The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-25
TELL OF topeka.
Outsiders Are Now Boosting
City Instead Of Knocking.
They Are Talking of the Spirit
of PrOgressiveness.
CHANGES BEING MADE.
BEING MADE.
The Railroads Are Spending
Much Coin in Topeka.
Opening of New Mills Building
Will Occur Thursday.

Inc prosperity which Topeka has
ben enjoying in the last three years is
beginning to have it's effects There
was time when outsiders took occa-
sion to knock on the capital town at
every opportunity. Now they are
boosting
There never was a time in the his
tory of the city when the feeling out
side of Topeka was as favorable to-
wards the city as now said a real es-
tate man today. "Out in the little viii
lagos and in the competing cities To-
peka has more boosters than ever be-
fore. One meets people on the trains
now who say Topeka is coming to the
front.
"For example William Harrison, a
large farm owner and banker from
Whiting, Kan, attended the Berkowitz
meeting at the Commercial club the
other night and afterwards remarked:
What a bunch of live wires you have
here in Topeka. I'm going to carry
home some of the enthusiasm to my
home.
When got on the train to come
to Topeka lady sat down beside me.
She asked me where was going and
! told her Topeka. She said she was
going there too, and for the last time,
as she expected to make the city her
home I told her that was going to
live in Topeka too later on as liked
the place
"Mr. Harrison told me that he had
heard more favorable comments in re-
gard to Topeka as place to live and
make money than ever before, and he
has lived in Kansas forty-five years.
Many New Dwellings.
The prospects are particularly
bright for a season of great activity,
especially in the building of resid
81 don't believe the outlook has ever
been better" remarked L. W. Wilson
of the firm of Wilson and Neiswanger.
There are many coming to Topeka,
and in all the time have lived in To-
peka I have never seen q period when
there were so few available houses to
rent of a comfortable type-of course
one can always find und desirable
houses"
one real estate firm finds that there
is such a demand for the purchase of
new and attractive homes that the
company is unable to build such dwell
/ ings fast enough to meet the demand.
The finishing touches are now being
put on the new Mills building, which
, has been erected at a cost of $4,000
and is the best structure Of the kind in
Kansas. The date of the opening has
been set for Thursday of next week.
Half of the work of decorating the
show windows in readiness for the
! opening day has been completed. Goods
are being put in place on the first
third, fourth and fifth floors of the
building. An Independent telephone
system has been installed, and the
cash vacuum system is now in working
order.
An Interesting Cash System.
This cash system is something new
in Topeka and is said to be the quick
est means of making change in ex-
! istence at the present time. 1t was in
stalled by the Lamson Consolidated
Store Service company The machin-
| cry which creates the vacuum is self
regulating and the proper amount of
pressure is maintained constantly, as IS
shown by the gage
A felt padded cartridge makes the
| trip from the fifth story of the build
| ing to the basement, where the change
| is made. and a return in eight seconds.
The reporter who saw the system in
! operation timed one of these money
boxes from the time it left the first
floor to the time it shot out of the tube
after making the trip to the basement,
and the trick was done in six seconds
! and no special effort was made by the
| operator in the basement to make
time.
| There are twenty-five lines in con-
nection with this erably
more than a mile of tubing. Six
hundred feet of the tubing is of solid
brass material, and $500 of steel.
There will be three operators in the
basement who will handle the cash.
When there is a charge to be made a
cartridge padded with red instead of
black felt is used. and this is shot by
the basement operators to the main
office for approval.
Four men have been at the window
washing job on the building for a pc
Rod of two and one-half weeks, and
still the task is not completed. This
shows the magnitude of the glass sur
face on the exterior of the building.
Railroads Make improvements.
| yUorIx of raroodeliDO the general Of
fee building of the Rock Island has
been completed. In round numbers
$1,000 was spent in the improvements.
The general appearance of the build
ing has been improved hundred per
cent as the structure has been refin-
| ished throughout.
All the Offices are crowded and 1t