Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-03-09
WHAT WICHITA WILL
SURE AS SUMMER SUNS
SHALL SHINE!
BEFORE THE SHOWS OF ANOTHER
WINTER WRITTEN THE GREAT
VALLEY,
WICHITA WILL STAND THE AZ
KNOWLEDGED METROPOLIS
OF KANSAS.

| Wichita will before the close Of the sea- |
son, which is just opening, astonish the peo-
pie of the entire state by growth which
will prove unprecedented. by this, or any
other city in Kansas. This growth will not
be one of population only but in realty val
ues However astonishing the stride of last
year in the number of fine residences and
solid business blocks, the development this
year will exceed last year as greatly as did
that the year previous. The entire business
portion of the city will be completely meta
mcrphosed. Not only will the few old frames
that are left here and there along Main
street and ofDouglss avenue as land marks
less ambitious days disappear, but less
preten.ious brick buildings which are prov
ing inadequate, will be torn down and re-
placed by more commodious and substantial
buildings. Iron and glass, brick and stone
by the hundreds Of tons, by the hundreds Of
imposing structures on every side, and from
one end to the other of both these business
thoroughfares. Among our own people
there is no question touching the soundness
of these statements The evidences of these
vast improvements are seen already upon
every hand. For a very large per cent of
them the plans haved already been drawn,
the specifications made up, tho contracts LET
and the excavations are being made and ma
terial delivered upon the grounds. And
, when we come TO know that
nine out of every ten OF
these buildings 70 be erected are already
leased or secured for business, many Of them
by new and heavy firms, some idea Of the
magnitude Of the city's development may be
gained by the people of the state at large
and by strangers. This development, this
increase, this astonishing growth, are as sure
as that summer suns shall shine, or that
Wichita grew twice as rapidly as any other
city in this state last year.
As for the question, is such a material
growth and business development war
ranted, it needs no answer, so far as our own
people are concerned. As for non-residents,
while comparisons are often odious, We will
cite st. Joseph, Atchison, Topeka. Leaven-
} worth, Lawrence, Wyandott and Kansas
City, all growing and fiourishing cities, all
within stones throw of each other, but all
dependent upon country and upon trade,
which holds no comparison in magnitude, in
richness, nor in rapid growth, TO that
with which Wichita is surrounded, to
la HOY ~ n
that oyer which Wichita holds the undis-
puted sway as wholesale point.
That in which Wichita has lacked here
, tofore. j. C., stocks commensurate with
the territory to be supplied, lines of
goods equal to the demand made upon her
trade. she will have for the first time this
season The matter of rates for freights, in
, the bulk, from the east to this point, having
f been satisfactorily fixed, to reach out in
supplying the demand is all that is left her to
do. This Wichita is preparing to do. There
is sufficient territory of uneguslled produc-
tiyeness tributary to Wichita to make her a
city as large as Minneapolis or ST. Paul. or
!, Kansas City, within the next two or three
t years, if she but half wsy takes care of it,
D The representatives of three railway lines,
with Independent Chicago connections, are
1 now in close correspondence with this city,
D all expecting to reach Us. That one or two
: efthcm will, seems most certain. The Nich-
ita and Colorado, the eagle Line, is reach
n ing out and tapping magnificent territory
f naturally tributary to Wichita, but which
= heretofore we could not reach. This line
will run squarely through SIX or eight Ar
kansas Valley counties The Wichita and
" estern has issued orders TO forward west
l from Kingman in the early spring. which
will tap two or three more counties yet with
out railway lines, and whose retail merchants
will every one be reached by Wichits's job
: bling houses. The Anthony branch Will go
: into the Territory as soon as it can gain per
mission to do SO, and this line is directly
tributary to Wichita. Within two or three
weeks another independent line will be in
operation between Wichita and Kansas City
and by the Gould system, which system
WILL also, put in cutoff between Holden
and Benton, Butler county. As soon as that
line shall have been extended 10 Mcpherson.
This afternoon there will be laid a propo
stion before several leading mer OF this city
: which embraces two more short lines out Of
Wichita, lines that must be essentially feed
ers to and for Wichita.
J These are some of the things which war
rant the great boom which will be welcomed
and enjoyed by Wichita the coming season,
and which We mention for the information
of such non-residents as can not comprehend
why Wichita should grow and flourish as no
other city in the state pretends to.
|, To conclude this already too lengthy
article, it is with unfeigned pleasure that the
EAGLE declares. not SIS a prophecy. not even
from the summing up of the facts cited, but
from the knowledge in its possession, that
before the snow of another winter whitens
this great valley. all ambitious attempts of
other places to keep up with her will have
been abandoned. and Wichita will stand
acknowledged as having no rival in Kansas,
il, in fact, west of the Missouri river, as
commercial city and as a metropolis.
GRAND SERMON.