The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-06-26
AUSTIN BUSINESS
THE TEXAS BRANCH OF THE
MILBURN WAGON COMPANY.
Apart ial Review of an Immense
Business Enterprise.
READ, REFLECT AND ACT.

1
was not more than one in one thou
and OF the people who trade at Aust
did not understand the magnitud
OF the business carried on at the cap
tai" a majority would say it Wa
false. The OBJECT of this article is t
snow that the assertion would be lii
orally true. True, not only of thos
VINO live at a distance, and therefor
only visit the city occasionally, bu
true also of those who live right here
Where every opportunity is afforde
for observation.
AS an Illustration of this fact, yol
are requested to examine, in detail.
some of the history, progress and pres
ent business of the
TEXAS BRANCH OF THE MILBURr
WAGON COMPANY,
under the management of Mr.. r. d
Cunningham. Before enumeratine
all, or any part of what may be found
here, however, slight history would
no doubt, prove interesting to the
reader. The Milburn Wagon com
pany, of Toledo, Ohio, is an old anc
Weli-established manufacturing firm
known and appreciated and patronized
by every country on the face of the
globe, where wagons, buggies, car.
rlageS, carts or anything on wheels
are used. The manner of distributing
goods in foreign countries has but
1lttle to do with what is now in hand.
Let us, therefore, look at their system
IN this country.
Many manufacturers make it rule
TO sell to dealers, both large and small,
direct from the factory. Not so with
the Mllburn. 1t has organized a sys-
TEN of
BRANCH HOUSES AND SUPPLY DE-
POTS
all over the country, from which may
be had all that could possibly be OBJ
tanned from any factory in the United
States. Among the number of branch
houses thus organized, islone at each
of the following named places: Alba
ny, n. Y; Atlanta, Ca; San FRANCIS
20, Cal; st. Paul, Mimi; San Antonio
Texas; Kansas City, Mo-; Denver, Col
and Austin, Texas. Of the last nam
I'd a partial examination will now be
made, and from this the reader may
.orm some idea of what the Milburn
wagon company is, and what it is
loing. The Texas branch, the one at
Austin, was organized in the year
o77, with MeSsrS. Lewis q Cunning
lam in charge. This was the style of
for about four years,
,ut since that time it has been under
he exclusive management of Mr.. r.
D. Cunningham.
OF Mr.. Cunningham 1t is needless to
peak, except to inform the pee pie that
lie is no novice in the wagon and car
iage business, having served full
apprenticeship to learn the trade, and
afterwards followed it as a practical
workman in the various capacities of
lnderworkman, superintendent and
for twenty-five years.
having raised himself step by step
through earnest work and honest labor
o that point of honor acquired by but
ew, he was fortunate enough to
70 placed at the head of one
t the principal branch houses
f one of the greatest manufactures
q the United States. Is this not
nough to say? Ii not, all that is
sked of you is to call on him and see
rom experience in business with him
he is not deserving of it all, and
ven more.
During tae seven years since the
ranch office has been established at
Austin the number of wheeled vehi-
les sold, to say nothing of the mate
ial, have aggregated the immense
lumber of 3,849. Three thousand,
light hundred and forty-nine. Just
hlnk of it and try to realize it. Sup
ose you make calculation as to the
Xtent of this business: what Is the
esultp 1t is this: Each vehicle will
AXE up as much as twenty feet of
pace, in length, in ordinary use.
low, suppose you fasten the tongue
f one to the hindmoSt axletree of
and so on until all are
and what is the result !?
t is that you will have an unbroken
inc of wagons, carriages, buggies and
arts that is nearly twelve and half
niles in length. What! twelve and
half miles in length did you say? 1t
5 impossible. No, it is not impossi-
lie at all. Go to their books, see for
ourself, and then make the calcula-
ion, and you will see that if there is
to fear as to correctness, it
s that the writer has not made the
igures large enough.
This immense array OF wheeled We
licles does not include the stock of
wagon and carriage-makers' supplies
hat has passed through this house.
f it did, the length of the line would
,e almost doubled. Now you can be-
rim to understand something about
he magnitude of the enterprise.
If Austin has make this showing
lone, what must be the immense
of vehicles turned out by this
What must have been the
mount of money and what the guam
ity of labor expended upon it? And
what has the benefit Of the country at
arge not been? Think for moment
low many persons get employment
through this company. Think how
many would be without employment
should it suddenly suspend.
If you would know anything of the
stock now on hand at Austin, exam
ne the following partial list, bearing
n mind that the stock is now not as
arge as usual, owing to the heavy
demand made during the spring and
early summer. The value of this
stock, as with all others, varies with
the seasons, sometimes amounting to
S75, 600 and at others to not more
than $30,000-but to the stock as it is.
In the line of carriages you can find
your fancy may dictate that
was ever made on the underlying
principal of this factory, which is
''neatness and durability" OF the
different styles you will please no
tice the Surrey, the Cabriolet, the dou-
BILE, the jump-Seat and host of Others
each of which has in it some peculiar
quality, prominent among others, to
recommend it to those who know
what they want and what they want
it for.
AS to buggies, there must of neces-
sity be but little said for fear of being
beWildered and of bewildering the
reader by the vast number and va
riety to be found. Among the mum
Der may be found the side bar, piano
box, and the corning and white chap
pei bodies. Then there is the elliptic
spring buggy with corning bodies ant
piano box, and the Vanderbilt or Cali
fornia buck board with combined Woo
and steel side springs. This last is &C
knowledged throughout the west a
the most durable buggy made il
America. There also may be fount
both two and. three spring pheaton
with full leather or canopy tops, al
neat, nice and serviceable, and of an,
weight or strength desired. Roat
carts of the newest and latest
patterns may also be- seen. S
may any number of double side sprini
road wagons which for general us
probably surpass anything in thi
line. Last, but not least, come on