The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-07-30

! SeSoit DuslueSS WHO is raising funds in
the east and certain Duluth capitalists
have pledged themselves to put in as
| much capital as these men can bring
from the outside. I have no doubt but
each OF these lines Of the iobbing trade
WILL be just as successful as the drv
goods and shoe houses have been. It
has been decided to build more build
lngs OF brick on Fifth avenue west ia
accommodate these new concerns.
The Duluth Shoe Company began
business only two months ago, yet they
have more business already than they
can attend to. The company receives
orders every day from the southern
| portion OF the State, and even from ST..
Paul and Minneapolis. They have five
commercial men in the field and will
soon increase the number to seven.
This company has an immense manu-
tactur1ng plant with all the modern
labor-saving devices and employs an
army OF skilled operatives. The genial
Bob Fitzgerald, who is well known to
all the old-time merchants of Prince
ton, is president and manager of the
company. Bob informed the writer
that the last time he made Princeton.
while on his rounds for the st. Paul
firm OF Allen, Moon & Co., coming
from Cambridge, on account of high
water, he was obliged to make a cir
cult of forty miles before he reached
Princeton. That was early in the
eighties. " -~
The dry goods house has
also five men drumming up trade.
They are masters of the situation
wherever they go, because they offer
cheaper goods than the Twin Cities.
Goods are unloaded from the boats at
the very doors of the warehouses and
can be loaded right onto the cars with
out moving them twenty feet. The
lake rates are much cheaper than rail
rates, or lake and rail rates, to the
Twin Cities from New York, conse-
quently Duluth's advantage.
The shoe company are turning out
800 pair of boots and shoes per diem.
They have machinery to turn out 1000
pairs daily and will soon do SO. The
building occupied by both companies
was erected by Luther Mendhall, G. G..
Hartley, A. M. Miller and other public
spirited citizens who are interested
in building up the Duluth job
bling trade. Messrs. Mendhall and
Hartley have been the most active
gentleman employed in this good
cause. by the way, Hartley is inter-
ested in anything and everything that
benefits Duluth.) The building is of
brick, 100 feet square and five stories
high, and is situated at the foot of
Sixth Ave. E. on the dock front.
Were it not for the outrageous
freight rates Duluth jobbers could and
would do a good business with Prince
ton merchants. It stands to reason
that owing to cheap water rates Du-
luth jobbers can and do undersell St.
Paul and Minneapolis jobbers. Es-
pecially is this true of heavy hardware,
lime, coal, cement, salt and sugar.
But Princeton merchants derive no
benefit from the cheap water freight
rates. A car load of coal or salt is
shipped past our doors from Duluth to
St. Paul and from the latter city back
to Princeton at lower rates than from
Duluth to Princeton direct. Here is
where the distance tariff bill, that was
fought so strenuously in the last two
legislatures by the railroad companies,
! would benefit Princeton.
The new lyceum building, which is
receiving the finishing touches, is a
magnificent structure. It will cost
| 100000. The building is perfectly
freproof throughout. It fronts 125
feet on Superior street and 40 feet on
Fifth Ave. w. tits built of red pressed
| brick with sandstone trimmings.
It will be one Of the very finest thea
tres and Office buildings in the United
States. The floors are of marble dec
GRATED with tiling. The building will
have seven floors of Offices There will
| be drinking fountains on every story.
The floors of the front entrance will be
of white marble and gray granite with
ornaments of silver. The building
will be lighted throughout by electric
| ity worked from the stage, and all the
doors of the theatre will be controlled
by electricity that in the event of a
panic from fire or other cause. every
one can be thrown open by merely
touching a button on the stage or in
j the box office. The theatre is con