Wichita eagle., 1888-04-15


tral state which measured by any con-
ceivabie standard that can for moment
be considered as a possible rival or equal
to Wichita as acitY. q
By the standards of population, of
taxable wealth, of business, of railway
commerce, Of manufactures, Of public
improvement, or by any other way or
direction. there is no town or city III
Kansas that can approach this new me-
tropolis of the prairie8, this commercial
center Of centers of the great southwest.
There is no other place than Wichita III
the state whose business thOroughfares
present the signs, the life and activity OF
those Of a real city. The advent Of q
circus. or the appearance OF funeral
procession may add the life of a multi
tude to the streets Of a town, but such a
life is never mistaken for that OF bust
ness by the man of business. Such OBJ
servafions are not made, of course, nor
is this article written for that class of
residents or of non-residents, who are
conversaat with the official statistics of
the state, and who by comparing these
have reached a knowledge of the facts,
for such realize Wichita's superiority, III
oughly than could they through any
mere words. But, we speak to
those who are prone to get
lost midst the glittering generaities and
fulsome magniloquence of booming
scribers whose numerous publications
burthen every postoffice and public place
in the land, in the special interest for
which they have been issued. For these
we specify:
Wichita IS [he biggest city
in the state of Kansas in the matter Of
tonnage and in the number of her rail
roads. She is reached by more trunk
and local lines of railway than any other
city in the state or in the west, Kansas
City excepted. Nobody can or will deny
this. Statistics are bore, but last year
seven hundred and thirteen thousand
tons of freight were handled at Wichita
| for which our merchants and business
men paid s., 100, ,636 in freight charges,
Thirty-four thousand five hundred and
| eighty-oue tons were received in one
month, being one-seventh of the entire
tonnage of the state of Kansas for
that month, Or more than any half
dozen of the biggest of the so-called
cities of the state received or handled.
| Seventy-odd thousand car loads of freight
| means two hundred and twenty-eight
cars for every working day, and that is
| what Wichita did.
Wichita is the biggest city in the state
| by her bank clearings. The clearing
! house is the commercial barometer,
whereby the business importance of all
| commercial centers are registered Meas
ured by this standard and Wichita
doubles and thribbles in her trade the
only other city in the state whose busi-
ness even renders a clearing house a ne
cessity. Does any man want any stron-
ger evidence that as a business point
Wichita is three times as great as any
other city in the state.
Wichita is the biggest city in the state
! measured by the number of her banks
and the amount of her paid up bank
stock, and the amount of deposits. She
has five national banks in addition to
her state and private banks.
Wichita is the biggest city in Kansas
in the amount of capital invested in
manufacturing and industrial interests,
and in the number of people employed
| in such interests,-in iron foundries and
manchine shops, in sash and door and
wood working shops, in leather-in boot
! and shoe factories, and trunk factories.
in mills and elevators and in hundreds
/ of specialtieS she leads all other towns
in the state as manufacturing center.
Wichita is the biggest city in the
state as measured by her wholesale
/ houses and retail firms. In their num-
bers and in the capital invested; in the
magnitude and character of stocks
carried, and in the amount of sales, nc
city in the state makes even a pretensior
of equaling Wichita.
Wichita is the biggest city in the state
in the matter of her public services; in
| her street car and motor line service
or number of miles operated-and in the
number of vehicles employed; in heI
water service. in the power and com,
pleteness of her works and the number
miles of supplying mains and of public
/ hvdrants: in her fire service and mum.
I Der of men employed: IN her gas plant
| and the number of miles of mains and
supply pipes: in her electric light plants
and wire mileage and number Of public
burners. and in in her telephone and tele-
graphic service.
Wichita is the biggest city in Kansas
in the number of her churches, In the
number of her public school build
ings, and in the number OF her educa
tionai institutions of a high order.