Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-18

close into the heart Of the city aud L
won't move many squares from the union
depot which has made nucleus for pas
senger traffic that cannot be ignored. Pas
senger business by rail must be kept close
to the river competition SO we conclude
that the passenger depots won't leave the
front of the city even if 1t IS necessary TO
fill and crowd the river over from its pres
ent course, but the freight business must
and will go back of the city, and the north
erly end of Mississippi street presents the
most favorable location because of the easy
grades for hauling to and from depots To-
Gated at or near that point. This situation
is beginning to force itself upon
the attention of railroad
magnates and property owners. Aside
from this considerable Improvements are
projected for Mississippi and Broadway
the present season.
UNUSUAL EXCITELENT.
Yesterday was remarkable day in the
real estate business in ST. Paul. not so
much on account of the transactions as in
regard to the excitement caused by report
ed sales, and apparently well authenticated
ports of the large railroad improvements
proposed out on Mississippi street. It
was reported that the railroads had COM
bined and purchased a tract of land owned
by Mayor Rice on Mississippi street, upon
which his residence is located, and lots of
other property beside. and that a grand
union passenger depot was to be erected
out there; tha5 all the roads were to COM
bine to make new town off in that direc-
tion. These reports have been limited at
for several days, and sly, knowing winks
have been INDUCED in, during the week by
men who always know moro than any one
else Yesterday these wild, loose intina-
tions, winks, and unsubstantial rumors
took form in the positive statements that
the railroads had actually combined, and
agreed upon system Of gigantic improve
ments that would add largely to the value
of all the real estate out in the direction
mentioned. This ststement flew around
through the city like lightning and every
body that owned property out there be-
came wild on the subject while everybody
that did not own any property out there
was crazy to buy. There never was a
time in St. Paul when real estate went up
quite SO fast as it did yesterday morning.
Lots that would not pay taxes were spread
all over with solid gold. 1t required
mint of money to buy thimble full of
dirt anywhere above Grove street. Before
the real estate dealers reached their Of
fees in the morning their doors
were surrounded by crowds of people who
wanted Mississippi street property. When
one entered the real estate offices he always
found parties close up to the map of the
city with their noses stuck into that broad
green line representing Mississippi street.
One could hear nothing but mississippi
street" wherever he went. The real estate
dealers who knew nothing about the mat
ter hoped around lively and, got the sale
of all the property they could
out there and succeeded in making some
very good sales. For several hours people
were moving around from one real estate
Office to another on Jackson and Fourth
streets, yelping for Mississippi street
property. The craze finally got SO much
warmed up that owners of property out
there took it out of market. On investi
eating the matter it was found that if
mems words and statements can be be-
lieved, the reports are all bogus. Mayor
Rice and the officers of the. Northern
Pacific road deny the statements. The
mayors son says that his father had sold
his homestead or Mississippi street CON
sisting Of his house and six acres around
the house to New York gentleman; that
the remainder of the property was not in
the market and no part of il would be be-
fore May next. Mr.. j. ]. Hill declared
that he knew nothing about the alleged
combination or the purchase. Everybody
| denied it. One real estate dealer, and as
shrewd dealer as there is in the city, de-
clared that the people were generally right,
but that this tina they had made mistake
and got on the wrong track. AS he ex-
pressed it, the people "were barking up
the wrong tree" He declared that the
railroad folks were looking in a wholly
different direction, and that people who
went into the Mississippi
street scheme and bought prop
erty there expecting boom
would get left. Besides the reported pur-
chase of Mayor Rice, it was also asserted
that forty acres for similar railroad pur-
poses had been purchased by the railroads
from D. D. Merrill. On Investigating this
report it was found that sale was made
by Daniel D. Merrill to Sylvester NJ. Cary
of lots l. IL and Is, block 2, De Bow
Smith, Risque & Williams addition, and
of lots to 8 inclusive, block 8 in Schur-
meier's addition. block 1 of Dayton's addi-
ton. Part of the above property has a
frontage of 426 feet on Mississippi street.
Thinking that possibly the sly, far-reach-
ing railroads were at the bottom of this
transaction, and were making this pur-
chase through Mr.. Cary, that gentleman
was called upon. Mr. Cary assured the
representative of the GLOBE that he had
made the purchase for himself, and that
none of the railroads had anything to do
with it; he bought the prop
erty simply because he thought