San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-10-02
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
In the Capital Of the kaw--The San
Antonio Delegation En- Route
"A City that Spreads Her
SELF Like a Green Bay

KANSAS CITY, September 20, 1889.
Daily LIGHT:
The San Antonio contin gent to the
! Topeka convention has come thus far
on its way and halted to view the
wonderful city that has sprung up
since the war at the confluence of the
Kaw and the Big Muddy. The trip
up from San Antonio was made with
out accident but the atmosphere of
this region seems to have a deleteri-
Gus effect upon some of our company.
This is old stamping ground for Grice,
Stevens and Barnard and as they
have given the rest of the crowd the
grand bounce since reaching this city,
Houston and King are uncertain
whether the trio are ashamed OF the
Texas crowd or ashamed to have the
Texas crowd know the character OF
their Kansas City pals. Explana-
tons will be in order when these gen.
tlemenl arrive at home.
The arrival of the Galveston dele
gates at Topeka today will be herald
ed with a mighty flourish of trumpets
and the tribe of Levi will be there in
force. AS nothing can now be said
concerning the Topeka convention,
save that it will be numerOusly at
tended and that Senator ingalls, will
welcome the delegation, 1 will devote
this letter to the names of Kansas
City. ASS newspaper man should,
the art of asking questions was not
neglected yesterday either In the Off
ces of the newspapers which were
visited or on any other occasion.
Quite an extended trip was taken
over the city yesterday on the cable
lines and the power houses visited.
Some idea of the magnitude of the
cable and other car lines may be de-
duced from the following figures.
There are in operation 127 miles OF
track with "A miles under construc-
ton. OF these Sc miles are cable lines,
II electric, 3S steam moter and II,
mules. The total street car invest
ment is S1S,000,000. 1t has more miles
of cable railway than any other city in
the country. Speed within the city
center is l-2 miles per hour-out of
that center from 10 to II miles per
hour. The real estate transfers in
1880 were s., ISL 900, in 1888, $50, 552,-
$50. Building improvements for first
months of this year were 1885, 800.
Bank clearings ten years ago were
S25, 1914 ,629; this year 444 249,2 ga. Po-
pulation in 1865 was 1900, in 1875 it
was SO ,5l4; in 1855 it was III, 542 and
to day it is oil ,754. The actual valua-
ton of the city property is $3.50, 900, 600
it's bonded debt is only S67S, 9l9,an its
rate of taxation is II mills. The
cable railways of the city carried
205, 900 passengers on last 4th of Jul Y.
Over two street car cable trains a
minute pass the corner of 9th and
Walnut street every minute of
the day. There are $50 miles Of
streets; 10 miles paved. Her invest
ments in new manufactures has eX-
ceeded Sl0,000000 since January lst
1857. Her arrivals and departures
at the Union depot average 10000
a day, and nineteen distinct lines are
in operation. She ranks End in live
stock business and in packing house
business, and considers herself no
SLOUGH at any kind of business. Her
private residences are, many of them
|
ple.are calling loudly for more sub
stantial Improvements in streets and
| sidewalks.
The city pays nothing for paving.
The properties AUDITING on the streets
to be paved, are polled and vote taken
as to paving and character and the
price of same is rated OH the property
and taxed to it. AS assessed valua-
/ ticn is only placed at $4,000, 900 and
real valuation at So O,00O, 600 this is
not such great burden as at first it
might appear. 80 also in the con-
demnatiOn of all property for street
uses. The value of the propertyIs as
sessed on what profits by the street
opening and the city is not made to
pay. Last year saw 81 miles of grad
ing done, l. miles of paving, 26 miles
of sewers, and 30 miles Of sidewalks
A part of the Bullene, Moore d EN-
Dry property, corner of Main and
Ninth streets, recently sold for s., SOC
per front foot. The sum of $4,000
for fifty feet front is not bad for lit
tie town like Kansas City. Real es
tate is certainly in the clouds, but ii
stands no present chance of coming
down.
Our party is quartered at the Mid
: land hotel. A magnificent eight story
structure, with three fronts stretching
$50 feet. 1t cost Sl,OOO,O 900, has 25C
guest rooms, and of these 24l were oc
cupied last night. The dining room
is on the sixth floor, and you tax,
! your daily nOurishment unmiXed b,
foul OdOrs, or with your ears stunned
3 by discOrdant sounds.
The newspapers seem to share il
;, | the OpnaroI nrOSnarifTy nnI hn nj ,