Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-16
AkEMARKABLE GROWTH.
Fssss Which the Recowds of the Custom
House Discgsse.

Fssss Which the Recowds of the Custom
House Disclose.
Chicago Daily Tribune, Oct. 2, 1888.
That Chicago ranks among the first OF
American cities which extensively import
foreign merchandise is q fact too obvious,
from the daily showing which the newspa-
pers publish, to evade notice. Year by
year, since an act of congress established
our custom house and arranged for direct
transportation, this feature of commercial
industry has expanded, until the records
now show daily receipts of hundreds of
cases of merchantable goods. In recent
review of these records a city reporter was
astonished ct the large proportion of
musical goods which appeared on the lists.
and closer investigation deepened as
constituent to emazement at the enormous
number of cases which one music house
alone Is constantly receiving from
European manufacturers. The incident
called to the reporters retentive memory
time two or three years ago, when be
had published a statement of the importa-
tation of the music house Of Lyon &
Healy for one year, the Dimensions of
which excited much comment among the
readers of the city press. Upon locking
over the files he found the issue to be that
of November 6, 1880, and the number of
cases for the entire year ending October
1, 700. This Was, indeed, large number
for the consum ption of one house alone
out OF the many music houses which Chi
oago boasts OF, and to satisfy a personal
curiosity, the statistic hunter set himself
to the task of finding out how much, if
any, this enterprising house had increased
| its Importing business during the corres-
ponding year ending October 1, 1888.
Commencing on Monday, October l, he
traced back through the dates of the
| record, but before he had gone beyond a
quarter Of year he stopped satisfied, for
from the LIST Of July to the 1st of October,
g period of barely three months, ii was
shown that the firm had imported 712
| csses or nearly as many as were imported
during the entire fiscal year ending Octo-
Der 1. 1880. Such an increase was almost
| incredible, but as Figures cannot lie" and
| the reporters estimate was carefully made,
there was no avoiding the solid fact. Such
| development, however, caused press
representative to call upon Messrs Lyon
d Healy with view to ascertain, if posi-
BILE, what their facilities we're for storing
| and disposing of such an enormous guam
| tity Of goods. He was gratifed to find
| both of these ambitious gentlemen at their
| headquarters in the large four story build
| ing at the corner Of State and Monroe
streets. Both members of the firm were
too deeply engaged in their business to
| spend much time in satisfying an inquis-
itor's curiosity, bat he was able to learn
| that, in addition to the immense stock
which is displayed in their large business
house proper, they have warehouse con-
tanning 1850 square feet of floor room
which is constantly stocked with goods in
bulk, a good proportion of which is re-
shipped by them in original cases, which
are not opened until they reach he con-
sumers. In this storehouse over 600 cases
of musical merchandise are kept con
stantly on hand to draw from as the de-
msnds of trade require. The
annual sales of Messrs Lyon & Healy
aggregate upwards of q million dollars
and they are the largest importers of must
cal goods in America by considerable
per cent. All this and much more go to
show that Chicago has unquestionabiy the
largest general music house in the world
This is proud thing 20 be able to say
and for the ability to be able to say it
the city is indebted to the enterprise and
energy of Messrs. Lyon & Heaiy.