The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-07
JOHN DEERE COMING.
The Great Peoria Plow Works Branching Out
to Wichita.


| 1t was only a few days ago that the
J EAGLE mentioned the fact that the great
! harvest machinery works of William
| Deering were coming to Wichita with
| branch house to accommodate the trade of
! the entire southwestern country. 1t was
not expected that they would have the
branch established here before March, at
! least, but the fact is they will have the
house in running order this month, and
next week the first consignment of two
| train loads of goods will be here con-
sisting of thirty-five cars. In
connection with that good news
the EAGLE stated that in all probability
| the action of Deering in locating here was
| but the beginning of general movement
| of the great agricultural implement
| houses of the country 10 the commercial
! metropolis of the southwest. That there
was some virtue in that prediction there
| is no more doubt for at this moment a
| corps of carpenters are as busy as pailers
| building an office and arranging the inter
| Tor of the Gribbi building at the corner of
| First and Water streets for the acDommO-
! dation of the celebrated John Deere plow
company of Peoria, Ill. The agents Of
! this company have been here for several
| days and a few DAYS ago com
| pleted contract for the building and
signed lease for three years. They did
their work quietly and very few people
knew what they were doing in the city.
Last night an EAGLE reporter met Mr..
Gribbi at his house and questioned him
concerning the lease Yes SIR" said he,
ha1 60 81, 4 ION, ba
| taken of the building on the 14th OF the
month. The terms agreed upon were
mutually satisfactory and the lease was
signed for three years.
Mr.. w. L. Baily of Peoria. H., will be
| the manager of the branch house. He is
| now in the city and has taken his residence
| at 4l2 Riverview. An EAGLE reporter sought
him last night to ascertain the details of
the company's location here, but owing
to the lateness of the hour he had return
ed to his home for the night. Enough was
learned, howevr, to know that the inten-
tons of the company mean big thing for
Wichita. They will not only make Wichita
distributing point for the Deere plow
works and the Acme harvesting works,
but will also make it a general repair sup
ply depot for the entire Southwestern
country. The branch will bring number
of people to Wichita with it, including
manager, bookkeeper, clerks and expert
machinists, and ali the business for the
southwest will be tranacted from here.
The building which has been rented is a
three story brick, So feet long
and q feet wide and will be
supplied with adequate switch
facilities from the Missouri Pacific road
which is only one block away from it.
No one need be surprised to hear of a
regular stampede of the great implement
houses of the country here this winter.
Every dealer in farm machinery in the city
predicts this. In speaking with the EAGLE
reporter last night one of them said:
when / saw in the EAGLE that Deering
had located here / said then to my partner
that inside of three months he would see
at least dozen of the largest implement
houses in the country located in Wichita,
and l honestly and candidly believe my
statement will be borne out by subsequent
facts. The fact of the matter is they
must come here for unless they
do they must give up their
patronage in the southwest and these men
are too shrewd TO surrender the best terri
tory in the United States for the sale of
agricultural implements. And this they
must do unless they come as near to the
point of consumption as Deering and Deere.
Now, for instance, we will take Oklahoma
as an example. Do you think for a mo-
ment that Mccormick can compete there
with Deering when there is such a vast
difference in the freight rate in favor of
Deering. who will be located 200 miles
nearer that country than Mccormick.
Then. again, how eau we sell plows in the
Wichita territory in competition with
Deere, who will have all the advantage of
US in freight rates. We can't do it, unless
our houses locate here and place them
selves on the same footing with the Deere
people. cit is my opinion" said he is con-
clusion THAT the location OF these TWO
companies here Is the biggest thing for
Wichita that has ever occurred since the
location of the packing houses and the
stock yards here.