Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-23

, ! nefeIOre II given territory TWO nun
bred miles in diameter built up Kan
sas City to what she is. anC
despite the efforts and influences Of cit
les like St Joe, Leavenworth and other;
within the said bounds, to say nothing
of all that was in the meantime carried
over and beyond her by the stronger
points from the outside, then a greater
territory Of exactly the same products
and characteristics would naturally de-
velop and sustain a greater city than
Kansas City, when concentrated at any
one point.
Wichita's transportation facilities are
nearly twice what those Of Kansas City
were at the period when Kansas City
was no larger than Wichita is today, and
of exactly the same character. As to
Wichita's territory, the products are not
only the same. but Wichita's territory
consists, or is part of Kansas City's iden-
teal field, but being greater. Wichita,
in fact, is the center of the field whose
development made Kansas City, with
the latter place only occupying its mar
gin. The greater portion of the field of
which Wichita is possessed and of which
she is the center, and which includes at
least the northern half of the Indian
territory, is only partially developed,
the territory portion thereof, with all its
possibilities and undeniable advantages,
being wholly as yet untouched.
As it is the development of a tributary
territory which builds up and gives
character and prominence to a city
more than the after trade, it
viii be seen and readily understood that
should Wichita as closely dominate and
control the trade of the country tributary
to her as Kansas City dominated and
controlled the original Kansas, then the
greater city of the two will Wichita be,
because her territory and consequent OPP
portuuities are the greatest.
The great era Of railway construction
has ended; generally speaking, at least
until the surplus products of the districts
! lately covered by the new lines shall have
| become sufficient to render the invest
ment of money in railroads desirable
| Consequently no new trunk systems will
he defined or built and 30 great changes
/ in the present systems will be made be-
fore Wichita will have become so power
! full as a center that all new construction
within her vicinity will be only with di-
| rect reference to her markets. Two OF
Wichitas present trunk lines, the one
ending at Pond Creek, and the other at
Kiowa, viii be pushed through
the territory just as soon as Okla
homa shall be declared open
for settlement Both of these roads will
fork or branch about half way across
the territory. These, with the lines we
already have running into and through
that domain together with the link be
ing put III by the Missouri Pacific sys-
tenn between TT. Gibson and the d.. N.
& A.-and which link will be finished in
the very near future-the question of
/ Wichita's advantage over not only Kan
sas City but all other cities, in controll-
ing the trade of that section. needs no
argument, and Will be disputed by
no one. OF course Kansas City
will be able to reach that
field but viii reach ii by only one line
except as she breaches it through Wichita,
with two hundred and TWENTY-FIVE miles
of a distance ora haul against her. But
with all Wichita's present and acknwl-
edged facilities for reaching most
directly and quickly the trade of that
territory, and the very evident fact that
only branches and extensions If the
present western systems viii be built
into that section. and that all of such
branches and extensions will be but
additional feeders for this market. it IS.
nevertheless, true, that two of
such extensions, and from this
city, are already settled upon, the
construction operations on one being IL
able to be begun within thirty days.
However, the proof Of the pudding is
contained in the bag itself, and the tail
goes with the hide. Wichita has not
only been doing rapidly increasing
jobbing trade. and especially increasing
as to the number of the lines represent
ed, but she has also essayed to take
charge OF and control the live stock and
grain products of her tributary terrific
~. These interests were undertaken in
face of powerful opposition and with the
knowledge that they must be diverted
from well defined channels. So her
work and plans have not only been nee
essariiy systematic but on gigant-
ic scale. involving many months
of time and vast amounts of money.
Temporary slaughter houses and
summer packing facilities merely. were
not to be thought Of The best. the very
best must he equaled. and if possible sur
passed. In one of these lines one IN
strumentality has been in operation now
seventeen days, that if packing, vet in
that two weeks and half two hundred
and forty thousand dollars have been
paid here 10 livestock raisers in the
southwest for hogs and cattle. which is
two hundred and forty thousand dollars
less, or that much deducted from the
sum total of Kansas Citv's operations in
that line, or ut the rate of several million
OF dollars per aunUm. And this is but
the beginning. but the first seventeen
days of beginning Of single estab-
lishment, which viii more than double