St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-30
Something About the Early
Days Of the Trade and 1t
Has Prospered

goods on commissioner you only handle the
right kind of goods Yetit is only seventeen
opened mere. That was in 1873. and The pio-
neer's name was George Ii. Whiting, since
gathered to his fathers. He operated
tween F s9ek . on Msshs9gt01 Ds
north, aud the next year F. S. ellison
went into the business, going little further
north on Washington. The next year Messrs.
Sco6eld & Bemen opened a commission
house in the store now occupied by Messrs.
Julius Crosse & Co., but after brief period,
the business proving improbable, they dis
solved partnership. The staple commodities
in those days were butter. eggs aud cheese,
and it was hard work getting .consignments.
as it was new method of doing business.
and people were not inclined to be as trust
fnl as they are now. The people who had
embarked in 1t kept plugging away" as the
phrase goes, and were rewarded by seeing
their small ventures grow into large ones,
and thus numbers of people who "despised
not the day of small things" have lived to
see the business run up into the millions.
A striking illustration is found in the fact
that in 1878 an unprecedentedly large amount
of poultry (for that time) was shipped into
Minneapolis, and, warm spell com
ing on, 100000 pounds was spoiled.
Yet during the past week in two days
the receipts of poultry were over 100000
pounds. and for the week ending Nov. a. the
receipts of poultry were 262S26 pounds. A
still greater contest Is shown by a glance at
truth of the claim that Minneapolis is today
the second city of the union as a market for
California fruits, and has wonderful dis
tributing capacity of the products of the
Golden Northwest and other points:
1000 cars apples 300 900 barrels.
400 cars bananas, 200,0 900 punches.
go cars Strawberries, 5000. 900 quarts.
80 cars blackberries and blueberries, 10000
quarts.
$50 cars grapes, Co., 900 baskets.
400 cars California, Florida and Messina
oranges, 125,000 boxes, 25.000,0 900 oranges.
325 cars California fruits, 100000 boxes O.
100 cars Michigan peaches $1,000 baskets.
$50 cars lemons, 5000 boxes.
800 cars watermelons. -,
50 cars cranberries. 900 barrels.
5000 cars potatoes, 2, SOC, 900 bushels.
100 cars sweet potatoes, 1880 barrels. g.
100000 cases eggs, 3,000,0 900 dozen a.
5000 900 pounds butter.
$4,000 pounds honey.
100000 pounds cheese.
10000 bushels beans.
$4,000 dressed veal.
1000 dressed hogs.
1000 cars vegetables from South, tomatoes,
green beans, peas. early vegetables.
A feature of the fruiJtrade of Minneapolis
and one which is yearly assuming larger pro-
portions is the auction business. conducted
by Arthur Randall. at Sixth avenue
south and second street. On the Milwaukee
track. so constructed shat train of cars can
be run right through 1t, stands an immense
warehouse 140 by 100 feet with a cold stor-
age capacity of seven cars. Here, during the
season. fruit auctions are held. He estab-
lished the auction business as feature of
the fruit market two years ago. the
sales for the year amounting to
about 70 or Is carloads. Yet so
popular has the place become, that today
during the season his sales average about
200 cars of deciduous fruits and oranges.
Thus far this season he has sold 20 carloads
of apples pears. plums and grapes, and has
handled at auction and private sales ia cars
OF California oranges. IL cars of imported
oranges. As cars of lemons, and expects to
handle IS cars of Florida oranges through
the auction between now and Jan. !. His
success in the auction business, he acknowl-
| edges, he owes to the hearty cooperation of
| ST. Paul commission men, who have Joined
| with their Minneapolis brethren in making
| this feature Of the business a most marked
| success. thus enabling US to take our place
! among the great markets of the country, and
| demonstrating to the country at large that
| the Twin Cities are second 10 none in the
| matter of prices obtained. In the past Chi
cago and New York had sneered at the claim
that there was in the Northwest q market
| large enough to carry through successfully
| from one season to another the sale of prod
| ucts at auction. Yet said Mr. Randall,
| in speaking of the matter, Il lately receive
letter from Messrs. Cook d Langley, of
| California, stating that they had consigned
| heavily TO all the markets having an auction
| system, and that we led them all in average
| prices obtained. No small share of the
| credit for this result" he continued
lis justly due to the hearty support OF oul
sister city. In four years l have seen the
| Minneapolis market develop nearly ten fold
| and from small thing, when three or -four
! carloads Of oranges arriving the same day
| wo1ld glut the market have seen thirty to
| forty carloads put upon the market within q
| week without causing break of one single
cent per box. Why. there have been weeks
| in the past season when the total receipts OF
| deciduous fruits in the two markets have
been thirty carloads, with prices well sus
| tanned and closing strong. In looking for.
| ward to the future 1t is not possible to con
| slider the fruit markets of st. Paul and Min.
neapolis separately, and with combined
market feel that we shall be in all respects
| the best in this country
| Mr. Randall makes specially of oranges
| lemons. apples, cranberries and California
| deciduous fruits.
The name and features of Joseph Jepson are
| alike familiar to the hahFues of Commission
TOW, as he is an extensive handler of fruits
and cigars. His Office is at 100 Hennepiu,
| and in his unoDstrusive Jepsonian way he
| manages to do as much business as any OF
| them. Joe" is popular with the trade, as il
| fact he is with most everybody.
! From fruits to Delts is quite step, yet the
| latter is as important in building up places
| as the former, and in this connection it is
| worthy of note that Minneapolis has a new
| hide house i'll the firm Of Rudolph, Christellc
| & Co., at No. 12l First street norIn, which has
| already in its short existence demonstrated
its ability TO become factor in this line OF
| trade in the Northwest. This firm is com
posed of r. F. Rudolph and Albert ChristeIIo
/ both late employees of q well known competi
| tor in this market in the handling of hides
| pelts, tallow, wool and furs. They are wei
| equipped financially and by long expert
| ence to enter in this field &c
the mutual benefit of all con
| cerned, and will prove a boon to shippers il
| this line of merchandise looking to Mime
| apolis for a market They have travelling
| agents buying throughout Minnesota. Wis
| consin, Iowa North aud South Dakota and
| Montana, and their opening has been gener
| ously responded TO by their large number OF
| friends among the shippers Of the North
| west They have direct connection through
| out the East with tanners and others, anc
| agencies in Chicago. New York and Boston
| which enables them to assure the trade full
! market values and guarantee of homes
| weights and SELECTION, careful and promp
| relative to the market Will be gladly fur
nished by them at all times. We take pleas
IRE in bespeaking for them a prosperous
| future.
Among the many large concerns which
| add TO the citys prosperity, that of Nj. Whit
comb, wholesale dealer in grain and hay. a
1880 Fourth street north, looms up like thu
proverbIal shot tower. Nine years ago ht
started in business. his sales then averaging
about $4,000 per annum. NOW ii is baC
year when the transactions of the twelve
months don foot up 100000. While no
doing commission business in the full &C
ceptation of the term, still he handles quite
little in that way. many consignments beinl
made AS q rule be buys outright, preferrinl
that method of doing business. Part of thi
year he keeps a couple of men on the roaC
buving the products in which he deals il
Iowa and the Dakotas. In conjunction witt
| his wholesale business he does large retail
| trade hai1g hiphlv eSfaannad nv the LEADING