The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-02-07
Chicago's Street Car Tangle Is
UnsnarIed; Low Fare.
Those Who Wish to Succeed
Should Shun Big City.
Especial to The Free Press.l

shit of the phenomenal shipments of
hogs which have poured into Chicago
Kansas City and other points for the
past. few weeks, because the high
prices of corn made feeding unprofit-
able. Ii is estimated that 100000
hogs reached primary receiving points
in& the Mississippi valley in January.
This, breaks all previous January rec
orcfs, including the last one, which was
made in January, 1901. In addition
to- this another $4,000,000 worth of
ponlers were slaughtered on the farms.
TSkimg the country as a whole it is
the heaviest run of hogs in trade
history. Iowa, South Dakota, Mime
sofa and Wisconsin have made the
heaviest contributions to the move
ment and the receipts at Milwaukee
and St Paul show enormous gains.
cnt and prices for sheep and lambs are
low. The hog movement, however,
proves the soundness of the livestock
business in the west and successfully
disposes of the theory that the pres
ent Industrial depression is based on
any real depreciation in value of the
natural resources of the country.
Story of Burr Robbins.
Among the obituary anecdotes of
Colonel Burr Robbins of Chicago, whose
circus posters and tanned hyenas and
things can be wildly recalled by thou
sands of older people in every state in
the union, the most Characteristic one
is this: 1t was the pleasant stunt of
his lion tanner to ride in the cage
withan assortment of imam eating
king of beasts captured in the heart
OF Africa to quote old circus bills.
one cay Mr. Lion Tanner emphatically
dec': 'ed that his pay was too low for
The chances he took so he "struck."
The parade was about to start. ''You
-. you can't buldoze Burr Rob-
bins,' roarded the circus owner, who
won colonelcy in the Civil war for
bravery "Why / don't need you any
way Here's where I'll save money,
I'll ride in there myself" Whereupon
he jumped into ne cage with ho
weapon but whip, and rode there
throughout the parade. This tanned
the tanner and all the other circus
men. Robbins died last week a
wealthy man, reputed 20 have farms
i'm half a dozen state-, and \ maeni-
hcent collection of Chicago real estate,
banks md real oil wells. Fe started
life by running away wncn his pl-
rents sent him to college and he drew
Sl5 a month at first from Spauiding
& Rogers circus, caring for the tights
of Charlie Fish. 1t bareback daredevil
whom he later hired ut $3.50 a week.
Perseverance, economy and Gcfarce
eyei OF lions did it
Long Ride Five Cents.
When the visitors to Chicago were
able this week to ride from the stock
yards to Lincoln park and from the
site of the old Bulls Head tavern to
jackson park where the Columbian EX-
position buildings stood, all for one
fare. five cents, they realized that
I
snarled. Now that the problem had
been solved of satisfying the holders
of stock or bonds of half a dozen
different companies, each with the in
genious assortment of securities that
Charles r. Yerkes created with ample
profit to himself, the prospects for
good street cars, rails and power seem
very Immediate. The tasks of the
swarm of lawyers engaged upon the
matter wol.u have been ended long
ago except for the necessity of get
ting for the new Chicago Railway
company an unincumbered title to the
various properties of the Union Trac-
ton company and its underlying,
leased or allied companies. Now the
bonds which will be issued for re-
facilitating will be under first
mortgage upon all the network of
north and west side car lines. AT
first about $l2,OOO,OOO will be expend-
ed and arrangements TO this sum have
been made with the National City
Bank of New York and the Harris
Trust & Savings Bank of Chicago.
Then the names of "West Chicago
street Railway" "Union Traction" and
consolidated Traction will vanish
from such of the cars as are worth
the paint to blot them out, with the
unsavory memories of many years.
Fire Was Fierce.
So fierce was the $l,5O0,000 fire
which destroyed the Peats, Colby and
Keith buildings last week that the
on structure supposed to be fire proof
built in the old way, of wood and
was Quilted by the flames as though
plaster. Windows forty feet distant
from one building were cracked al
though insurance men had said that
nothing less than blow-pipe blaze
could damage them. AT one time 900