St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-08

made. A new high service reservoir is
under construction, with capacity of
16,000,000 gallons, and at an estimated
cost of $130,000.
AS A RAILROAD CENTER
The development of st. Paul as a rail-
road center, and the focusing here of
the great trunk lines that give inlet and
outlet to the business of an empire, lies
at the foundation of her prosperity. No
settlement can be possible which does
not admit the independence of st. Paul
as a railroad center, and establish rates
east and west to the two oceans on the
basis of the commanding position of this
city as a receiving and distributing
point.
The distinctive railroad business of the
city shows an immense advance for
the year. There were constructed dur
ing the season of 1887, by the railroads
centering in st. Paul, nearly 1900 miles
of new line. The total receipts at st.
Paul were 1906 carloads as agains
122,3S1 for 1886, and the total ship
mentS were 96,44S carloads as against
74,257. One hundred and six local
trains and thirty-one through trains de-
parted from, and an equal number ar
rived at the union depot every day of
The past year, and thirty-nine trains
daily ran in and out of the depots. MAX
ing a daily average of $50 passenger
trains. This number is largely in
creased for 1888, the two short lines be-
tween st. Paul and Minneapolis having
recently put Oh trains each way every
half hour during the day. An average
of $1,000 passengers passed through the
union depot daily in 1887. Extensive i'm
prOvements are under way for 1888,
those of most local Importance beng
the construction of double-track road to
White Bear, the completion of the Du-
luth shops at Gladstone and the WiScOn-
sin Central shops at North st. Paul, and
the building of new air line from st.
Paul to Omaha by the st. Paul & Duluth
company. In addition to this, every
line entering here will enlarge its sys-
TEN and and to the area of territory COM
mercially dependent upon st. Paul.
The river traffic, though less conspic-
uouS, is no unimportant feature. In
addition to local transportation, through
steamers run during the whole season
between st. Paul and st. Louis, carry
ing heavy freight and operating as
regulator of rail rates. Although the
water in the Mississippi was lower dur
ing 1887 than for more than twenty
years before, and navigation was cor
respondingly impeded, the passengers
carried by boat numbered 70,036, and
the numbeS of tons of freight handled
on the st. Paul steamboat warf was
1,30S,670.
THE BUSINESS OUTLOOK.
The year 1887 was the most success
full in the history of the city for the
wholesale merchants of st. Paul. More
territory was covered, more sales were
made, and the general status of the
trade was better than ever before. The
report for 1856 gave the city 46S jobbing
establishments, with 1872 employees,
and sales aggregating SS4, 1SS.000. The
summary for 1888 shows sol wholesale
houses, 1863 employees, and total
straight jobbing business of S101, 900, 900.
The vast increase of nearly S16,000,000
in transactions is clear gain, there
having been no sensible improvement
in prices during the year. Some of the
principal items in this addition are
S2,500,000 increase over 1856 i'll sales of
groceries, 81, 100000 in dry goods, $780,
600 in agricultural implements, $780,
600 in boots and shoes, S500,000 in hard
ware, and 100000 in provisions and
dressed meats. But it is significant of
the symmetrical growth of our business
interests that there is scarcely an item
in the list which does not present the
increase over the figures of the season
preceding. From the indications thus
far disclosed by 1888 it is probable that
the addition of nearly forty wholesale
houses last year will be exceeded by the
close of the present year. The rise of
our jObbing interests to their present
rank is illustrated by the following
record of business by years: 1881, S46,-
555, ,999; 1882, S66, ,62S, 494; 1883, S72, ,04S,-
I'll; 1884, S74, roo; 1885, SS1, $50, 600;
1856, SS4, 1SS, 900: 1887, S1O1, OPS, 900.