The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1902-04-18

A GLIMPSE AT CHANUTE'S
BRIGHT PROSPECTS

The citizens of Chanute, for the
past two years, have been dreaming
of coming greatness and living main
In in the future. They have had
visions of city of 20, 900 people
and seen in the hazy distance lofty
smokestacks and massive buildings,
and heard in their dreams the busy
whir of extensive machinery, but
never till now could they realize
that their visions and dreams were
so soon to become a living reality.
1t is now settled that the great
refining and smelling company,
about which we have heard so
much, will come, and will come at
once. That does not mean that
they will be refining silver and gold
in week, or month, or even a
year; but that they will begin active
work and preparation Immediately.
They have bought the site, and
paid for it. All the conditions have
been agreed to and contracts sign
ed. A force of men will be set to
work at once to develop gas on
their holdings. AS soon as this is
done the great work of assembling
the material for the immense plant
will be commenced. The buildings
are to cost about 5000, 900. There
will be young army of men and
teams employed as soon as material
begins to arrive, and they will be
constantly employed till the plant is
ready to be fired. Then the con
struction gang will be replaced by
several hundred operators, many of
them skilled and high salaried men.
This plant is not an ordinary zinc
smelter only, but will be refinery
of the precious metals as well. A
similar plant at Argentine employed
seven or eight hundred men, but
this one will be larger when COM
pleted and should, in the course of
few years, give employment to a
thousand'people.
The Dickey people. of Kansas
City, the largest clay and shale
manufacturing concern in the Unit
ed States, representing hundreds OF
thousands in capital, and doing an
immense business in all quarters of
the country, have been prospecting
here and in other localities for some
time. They propose locating in the
gas belt of Kansas with their i'm
mense plant. Mr.. Dickey, during
his visit here the other day, frankly
told our people that he wanted to
locate at Chanute and would do SO
if prices on the site chosen could be
arranged so they did not seem quite
so much like hold up in compari-
son with prices at other points.
Mr.. Dickey does not ask or ex-
pect any bonus. All he asks is a
site to be furnished him at reason
able price. The enterprising citi-
zens of the town have taken hold
of the matter and they, in connec-
ton with the owner of the site, will
meet the obstacle. 1t is simply do
this or see one of the biggest and
best enterprises to be located in
Kansas this year, pass US by. This
plant will employ three or four
hundred men and can be in opera
ton within six months after work is
begun. Chanute will have the Dick
ey plant.
The Santa Fe has appropriated
$50, 900 for the new depot here, and
say they will erect the finest build
ing on their line between Kansas
City and Galveston. The building
is to be I45 feet long, facing the
track, by about SO feet deep, with a
fine Harvey eating house extending
back some IS feet, and is to be two
and three stories high, built of stone