Middletown transcript., 1906-04-28
MEMPHIS TENN. A THRIVING CITY
Mr.. William R. Polk Writes of the Pro.
gressive Business Men of the South


| gressive Business Men of the South
! Mr.. EDIToR.-With your permission
thoughtI might do some good and stimu
uIate the local pride and ambition o
mamy Of the good citizens OF Middletowr
by giving them little object lesson from
tie statistics and the experience of thi
', town Of Memphis, Tenn.
The population of Memphis in 1910 wal
only l799 souls; that year is reckoned al
ler real beginning; not quite so large al
MiddIetown now is.
On January lst of the present yea
Memphis claims TO have population o
more than l75, 1876, some say over 200, 600
making it one Of the largest southern
cities.
This great and rapid increase is the re
suit of the efforts, ambition and push o.
her own citizens.
Her growth in manufactures within the
last four years has greatly added to hel
population.
There is new Memphis. city in its
self by the side of the old city, and hel
citizens are still reaching out striving to
increase her manufacturing industries as
well as her commercial importance. The
enterprise OF her merchants is shown by
the fact that they have drawn to this
market the past season 984 600 bales oil
cotton, thereby making her the greatest
inland cotton market in the world.
There are mine powerful cotton presses to
reduce the bales of cotton to one-fourth oil
their normal sizes, so as to reduce frieghts
on the great bulk of the original bales.
There are eleven cotton seed oil mills
making this the largest produce of cotton
seed oil products in the world and strange
to say, no sugar is grown in this State, yet
her enterprising merchants have made
this the largest inland sugar market in
the United States. They are creating and
building up very large grain trade.
Memphis now ranks first in lumber pro-
duced from the hard wood; 100 firms rep.
resenting $s,00O,000 are engaged in the
lumber industries, while within 100 miles
there are l000busy saw mills, who handled
during the year 1914, 3S3, 1872, 900 feet OF
lumber.
The business enterprise of her citizens
has caused fourteen railroad lines to CELL
ter here, besides numerous steamers (said
to be So in number) are employed as
ssting in supplying the wants of this city
aud in distributing goods along the river.
Looking down the river from the high
bluff on which the city stands, you will
have fine view OF the large steel bridge
which connectsTennessee with Arkansas.
This bridge must he over rs feet above the
mean level of the river, for it is high
enough during the great flood rises in the
river and is claimed to be the fourth
largest bridge in the world costing
many hundreds OF thousands OF dollars.
The citizens SO full of business, yet they
have spent much money for places of rec
reation and relaxation. They support the
fastest running racing course in the world
and her trotting park is one of the fastest
in the United States. To show you they
do not do things in the small way, the
club rented the privileges of the racing
track this year for 100000 and the
renter, re-rented them for $l40, ,000for this
year.
The Montgomery Park track has SO
stables, accommodating 1000 horses,
and makes splendid training ground.
Surrounding the city in every direction
at short distances are fine sporting Sec
tions for hunters. There are bears, deer,
panthers, ducks, geese, &c.
The city is equipped with 65 schools,
colleges, seminaries, 5 libraries, hotels,
&C., 1000 acres public park, 13l churches
City covers an area of Ii square miles,
is 80 feet above high water mark, and
272 feet above sea level, mean annual
temperature 81 degrees. Memphis has
the largest artesian water system in the
United States (snd so deep are the wells,
the water is largely supplied with sulphur
and iron, the two latter are claimed to be
healthy but prefer not getting SO near to
fire and birthstone yet awhile).
The death rate is only 995 per 1000
white population, which compares favor
ably with the most healthy cities of same
population.
The sewerage is claimed to be as good
as the best in the United States.
$500 houses built from January lst, 1900
to January 1st, 1906, land 25O0 houses built
from January lst, 1905, to January 1st,
1906, and this year is still pushing to beat
last year. TheB eBusinessMen'sClu numbers
over 700 members and the net surplus in
its treasury is over SIC, 600, with an income
OF about SIS, 900 per annum, ,and the Menu
phis Commercial Association is operated
in connection with the club and brings to
the city many country merchants, to buy
their supplies, furnishing free transporta-
ton to the country merchants and this is
one Of the ways that they in the past few
years have so successfully and rapidly
bniit up the enormous business Of this
city. Yours rtnly,
". Il. PIX