Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-14
AMERICAS WONDERS.

I'm wonder said Coleridge, "all
philosophy began; in wonder it ends;
and admiration fills UP the inter
| space"
| Today train passed through OF
tumwa composed of forty cars each
| loaded with one or more farm ma
chimes to be used in the fertile fields
of Kansas. All were manufactured by
one firm in an Ohio town and make up
but small part Of the output Of this
concerns factories, but their value is
measured by thousands. Their con-
struction has been from the raw ma
terials, fresh from the forest and
from the ore mills. In their manu-
facture have been employed scores of
draughtsmen, and joiners. Their sale
has brought about through concerted
efforts Of solicitors travelling up and
down the state Of the golden cereal.
But this train load represents only a
small percentage of the number of
similar machines manufactured each
year by this factory and by others,
larger and smaller, scattered through
out the land.
A short time ago President Cassatt
OF the Pennsylvania railroad system or
dered from President Converse of the
Baldwin Locomotive Works 1926 loco
motives for use on the Pennsylvania
lines, each to cost $4,000 and all to
be delivered ready for service within
six months from the date Of the or
der. Upon the construction of. these
monster machines the Baldwin mills
are working now. the men toiling like
beavers In the various departments of
this great American factory, filing q
single order that means the transfer
of $5,525.000, great amount to be
handled by single concern for sin
gle order when we consider the fact
that the total amount in circulation
today In the whole world is but $11,-
O10,000,000. But the business Of the
age demands just such transactions.
We are SO used to seeing, or hearing
OF. or participating in deals in which
large sums are concerned nowadays
that such occurrences cause only pass
ing comment But when we stop to
consider what it means, what a step
In advance since the time, only com
paratively short space gone. when this
country was looked upon as barren
wilderness. when Ohio was the "far
west" when railroads were unheard Of
dreams. when the village smithy
represented the force that has grown
into monster that handles a notable
share Of all the money in the world,
we are forced to admire and to reflect
that we live in great age But it is
not only the age that is great We live
in a great country. A people that can
bring ABOUT such metamorphosis as
has taken place in America within the
span of three or four lives deserves
the title great"
The American factory is truly the
wonder shop Of the age. It's influence
is felt not only in America, but
throughout the world. The same con-
Germ which is today filing the order
for fifty locomotives has built engines
for the Trans-Siberian railway. In the
fields where Russian peasants toll day
after day. driven like slaves by their
domineering masters the American
harvesting machinery makes their
tasks lighter. In far-away Japan the
American bicycle is just now most
popular; American steam shovels have
been used in performing some of the
greatest engineering feats in the for
eign continents. Hardly does an
American city feel that 1t deserves the
name unless 1t has its factory to
which the people may point with
pride. Mines in western Africa, thous-
ands of miles away. are being worked
with machinery made in Ottumwa
A German having visited America
returned home recently and in lectures
to his fellow countrymen, criticised
America and Americans for their self
satisfied air and their feeling Of SUI
premacy over other nations. But he
did not deny the greatness Of the
country nor yet the right of it's Peg
pie to feel pride in their accomplish
ments. Caesar was called ambitious,
but he was Caesar the conquerer.
America may be called proud, but
America is the wonder shop of all the
world.