Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-25
THREE HUNDRED MEN
AT WORK ON THE D0LD PACKING
HOUSE IN WICHITA.
The Head of the Firm is In the City
and Tells of His Faith in
the Future

In order to keep the readers of the EAGLE
posted In regard to the improvements
going on in Wichita, reporter of this
paper took the Topeka avenue street
car Yesterday and rode up to the Dold
packing house to ascertain if work is still
progressing in that part of the city When
alighting at the grounds. there was sur
prising amount of activity and hustle to
be seen in all that section of the city. The
Wichita street railway had quite force of
men and teams at work on Topeka avenue
just west of the Dold grounds, grading
and laying a new track. Several new
houses were also noticed under construc-
ton in the immediate neighborhood, and
material being delivered on the grounds
for others.
Crossing over the street into the packing
house grounds, a lively scene is presented.
About two hundred men were at work on
the two west foundations and Oh
the three foundations which are al
ready completed, were force
men putting down the heavy jists and
bracing them with great tlnIbers
stood upright on stone piers in the
basement. The railroad track built into
the grounds was full OF cars from which
men were unloading heavy timbers. On
the south side of the foundations force of
men were at work putting IN place a large
steam boiler, which one of the workmen
said was TO be used for running an engine
and saws for saving the timbers into the
required length, to be used in the build
ing. The whole surroundings were of
oh al, ~. l.
the magnitude of the great undertaking in
which the Dold's are engaged. When
these massive foundations are seen, five of
them, upon which will be erected i'm
mense buildings, most of them nine stories
high, partial estimate may be made of
the large sums Of money that will be ex-
pended in this enterprise. People who are
informed in regard to the capacity of
packing houses do not hesitate to say that
the Dold establishment here will be the
finest packing house in the world.
The reporter yesterday saw in company
with Mr.. Thomas, the architect, stranger
looking over the works. He was a short
heavy set man with iron gray hair, and
wore stove-pipe hat and short sacque
coat from the pockets of which protruded
a number of newspapers. The gentleman
described is the head of the great firm of
Jacob Dold & Sons and does not appear to
be over fifty years old, although he claims
to be twelve years older than that In
answer to the question what he thought of
this country he said: This seems to be a
good country. This is the second time
that j have ever seen this city and l am
pleased with the outlook. / believe you
have good country aud there is a great
future for this city.
When do you expect to complete your
buildings here?
1--WE expect to rush the work right along
and we will have two hundred and fifty
men at work ON these buildings next
week. You. see, we are just now getting
our heavy timbers. We We're DELAYED for
several days on account of the strike on
the c., b. 81 q. road and on the Santa Fee
think when our works are completed
here there will be nothing better anywhere
You see those are very fine walls, and they
are seven feet thick. Our architect, Mr.
Thomas, thinks these are the best walls
west Of the Missouri river. / think they
are good ones"
Do you think this stock yard and pack
TO Wichita?
'Of course it will. What do you sup
pose the packing houses have done for
Chicago and Kansas City? | know people
sometimes say Chicago could do without
packing business, but | tell you that is all
a mistake. There is no doubt in my mind
that the meat packing business more than
else has made Chicago the great
city it is today. / would not be surprised
if one-third of the trade in Chicago is
directly due to the packing business. 1t
brings money TO Chicago from every part
of the country. Do not you people here in
Wichita send some of your money up
there sometimes to help the option bust
ness on mess pork.
The reporter told him that the Wichita
crowd generally brought the money from
Chicago here; that we had habit of get
ting on the right side of these corners on
pork.
''Well, you see, " said the great packer,
that this meat packing makes business.
Y on take the packing houses away from
Kansas City, and you would ruin her
big clearing house reports. And just as
the advantages derived from the packing
business in these cities has helped to build
them up, in the same proportion Wichita
will be benefited by the stock market and
packing business that is sure to be built
up here i am satisfied that Wichita will
be known all over the world as great
packing center in a very short time from
now" and the great packer climbed up on
the foundation and looking out over the
valley exclaimed: who ever saw pref
tier country than this, and who can tell of
its future greatness