The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-03
A BIG BUSINESS.
THE BIG ESTABLISHMENT OF DICKEY
& McALLISTER.
The Immense Amounts Of Fruits and
Produce This Firm Handles--Its
Big Warehouses and En-
terprising Push and
Alacrity.

Alacrity.
Wichita must have impressed many peo
pie with its Importance, as in all whole
sailing facilities, especially with that line
that deals with the productions of the soil,
foreign and domestic. Even the casual
observer cannot help but take notice Of the
big wagons piled with bananas sky-high,
or moving mountains of towering orange
crates which daily ply our streets, or are
seen unloading or reloading at the proper
| establishments and destinations. There
is not only one concern in the city, nor two,
but three-all competitors, to be sure, but
all involuntarily working in the common
cause for the good of Wichita.
Wichita is pre-eminently the wholesale
center of southern Kansas Oklahoma,
southwestern Missouri, and even encroach-
es on northern Texas 1t is not purposed
to argue the whyfore, but rather the
therefore. People in surrounding vicini-
ties have learned to come to Wichita for
their fruits and their delicacies, which
indirectly secures patronage for all other
lines. Everyday new customers are pres
ent. Travelling men are out all the time
soliciting trade and the consequence is
that Wichita has become one of the fore
most supplying points in this line in the
nation. This will not be disputed when it
is remembered that the demand is large
enough to keep three large concerns in
prosperity.
Yesterday a member OF the EAGLE
| staff visited the establishment of
Dickey s. McAllister, at 40 East Douglas
avenue He was shown over the building
by Mr.. II. McAllister. The business COW
ers large number of articles of commerce.
The firm handles bananas, oranges, lemons,
all kinds of nuts, figs, pineapples, straw
berries, potatoes, onions, jellies, cheeses,
eggs, butter, oysters and divers other
articles that fit comfortably under the title
of produce.
BANANAS, ORANGES, LEMONS
The first portion of the trade, of course,
| is always interesting. The ripening of
bananas in the big heated closets is worthy
of note. The small gas stove that heats
the room and the thermometer that gov
ems it were doing service in the ripening
room yesterday and car load of bananas
suspended, were coming nearer the
toothsome point every hour. The
company have.another large ripening room
in preparation at their large warehouse,
on the corner of Third and Fifth streets,
formerly occupied by the Steinhaussr gro
Gerry. This will also hold a car load of
! bananas and will be in active service this
week. The company have two carloads of
bananas on hand at present, while others
are on the road. A carload being received
i every ten days.
| Then, there are oranges stacked up high.
with all their native fragrance to induce
| the patron to buy. The orange is now at
its annual zenith of popularity. This is
just the time when the orange is the favor
tie with the public" Mr.. McAllister said.
'In a few weeks the lemon will succeed it
and as the weather intensifies will almost
bear the palm alone" The company have
shipped in four carloads of oranges the
last week. Besides a large number of boxes
at the BUSINESS house, the warehouse is
well stored.
The lemon trade is an important one and
as the lemonade season is drawing near,
the demand will increase in few days.
The lemons this firm handles are South
American and are shipped by the way of
New York. They are shipped in carload
quantity on hand, both at their business
house and at their store house on Fifth
avenue. The lemon is great favori e
with the fruit dealers as with the public.
1t keeps well. and is easily carried, so
there is rarely any loss connected with
the handling. Oranges do not keep so
well. while the disastrous effect of hot
weather on bananas is well-known.
PINE APPLES AND strawberries.
The EAGLE representative ran across
big pile of sweet pineapples, and was told
that they had just arrived in the morning
There were some five hundred of them.
Mr. McAllister said that this fruit was in
demand They were shipped on through
fruit train These trains, which carry
fruit exclusively. are made up at Calves
ton and are sent north in charge of mes
senger He puts the cars off at each point
to which shipment is made, and so on
until the train is exhausted. 1t makes
good time, and the fruit is not long in
transit.
In ten DAYS" said Mr.. McAllister, 1--WE
will begin shipping Strawberries" Charles
McAlIister left Friday evening for Arkan-
sas where he will engage the luscious
fruit in abundance. The fruit this firm
first secures will be from the south; later,
it will be farther north. and so on it ap
proaches with the season, until the final
shipments are made from Lawrence, Kan
SaS.
Charles McAllister will go on to New
Orleans. where he will secure fruits with
the importers. He will also make large
shipment of tomatoes.
POTATOES, ONIONS AND CHEESEs
The firm also deals extensively in pota-
toes. Great piles of them can be seen In
sacks and in the bulks. A very good idea
of what is done i'll this way can be had
from the statement that ninety seven cars
have been shipped since last August
Thirty-five of these cars came from Salt
Lake City. The Iowa, Minnesota, Color
ado. Utah and California potatoes are
handled.
Nh. McAllister showed the EAGLE rep
resentative some big Spanish onions. They
are grown in Spain and come high. A car
load was received one day this week that
cost sl,057.
Some OF the big tubs and hoops of cheese
were also interesting. Swiss American
and Iimburger are handled in large guam
titles. One tub had $50 pounds Of cheese
in il. Sacks of nuts, buckets OF butter,
crates of cabbages and boxes of eggs all
consume the time of ten men who are
busy all day long in attending to the de
mapd. Three large wagons are constantly
on the ''go.
TERRITORY TRAVELLING MEN.
The territory covered is large one Mr..
McAllister says it reaches from herring
TON on the north. west TO Colorado aud