The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-10
NEEDED. NO BONUS
CRACKER FACTORY THAT HAS BEEN
GROWING UP IN WICHITA.

Mr.. Wi!kie was Hard Hit by the Boom. but
He Made tip His Mind That Pluck
Would Win and He Started in to Make
Pre.zels. then Ginger Snaps and Now
He is Putting in Expensive Machinery
and Will supply the Whole Southwest
with His Gooos-He Shows True Wich-
tia Enterprise and Nerve.
One of Fred Wilkies's German neigh
bors said yesterday that Mr.. Wilkie
came through the boom a little worse
for the wear. but for all that he was a
fair sample of Kansas pluck.
Fred did not break up. He just SIM
ply failed 10 make as much money as
he thought he ought 40 have and so he
gave up the idea of making a fortune
in real estate and went back and re-
newed his bakery business.
Dir. Wilkie discovered that there were
good many pretZels used around the
city and he thought he could make as
good pretzels as anybody and other
people thought he could make them n
little bit better.
Wilkie was soon supplying the de-
mand for pretzels and then he added
ginger snaps and finally a sort OF sweet
biscuit that proved to be a grand seller
and a short time ago Wilkie moved up
to the corner of Oak street and Fourth
avenue and opened up a larger bakery
and branched out with a regular whole
sale establishment, and Mr.. Wilkie is
now putting in 81, 200 worth OF new ma
chinery and has a travelling solicitor on
the road.
That is the way business men build
up in Wichita and pretty soon Fred
Wilkie is liable TO have one of the
largest factories in the west. Provid-
ed, the cracker trust does not come
along and hire him to close up or buy
his plant and close it in the interest of
the combine.
4 reporter for the Eagle called at Mr..
Wilkes place of business and found a
large amount of new machinery IL the
building. The machinery was not ready
to operate for the reason that some inn
portant part was broken i'll the ship
ment and had to be returned TO Chi
cago
My trade has grown so rapidly"
said Mr.. Wilkie, that / was compelled
to get more and better machinery to
supply the demand for my line of goods.
/ intend to add other lines belonging
to the trade and expect to have a
large business the coming summer"
Mr.. Wilkie expressed the belief that
there is always an opening in Wichita
for the man who will work. And he
has twice demonstrated the truth of
his assertion.
Fred Wilkie came to Wichita in 1873
with a capital consisting of large
stock of energy and industry. He
started a little bakery and got an old
black horse and delivered his bread
around the town and before very many
years Mr.. WiIkie was the owner of a
resident property and business house
on Douglas avenue.
Then when the boom came it drew
Mr.. Wilkie into the current as it did
so many others. and his bakery was
closed up and the proprietor was hand
ling brick blocks and dealing in real
estate.
The reaction came and a good many
inflated balloons collapsed among
which We're a few owned by the former
proprietor of the Douglas avenue bak-
cry Mr. Wilkie was not discouraged f;
he knew how he had made one fortune
and he retraced his steps as above
stated.
If Mr.. Wilkie were to advise some
one today from his own experience he
would doubtless tell him when he had
struck a good lead to follow it up per
SlStenuy ana pay no dtlehllpIi ~ S'oii''
of large fortunes to be made In otner
sections or in other lines of business
than that in which he is engaged.
Pluck will win in Wichita. The man
who is crying hard times and talking
about runniTS away, annot galnSdy
the evident and colossal fact that many
concerns in Wichita are constantly IN
creasing their business and profits
While people have been lamentlnS
that the Trust shut up the wichita
cracker factory. another cracker fac
tory has been growing up quietly, un-
known to either the Trust or the grunt-
. biz cnncarn