Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-31
FEAST OF FAT THINGS,
The Year 1890 Surpasses Every Other
TWelvemOnth, to Date, in Pitts
burg and Vicinity.
ONLY SHARES AND OIL WEAKER.
Clearings Climbing Toward Thousand
Millions, and Declines in Stock
Prices Deceptive.
ONLY SHARES AND OIL WEAKER.
MONEY TIGHTNESS AND MANIPULATION
sbrivsl Figures 'Chsnge but Zeal Es;sts Ecds snd
Wealth 4crunulatcs.

"Great oaks from little acorns grow I"
Very few people in this city in 1866 be-
lieved that the city'S business would attain
but it has, for although the Clearing House
figures do not quite show it, toe middle
aged who keep tab on business progress will
remember that in 1866 there was p to so
per cent ofits trade represented by imitation.
Gle ring House figures showed exchanges in
1866 the wear after the close OF the civil
war, 70 be SIS, ,751, $50 Il, and for the year
Just ended Ihev were over S7S4 coo, 0C0
As the average Pittsburger looks at the
business represented in the Clearing House,
as the Egyptians DO at the height of the
Nile, and as the Arab does at the size of his
camel's hump, those OF 1890 are full
of comfort, especially when the trade
barometers, Dun & Co., aud Bradstreet's
tel him that financial skies are brighten
Ing, conf ience returning, and promise of
another good years business in iron is seen
on the horizon.
The Work of the Clearing House.
And clearing house reports have, from
year TO ye4r, justified the estimation placed
on them as barometer, as they have been
large in good years and have been shriveled
like Pharaoh's can and ill-favored kline In
years when the sound of the grinding was
low.
The Twin Cities seem to have been un-
usually blessed in BASKET and in store in
1890, .or though dreams of wealth in the
Argentine Republic came near wrecking
even British stability and the great house
o. Barring Bros, synonym for financial
strength, was tossed by the hurricane until
It's deepest roots were moved; though the
crash affected Eastern houses in our
OWL country until suspensions became
uHpleasantly numerous, and though the
farming interests suffered from cyclone,
drouth, wet aud chinchbug, and though
slightly paraphrasing the rapt seer of
Judah, the igtree did not blossom, neither
did iruIt be in the vines; the labor OF the
olive failed and the fields yielded no meat;
the flock was cut off from the told, and there
was no herd in the stalls, yet our vessel kept
on her course on even keel, and these cities
were spared as were the IL tribes on the
night when from the first born of Pharaoh
unto the first born OF the captive in the
dungeon were smitten and morn found them
cold in death.
PittSburg Passed by the Storm.
Without irreverence, one eau almost
Imagine that the blood of the paschal lamb
had been sprinkled Cd our lintes and our
door posts. and in consequence, the DESTROYER
passed over us and struck the West. Mount
ans have sometimes marked the borders of n
pestilonce, and last year the wave of panic
terror seemed to eNpend its force at the eastern
lines OF The main Appalachian chain, getting no
nearer TO US than Altoona.
But all influences have not been conducive
TO wealth-getting during the year, which goes
TO prove that the base OF PIttSburg'S prosperity
is On rock and not sand. There has been an
enormous Shrlnkage in natural gas stocks and
an petroleum. The shrivel in the latter has not
been feiJ on account OF the great inflow of can
ital IS development attracted but the loss on
natural -as stocks, in some instances 30 to Gj
per cent, has been and severely, too. The local
farmer had next to nothing to sell except hay
but ne felt the thrill, either for bonus maid or
oil or gas gotten, or from the employment of
his teams in hauling. Prices of food have ad-
TaSCed sharply, but our people have been 80
well employed that they Lave not been seri-
DpSly disturbed thereby.
The decline in the natural gas supply has
helped p-nsSrated industry-tllat of the coal
purveyor, Eut as an evidence that we are not
ye; sUGern and that we are still prodigaIly IN
cilned-sintully SO-iS attested by the fact that
while, rs resident Of Bellevue puts il we are
Colonel Sellers and his make-believe fire of a
ta'lDw candle set in stove behind mica front
two enormous Uas wells nearly large enough TO
supply the deficiency are lighting the heavens
IL the southwest and wasting themselves un-
appreciated. In addition to this there are scores
of smaller wells pouring fuel into the air each
sufficient to warm from 100 to 200 families
People who will tolerate such waste deserve to
shivUr.
The Prospects With Local Banks
The banks have been somewhat parsimoni.
Gus, Of late in dealing with customers Int
now that they have made their statements to the
Controller Of the Currency, and nave made then,
satisfactorily, there need be no fear, even
though the dulluesS that follows the holiday
season should be, as usual somewhat pro
nOunCeG.
Building has been exceedingly brisk. and il
has been largely done by persons of moderate
means. who propose in future to know no land
lord except ;he taN-gather. Much is still under
WY and will give considerable employment
TINS winter. provided the weather moderate So
that operations can be prosecuted
Petroleum trading has almost disaDpeared
below the horizon, but nothing else could be |
expected when producers allow themselves to
have but one string TO their bow. As CONNIE
ltlou Is the life OF trade the lack of it is irs
death. AS
AFTER ali allowances are made for the shrink
age ABOVE mentioned the business of the CITY |
increased IL round numbers. Sl3o 0OO OOQ over