Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-11-01
KANSAS CITY.
THE MID-CONTINENTM ME-
TROPOLIS.
Its Early History Another City of Phe-
nomenal Growth Its Location And
Climate "A Good Place to


Live In.
Special Correspondence TO the Evening Capital
Kansas City is $50 feet above sea level.
while Denver is one mile above. and is
therefore more than seven times as high.
Coming from Denver the difference in
the altitude Of the two cities is very per-
ceptible. Kansas City is situated al the
mouth Of the Missouri River. at the juno
ton Of the Kansas and the Kaw rivers.
Il is in latitude 60 degrees and 81 min
utes, and west longitude 81 degrees and
80 minutes.
II is city built upon hills, and it is
difficult for one to 60 a block without
having 10 climb one OF these hills, or 60
down one in the most gingerly fashion
for fear one will lose his balance and
topple over. The tourist coming from
Denver, with its level streets, wonders
why progressive, enterprising Kansas City
does not have a "shoot the chute" ar
rangement on some OF these steep grades,
or a hosting machine, by which the
more weighty of Gods creatures may be
effort. or excessive respiration.
Because of the steep grades through
out the city there are few electric cars.
nearly all the lines being cable. One OF
these cable lines running over to Union
Depot. goes down what is called the Gin
cline" we should be inclined to call il
perpendicular, for the steep grade, run
ming over a trestle work as it does, re-
minds one Of coming down Pixies Peak.
To the uninitiated. riding down the Gin
cline" for the first time is thrilling ex-
perience, and makes ones hair stand on
ends like ''quills on the fretted porcu-
pine" There have been accidents here,
but not many. and the greatest care is
exercised by the car company to prevent
them.
Kansas City, unlike the ancient me-
tropolis, Rome, is not built upon seven
hills, but to this column il seemed to be
built upon seventy times seven. Because
it is built upon hills. Kansas City is
sort of rara avis. The occupants of its
houses can 60 to the street from most
any floor. We were not little amused
because of this peculiar feature. When
visiting one of the public buildings we
entered in the customary way, from
the sidewalk. After "doing" the ground
floor of the building. we ascended the
stairs and were shown the sights on the
second floor. As there was nothing to
be seen of interest above, we made our
exit at the rear of the second floor and
were amazed to find ourselves on the
sidewalk without descending any steps.
Remarking on this, we were graciously
informed that nearly every floor of the
buildings in Kansas City were on level
with the street.
From personal experience in climbing
it did not take US long to find this an apt
illustration of its hilliness. The climate
OF Kansas City is not unlike that of Mary
land. In its normal state it is mild and
salubrious. but, like the little girl of leg
endary lore, whose ungracious qualities
we paraphrase, when it is hot, il is very,
very hot; and when it is cold. it is horrid.
August and September are the warmest
months here, but this year October had
her innings. She wasn't going to be
outdone in the race with the mercury,
and let her sisters, August and Septem-
Der, rout her out, so she worked herself
up to fever heat and above it, and in the
middle of the month the mercury regis
tered o4 degrees. "Do you often have
this weather in OCTOBER" we asked one
of the swear-by oldest inhabitants. "Oh,
no" was the quick response. "this is
altogether unusual. we haven't had a hot
spell like this in October for over thirty.
years." Evidently we were the hodoo,
or maybe Kansas City was extending us
an unusually warm welcome. but we pre-
ferred cooler one, especially since we
had left Colorado in furs, and now had
to fish out Of the hottcm of our trunk a
palm leaf fan and organdies.
This is truly a great country where
one can travel from the temperature of
one zone into the temperature of another,
its antipodes, in the space of night and
day. On the 18th of last October there
was snow on the ground in Kansas City,
the temperature was in the nineties. The
winters here are unusually mild. Decem-
Der is often as pleasant as May. Driving
is INDUCED in at Christmas the same as
any other time in the year as a pastime
and pleasure. and poultry and stock
can flnd outdoor pasture nine months in
the year. Kansas City. like Annapolis,
is healthy place to live in. Her death
rate is small compared to other cities of
her size. Kansas City's death rate per
thousand as compared to that of some
other cities is: Memphis. "a; New Ha-
ven, 10; Baltimore, Io; Cambridge, I8;
St. Louis, II; Hartford. ~; Reading. IA;
Dayton, o., IL; Kansas City, 10; Den
yer, 10. To the geologist, Kansas City
is extremely interesting. Its vicinity is
interlaid with what geologists term the
upper coal measures. Although these
do not furnish coal, they furnish lime
stone and sandstone for building pur-
poses, and also shales fine cIays and
mineral paints. The city has unlimited
stone quarries. whose veins are from I6
to 10 feet thick. The bluff or loess for
nation, has thickness of some 80 feet,
the clay from it makes excellent brick.
Much OF the limestone is hydraulic,
and cement is made from it. Kansas
City has within itself all the facility for
building houses. There is also plenty of
wood in the vicinity. and some one has
said there are groves and groves Of from
thirty to fifty year trees within ten miles
of Kansas City that would furnish all the
interior finishings builders would want.
II is said in this same territory wood is
given away. The Kansas City people
don't burn enough wood to make it an
objec. of interest for the country people