The Lake Charles echo., 1893-02-10
FaE wAFkIss BAsKINe COMPANY.

THE WATKINS BANKING OO@PAET.
This is private bank established June s,
1884, and was for several years the only bank
In the town. The first bank building was
burned to the ground after completion and
occupancy Of about ten days, the FIRE sup
posed to have originated from defective
ehimney. Another building, almost a fac
simile of the fist, was immediately builtand
the bank has ever since continued to DO a
large and increasing business. Being strictly
private bank, we baye no quarterly or
annual statements TO which we can refer, but
the vast resources Of the institution are un-
doubted. ... "...
Connected with the banking business
proper is the J. B. Watkins Land Mortgage
Company which hab millions invested on
real estate security, Here also Is conducted
all the finances Of the & c., W, q 9. Ry,
the North American Land and Timber Com
pany, the Orange Land Company, the Calea-
sieu Sugar Company, the Gulf Town Site
Company, also the Town Site Companies of
Bop Air, Iowa Fepton, Etnder oberlin.
0akdaie, Glenmora, Forest Itll and Anan-
dale; an together, the business transacted
annually is very great.
STREET RAILWAYS.
Court house and Southern Pacific depot
street railw0y Zone mile Of track, to be
extended).
Dummy line, trains every hour to sugar
refinery and Goosport, (seyen miles Of trackl.
ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT
Supplying the city, including the streets,
Complete system Of water works, direct
pressure and stand pipel,
A telephone exchange with nearly one hum
dred subscribers.
Five fire companies, with steam lre-endine,
hook and ladder trucks, three hose carts,
and an abundance Of hose. 10 fact, we have
better organized and equipped fire deDart-
ment than any town of ten Thousand inhabl-
tants in this or adioining states,
LUMBER INTERESTS.
This Is the greatest lumber producing
town Ia the south, forming out annually over
two hundred million GOO, 600 600 feet, and
having planning capacity of more than one
hundred million loos0Q0, ,9Q0) feet, annually,
aud three shlngle mills With capacity of
over three hundred million (30o, 10000
Ahipgles annually
We have an Tee factory with capacity of
500, 900 pounds daily
A sugar refinery built at . cost Of Sl25,0o0.
a rice mill with capacity of 10000 bar
rels Of rough rice per day.
Car shops with q capacity 81 four fiat cars
or three box cars daily
Foundry and machine shops, two brick
factories, candy factory, one wholesale
grocery store With aggregate annual sales Of
one half million dollars, . steam laundry
second to none in the country d wholesale
and retail hardware store, three o. four
general stores that % more or iess jobbipg,
three banks, headquarters of tho X, q. WI. &
a. R'y, of which thls CIV u TIE southern
teFninus
About fifty retail establishments of more
Or less Importance,
One of The finest hotels ~ the state viii
be completed ip fRe or six weeks
Lake Charles has bona hde resident pop
ulatiou 81 over coco, With floating popuia-
tion Of perhaps 2D0Q additional, Hhieh con-
sists Of laborers employed % The mEls,
building railroads, etc, and Ia addition TO-
these there d another class, quite numesops
and always welcome Ws mean our n1suds.
from tae north, who are glad 70 escape tbe
Hgor n y northerp alptar like the ope now
drawing u close, AND come hers VEN after
year u enjoy tbe pRlng asposphere Which
COMES With heallpg, balsame aroma,
grateful to az wilh tie s.ghtesi tendency
towards weakness d the iupga. Theae pe9r
ple come, the pqmher inefeaaisg ffem year
70 yaaI, because here lbey can 9pd pof only
tie ciiibate hey seek. but aiao ali the things
thst Tend b eSalt aud embeliish ne, such as
schools, chprcnss tbs theatre redaed society,
ett.
% Que short sftieie t s. fmpOsNble tO d0
the s1biect iuatleR 19t % onf friends Wh0
afs turplaR taeif r8as ~ tb4s digeel6li intent
eAher upon bneitsss gt pleaeqre VIZ would
say ihAi Lsle Ghsrlfa WaY Aa sgFpflse, 9Rt
is sis noEefa dla0gRasHens