The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1883-12-15
SIGHTS OF CHICAGO.
A CAROLINIAN'S VISIT TO THE
STOCK YARDS.
The Palmer HOuse-.-PaIatial Resi-.
dences--AnOther Interesting Descrip-
tive Letter.
Special Correspondence Of the Chronicle

dences.-AnOther lnteTestln. Descrip.
tive Letter.
Special Correspondence Of the Chronicle.
CHICAGO, Dec. lO.-In ore Of my drives
through the city passed by a dead horse
in the street. l was informed that il the
death was occasioned by disease it would
be hauled Off and turned into fertilizers,
but if by accident it would be turned into
canary bird food.
The massive dwelling Of Mr.. Storey, the
editor Of the Chicago Times, in course Of
erection, is constructed Of marble. and it
is said will take four or five years to COM
plete it. The cost is estimated at over one
million and a half dollars. Mr.. Storey is
more than seventy years old and has no
children, and has recently married young
wife.
Chicago can boast Of her handsome
churches. There are about three hundred
and fifty church edifices in the city. At
ter seeing so many churches l concluded
that the fellow ought to be hung. who
said that while he was in a trance and sup
posed to be dead, assured hi. friends that
he went to heaven and saw Peter, told Pc
ter that he was from Chicago, which Peter
denied, because he said there was no such
place as Chicago and wouldn't give up IN
til a map was produced, and then said
that there must be such a place, but he
was the first man that had ever come there
from Chicago.
Real estate brings here enormous prices.
In 1884 countryman brought to market
two barrels of onions which he could not
get seventy-five cents per barrel for. A
party proposed to give him small lot
near by for his onions. The countryman
refused, and now this little lot will bring
100000. Three thousand dollars per foot
can be gotten for land in the heart Of the
city.
The Palmer House is a magnificent
structure, and is said to be the only real
fire proof hotel in the United States.
When completed the owner set fire to one
of the rooms in order to test it /; the room
was burned, but the fire was not commune
Gated to any other part of the building. 1t
is constructed of iron and stone, is SIX
stories high, and has seven hundred sleep
ing rooms, and is superbly furnished. The
building cost 81, $780, 600 and the furniture
cost $50O,00O. The grand hall is 7Ox2S
feet, and the rotunda 64xlO6 feet, made Of
marble of thirty-fou different kinds and
colors. The staircase is of solid Italian
marble anc seems to be selfsupporting.
This marble was cut and fitted in Italy,
and then placed and fitted in the hotel.
The dining hall is of rare size and beauty,
and all around and on the ceiling are pic
lures and painting showing thrilling Incl
dents and occurrences Of the great Chica-
go fire. The bridal chambers are elegant
in design and finish, and the furniture in
one of them is said to have cost $50, 600.
The Egyptian parlor is wonder and mar
vel Of style and finish, and the furniture is
entirely Egyptian. Upon the top of the
hotel building is great greenhouse and
conservatory, which covers nearly an half
acre. It is a green house in the air, and is
covcre with Glasz. and so constructed as
to let in the air or rain or sun may be
desired. It is constructed of glass and
iron. Here are to be seen at all seasons
of the year plants and flowers in bloom
of all descriptions and native to almost
every CLINE. 1t is heated to tropical
temperature from the regular heating ap-
paratus of the hotel.
The Great Union Stock Yards are lOca-
ted in the southwestern city limits, and
about eight or ten miles from the heart OF
the city; their present capacity is about
5000 beef cattle, 25O,OOO hogs and 4O,-
900 head of sheep, with about 500 stalls
for horses. There are in the yards about
80 miles of under draining, 10 miles Of
streets and alleys, IL miles Of feed troughs
and about 2, 500 gates, about 1000 pens for
cattle and about 1,1O0 covered pens for
hogs. The Stock Yards town has about
1900 inhabitants, and many Of the streets
are paved with the Nicholson block pave
ment, and they have telegraph, churches,
schools, etc. The cost Of their construc-
ton was about $3, 100000. They have a
full police force, and the yards are open
at o'clock a. N. and close at o'clock p.
m. Five hundred employees are engaged
in the various elnplOyments about the
yards. The Exchange building wherein
are all the offices, business rooms, etc, is
6OX24O feet, and all sales are made aud
taken account Of therein and all business
transactions made therein. All stock and
railroad freight collections are done there
and there are three telegraph lines there
in, daily newspaper printed therein, an d
a bulletin furnishes the hourly market re-
ports The hotel belonging to the Stock
Yards is about the size of the Atlantic of
Norfolk, and furnishes excellent board
and rooms from 81 to 81 per day. 1t is
built and used exclusively for stock buyers
and sellers. The Union Stock Yards Ma
| tional Bank, located in the yards, is a
mammoth concern, and does more busi-
ness than any five banks in the city of
Chicago. The cattle and hogs are driven
through a covered way into the yards and
inspected as they pass through, and if any
cuts or scars or any evidences OF disease
appear they are condemned and sent away,
and after they are killed they are again
| inspected. Everything works like clock
work, and the greatest system prevails.
In the stables of Mr.. Sherman, the Presi-
dent and the principal owner of the yards,
| saw his sixteen pet beef cattle ranging
in weight from 2, 400 to 3, 400 pounds. One
OF these was IeXas steer seven years Old
and weighing 5000, that measured five
feet between the tips of his horns. I had
never seen such looking cattle before.
also saw Texas steer with three very
large horns, the extra horn protrudine
from the middle of his head. These horns
were fully two and half feet long.
A Generalization or Two.
To THE CHRONICLE How will this
do for plank in the progressive North
Carolina platform The foges must go
North Carolina, and behold uouus homo
at the head Of it. l see that emigrants
are constantly leaving the State for the
West. No doubt our emigrants greatly
outnumber our immigrants, and it will bt
so for many years. We will have to bult