The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-12-19
FORMER CAIRO BOOSTER
Cairo Was to Be City Of 10000
Twenty Years Ago-With Bridges
Across Both Rivers

There have been many newspaper
boosters in Cairo almost from It's
foundation, but one of the widest
areamers the city ever had, after it's
early days had passed was one named
Johnson who held repertorial post
ton on the Telegram in 1889, as wit
ness the following from the files OF
that paper, dated Oct 20 OF that
year:
During the coming year Cairo will
grow as she has never grown before,
She will take on airs OF
metropolitanism and assume the dig
nifty of a great trade center. Az the
end of it 1.-THE coming year, she may
be strange quarters for older inhabi-
tants. There are a hundred
things shaping themselves to bring
about such result The closing OF
the year will see us with thirteen
railroads, and Cairo will then be the
greatest railroad center in the cen
trail states, as wei as the greatest
water center on earth. There
is not much doubt now that the NJ &
0. and the Cotton Belt will be in
Vanderbilt hands before the Fourth
of July next. and that as soon there
after as is practicable, the Wander
bilts will br dye both the Ohio am
the Mississippi rivers, The intention
Is TO make a six track landing for
one bridge branching at the point
one spur swinging west over this Mis-
sissippi; the other, east over the
Ohio. \ This consolidation OF
the Big Four interests, will be con
temporaneous with the erection OF
The Union depot on the block north
IF the present one, three stories hign,
i50x200, occupied in the second and
third story offices by the operation
pfficers of the Big Four's Southwest
arn system. The present land hold
1gs of the Big Four, inside the drain.
age district, will be utilized in the
construction of switch yards, and the
erection of such general shops as
shall be necessary to repair the roll
ing stock OF the consolidated sys.
mas pans in preparation for a new
Union Depot 10 be used jointly by the
Short Line and the Central, the Ohio
and Mississippi and the Cairo and
paducah roads. The building will be
two stories high and viii extend back
to Commercial avenue. The various
express companies doing business
over caro- roads will have a pro-
prietary interest in this new depot
and will use suites of its offices for
division headquarters.
The Cairo bridge landing proper
win swing around the point and along
the outside of the Mississippi levee
II Shops will be built where
The present round house is now 10
Gated The improvements viii cost
IN the neighborhood of $4,000 and ar
encouraging start vii be made or
them next year. During the
coming year Cairo will have made
her frst really important step toward
metropoltanism. Manufacturing es
Establishments will spring up by the
| iozen at the new town of Dupoystel
| Ito be built Just below Wickliffe) am
those of Mound City viii be augment
led four fold 1t is just question o.
whether or not our corporation lines
may rot extend, by January |, 1891
over the drainage district now bein:
reclaimed. This would put Mound
Junction Just outside the city limits -
where 1t belongs. It isn't too mucl
to prophesy 10000 inhabitants for on
city AT the end of next year We hav
| already 10000 and an increase q
| 50 1-3 per cent in the fifteen month
viii be rather below than above tn
reality We will have all these cor
solidated interests to build mp an
the extension and multiplication o
our already grand wholesale terr
tories, to make MS prosperous I
1891, by January I, we can supper
10000 inhabitants, and we shall l.
doing 1t much easier than we NOT
support 10000. Cairo is just entern
upon her era of prosperity"