The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-05-20
HOW TOPEKA SHINES.
Commercial Clubs Interesting Com
pendulum of information.


pendulum of Information.
The last issue Of the Commercial Club
News contains some interesting facts
concerning Topeka It says:
Major Anderson, secretary Of the
Commercial club. has just compiled
some figures which cause Topeka to
shine as something more than a star
route station-some cold facts that
grow warm during the digesting pro
cess and that ought to be known from
Cape Cod to the Golden Gate.
THE value of products manufac-
turnd in Topeka for 1900 was seven
and a quarter millions of dollars. The
wholesale trade of the city for the
same period was S25O.OOO more than
that The retail trade amounted to up
wards of eleven and half millions
Because. in addition to the general
local trade and mail order business,
there are 3.176 railway employees in To-
peka who are paid $2.371, 500 annually
and 10.0s0 other wage earners who re-
ceive each year 1866. 422-at least these
are the figures for last year and they
will be bigger next report Almost
everything manufacturedrin any west
ern city is made in Topeka and the list
of articles manufactured here is grow
ing. The AtchisOn, Topeka K Santa
F'e Railway company will enlarge It's
manufacturing plant in Topeka this
year at a cost of $457, 000- When com
plete it will be a modern plant equipped
with the latest improved machinery for
the manufacture of everything used in
the machinery linz
Here are some items that show To-
peka does things: Her total public ina-
provements for 1900 cost 1919, 1893
There are ninety miles Of paved streets,
over three miles of paved alleys, and
1,,7F
brick, the remainder being asphalt,
stone. and cedar blocks. There are one
hundred forty -four and one-tenth miles
of sidewalk in the city-aN laid with
brick, stone, cement or asphalt, except
One-eighth Of one mlle-Which by the
way, is only a small fraction more
than a mile of sidewalk for each thou
sand of population There are 54.3
miles of sewers, draining 1855 acres.
The entire system cost S47o,619. The
city lighting plant cost $4,000 and runs
81 lights of 1900 candle power. 1t
costs $27 900 per year to maintain the
fire department, and the water works
capacity is thirteen millions of gallons
daily. Thirty-seVen miles of electric
railway track are kept warm with good
business and run close to all the six
teen parks Forty per cent of the
street area is devoted to park purposes,
making a total of 544. 3 acres, or u per
cent Of the total area of the city. To
peka has the longest and largest Melan
Kansas river. It is $40 feet long. AZ
feet wide and cost 100000. It is
corker-a regular beauty, and serves
the practical purpose of bearing the
great traffic between North and South
Topeka The public utilities owned by
the city cost $2se7s, 9S6.S7, and including
these and utilities devoted to public
use those owned by the county and
state located in Topeka. and private
and municipal franchises, the amount
spent in. such is $10.595. 114.87.
Educational facilities, did you ask?
Perhaps so. Washburn college. College
'ef Sisters s0f&Bethany, kansas Medical
college. Kansas Theological college,
Catholic school, German Lutheran
school. % public school buildings valued
at S44O. 000 Lots of children; IL, $40 of
school age. and $3.50 of them enrolled.
They require $50 teachers.
Churches? Well. yes; SO. valued at
STA, 900 and divided between 20 denom-
nations, who have 12.267 members to
pay the annual expenses of salaries. re
pairs. etc. of $4,000. There are So Sun
day schools, having a total membership
of 9,473. and SO young peoples church
societies with ?. 135 members