The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-19
ST. LOUIS AND WICHITA.
THE TALK OF CAPITAL, FOB a
MILLION BUSHEL ELEVATOR.
The Thriving Metropolis OF Kansas Des-
tined to Be One OF tho Great
Cities Of the West

From the ST. Louis Star: NJ W. Levy,
president of the Wichita National bank,
Of Wichita, Kan, is in the city on quite an
important errand. He was out among
the prominent capitalists yesterday and
today, seeking to interest them in scheme
for building an elevator at Wichita large
enough to hold 1.O0O,O 900 bushels of wheat.
Already S. w. Cobb and John W. Whit
aker have begun to consider the matter
seriously, and others will look into it in
few days. The gentlemen named already
have money invested in Wichita enter
prises, and it is quite probable that they
will go into the syndicate which Mr.. Levy
proposes to form, provided he meets with
enough encouragement.
Mr.. Levy, with his wife and little boy. is
stopping at the Southern hotel. A Star
Sayings reporter called upon him and was
received cordially. During the converse
ton that ensued Mr.. Levy found occasion
to remark:
81 believe Wichita is destined to be one
Of the great cities Of the west. The boom
has passed away and business has settled
down too solid basis. We have about 25,-
600 population and more are coming in all
the time from Illinois, Michigan and Min
nesota. Our city is lighted by electricity
there are two electric companies and one
gas company. We have six banks, fifteen
miles Of asphaltum paved streets, fine
system Of water works and electric street
cars Wichita was the frs. city west of
the Mississippi river to use electricity for
rapid transit The city government has
expended 100000 in public improve
ments Of q permanent nature We have
some fine public building-our court
house u the finest In the state without q
single exception. Another thing that adds
much to the strength and psrmanency OF
the city is the fact that nearly all Of the
residences are owned by the occupants.
house OF ten rooms or over that can be
rented Thus Ear the class OF people who
have come in have been abls to buy land
and build houses Of their own"
What have you In the way Of manu-
featuring enterpisesW
1.-The chief establishment Of this kind Is
the Burton Car Works, where stock cars
are manufactured. Then we have two
pork packing houses with capacity OF
1000 hogs per day. This affords an ex-
cellent market for hog raisers in the south
western part of the state. We don't pay
within cents as much as they do in Kan
sas City, but any Of them can reach W1ch-
tia inside Of half day, and besides can
put 80 hogs In car, where If they ship to
Kansas City they can only put IS ia car
Really they gain by shipping to Wichita
thirty smaller concerns that might prop
erly be called nufactories-carriage fac
tories, wagon shops, spice mills, etc"
Twill the country surrounding Wichita
sustain this strong GROWTH"
Eyes, sir, it will. When the boom first
struck Wichita a great many farmers
moved into town and began specializing in
real estate. Now most of them have NOV
back, and are following their Legitimate
raising are the principal things which en-
gage the attention of the farmers. Lately
a number Of wheat farmers moved in from
Minnesota and bought farms tributary to
Wichita. The cattle business was some
what crippled by the Indian territory graz
ers. In Kansas there is tax averaging
81 so per head on each animal, while In the
territory it amounts to comparatively
nothing. With this difference competition
was clearly out of the question. Wheat,
however, is the chief industry. We ship
great quantities of wheat into Texas where
nothing of that kind is raised. When we
have a surplus of oats in generally comes
to ST. Louis. We need big elevator bad
ly and l expect we will have one soon"
"How are your. transportation facin-
ties?"
Excellent. We now have eight rail-
roads centering in Wichita-the Missouri
Pacific, Santa Fe, Rock Island, St. Louis
and San Francisco, Wichita and Western,
Kansas Midland, Wichita and Colorado
and Wichita and Fort Smith. These roads
give US terminal rates and show DISPOSE
ton to treat us fairly"
is Wichita much Of a distributing
point?"
st is. We have several wholesale and
jobbing houses there who do quite an ex-
tensive business. So far as local freight
charges are concerned, we are allowed the
same rates for seventy-fve miles in any di-
rection from Wichita that Is given to
Kansas City now for a like distance into
Kansas territory This enables US to do a
great deal in the way Of distributing
goods"
what is the crop outlook for the COM
ing season."
fully IS per cent better than it has
been for great many years. The month
of March is the most critical one IN the
year in Kansas, because a dry wind usually
comes up from the south that bakes the
ground, consequently the crops don't al
ways meet the expectations OF the farm
ers. This spring, however, there was
plenty of rain during March. and IN con-
sequence the crops are in fine condition.
Yes, sir, l believe we Will have a grand
old havest next fall"
rs there any appreciate change in the
limits Of the rain belt,"
"Yes, indeed. 1t has extended west quite
a ways"
What do you suppose is the causef'
'Well, those persons who have studied
the matter say that it is due to the cultiva-
ton of the soil-that the turning OF the
ground acts upon the atmosphere II such
a way as to cause rain.
Where do the Wichita merchants buy
most of their goods?"
In st. Louis. There is much stronger
affinity between Wichita and St Louis
than there is between Wichita and Kansas
City. With the exception of lumber nine
tenths of all the merchandise shipped into
Wichita comes from st. Louis houses.
How is the political situations"
AZ don't think il will be long before the
men who compose the Farmers party will
fall back into the old parties again. They
made q big show last fall and carried
evrything before them. but now that they
have carried their point, hardly think
they will stay together as an independent
political party"
How IS the prohibition law workingy'
so far as prohibiting the sale OF liquor
is concerned, it Is a dead letter. But
while it is possible to get a drink when
YOU want it, there is no such thing as an
open saloon. Liquors are sold IN the rear
OF lunch counters, and such places are
known as Joints There are no luxurious
chairs or allurements to tempt man into
loafng. yet he can get all he wants to
drink. Nearly every druggist secures a
permit to sell whisky for medical and
scientific purposes. and thus is enabled to
accommodate his friends. But il Is all
done in the rear of the store, and out Of
sight of the general public These places
are raided at regular intervals. and hue
imposed on the proprietor for the sake OF
helping along the city revenue. 1t rarely
happens that the furniture in one OF these
places will be worth more than $50. A
drunken man Is seldom seen on the street
or anywhere else. The way the liquor law
than local option, because II the sentiment
Is strong against them they cannot run,
80 -, 80 contrary II the Iiouor element