Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-03-07
from old FRIENDS,
D. j. Van Meter Writes the
Argus Of Former Rock
Islanders.
IN TIE INDIANA GAS BELT.
A sssroh for the Wave CT Prosperity
o'estin 90 From Those Who Ou0e Lived
Hare sad Hrps to AEsin With Words Of

Hare sad Hrps to AEsin With Words Of
sorrow 70. Oas Who IL Gons-An Inter-
.s,iDE Letter.
Wabash. Ind, March 5-Dear Old
sUs.-Hsving been "indefiaisely
iurloughsd" from the government
printing office at Washington. under
civil service rules, with about 200
others, l started west over the c. g.
y. road. making numerous stops
through Virginia, West Virginia,
kentucky aud In lana, my main OBJ
jec. being 10 meet ard interview the
''advance agent Of prosperity" At
every place stopped the individual
wanted had so far failed to make his
appearance, and everywh,r re ba, mess
seemed ~ be even worse than year
ago; st least that was the general
complaint OF merchants and business
men. The newspaper business
through she states mentioned is In .
deplorable condition. not one paper
In ten paying expenses. Every where
was the same old story. Business
dull, and no bright prospects for the
future"
At Indianapolis I was told tha,
through the ''gss belt" OF Indiana
every thing was on the boom. and /
accordingly headed that wsy. Here
l did find business somcwhs. i'm
proved, owing. no doub., to the
cheap fue., the natural gas Of this re-
gion being supplied to factories and
general manufacturing establish
men.s ut nominal figure. This gas
has been In use for about fifteen
yesrs. and though il is still pretty
strong, o,d-timers say the pressure
has decreased nearly one.hslf, aud
il Is only q question Of tims when
tho supply will fail entirely. When
that time comes this will certainly
be one OF the most forsaken
places on earth. The factories will
seek other fields. and thousands u pom
thousands q dollars worth OF prop
erty will be abandoned.
Ny first stop was az Anderson. the
county seat Of Madison county, a fee
little city Of about 5000 population.
There are other manufacturing es-
Establishments, but they depend mostly
upon the glass factories. As thes e
factories only started up in January,
after being idle several months, i:
makes tho business men happy.
Here met George Bsukard, who
formerly worked 81 the glass factory
n Rock Island. lie told me there
we're . great many cid Rock Island
glass men throughout the "gas belt"
A son Of Thomas Gray is working at
Mancio, Is miles east. Alison Con-
queror and his son are glass cutters
a. Orestes, where Phil Mitchell is
largely interested in . glass factory.
whsrs Former Roch Islsndsrs Reside.
i visited Marion, tho county sea,
n Grant county, and there / met old
Rock Island boys galore. The first
nc ran acress was Nick Burri!l.
Nick is quite prominent among the
glass workers, and has been presi-
ient OF the trades council, com.
possd Of about thirty different trades
union organizations. He is fore.
man at the Stawartestep Window
Glass works in South Marion. His
brother, Arthur, Is a blower in North
Marion. Among others, formerly OF
Rock Island, whom l met in com.
pany with Nick, were: Fred Stecks.
lin, Henry Ackernan, Ernest Swan.
con, John Ovens, con OF skinny
Ovens, Robert and Harry Richard.
son, Phil Therbert, Al Genung. fore.
man in . glass cutting department in
North Marion, Peter and Jacob
Sshaum, Sam Stewart, "Bullhead''
Sch,uin. Ben Pennington. "Dody'
DE JAun and \ young man named
McEvoy, who formerly fret sn en-.
gino between Peoria and Rock Island.
Toe I've last named work in Gas
City, five miles south OF Marion.
The boys we're all pleased to see
some body from Rock Island, and all
Expressed the hope that the Rock Isl.
aud factory will again be started.
They all expressed tseir sorrbw q,
the death Of Mr.. Potter, Of TIT
ARGUS
The boys are all working steadily
aud are making good wages.
Simon Burns, PRESIDENT of the
American Window Glass Workers, 40
old Rock leland boy. whose head
quarters are in Pittsburg. wa:
through the "gas belt" last week on
an official witt. He looked me up,
snd VIC had a very pleasant afternoon
together. He says the window glass
men are all united, but that there i.
come trouble between them and tbs
cutters ard fasteners, which he
hopes to see ended ctorily 10
al concerned.
We all join in sending kind re-
CARDS to Old Rock Island friends.
Yours, ID. j. yAS METER
The modern wAy
Comnouts itself TO the well informed
I % 10 r,saas.ntiv and .fyorsuarlv - J. .,