is one of the attractive
ures of the day, and like sin
institution in Cincinnati, it has
lat found to be remunerative to its eXl
ex of tors and the city generally, especi
&c N