The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-23
Some Day
VDbea RaIIrpaas RsleAt
ccward WIeblta.


Kos Harris has written for the Chicago
Inter-ocean the following story OF Wlch-
tia, the article appearing in that paper
last Sunday:
1t was: because of the belief of the pio-
neers that conditions existed that would
build Wichita. that time. money and labor
were given to forward the result.
To the east there was Kansas City. -
miles: TO the west, Denver. 900 miles; TO
the south no rival I'm 800 miles. There
was nothing, absolutely nothing, In KAN
sas, with ambition Kansas City had
humbled St Joe. dwarfed Leavenworth.
overshadowed Atchison. and dominated
Topeka.
Wichita stood at the center OF new
settlement seventy-five miles wide and
800 files long. and even in 1874 had tribu-
tary territory equal to the commercial
territory that had builded Kansas City.
No.
Reasoning on this alone convinced the
Iron Gray Dutchman'' and his co-wUrk-
ers that things were so ordained that
somewhere in Kansas. 300 miles or more
from Kansas City. Mo-. there would be
town that would draw commerce and
population as a magnet draws iron.
Dutch Bill said that Wichita should
be that town. In 1874 there was little
save faith to justify the prophecy, but
the boys worked toiled. and tugged. In
1879 gloom covered everything: Loo lots
were sold for taxes at an average OF SO
sold for $5O0.OO0l
1cc9 ,,1..
land. lots. and money were convertible
terms, and nothing in Wichita was un-
salable. A landowner could sell in a
day for cash whatever he had. Prices
were not high. but were firm. and people
generally were free from debt. Wichita's
population was near 1000.
Wichita prices today. with a popula-
ton of 5000, are not over 10 per cent
better than in 1854. This condition. to a
man with any sense. justifies purchases
In 1857 the boom waned; In 1883 1t sick
ened and died: in 1889. "the deluge''
There was no real cause for the wild
ness of the boom. there was no justifica-
ton in the awful slump in prices, and
there was no cause for the slump In its
terrific depth-save the envy. spite and
InducS OF newspapers anu Ine asSTdNa-
ton of the panic of 1888
When the boom was on Wichita. had.
commercially speaking. nothing but two
railroads and two mills. Everything else
was hope.
After the boom came the crash and the
storm, and when the wreck was cleared
away and the sky became clear enough
to view the situation. and men commenc-
ed to study our condition. they beheld.
as the result OF the contemplated work
planned in distress and carried out in
agony the following monuments that time
will not efface during our generation:
Railroads-Atchison. Topeka and Santa
Fe. seventy; miles: Missouri Pacific. fifty
five miles; Frisco, twelve miles; Midland.
twenty miles: Rock Island. thirty-three
miles. Sedgwick county has thus 100
miles of railroad worth 100000. and
commercial travellers can go out in eleven
directions. 125 miles, and get home on
the same day. No other town in the
west enjoys this commercial advantage.
Since 1857 100000 has been put In bust
ness houses and homes. More men own
homes in Wichita. worth on an average
$3.50. than any other town OF its popu-
Iation west Of the Mississippi River.