Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-09-01

ried through several enterprises with
considerable dash, and, as ne cultivat-
ed the reporters, his name frequently
appeared In the newspapers The
building Of interurban trolley lines was
bringing the surrounding towns mora
and more into touch with the capital.
The country banker and the small cap
italist were now much seen In the
streets of Mariona. They were learn
ing the lingo of metropolitan busi-
ness; many of them had found 1t con-
venient to enroll themselves as nom
resident members of the Commercial
Club, and Jack Balcomb's office proved
a pleasant rendezvous. Here they
could use his stenographers, and the
long distance telephone was theirs to
command. The banks and trust COM
panies were a trifie large for these
interurban capitalists; but Jack Bal
comb accommodated himself to great
and small. Prosperous farmers, who
were finding it pleasant to run into the
capital, now that the street car passed
their door, learned much from Bal
comb, who had the rosy imagination
and sublime zeal that they lacked Bal.
comb had organized the Patoka Land
and Improvement COMPANY to give the
interurbanltes a chance to taste the
sweets of large enterprises.
Balcomb., found a group of men
waiting for him in his Office and he
sent them into his private room while
he dictated in a loud tone to one eof
his stenographers. 1t was a latter to l.
famous Wall street banking house and
referred in large figures to certain or
uncertain bond deal which, from the
terms Of the letter, the New York
house and Balcomb we're. carrying on
together. 1t was to be sure, letter
that never would cucumber the mails,
but this made no difference to Balcomb,
who gave it what he called the true
commercial literary finishf
He left the stenographers to them
selves with the solemn injunction that
he was not to be disturbed; then he
entered his private office briskly and
was soon talking breathlessly to half
dozen auditors. He stood with pile
of architects sketches before him, dis
closing to his associates of the Patoka
Land and Improvement Company his
scheme for an ideal fiat He smoothed
the blue prints on the table carefully
as he said
"You gentlemen will admit that there
are plenty of apartment houses down.
town. Every old corner is getting one
Every lone widow in the community
takes her life insurance money and
blows it into a fiat and thinks it safer
than government bonds. But I've got |
an idea worth two of the best of them.
| wish we could copyright it, it's 50
good"
He let dreamy look come into his
eyes while the grave incorporators Of |
the Patoga Land and Improvement |
Company listened. He had dropped |
the wet in a casual way, but it had
reached the right spot in the breasts
of the interurbanites.
It's up to us to do something new;
and it has struck me that ten-story
fiat, with every comfort and luxury
provided, located away from the heat
and dirt of the city, but accessible by
car line, is the thing we're looking for.
Instead of gazing out on smoke stacks
our tenants will look down on trees!
Does it sound good to you?"
But where are you going to get all
|
who frequently acted as interlocutor
at such meetings.
That's not so easy. You've got 10
get on the best street and on a good
car line, an you've got to go north.
Remember, there's a park system go
ing out that way right up the creek.
A park system and boulevard would
be worth millions to us. There are
only two or three sites possible AMI
the best of all is the corner where
High street crosses Ripple Creek. 1t
oows awful good to me anywhere
along there Twenty minutes from
Jefferson street, gentlemen; all the
comforts of the city; all the joys of the
Now this is our scheme and
we don't want lot of little real estate
fakirs crossing our trail. If l may be
A bit confidential and philosophical, I'll
warn you against three classes Of men
plumbers, real estate agents and
preachers in plug hats and shining al .
Daca coats who handle a line of Ari-
IONA mining stock on the side"
ITO ha ron ntinued !