The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-05-06

ter to That City-Brick and Stone Must
Now Succeed the Little Wooden Shan
ties and Business Houses Within a Ger
tain Limit-Sone People Think 1hat
the Order VIII Drive business to Victor
Other Interesting Gossip.
B. L. keenan, writes from Cripple
Creek, as follows:
And there shall be upon the earth
distress Of nations, men fainting for
fear and for expectation Of things which
are coming on the world
But when these things begin to come to
pass look up and lift up your head, be-
cause your redemption draweth nigh
The burning of Cripple Creek may be
a blessing in disguise. 1t has been the
fate of wood and paper house towns 10
be destroyed by fire. San Francisco
was burned two or three times before
the people learned the lesson and sought
| safety in precaution, that is, built their
structures of stone and brick. Cripple
Creek has resolved 10 profit by the ex-
perience of the past Of other places and
promptly extended her fire limits IN
which nothing but stone and brick build
ings may be put up. After the second
fire the demand for temporary relief
through temporary buildings was so
great that the town council granted per-
mission for 80 days to build temporary
structures. The result of this permits
sion was that within thirty days more
than a hundred temporary buildings
were under way in the fire limits and
many OF them had the appearance or
having been put up to stay. If this were
allowed to be kept up but one end could
follow. Those who were able to build
permanent stone or brick would not DO
so as they would be exposed TO the same
danger from fire as before. They could
get no insurance and the city was des-
tined to be rebuilt of wood and paper
shanties. Despite the demand for tenn
porary relief the city council has prompt
ly refused to allow any more such struc-
lures in the fire limit. Therefore this
city is to be built of brick and stone. 1t
may be a little slow to rebuild, but no
conservative opinion can gainsay this
resolution and the city can lift up her
head because in this her redemption
draWeth nigh.
Some have advanced the idea that
this will drive business to Victor. That
is hardly probable. Victor is subject to
the same danger from fire that Cripple
Creek was and besides the men who
were in business here have pretty I'M
animously resolved to open business
here again. The business man who
leaves Cripple Creek will leave the camp
altogether. Some real estate and min
ing brokers may leave, but as the boom
drifted hither more of this branch or
business than can safely make money
after the boom had quieted it cannot be
said that these are driven out by the
| fire-in some instances loss of office fur
niture and the like will accelerate Their
going This is but the inevitable re-
suit In boom where property is sell
ing right and left the business Of the
real estate man is good and where the
body is thicker will the eagle also be
gathered together" But where the
boom (the body disappears the eagles
must also go.
What will be the effect of the two
fires there may be said to be diverg-
ence of opinion. 1t is natural that the
people here would look on the bright
side of things. Man is optimistic rath-
| er than pessimistic-he anticipates good
rather than evil, hence some allowance
| must be made for local opinion the wish
in most instances being father to the
opinion. However, it is certain that
the great majority of people are of the
mind that the fire will in the end prove
a benefit or at least be of no detriment
TO the city. In this they point to the
cities that have had fires and recovered.
Spokane, Seattle. Portland and Chica-
go are the readiest illustrations. Some
go SO far as to predict building boom
One evidence OF this path is found in
the firmness of prices of real estate.
Real estate holders as a rule have not
lowered prices through lack of faith IN
the future of the city. Necessity in a
few instances has caused some property
| TO be offered at prices lower than the
| prevailing prices. but prices as a gener-
! al proposition, may be said to be firm.
| Quite number of buyers have come in
| expecting to take advantage of the stu
| alton to get property at sacrifice figures
but as yet have not succeeded. But, Is
| time wears on and those wanting to
sell find themselves unable to do so at
! their asking price, whether through a
| feeling of disgust or necessity, the price
| of real estate will be reduced is a mat
, ter Oe conjecture.
This is mining camp and only min
| ing camp. Its life and prosperity de-
| ponds upon the development of the
mines and the payroll of the mines and
| the concomintant industries that belong
| to mining, smelters and reduction works
| etc. However rich the mines may prove
| history respects itself-a few Compare
| lively speaking) prove pay mines and
| mining becomes concentrated in few
| hands and the thousands of prospects"
are given up. This results in a great
| reduction Of men employed and the
| camp is in common parlance plays out.
| Virginia City fell off in population from
/ $4,000 10 1000; Leadville from $1,000 TO
1900. The falling of in popula ton
| does not always indicate that the mines
| have played out. II is not the mines
the pay mines-that hold the large pop
ulation or support it. But side capital
| poured into prospects" curiosity seek
ers and fortune hunters support the
! flush population Of a mining camp. For
J years after the boom was over in Virgin
| ia City the mines were the richest pro-
| ducers and Leadville is today a great
! producer OF wealth from the mines. This
1 is not hard 70 see. When demOnstra-
zion has fixed the limits of the mining
+, district and the prospects and all their
/ run played have gone; when the real
| estate mine brokers have gone and the
business and professional men whom
| ohey support have gone. population
| falls of while the mines may be pro-
| ducing in full vigor.
| Now it may be urged with some force
| that Cripple Creek has had her real
| estate and mine boom; that she had
| reached the point where in keeping with
| the history % mining camps she must
| lose rather than gain population: where
/ upon. the fire. coming a a time when ci-
cCnstances were ready fer a decline
| and when business (retail wholly may