The critic., 1890-12-24
LOTS OF LOTS.

Never has there been such subdivision
of lands as is now going on since ABRAM
and LoT subdivided the plains of Jordan
which were well watcred as the land of
Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
People go to bed and dream Of lots. A
man buys lot hundreds of miles away,
which he has never seen and never ex-
poets TO see, with as much alacrity rs the
people of London bought shares in the
South Sea Company. Here at home pro-
vision is made for extending the city of
Washington pretty well over Montgomery
County ON one side and over to Baltimore
an the other but this is nothing TO what
is going ON in the "BoomtOwns."
An average BOomtown ~ as completely
,ivcn up to real estate agent, as the city
uf Athens was TO idolatry when st. Paul
won't there to preach. The din of lots and
proposed and actual and imaginary fac
tories is dGafeiling. Everybody in the
town buys a lot in the suburbs and many
people have to mortgage their homes to
do il.
The methods Of starting boom" are
peculiar and not generally understood.
A few cnterprizing individuals in n
country town will get together and issue
81 prospectus. A company is formed with
q capital stock of some few triiiing mil
lions of dollars. The directors of the COM
pany reserve great portion OF this for
themselves in consideration of their ser
vices in forming the company. Then q
farm near the town is bought and divided
into lots about the size of Judge THUR
MANS bandana and a grand sale is adj
yertised. The sale is unique. Excursions
come to the town. Those who buy a lot
have their fare refunded. \ persuasive
auctioneer and brass band are engaged
and head the procession to the field in
the suburbs of the magic city where a free
collation. awaits the crowd.
The proceedings there partake some
what Of the nature of an agricultural fail
and political ratification meeting. Some
times the performances are varied by
shooting up IN rocket duly executed
deed for a lot, with blank for the name
of the person who gets IL when 1t come'
down. The rocket in its ascent and de
scent is selected as suggestive of the for
tunes of boom town. a portion OF thu
money arising from the sale of lots %
from the shares of the capital stock is dc
voted To subsidizing factories and it is ex
rectcd that when factory is started it
operations will need lots to live on, AM
so il goes.
The extent of the lot business Is stupen
dous. The whole of the Valley of Vii
ginia is tliiclly peppered with uninhah
tied cities of lots. You can hardly trave
an hour in any direction without encoun
fcring forest of pegs to indicate magi
city.
Fortunes have been made in an incredl
bly, short time by buying and selling lot
in the backwoods ut prices which wonl
not be discreditable in large city. Th
lot industry can be compared in sma
way to the South Sea excitement. TIL
demand in most cases is purely speculi
tive and the prices are speculative.
man Luys to sell at an advance and Ill
person To whom lie sells buys with ii
same expectation.
When will the end come? People wi
get tired Of holding or will be unable
hold any longer and then there will be
crash of great proportions. What !
effect will be upon the general business I
the country we cannot say, but it may
great. We shall see.