Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-02-26
TO GROW RAPIDLY
Population of $4,000 is Pre-.
dicted for the Tri-
Cities.
SURPRISING TO THE EAST
What Luis jackson, Milwaukee
Roads Industrial Commits
sioner; Says.

Luis Jackson, industrial commits
sioner of the C., NJ. & ST. p. road,
makes some strong predictions re-
garding the manufacturing future of
the middle west. For example, he de-
clares that the Moline-Rock Island
Davenport district will soon have "A
population of 100000, and that ulti-
mately the Chicago milwaukee dis
trict will rival Pittsburg as "A manu-
featuring center.
The development in recent years in
the manufacturing interests in the
territory west from Chicago to the
Mississippi river and from Minneapo-
lis on the north to st. Louis on the
south has been, according to Mr..
jackson. sufficiently phenomenal to
warrant his rosy prophecies. Among
other things Mr.. Jackson's report
says:
"A new manufacturing center is
springing up west of Chicago on the
Mississippi river, which promises to
jump from a population of 100000 to
$4,000 within few years and which
has the markets of Omaha, st. Paul,
st. Louis and Chicago within easy
reach. This is the Moline-Rock ISL
and-Davenport district. 1t has coal
at hand. Moline has long been the
worlds pillow center, and now the dis
trict bids fair to become one of the
worlds largest buggy carriage and
wagon manufacturing centers. The
Nelie Carriage company has just COM
pleted an immense buggy plant: the
Bettendorf company has its first large
buildings up on 30-acre site for the
manufacture of steel railway cars:
the Wright Buggy Body company has
located fine structure; the Foster
implement company is building large
works, and a Syracuse, \. Y, firm is
negotiating for a site.
MIlvaukee's Confidence In Community.
The st. Paul road has such conf
dence in this territory that it is con-
lstructing cutoff direct from Moline
to its Kansas City line. Kansas City
is another town that will command
the trade of the further southwest.
The city has great variety of small
manufacturing plants that are grow
ing year by year and are being rap
idly added to.
milwaukee, is pushing along phe-
nomenally in manufacturing. and now
takes rank as the second machinery
manufacturing center in the west. 1t
has lately secured new coke manu-
featuring plant, which will cost $780,
900 and which will put the Chicago
and Milwaukee manufacturing district
ultimately more ON u parity with
Pittsburg. This will be the result be-
cause this industry will lead to new
experimentation, development and
mastery of the problem of the west
manufacturing its own coke. Mark
Hanna is interested in this plant.
Activities at Other Points
Owing to the fact that IS per cent
of all the iron ore used in the United
States comes from the region north
of Milwaukee, the Lake Superior dis
trict, it was decided to make the coke
nearer the ore. All the motive ma
chinery recently installed on the New
York elevated roads was made in Mil
waukee. At Menominee, Mich, the
Menominee River Sugar company is
building an 100000 plant, which viii
be one of the largest in the west. II
lis expected to draw numerous set
tiers to farm lands in upper Mich
gan.
~ plant to cover - acres of GROUND
in Minneapolis is to be used for man
ufacturing structural steel and Cor
liss engines. At cedar Rapids Doug
Has d Co. are constructing a large
l starch works, and at Kansas City sew
err pipe works are being built"
Mr.. Jackson mentions large mum
Der of Industries that are being es
tablished at other points on the st
Paul road, and he declares that Chi
cagoans would be astonished at thu
changed agricultural conditions il
the square of territory from Chicago
to Milwaukee, thence to La Crosse