The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-12-20
HOW IL is DONE
S0HE POINTS ABOUT WIOHITA'S
VERY BIG GRAIN TRADE.
More Business Done in That Line Now Than
at Any Previous Time-The Grain Trade
of the hub Now Takes In Three Com
mouwealths Instead of Counties-Tbe
Mall and the Telegraph Have Been
Adopted for the Transaction of an Inn
mense Business-Ten Outside Firms are
Doing Business Here.


mense Business-Ten Outside Firms are
Doing Business Here.
The grain business of Wichita is as
suming proportions that few realize
There are thousands OF men in Wichita
today who will say, and believe they are
right in so saying, that the volume OF
grain business done in this city during
the late seventies and early eighties viii
never be repeated. In a sense there Is
some reason for this statement, but the
fact remains that the grain trade of WITCH
lta today is greater than it has ever been
in the history of Wichita. 1t is invisi-
bic to the average man-even the aver
age business man-but it exists just the
same.
At the present time there are ten for
e;gn firms doing big grain business in
Wichita TO say nothing about the local
dealers. Heretofore the grain trade con-
trolled by Wichita included only parts
d. three counties: today it includes part
Of three states-Nebraska Kansas and
Oklahoma.
The foreign firms doing business here
are as follows:
c. F. Orthwein & Sons Of st. Louis,
Missouri They have branch house IN
this city and it does an immense bust
cess.
The z. B. Wright Grain company of
ST. Louis. No. They also are doing an
immense business.
Then there is Pratt Brothers & Seay
Of Siloa, Mexico. These gentlemen are
doing business extensively for the mar
kets in the Republic of Mexico and they
buy immense quantities of grain.
Hall & Robinson Of Kansas City have
branch house here that is doing an eX-
tensive business for the parent house.
The Galveston Export company are
extensive operators and handle untold
quantities of grain.
Price & Dixon represent big firm IN
Waco, Texas, and the are ever active in
the market.
Joseph Londa OF New Bronfieid, Texas,
is also doing an extensive business in
Wichita
The Cameron Mill and Elevator COM
pany of Texas has also a permanent
agent in Wichita who is always on the
alert.
The other company doing business
here carnot be recalled but Mr.. ROchen
il the Sedgwick block is their agent.
These gentlemen differ from old time
grain men. in this, that you never see
them following a wagon load of wheat
lil-e Farmer Doolittle used TO do in the
early days, mount IT, eat some of the
grain and then offer price for it ON
the contrary, they hardly ever leave their
offices except to so TO the telegraph or
pcstoffice and that is the reason for the
idea that there is not as much business
done as there used 10 be. The offices
are located here because Wichita is
recognized as grain center. With
northern, western and eastern Kansas,
Nebraska and Oklahoma business is
transacted almost exclusively by tele-
graph While the mails are used in doing
business with southern Kansas For IN
stance, the Wichita agent wants six cars
OF wheat tomorrow morning, he will teie-
graph tonight 10 Smith 81 Co. of Beat
rice, Neb.. as follows: I'VE bid 70 cents
or six cars of wheat on track" Smith
& Co. understands this and if they ac-
cept the price they say so by telegraph
and the wheat is shipped direct from
there 10 Galveston, St. Louis or whatever
point it is bought for. About 100 towns
in southern Kansas can be reached by
postal card as quick as by telegraph for
all practical purposes. The idea IS TO
have the bid made TO the local dealers
In Kansas. Nebraska and Oklahoma
early in the morning before. or at the
time, the nlarket opens.
On the other hand. all the local eleva-
tors and dealers know the men doing
business in Wichita and if they have
wheat or corn TO sell they telegraph or
write asking for bids. They hardly ever
See one another in the transaction The
business is done with wonderful rapid
ity and accuracy. The big dealers know
the little dealers and vica versa by a
system Of their own and a reporter for
the Eagle was informed yesterday that
most pleasant relations are preserved be-
tween them although they scarcely ever
meet personally.
The time is coming when the grain Will
be concentrated here and then forwarded
TO the various points of the compass and
that time is not far off. Until then the
present arrangements will be carried out
ana encouraged.