Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-11-04


A correspondent in Wichita tells OF re-
markable revival thus: Has a miracle
been wrought beside the Kansas Nile?
Is this Il case Of the dead brought to life?
Truly prosperity has breathed into the
~nostrils of Wichita. The fever of boom
ing ragged here in it's most malignant form.
1t was followed by n trance-like state OF
such continuance that some mistook it for
death. But an awakening has come. The
flush Of returning health is plainly visible.
The pulse is beating strong. In the banks
Of Wichita are more deposits to-day than
at any previous time since the boom was
at it's height nearly ten years ago. They
are exactly double what they were one
year ago.
On one of the principal corners stands
a bank which has been organized a year,
with $25, 900 capital. 1t has in deposits
to-day $25O,OOO, just ten times its capital
stock. Six hundred loans came due this
year in Sedgwick County, Of which Wi
chita is the seat, and 45O Of them have
been paid off. Money is going begging.
Block, the millionaire capitalist, has been
trying for three weeks to place $4,000
where it will earn something and still
has it. Travelling men for Wichita job
bers, whose sales a year ago averaged 49,
coo a week are now turning in orders for
10000 a week. A new mill grinding 300
barrels Of -four a day has just started.
In the directors room Of one Of the
banks eight or ten OF the substantial men
Of Wichita were gathered to make prepar-
atoms for the Kansas bankers conven-
ton. to be held here. One Of them talked
and the others acquiesced in this view Of
the changed conditions: I'VE are infinite
" better off than we were last year. We
have doubled our deposits and are carry
ing stronger reserves than ever before.
We have on an average 60 per cent in
cash in our vaults. Our jobbers are doing
double the business they did last year.
There isn't one Of them that can keep up
with his orders. We have FIVE wholesale
grocers, two wholesale drug houses. two
jobbers in dry goods and the same num-
Der in boots and shoes. Ten or fifteen
more jobbers could come here and do well.
The country banks all around us are in
fine condition with larger deposits than
they ever had. The live stock interests
IN this vicinity are larger than they ever
were. The reports show that We have
$1,000 hogs in this county OF SedgwicX.
In Sumner. the next county, the wheat
crop this year was 4,500,OOO bushels. more
than was raised in any other county OF
the State. More people are buying homes
in Wichita than at any time since the
: boom period. The books Of a leading real
estate firm show more transactions in Six
weeks past thsn in six years preceding.
We think good times have come to WI
chita to stay" And these are but a Few
Instances Of Wichita's prosperity.
Trade, Price and Iron.
All other facts and conditions in the
business situation are of small conse.
quence by the side Of the sudden and
rapid increase in September in the con-
sumption OF iron. The production OF pig
IRON Is no g%rcater-in fact. It Is a iittie
less-than two years ~ The weekly
production, Oct. 1, 1895, was 2O1,4l4 tons
r"Iron Age iigurcs). and on the hrst OF
the current month the total product.
weekly. was 20O,12S tons. This makes
the product practically equal now ana
two years ago. The consumption mas,
Aowevcr. greatly increased. In lcDo'
when the product rose $4,000 tons IN three
months. from July ! to Oct. ], asainst
~, moo tons now. the unsold stocks stead
~ grew. This year the unsold stocHa
Il ha ye fa,an ~ +hrna mnnfhgI from 1.OUU,-