Omaha daily bee., 1915-01-10
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THE TALK had dr4fted The subject Of the build
ers OF Omaha and the public spirit OF the oio-
neers IN laying the foundations OF tho future
city Il do not believe any one in those days was
the equal as a builder Of Smith s. Caldwell" said
Milton Barlow. when Omaha little than
n struggling village, and brick house OF any Kind
a monument OF enterprise Caldwell did sone-
thing all had said impossible. lie got the
of all the lots Douglas from Thirteenth TO
Fourteenth, TO Join with him in single Improvement
by erecting a three-story brick building. making n
solid and uniform front from to the other,
and. 70 give due credit for the wonderful achievement
It called the caldwell block. The bank later
the Omaha National. had corner and j. j. Brown
occupied the other corner with his mercantile es-
tablshment and in the center the Redicks put in
first pretentious theater. known as the Academy
Of Music After Caldwell had demonstrated what
could be DONE the people over on Farnam street got
together and duplicated the undertaking by erecting
the Central block a similar combination building.
running from HellmaD's clothing store at Thirteenth
to Milton Rogers hardware store at Fourteenth.
Mr.. Caldwell the active factor IN another
great building project. when in 1870 his enthusiasm
and persuasive powers induced 100 citizens OF Omaha
to contribute 600 apiece erect the Grand Central
hotel which handed to the Kitchens to
operate. The Grand Central. which the precursor
Of the present Paxton. for that day was much
bigger proposition and meant great deal more to
Omaha, than the building OF our nlon-dollar Fonte-
nellie hotel do not know OF another man
among the pioneers who could have pulled that hotel
scheme through successfully the way Mr.. Caldwell
did"
Although the least conspicuous OF the waterways
delegation from Kansas City, which has Just made
visit TO Omaha, walter s. Dickey IL pointed out ms
the whose laboring oar really launched the
barge line on the Missouri He plunked in $50 600
subscription to the navigation company when 1t
organized in Kansas CITY, and naturally drafted
to head the corporation. In his private business Mr.
Dickey Is manufacturer Of sewer pipe and drain tle
with by-product Of clay pigeons. known to sports
men all "Dickey birds" When he began
with almost nothing TO make sewer pipe many years
ago. MIR. Dckey into contact with my uncle
City Engineer Andrew Rosewater, and particularly
his specifications work. only here, but
in cities and towns throughout this section
you Omaha folks never realized IT," said Mr.
Dlcked to within the hearing of half dozen
others, but you had the services through your city
engineer Of OF the master engineering minds of
the country with the soundeAt ideas on municipal
public works Of ell kinds that know of, and have
met most of our great civil engineers"
Not only does Mr. Dickey rank high as a manu-
facturer and business OF the speakers said
he had eighteen plants at different pontsbut he
also been active in politics He is a republican aud
organized the forces In Missouri for the preliminary
campaign of 1905 becoming later the chairman OF
the state committee. with whom co-operated in the
publicity work when 1 In charge of the western
literary bureau for that presidential campaignI
member exchanging at the close or the contest
gratulatory messages on the success of our mutual
efforts that helped put Missouri for the first
the republican coiumn-1 hope for the time.
BY the way. knowing his wide experience pro-
pounded this question TO Mr. Dickey:
rs there any city within your acquaintance that
meters the water flowing through flush tauks?"
"oh, It's possible the answer but never
knew OF one"
"That anecdote OF yours about what your teacher
wrote on your essay, reminds me of similar ex-
perence" remarked Charlie Slingerland while 'mak-
ing up this form. II handed in a composition with
the customary ending. This is all I know about
this subject
Never conclude composition with a sentence
like that said the teacher. Some folks might think
lrna