Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-19

II
medium Of figures, those OF this
years building record ought II
make delightful reading. There is an
excess OF building records over the un-
precedented year of 1907, when salt
Lakes sky scrapers were figured in to
bulge the totals over those of 1906, OF
mn amount nearly equal to the entire
total for 1905.
That means that in 1908 the city
is erecting as many more buildings
than it did in 1907 as the entire sum
Of its building activity only four years
ago. This then, is the full Significance
of the little motto that Fisher Harris
stamps on the Commercial club en-
vclopcs: Let us build city here be-
fore we die
For those who don't absorb their in
formation through comparative totals
OF figures, the lesson stands forth fully
as clear. It may be read III the disap
pearng bill boards, the newly parked
streets, the many growing buildings i'll
the business district the rapid exDan-
sion of the suburban sections, the cree
lion OIL uoIcuS VI new sipai liichI
houses.
And in Il business way its significance
is to be appreciated il the fact that
month after month through the worst
period Of panic and business dcpres-
sion the country has known since 1893,
salt Lakes building records forged 10
the front In comparison with every
American city.
BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS.
Through the entire summer salt Lake
grow faster than any competitor, and
held almost for every month the FIRST
place III the point of percentage OF
gain in building record over the same
month for the year previous.
While old centers Of population show
ed n universal loss of activity and an
impairment OF prosperity Salt Lakes
progress was such that the city was
practically panic-proof, and immune
from the general hard times.
With Denver this year Salt Lake
came into the first real competition.
-Four years ago Mr.. Hartman spoke
for salt Lake II destiny in which sha
should be one of the four great cities
between New York and San Francisco.
TO grow into this destiny only Chicago
is left to be one of the other three.
Denver, Omaha, Kansas City, and their
neighbors must be passed in their pres
ent lead rs way stations on the trans
continental route for power, influence,
prestige, and wealth.
And Salt Lake struck Denver fair
blow, demanding an accounting from
her and a showing of cause why She
should not forfeit the headquarters of
the American mining congress, when
Samuel Newhouse this summer pro-
missed to donate the ground for min
-,,,.. ,te,l
to subscribe $4,000 as the beginning of
u building fund to erect this mining
temple.
The close of the year, too, sees the
ushering in of the skyscraper era, with
the stone facings to the Boston and
Newhouse blocks complete, and all
their steel framing hidden permanently
from sight after staring the people in
the face for upwards of a year.
NOVEMBER BIGGEST MONTH.
a feature of building situation in
which pressure was so tense that the
hard times could produce no effect up
on it, is again evident in the fact that
the progress stops not for changing
seasons any more than it stopped for
a panic. For November, 1908. the record
is greater than that for any other
month, even for May, which is the sea-
sons record breaker in all normal
years. Nearly 81, 100000 in permits We're
taken out in November. the exact fig
ures being s9S2,5O0, while in May the
total was s601,2T5. In spite of all this
tremendous gain for 1905, the general
trend OF the total was to trail along
behind that OF 1907, almost at the end
being unable to pass the handicap oc
tho Newhouse skyscrapers, until at the
very end q squirt of activity brought in
a victory that Of course is TO be de-
scribed only by the term 'overwhelm-
ing"
Into the November total goes one
new schoolhouse, q new oregon Short
Limo depot, Il $4,000 residence for DR.
g. A. Whcrry, a $4,000 residence for T.
l.. Terry. a $4,000 building for Iionis
Home Building society and the Twelfth
Thirteenth ward chapel.
DEPOT TOPS THE LIST.
The Oregon Short Line depot is
the largest thing undertaken FOR the
year. Its cost is given at S250,000.
and next in Importance comes the
new car barns. to cast S142,0oN.
year ago pictures of the new New
house business district showed an
ideal section of Exchange place and
Cactus street Only low steel skeie-