The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-23
A PIONEER HOUSE.

How the Business Of +. G. Power Has
Grown to its Present Dimensions.
A representative of THE INDEPENDENT on
his daily ounds yesterday visited the mer-
camille establishment of I. G. Power d Co..
and was surprised at the magnitude of this
popular establishment and the volume of
business that Was transacted. The seen.
that presents itself on entering is one of
activity. Salesmen. shipping clerks and
portsrs were all going to and fro. attending
to their various duties. each one having a
particular ono to perform and doing it with
all his might. On asking about business,
the inquirer was assured that business was
never better NJ tins season of the year, in
fact that their entire stock of mowers,
rakes, self-binde,sa aud plows has been on.
tirely Aold out. and that prospects for
future trade wete never SO encouraging as
at present. Accepting m invitation to go
through the establishments. we first visited
the c~ommodious office, 65x15 feet, hand
partitioneu of in different departments
for the cashier, bookkeepers, stsnographers
and other heads OF departments. On the
ground floor is displayed samples of the
complete line carried in the matter
Of heavy goods, such as mountain and
delivery wagons, buck-boards. trucks and
run about wagons. Here also are shown
steam hoists, pumps, boilers and engines,
windmills and scales, all 40 arranged "a 10
permit a thorough inspection of every arti-
ole. The south wall, 140xa0. 10 devoted to
extra parts for machines shown. These
extras are SO systematically arranged that
any person connectad with the house can go
to the particular shelf and get without de-
lay any piece of extra called for. When it
IL remsmbed that there are about 10, 600
extra parts on these shelves il. will be seen
that some one has a systematic way of do
ing things.
On the second floor is the carriage repoai-
tory. 1t is without doubt the grandest sight
IN the entire establishment. There one sees
a line of ~bafouchss, extension top carriages,
buRgies and phaetons in all the latest de-
signs. There are all grades from the turn
ont for tho millionaire. costing $1,000,
dow to 4 neat vehicle for the
man with an ordinary sized
purse. costing $40. Partitioned off from
the repository il the harness department,
makers. In the departments the aim ia to
have the line 80 complete that no odds |
what the character or the price of the
goods wanted, may BE-, the demand can be
mot.
There is also on this floor a fne display
OF robes. busters, whips and furnishings.
The third floor 10 used for tho storage of
reserve goods, 80 that order large
enough to run any particular short, would
have to be greater than it has heretofore
OoeA tAo kOou fortune OF tne QOuSo TO re-
ceive.
Thu basement is dsvotsd exclusively to
quartz. logging and farm wagons, iron
pipe. Durham fittings and wire hosting
rope. These goods are all so arranged that
orders can be filled on the shortest kind Of
notice. Besides the basement there il an
area of SEQ feet under the sidsw ak. In
this space 400 wagon wheels, arranged in
rows, are kept. Standing at one end and
looking at them, the thought arises, how
long, will it take to sell them all? Yet the
inuuircrtis told that is . poor season in
whi0h it is not entirely replenished at least
times.
The building itself il particularly we'll
to the business. Lofty ceilings
give ample light, while some idea of the
smountof goods which can be carried may
eetainsd when one istoId that the build
ing has 100 feet on Main street and ltO on
Helena avenue, three stories and basement.
1t 10 equippsd with a hydraulic elevator,
ruAninc fEon rsof to basement.
Yhe house of I. G. Power & Co. is one of
the Oldest in Montana, Mr.. Power bringing
his first stock of goods to Helena in 1867,
and has been actively engaged ever since.
Er. Power little thought when he first
the little town, that his enterprise
would attain the immense proportions it
with = trade extending from Miles City
Kalisrell. and from Poplar Creek to Viz
ginia City. Fair dealing with patrons, !
keeping abreast of the times and meeting
aA legitimate competition are the secrets Of
the success OF the representative Helena
60use.