San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-09
Building Permits Issued in Four Days Despite Adverse Weather
Sells $1,S00,OOO Worth of Lots

Since 1905, the year in which he be-
gan the real estate business, ii. l..
Dickinson, realtor and promoter of
subdivisions, has sold more than ST.
100000 worth of lots. In San Al
tonic alone Mr.. Dickinson has placed
fourteen subdivisions ON the market
which are valued at more than ST.
900 900.
Beginning the real estate business
in St. Louis in 1905, Mr.. Dickinson
was a travelling real estate sales
man" for n number of years during
which time he was interested in the
promotion of subdivisions in East St.
Louis, Bloomington, ILL.,, Mount Car
mel, ILL.,, Burlington, Iowa, st.
Charles, Mo. Parsons, Kan. Coffey-
vile, Kan, Metuchen n. j., Edwards
vile, ILL.,. Fort Worth and Dallas.
Mr.. Dickinson has been business
man since he was II years old. His
first job was secured on the floor of
| the Consolidated Stock Exchange on
Wall street, where he served rs page
selling life insurance. Here he gained
his first experience as salesman and
after following various other lines Mr..
Dickinson, with b. G. Irish, who is
also well known realtor here. opened
real estate office in st. Louis.
First Sale is Success.
The first lot sale put on was a
tremendous success" says Mr.. Dickin-
son. This was held in the well-known
model town of Leckire, which adj
joins Edwardsvillc, Ill. The property
placed on sale surrounded the large
factory Of the n. o. Nelson Manufac-
turing Company. whose products are
plumbing fixtures. Sew, al other pro-
moters had failed TO make success
of lot sale in this vicinity. But prior
TO our promotion there, a fair-sized
town had sprung up around the fac
tory so it was necessary for us TO
place large tract of land on the
market which we had purchased pre-.
viously, and which was located in the
outskirts of the small town. We ad-
yertised Systematically Of course. and
70 the establishment of ourselves as
well as every real estate man of Ed
wabsville, we sold those lots in two
| Sundays.
But this probably was not our
quickest sale for soon after that we
opened subdivision in Coffeyville.
Kan, and sold it in day. We had
a queer experience with that sale, On
Friday we staked and tagged the sew
eral hundred lots in the addition. and
established an office on the property.
We did this in the rain. and naturally
enough held no hopes for successful
sale on the following day which was
Saturday. But on Saturday morning
we arrived on the property soon after
sunup and TO our horror we could not
find a single tag. Every tag we had
placed in that subdivision had been
stripped from its stake. At once we
thought that boys of the neighborhood
were playing trick on us. But still
there was possibility of foul play
by n competitor. We thought all sorts
Of things. And were We discouraged
Well it had rained the night before
and It seemed that everything was
against us in putting on Nat subdivi-
sion and then on top Of that to have
some one teal all OF our tags. well
we were about ready TO give up.
Think Tags Stolen.
"But about 10 o'clock the same morn
ing people began 10 arrive. One by
One they came and then the numbers
increased to twos and threes and so
on. until our office s crowded with
people with tags in their ,nds. You
wouldn't believe il but during the
night Friday. buyers had visited the
property and with the aid of lantern
light had chosen their building sites
All we had to do was TO stand at the
office door and lake the money and
give receipt. 1t was the greatest sale
we ever rut on.
"On the next Sunday a brick mason,
who had been one of the buyers.