The record-union., 1893-04-01
,RAMENTO SURPRISED Him.
IinOis Merchants Exalted Opinion
of the City.
Prefers Sacramento and Vicinity tn
Any Part of the Coast-The Place
for Factories.

George L. Linkfield, prominent citi-
zen and retired merchant of Elgin, H.,
who with his wife is visiting DIR. Mealand
and family of Sacramento, was seen yes
terday by RECoRD-UNIoN reporter, and
ne gave an interesting account of how
Elgin grew from a comparatively small
city to one of vast commercial import
ance.
was very much surprised" said Mr..
Llnktield, ''to find Sacramento city OF
such large proportions and transacting so
much business. The people down in
southern California, and even San Fran
cisco, led me to believe that Sacramento
was little town of no importance what
ever, and in its normal condition almost
completely inundated. 1 was in Stock
ton at the time of the recent flood, and
was inclined to believe the latter state
ment.
81 have travelled over a considerable
portion of the United States, and all
through Southern California" continued
Mr.. Linkfeld, ''and l can truthfully say
1 never saw city possessed of such nat
ural advantages as Sacramento. Why,
there ought to be city here of double its
know, or don't appreciate what advant-
ages they possess.
'If the people of Sacramento would
raise fund of say from $4,000 to $780,
OO0-a few thousand dollars will not ac-
complish much-to encourage manufac-
tories, and advertise that fact, in a very
short while the best kind of institutions
will be bidding to locate in this city.
You want to know how Elgin grew
so rapidly? Well, l will tell you. 1t is
not, aud never was, boom town. 1t was
not on the face of the map thirty years
ago, but about that time the Elgin Watch
Company located there. They started in
employing about twenty-five men, and
at the end of the first year they had in
creased their force to one hundred. Grad
ually the establishment grew until to-day
1t employs 800 men, women and chill
dren, with monthly payroll of 100000
The men average 81 10 per day and the
women 81 25.
Seven or eight years ago the people of
Elgin recognized the importance of hav-
ing more manufactures. Enterprising
citizens got together, talked matters over,
and determined they would have them
Large sums of money were raised by
subscription and offered as bonuses. One
by one the manufactures came, and the
city grew from a population of 1900
seven years ago until to-day it has 23,OOO
inhabitants.
THE first TO take advantage of the
bonus we offered was the d. G. Cook Pub
fishing Company. l do not remember
exactly what we gave them to locate in
Eigin, but we were quite liberal. To-day
they employ 800 hands.
"A shoe factory followed. We gave
this company building and site worth
$4,000. Between 200 and 800 hands are
now employed in making footwear.
The Illinois Watch-case Company,
employing 200 hands, came for donation
of site and building worth $4,000.
The Cutter & Crossett Shirt Factory
was induced to locate in Elgin for a
similar bonus to that given the Watch
case Company,
THE last factory we have been able to
secure is the Silver-plate Works. We
gave this company buildings and sites
valued at $4,000.
Nearly all this progress has been
made in the past five years. Elgin does
not enjoy natural advantages like Sacra-
mento. Why, the Sacramento River is
worth millions of dollars to this city, if
your people only knew it. do not know
OF city of so much Importance as Sacra-
mento, l say, where I hear it SO little
talked about and so little appreciated.
Sacramento needs to wake up if she
wants to amount to anything"
Mr.. Linktield spoke of the orchards
--'A 'AANJ vs. WAISh AlO 4ld0 soeu III odc-
ramento County, and said he was de-
lighted with them.
In all his travels he said he had never
seen as beautiful an art gallery as is the
Crocker gallery in this city. He said if
Elgin had an art gallery the equal of it
the people would be forever extolling it.
He believes the Crocker gallery sur
passes the famous one in Washington
City.
Among other places visited in the citv
by Mr.. Linkfield were the fruit canning
and packing factories, which he said
were something like what the city should
have, and there should be other institu-
tlons OF equal or greater magnitude. Over
md over again he declared that any Sac
ramentan who didn't realize or appreciate
the fact that he lived in the best CITY and
the best portion of the State must be a
hard man TO please.
The climate he regarded as being as
nearly perfect as possible despite the fact
that acouple of months in the year NAV be
wet. People here who had not lived in the
East do not know the meaning of the
word winter"
Mr.. Linktield leaves next week for
Salt Lake City. From there he will 90 to
Denver, and thence to his home, He is
so favorably impressed with Sacramento
that he has made up his mind to come
here next winter and spend at least
year, If not longer.