Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-31
MILLIONS OF STORAGE SPACE
Omaha IL Well Equipped with Plants
that Are FireproOf, Well ms
Slow Burning Buildings.

twenty years ago. to be exact, In lSl-
there was no storage business in Omaha
worthy the name; today the industry Is
among the clty's largest enterprises. Oma-
has first storage house was established
by oliver Maggard at the corner Of Six
teenth and Leavenworth streets in 1892,
and consisted Of nothing more pretentious
than a good sized barn. Mr.. Maggard,
however, soon tired OF the business and
disposed of his interests to the Omaha Van
and Storage company which Is, therefore.
the pioneer in the local field. Since then.
however, the business has increased TO
many times its volume at that time and the
present business is divided among almost
a dozen companies strong and well equip
pdefor the work.
Until the last few months the storage
business has been somewhat handicapped
by the high rates OF insurance which the
companies demanded, because the ware
houses were not fireproof in their con-
struction. But this condition has been
largely alleviated within the last year, two
of the larger companies having made pro-
vision for fireproof warehouse space. The
Omaha Van and Storage company has but
recently completed fine new building at
SO4 South Sixteenth street. and the Express
mems Delivery company has one nearly
completed at Eleventh and Davenport
streets.
The storage business, as is the case
with other lines OF business, runs by sea-
sons. From May until the latter part Of
June is the season of the year when goods
pour into the storage houses, while from the
latter date until about the first of Septem-
Der there is little moving of goods
either in or out of the warehouses, the
4. he
early fall. Just at the present time then.
the warehouses are accommodating about
the largest amount which they will hold dur
ing the year. and the Omaha houses are
uniformly reported as well filled.
The local companies, in most cases, COM
bine with the storage feature Of their busi-
ness a general hauling. packing and ship
ping business and handle, between them,
the bulk of the business in those lines. The
stage which the specializing process has
reached, oven in the storage business, may
be noted from the fact that one OF the local
companies Is advertising that its new ware
house is to contain private trunk rooms
heated plano rooms and other features
which appeal with equal strength to the
fancy of the well-to-do
| Probably the bulk of the Omaha storage
business is done in merchandise. the com
panies taking the goods from the merchant
who happens to be temporarily over-sup-
piled and holding them until he is able
to give them space. Several of the COM
panies, however handle household goods,
among them the Omaha Van and Storage
company and the Expressmens Delivery
company. In addition to the strictly stor-
age firms, many of the implement firms
do a considerable amount of storage and
forwarding business. None of the strictly
storage firms have a department devoted
to cold storage
| All of the storage men of the city are
confident as to the future of their bust
ness and well they may be when the re-
markable development which has attended
the business in the past Is remembered.
The total space devoted to storage pur-
poses in Omaha will amount to in the
neighborhood of 100000 cubic feet, about
/, 1000 of which is fireproof storage. These
figures are not inclusive of the amount
of space which the implement companies
devote to storage purposes. 1t is next to
| impossible to place an estimate on the
amount or value of goods stored in a year,
for the reason that the periods for which
the goods are stored vary so, as does the
value of the different articles which &C.
cupy an equal amount of space.
The local exclusive storage companies are:
William Bushman company, 1O13-15 Leaven-
worth street; Counsman-VanBurgh com
pany, 1547 North Sixteenth street; Express
mems Delivery company. 300 North Six
teenth street; Merchants storage company,
1907 Jones street; Omaha Van and Storage
company, 800 South Seventeenth street;
Omaha Warehouse company, 1903 Jones
street; Omaha Wool and Storage company,
Twenty eighth and Gold streets, and Pacific
Storage and Warehouse company. 1907 Jones