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OldandMew St. LOUIS; 
 
 A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE METROPOLIS OF THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST, 
 
 WITH A REVIEW OF ITS PRESENT GREATNESS AND 
 
 IMMEDIATE PROSPECTS, 
 
 BY 
 
 J 7^ 7V^ ES COX. 
 
 Author of "St. Louis Tluoui^li a Camera." "The Carnival City of the ll'or/d, 
 
 World's Fair," "Our Own Country,'' &c. 
 
 Missouri at the 
 
 ST. LOUIS, 1894: 
 PUBLISHHD BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 iil'\ )!Ii.HT. IH'.M. .rA>IES (OX. 
 
 v.. 
 
 Vj^ 'Vy^^ 
 

 Press of- 
 
 -m^ 
 
 CONTINENTAL PRINTING CO., 
 515 North Third Street, 
 
 «-^ST. LOUIS. 
 

 
 PUBLISHERS' NOTICE . 
 
 THE PUBLICATION of "Old and New St. Louis" has been delayed far beyond 
 the wishes of the publishers by the immense amount of work which had to 
 be done, not (^nly in securing data concerning the lives and achievements of 
 prominent men in the city, but also in having the necessary steel plates made. A large 
 number of gentlemen who could not possibly be excluded from a work of this character 
 have been absent from the city, and neither photographs nor biographical data could be 
 obtained until they returned. The completeness of the work and the unprecedented 
 and uniform excellence of tlie plates is ample justification for the delay. 
 
 The introductory and historical chapters have been in print for upwards of a year, 
 and since they were written a number of events have taken place which have greatly 
 affected the city's standing and its prospects. The financial depression of i8g^ has 
 been succeeded by a period of healthy reaction. No city in the United States with- 
 stood the panic in such a thoroughly satisfactory manner as St. Louis, which has the 
 proud record of no bank failure for a period of nearly nine years. St. Louis generally 
 is in a much better condition financially and commercially than it was when the earlier 
 chapters of this work were prepared, and it now stands before the world a model of 
 financial strength and of conservative progressiveness. 
 
 The largest Union Railroad Station in the world, described in Chapter V., was com- 
 pleted during the summer of 1894 and .opened with befitting ceremonies at the com- 
 mencement of the fall festi\-ities season. In every respect the depot has pro\-ed to be 
 superior to expectation, and the words of praise written in anticipation of the completion 
 of the work seem feeble and inadequate in view of the magnificent realization. 
 
 The Planters Hotel, also described as in course of construction, was completed 
 shortly after the New Union Station and was opened to the public immediately. Like 
 the magnificent structure fourteen blocks farther west, the Planters Hotel — referred to 
 in this work as the New Planters House, its exact title not having been determined 
 upon until a recent date— far exceeds expectation. It is declared by experts to be one 
 of the finest hotels in the world, and in many most important respects it is absolutely 
 
iv /'r/!/js'///-:A'.s- xor/c/;. 
 
 unsurpassed and indeed unapproached. In the Bio.yraphical Appendix a record will be 
 found of the li\'es of some of the men who have given to St. Louis this noble hostelry, 
 and more particularlN' should credit be gix-en to Mr. Isaac S. Taylor. This accomplished 
 architect not only conceived the unique plan upon which the hotel is constructed, but 
 also superintended the work in every detail, preparing special designs on every possible 
 opportunity and earning the praise and commendation, not only of the owners of the 
 h(jtel, but also of the public generally and of the tra\-eling fraternity. 
 
 The Autumnal Festi\aties Association, whose work is described in Chapter VII., 
 having completed its program, went out of existence on October 9, 1894, to be suc- 
 ceeded by the Business Men's League, another organization which is justly entitled to 
 be included in the list of "aids to progress." The Veiled Prophet made his annual 
 visit in October, preceded a few days by King Hotu, who, with his Funny Fellows, 
 gave the first of a series of annual da\iight parades. The city's record as a convention 
 gathering place has been more than maintained, and the Trans-Mississippi Convention, 
 held at the Exposition Building in INo\-ember, brought to the city representative men 
 fr()m all the Western States. 
 
 Another event of importance to St. Louis, not referred to at length in the historical 
 chapters for obvious reasons, was the launching of the Steamship St. Louis at Philadel- 
 phia (^n November 12, 1894. This magnificent steamship, the largest ever constructed 
 in America, will carry the American flag between the United States and Europe. As 
 soon as work commenced on this vessel, the Bureau of Information of the Autumnal 
 Festivities Association entered into C(immunication with Mr. Griscom, president of the 
 International Navigation Company, and suggested to him that the ship be named 
 "St. Louis," in honor of the great metr(^polis of the West and Southwest. The sugges- 
 tion was favorably entertained, and subsequently a meeting was called at the mayor's 
 office which resulted in a committee being appointed to \-isit Philadelphia. On their 
 arrival at the City of Brotherly Lo\e the committee found that tlie request already made 
 to President Grisci^n had been complied with. It accordingly pledged the city to make 
 a suitable presentation to the ship in recognition of the courtesy extended. A large 
 party of St. Louisans went to Philadelphia to be present at the launching, and when the 
 great ship commenced to glide gracefully into the water, Mrs. Clewland broke a bottle 
 of St. Louis champagne upon it and christened it in due form. 
 
 During 1894 a practical test has been made of the new water-works, which come 
 up to every expectatit)n. The street car equipment of the cit\' has also been \'astly 
 
PUBLISHERS' NOTICE. V 
 
 improved. The table of milea.ye given on page 77 does not now represent the actual 
 mileage of St. Louis street railways. Thus the Union Depot system, wliich is credited 
 with tlfty-five miles of track, has now seventy-six miles. The most important addition 
 to its service has been the Grand Avenue division, the work on which is now nearly 
 complete, and which will provide a most important north and south road. The Lindell 
 company has increased its mileage from forty-one to tlfty-hve miles. The most impor- 
 tant addition to its service has been the Compton Heights division, with a total mileage 
 of eleven. This line .connects the Eads Bridge and the new Union Station with a dis- 
 trict in the southwest which is very thickly populated. The Bad^ Railway Company 
 has ceased to exist, and the old horse-car line has been replaced by a double-track 
 electric road, operated by the owners of the Broadway cable. The total mileage of track 
 in the city is now 208, with forty-five additional miles authorized and about to be con- 
 structed. At the present time the percentage of cable to electric road is as one and 
 eight. This percentage will be still further decreased by the substitution of electricity 
 for cable power on the Citizen's road, or Franklin Avenue cable, as it is more generally 
 called, the change being now nearly complete. 
 St. Louis, December, 1894. 
 

Table of content s. 
 
 CHAPTER I . PAGE. 
 
 Old St. Louis: From the Founding of the Tradino; Post in 17(U to the Adoption of the 
 
 City vSchenie and Charter in 1876, - - - - - - - - - '* 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Nkw vSt. Lori.s: Some of the Influences which Brought About the City's Second Birth. — 
 
 A Succession of Triumphs, ....------ 20 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Manuf.\ctures: a Brief Summary of the Immense Importance of the Manufacturing 
 
 Interests of New St. Louis, ----------- 27 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Tr.\de and Commerce: St. Louis Territory and the Way in which Its Orders for Merchan- 
 dise are Executed, ------------ 45 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Railro.\d .\nd River Facilities: The Best Raihoad Center in the United States. — The 
 Largest City on the Largest River in the Workl. — The Largest Railroad Station in 
 the World, ' - - -' - 58 
 
 CHAPTER \' I . 
 
 R.\PID Tr.\nsit and Its Influences: Early Struggles of Omnibus and Street Car Com- 
 panies. — The Introduction of Cable and Electric Power. — The P^ffect on Improvements 
 and \'alues, ------------- 70 
 
 C H A P T E R \' I I . 
 
 Some Aids to Progress: The Veiled Prophet, Autumnal Festivities Association, Illumi- 
 nations, Exposition and Fair. — Conventions. — Commercial Organizations, - - 71^1 
 
 CHAPTER \' I I I . 
 
 p-iNANCE AND Banking: New St. Louis an Important Financial Center. — Bank Clearings. — 
 
 Trust Companies and Building Associations, ------- 89 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Building Improvements: One Hundred Miles of Street Frontage Built Upon in Three 
 Years. — Histor\- of the Fire-Proof Ofifice-Building Era. — Investments and Improve- 
 ments and Their Influence upon Values, - . - - . - . i)4 
 
 CHAPTERX. 
 
 Municipal Development: The New Water-Works.— New City Hall. — New St. Louis, 
 
 the Pioneer in Street vSprinkling and Electric Lighting, ----- 105 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Social Advantages: A Clean Bill of Health and Its Causes. — -Educational Facilities. — 
 Art. — Libraries. — Churches. — Music. — Theaters. — Clubs. — Hotels. — Bench and Bar. 
 — Medieal. — ^Journalism, --.---..--- 115 
 
OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OLD ST. LOUIS. 
 
 FROM THE FOUNDING OF THE TRADING POST IN 1764, TO THE ADOPTION OF THE CITY 
 
 SCHEME AND CHARTER IN 1S76. 
 
 ^^HE TRADING POST from which has 
 \ / grown the fifth largest city in the 
 (g) (s) United States was established in ITIU, 
 in which year Augnste Chouteau, with 
 about thirty followers, lauded at the 
 foot of what is now known as Walnut 
 street. The founders of the city erected a few 
 log cabins on the ground subsequently occupied 
 by Barnum's Hotel, and here they were joined 
 by Pierre Liguest L,aclede (or Pierre Laclede 
 lyiguest, as he seems to have signed his name), 
 by whose directions the settlement had been 
 made. Authorities differ concerning the origin 
 of the name by which the city has been known 
 from the first. The theory generally accepted 
 to-day is that Laclede christened the settlement 
 " St. Louis " in honor of the canonized monarch 
 of France, though quite a large number of well- 
 informed writers assert that he gave it the name 
 as a mark of respect and lo\-alty to Louis XV., 
 who then occupied the F"reucli throne, and whose 
 patron saint was Louis IX. In explanation of 
 this latter theory, it is argued that Laclede was 
 not aware that the territory west of the Missis- 
 sippi River had been ceded to Spain, and that 
 he only learned of his error the following year, 
 when, to his intense grief and disgust, he 
 became acquainted with the terms of the treaty 
 of Paris of 1703. But, however this may 
 
 have been, the early settlers were almost exclu- 
 sively French; and, although the territory was 
 nominally under Spanish go\'ernment, little ef- 
 fort was made to assert authority or to introduce 
 the Spanish language or customs. The history 
 of the trading post during the eighteenth cen- 
 tur)' has been written at length by several com- 
 petent authorities. The adventures of the hardy 
 pioneers were more thrilling than important, 
 and for the purposes of this review it is suffi- 
 cient to state that when the famous Louisiana 
 purchase was completed in the year 1803, the 
 population of St. Louis was still less than a 
 thousand, with Carondelet as a separate trading 
 post or town, with a population about one-fifth 
 that of St. Louis itself. 
 
 An excellent pen picture of St. Louis at the 
 time of its passing into the hands of the United 
 States is given by Richard Edwards in his 
 "Great West." "There was," we are told, 
 "but one baker in the town, by the name of 
 LeClerc, who baked for the garrison, and who 
 lived in Main street, between what is now 
 known as Elm and Walnut. There were three 
 blacksmiths, Delosier, who resided in Main 
 .street, near Morgan; Recontre, wdio lived in 
 Main, near Carr, and Valois, who resided in 
 Main, near Elm, and did the work for the gov- 
 ernment. There was but one physician, who was 
 
10 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 Dr. vSaugrain, who practiced many years after 
 the territory passed into the possession of the 
 Aniericau government, and who lived on Second 
 street. 
 
 " There were but two little French taverns in 
 the town, one kept by Yostic, and the other by 
 Landreville, chiefly to accommodate the couriers 
 dcs hois (hunters) and the voyagcurs (boatmen) 
 of the Mississippi. These little taverns, visited 
 by the brave, daring and reckless men, who 
 lived three-fourths of the time remote from civ- 
 ilization, in the wild solitudes of the forests and 
 rivers, and in constant intercourse with the sav- 
 ages, were the very nurseries of legendary nar- 
 ratives, where the hunters, the trappers and the 
 boatmen, all mingling together under the genial 
 excitement of convivial influences, would relate 
 perilous adventures, hair-breadth escapes; deaths 
 of comrades and families by the tomahawk, star- 
 vation and at tlie iire-stake; murders by the 
 pirates of Grand Tower and Cottonwood Creek; 
 captivity in the wilderness and cave, and pro- 
 tracted sufferings in the most agonizing forms 
 incident to humanity. There is no record of 
 these wild narratives, which could have been 
 preser\-ed for future times, had there been an 
 historian, who, by the embalming power of 
 genius, would have preserved them in an imper- 
 ishable shape for posterity. Both of these 
 taverns stood upon the corners of Main and 
 Locust streets. 
 
 " The principal merchants and traders, at the 
 time of the cession to the United States, were 
 Auguste Chouteau, who resided in Alain street, 
 between Market and Walnut; Pierre Chouteau, 
 who resided on the corner of Main street and 
 Washington avenue, and had the whole square 
 encircled with a stone wall — he had an orchard 
 of choice fruit, and his house and store were in 
 one building — the store being the first story, 
 and the family residence the second; Manuel Lisa 
 lived on Second street, corner of Spruce; Labbadie 
 & Sarpv; Roubidou lived at the corner of Elm 
 and Main, and Jaques Clamorgan corner of 
 Green and Main. The Debreuil family occu- 
 pied a whole square on Second street, between 
 Pine and Chestnut." 
 
 THE FIRST The town of St. Louis was 
 
 INCORPORATION. ^'''^^ incorporated on Novcm- 
 ber 9, 180!*, in accordance 
 with the provisions of an act passed the preced- 
 ing year by the Legislature of the Territory of 
 Louisiana. The boundaries as then defined cor- 
 respond with present lines and names as follows: 
 On the north a line from the river, between 
 Biddle and Ashley streets, to the vicinity of 
 Se\-euth and Carr, thence south to Seventh and 
 Cerre streets, and thence east to the river. The 
 population of the town on its budding into cor- 
 porate existence was 1,400, and its wealth, ac- 
 cording to the first assessment, was $13-4, 51(j. 
 Auguste Chouteau was the heaviest tax-payer, 
 his town assessment being $1."),000, independent 
 of about S(;i,000 worth of real estate which was 
 sitiuited beyond the limits of the little town, 
 but which is now in the heart of the great city. 
 There had been a great deal of land speculation 
 prior to this, and values had gone up e\-ery time 
 the tide of immigration gained strength and im- 
 petus. There were a few other wealthy men in 
 the city, as wealth went" in those days, includ- 
 ing J. B. C. Lucas, John O'F'allon, William 
 Clark, W^illiam Christy and Henry \'on Phul. 
 
 After its incorporation the town of St. Louis 
 began to grow rapidly, and in the year 1822, 
 when it was advanced to the rank and dignity 
 of a city, its population was 5,000. The boun- 
 daries were extended in December of that year 
 as far north as Ashley street and as far soutli as 
 Labbadie and Convent streets, the western line 
 being on Broadway, between Ashley and Biddle 
 streets, and on Seventh, between Biddle and Lab- 
 badie streets. The area of the town was thus 
 increased to 385 acres, on which there were to 
 be found about (i'>0 houses, 419 of which were 
 frame. The taxable property had not yet reached 
 a million dollars, and the annual income from 
 taxation was a trifle less than $4,000. 
 
 Several additions were platted out during the 
 '30s, including the Lucas addition, between 
 Seventh and Ninth and Market and St. Charles 
 streets; the Soulard addition, between tlie ri\-er 
 and Carondelet avenue and Park and Geyer ave- 
 nues; O'Fallon's li^'M^ addition, between Sev- 
 
OLD ST. LOUIS. 
 
 11 
 
 enth and Eighth streets and Wash street and 
 Franklin avenue; Langham's addition, between 
 LaSalle and Rutger streets and Second and Fifth 
 streets; Christy's addition, between Ninth and 
 Twelfth streets and Franklin and Lucas avenues; 
 O'Fallon's 1837 addition, between Seventh and 
 Fourteenth streets and Franklin avenue and 
 Biddle street; and Soulard's second addition, be- 
 tween Carondelet avenue and Decatur street and 
 Park and Geyer avenues, including a reserved 
 square, subsequently the site of the Soulard 
 Market. 
 
 In 1839 the city limits were again extended. 
 In the meantime the population had increased 
 rapidly and was now 1(),000, with taxable prop- 
 erty assessed at §8,682,000. In 1841 the limits 
 were again increased, this time to take in a to- 
 tal area of 2,(i30 acres and to increase the tax- 
 able property to twelve millions. Additions 
 were laid out in large numbers during the next 
 fifteen years, including William C. Carr's third 
 addition from Eighteenth street to Jefferson 
 avenue, between Franklin avenue and Biddle 
 street. The conditions of the dedication of this 
 addition were unique. It was declared that 
 there "shall be no butchery, tallow chandlery, 
 soap factory, steam factory, tannery, nine-pin 
 alley, or any other offensive business or occupa- 
 tion, set up or carried on in any part of said ad- 
 dition, whereby the dwellers or any lot-owners, 
 proprietors or occupants may be in any way an- 
 noyed or disturbed." Nine-pin alleys appear 
 to have been a special menace to peace and 
 quietness half a century ago, for the dedication 
 of several other additions contain specific ref- 
 erences to and restrictions against them. 
 
 In December, 18;")."), the city limits were again 
 extended, and most of the additions of the last 
 ten or twelve j'ears were taken in. The south- 
 ern boundary was extended to Keokuk street, 
 and a line ()()0 feet west and north of Grand ave- 
 nue became the western and northern limits. 
 The area of the city was increased to seventeen 
 square miles, and the assessed valuation to 
 $.59,(509,289. The town of Bremen, incorporated 
 in 184."), and the town of Highland, incorporated 
 three years later, were absorbed bv the exten- 
 
 sion. The former has preserved its name and 
 individuality to this day, but the latter is known 
 only to history and the proverbial " oldest in- 
 habitant." It included the five squares between 
 Jefferson and Leffingwell avenues, from Laclede 
 avenue to Eugenia street. Among the numer- 
 ous subdivisions which became portions of the 
 city in 1855, the Stoddard and Compton Hill 
 additions are the only two which have preserved 
 their identity to any extent, or whose names are 
 familiar to any except title examiners and realty 
 agents. 
 
 After another interval of fifteen years, in 
 April, 1870, the limits were again extended, 
 and Carondelet became a portion of St. Louis. 
 Our southern neighbor, which at one time had 
 been looked upon as a possible rival, had not 
 been able to keep up with us, though it had 
 grown into a prosperous little city, first incorpo- 
 rated in 1833, and advanced to city rank 
 eighteen years later. In 1872 the limits were 
 extended north and west so as to include Tower 
 Grove, Forest and O' Fallon Parks, but in 1874 
 the Legislature repealed the act and restored the 
 limits of 1870. 
 
 On August 22, IS 71!, the scheme and charter 
 was adopted, and the city of St. Louis was sep- 
 arated from the county, it being thus made a 
 free city in local government; an advantage 
 possessed by no other city in the Mississippi 
 Valley.* The area was increased to sixty-two 
 and one-fourth square miles, and the assessed 
 value of real estate to $181,345,5(50. The new 
 territory made part of St. Louis included the 
 towns of Lowell, incorporated in 1849; Rock 
 Springs (18.")2), Cheltenham (1852), Quinette 
 (1859), Mount Olive (18.54), and Cote Bril- 
 liaute (1853), as well as McRee City, Fair- 
 mount, Rose Hill, Evans Place and College 
 Hill additions. Some of these towns and ad- 
 ditions still retain their names, while others 
 have completely lost their identity, and become 
 entirely merged into the general street nomen- 
 clature. Every one has heard of, and may have 
 
 *As far as the writer has been able to ascertain, there 
 is but one other town in the United States which is prac- 
 tically a county as well as a city. 
 
12 
 
 OLD AXn NFAV ST. I.Ol'IS. 
 
 EARLY Fl.\A\ClAL 
 DIFFICULTIES. 
 
 smelt, Lowell, but comparatively few could lo- 
 cate Ouinette or McRee City. Twenty years 
 hence, few, if any, of these distincti\e names 
 will exist in anything but a pleasant memory. 
 
 St. Louis kept pace with 
 its increase in territory. A 
 post-office was established 
 soon after the Louisiana purchase, and Rufus 
 Easton, a lawyer and title examiner, was the 
 first postmaster. In July, 1<S()8, Joseph Char- 
 less commeuced the issue of the Missouri Ga:i't/i\ 
 the first newspaper published west of the Mis- 
 sissippi. It was necessarily a ver}' primitive 
 newspaper, but its growth has been on a par 
 with that of the city, and, as the Missouri A\- 
 pnhlican and the Si. Louis Republic^ it has 
 acquired national importance and influence. In 
 1811 there were two schools, one French and 
 one English, and during that year a market was 
 erected on Centre Square, between Market and 
 Walnut streets and Main street and the river, 
 the site of the old Merchants' Exchange. In 
 1816the first bank was incorporated, with Samuel 
 Hammond as president and John B. X. Smith, 
 cashier. Prior to this there had been little or 
 no circulating medium in St. Louis, trading be- 
 ing conducted by means of exchanges of lead 
 and skins for groceries, dr\- goods and other 
 merchandise. This financial institution, the 
 Bank of St. Louis, soon had a ri\al in the Bank 
 of ^Missouri, established in IS 1 7, with Auguste 
 Chouteau as president, but neither of these banks 
 enjoyed a lengthy career of prosperity. Even 
 in those days bank officials were not proof against 
 the temptation of over-speculation. 
 
 While the inhabitants of St. Louis were wor- 
 rj'ing over financial problems, Missouri was ad- 
 mitted to the Union, and in December, l.S:?:2, 
 the newly-fonned State Legislature passed an 
 act incorporating St. Louis. In April of the 
 following year the first corporate officers of the 
 city were elected. Mr. William Carr Lane was 
 the first mayor of the city, and ^Messrs. Thomas 
 McKnight, James Kennerly, Philip Rocheblane, 
 Archibald Gamble, William H. Savage, Robert 
 Nash, James Loper, Henry \'on Phul and James 
 Lackman were the first aldermen elected after 
 
 the cit\'s final incorporation. The size and 
 importance of St. Louis at this period are 
 easily ascertained, because, in 18:^1, the first St. 
 Louis directory was published, and, although 
 comjiared with publications of to-day the book 
 appears crude and imperfect, it gives informa- 
 tion of a very valuable character, and settles a 
 great many questions which would otherwise be 
 in dispute. 
 
 From this directory it appears that in ?*rav, 
 lS-21, or about eighteen months before tlie in- 
 corporation, there were i>.''l dwelling houses in 
 St. Louis; of these, i'M were of brick and stone 
 and 41!l were of wood, and rather more than 
 half the structures were in the northern portion 
 of the town. In addition to the dwelling houses, 
 there were, to use the words of the directory, 
 " a number of brick, stone and wooden ware- 
 houses, stables, shops and outhouses." Among 
 the buildings, the steamboat waiehouse, built 
 by ^Ir. Josiah Bright, is described as a large 
 brick building, which would do credit to any of 
 the Eastern cities. ^leutiou is made of " the 
 Cathedral," which, when the directory was 
 compiled, was forty feet high, with a frontage 
 of forty feet and a depth of one hundred 
 and thirty-five, and also of the elegant and 
 valuable library of Bishop Du Bourg. The 
 St. Louis College, we are told, had sixty- 
 fi\-e students and several teachers. As to the 
 other educational and mercantile establishments, 
 the following extract from the directon,- tells 
 the story concisely and with e\-ident accuracy. 
 " St. Louis likewise con- 
 tains ten common schools, 
 a brick Baptist church, forty 
 feet by sixt\-, built in 1818, and an Episcopal 
 church, of wood. The ^lethodist congregation 
 hold their meetings in the old court house and 
 the Presbyterians in the circuit court-room. In 
 St. Louis are the following mercantile, profes- 
 sional, mechanical, etc., establishments, viz.: 
 Forty-.six mercantile establishments, which carry 
 on an extensive trade with the most distant parts 
 of the Republic in merchandise, produce, furs 
 and peltry; three auctioneers, who do consider- 
 able business — each pays $200 per annum to 
 
 .4 PEN PICTURE 
 
 IS 1821. 
 
OLD ST. LOUIS. 
 
 V: 
 
 the State for a license to sell, and on all 
 personal property sold is a State dnty of 
 tliree per cent, on real estate one and a half 
 per cent and their commission of five per 
 cent; three weekly newspapers, viz., the Si. 
 Loitis Inquirer, Missouri Gazette and St. Louis 
 Register., and as many printing offices; one 
 book store; two binderies; three large inns, to- 
 gether with a number of smaller taverns and 
 boarding-houses; six livery stables; fifty-seven 
 grocers and bottlers; twenty-seven attorneys 
 and counsellors-at-law; thirteen physicians; three 
 druggists and apothecaries; three midwives; 
 one portrait painter, who would do credit to any 
 country; five clock and watchmakers, silver- 
 smiths and jewelers; one silver plater; one en- 
 graver; one brewery, where are manufactured 
 beer, ale and porter of a quality equal to any in 
 the Western countrj^; one tannery; three soap 
 and candle factories; two brickyards; three 
 stonecutters; fourteen bricklayers and plasterers; 
 twenty-eight carpenters; nine blacksmiths; three 
 gunsmiths; two copper and tinware manufac- 
 turers; six cabinetmakers; four coachmakers 
 and wheelwrights; three saddle and harness 
 manufacturers; seven turners and chairmakers; 
 three hatters; twelve tailors; thirteen boot and 
 shoe manufacturers; ten ornamental house and 
 sign painters and glaziers; one nail factors-; 
 four hair-dressers and perfumers; two confec- 
 tioners and cordial distillers; four coopers, block, 
 pump and mastmakers; four bakers; one comb 
 factory; one bellman; five billiard tables, which 
 pay an annual tax of $100 each to the State 
 and the same sum to the corporation; several 
 liacks or pleasure carriages and a considerable 
 number of drays and carts; several professional 
 musicians, who plas' at the balls, which are very 
 frequent and well attended by the inhabitants, 
 more particularly the French, who, in general, 
 are remarkably graceful performers and much 
 attached to so rational, healthy and improving 
 an amusement; two potteries are within a few 
 miles, and there are several promising gardens 
 in and near to the town." 
 
 A great deal more information of a valuable 
 character is given. Thus, we are told that 
 
 eight streets ran parallel with the river, inter- 
 sected by twenty-three streets running east and 
 west. The streets in the lower part of the town 
 were narrow, varying from thirty-two to thirty- 
 eight and one-half feet in width, but the streets 
 on "the hill" were much wider and more hand- 
 some. On the- hill in the center of the town 
 was a public .square 240x^^00 feet, reserved for a 
 court-house. Mention is made of two fire en- 
 gines, with properly organized companies, one 
 in the northern and the other in the southern 
 portion of the city, in addition to which ever>' 
 dwelling and store had to be provided with 
 good leather fire buckets. Much space is de- 
 voted to the Missouri Fur Company, whose cap- 
 ital was ''supposed" at the time to amount to 
 about $70,000, the company having in its em- 
 ploy twenty-five clerks and interpreters, and 
 seventy laboring men. The Indian trade of the 
 Missouri and Mississippi Rivers amounted to 
 about $(500,000 a year; and the estimated im- 
 ports of the town to about $2,000,000. The 
 commerce by water was carried in by steam- 
 boats, barges and keel boats, and the principal 
 articles of trade were fur, peltry, lead and agri- 
 cultural products. Two miles above town, at 
 North St. Louis, there was a .steam saw-mill, 
 with several common mills on neighboring 
 streams. "The roads leading from St. Louis," 
 the director}' notice continues, "are very good, 
 and it is expected that the great national turn- 
 pike leading from Washington will strike this 
 place, as the Commissioners of the United States 
 have reported in favor of it." 
 
 The population of the town was estimated at 
 5, .500 by the compiler of the director^', and the 
 alphabetical list of householders contains about 
 800 names. It is interesting to note the first 
 name on the list is "Abel, Sarah, seamstress. 
 North Fourth, above C," and the last "Young, 
 Benjamin, baker and grocer, 81 South Main 
 street." 
 
 The salarj' of the first mayor 
 of St. Louis, Mr. William Carr 
 
 THE CITY'S 
 FIRST MAYOR. 
 
 Lane, was fixed at $300 per 
 annum, but he applied himself most zealously 
 to the city's interest; and among the first acts 
 
14 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOCIS. 
 
 of his administration were the division of the 
 city into wards, the straightening and more ac- 
 curate defining of the streets, the appointment 
 of assessors and health officers, and the grad- 
 ing and partial paving of Main street. 
 
 In 1826 an ordinance was passed authorizing 
 the building of a court-house, and in the follow- 
 ing year work was commenced on the arsenal. 
 A forward step was taken in the direction of 
 city improvements by the systematic naming 
 of the streets. At first, all the streets of St. 
 Louis bore French names. Main street, from 
 Almond to Morgan, was "La Rue Principale," 
 and Second street was "La Rue de TEglise," or 
 Church street, so called because of the first 
 church of the city being built upon it. These 
 French names had continued until 1<S()9, when 
 another s)-stem was adopted. Market street, 
 which was e\-en then the dividing line between 
 north and south, was the only east and west 
 street with a distinctive name. Other streets 
 were, for the most part, distinguished by letters 
 of the alphabet. In 1X27 a much better system 
 -of nomenclature was adopted, and during the 
 same year ordinances were passed for raising 
 funds for the erection of a market and town- 
 house, and also for the grading and pa\ing of 
 Chestnut and Olive streets as far west as Fourth. 
 
 In 1829, Mr. Daniel B. Page was elected 
 mayor, and much activity was manifested by 
 the municipal authorities in the way of street 
 grading and paving. Fourth street was sur- 
 veyed from Market to Lombard street, and Sev- 
 enth street was extended to the then northern 
 limits of the city. Locust street was also graded 
 and paved as far west as Fourth, and the city 
 began to put on metropolitan airs in other ways. 
 In the following year a bridge was erected 
 across Mill Creek, at Fourth and Fifth streets, 
 and a large amount of enterprise in the way of 
 brick-making was manifested. As a result, the 
 primiti\-e one-story houses of the French and 
 Spanish regime began to give place rapidly to 
 brick buildings, and the building lines were 
 much more carefully observed. 
 
 In 1831, more attention was paid to manu- 
 facturing, and the steamboat and river traffic 
 
 began to increase rapidly. The work of paving 
 and grading the streets was continued actively, 
 and the government of the city was generally 
 regarded as excellent. In 1832 the citv's pro- 
 gress was checked by an attack of cholera, but 
 in the following year the temporary set-back 
 was overcome, and marked progress was made. 
 Mr. Edwards, in his " Great West," says of this 
 period: "Since the first arrival of a steamboat, 
 every year they have increased in number, and 
 at this time there was not a day but numbers of 
 steamers landed at the le\'ee, or departed for 
 Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and the upper and lower 
 Mississippi. There was also a line of stages for 
 Vincennes and Louisville. The time of per- 
 forming the journey by coach between St. Louis 
 and Louisville was three and a half days. There 
 was also a stage line between St. Louis and 
 Galena, via Springfield. There was, as yet, no 
 railway to destroy the impediments of distance, 
 and a journey through the interior of the West- 
 ern country, that could not be assisted by river 
 navigation, if performed in earh' spring, was as- 
 sociated with every idea of discomfort; the 
 horses floundering in mud-holes, and probably 
 not being able to extricate the vehicle, and then 
 the traveller had to step out, ofttimes in the very 
 middle of the sink, wdiich held to his legs with 
 such quicksand pertinacity that it frequently re- 
 quired considerable effort to disengage himself." 
 
 Despite these appar- 
 ent difficulties,- 1 h e 
 city's growth was 
 rapid, and nuich foresight was manifested by 
 the authorities. In 183;'), the Connnons were 
 sold and one-tenth of the proceeds was devoted 
 to the support of public schools, the remainder 
 of the proceeds being used for city improve- 
 ments generally. Much enthusiasm was aroused 
 by the success of the sale, and a local writer of 
 the day says of St. Louis: "She already com- 
 mands the trade of a larger section of territory, 
 with a few exceptions, than any other city in 
 the Union. With a steamboat navigation more 
 than equal to the whole Atlantic seaboard; with 
 internal improvements, projected and in pro- 
 gress; with thousands of emigrants spreading 
 
 ENTHUSIASM AND MET 
 APHOR IN I83S. 
 
OLD ST. LOUIS. 
 
 tlieir lialjitatioiis over fertile plains which ever)- 
 where meet the eye, who can deny that we are 
 fast verging to the time when it will be admitted 
 that this city is the lion of the West?" 
 
 The same writer goes on to enthuse over the 
 proposed erection of a theatre, and shortly after 
 his prophecy was issned, the corner-stone was 
 laid of the St. Lonis Theatre on the corner of 
 Third and Olive streets, on the site now occn- 
 pied by the old post-office. The ground cost 
 fifty dollars a foot front and the expense of the 
 building was about $()(), 0(H). The enterprise 
 appears to have been somewhat in advance of 
 the requirements of the times, and the early 
 history of the theatre shows that the projectors 
 met with a great deal of discouragement. 
 
 A year later work was commenced on the 
 Planter's House, which was subsequently com- 
 pleted by the St. Louis Plotel Company. 
 
 In IcS.'Jiij about twenty-five of the leading 
 merchants formed the "St. Louis Chamber of 
 Commerce," not for the purpose of bu}-ing and 
 selling grain and trading in options, but to gener- 
 ally further the interests of the city in commer- 
 cial matters. Edward Tracy was the first presi- 
 dent, Henry Von Phul, vice-president, and John 
 Ford, secretary. Meetings were held after office 
 hours at regular intervals, and substantial good 
 was effected. The ]Merchants' Exchange was not 
 established until 1849, and in 18.30 it was joined 
 by the Millers' Association. In 1837, the Bank 
 of the State of Missouri was incorporated with 
 a capital stock of 15,000,000. The need of 
 banking facilities had been much felt in St. 
 Louis, and the new institution was heralded 
 with much rejoicing and satisfaction. 
 
 It was at about this period that the absolute 
 necessity of railroad facilities between St. Louis 
 and the East and West began to be appreciated, 
 and Mayor John F. Darby called the first rail- 
 road convention held in St. Louis. Although 
 some years elapsed before practical results were 
 manifest, the building of the roads now known 
 as the Iron Mountain and the Missouri Pacific 
 was practically decided upon. Delegates were 
 present at the convention from eleven of the 
 best counties of the State, and the influence of 
 
 the meeting was felt in many ways. The years 
 1830 and 1837 were also memorable in the his- 
 tory of St. Louis for the first appearance of a 
 daily paper, the Missouri Republican., com- 
 mencing its daily issue at about the time of the 
 railroad convention. 
 
 The financial panic of 1837 does not appear 
 to have affected St. Louis as much as other cities 
 of the Union, and even at this early stage of its 
 existence, the "Future Great" established a 
 reputation for solidity and financial soundness 
 which has so marked it during the last half- 
 century. The recovery from the depression was 
 so rapid that the year 1839 was distinctly a 
 boom year. The Mechanics' Exchange was 
 formed, the steamboat trade grew enormoush-, a 
 mayor's court was established and the population 
 increased to upwards of 1(),000. During the 
 year more than 2,000 steamboats arrived at the 
 port — no less than 659 during the month of 
 March. 
 
 In 1841, the Planters' House was opened, and 
 that the city had attained considerable import- 
 ance as a manufacturing point is shown by the 
 record of factories and business establishments 
 to be found within it. There were, according 
 to Mr. Edwards, two foundries; twelve stove, 
 grate, tin and copper manufactories; twent\'- 
 seven blacksmiths and housesmiths; two white- 
 lead, red-lead and litharge manufactories; one 
 castor-oil factory; twenty cabinet and chair fac- 
 tories; two establishments for manufacturing 
 linseed-oil; three factories for the making of 
 lead pipe; fifteen tobacco and cigar manufac- 
 tories; six grist-mills; six breweries; a glass- 
 cutting establishment; a britannia manufactory; 
 a carpet manufactory and an oil-cloth factory. 
 There were also a sugar refinery; a chemical 
 and fancy soap manufactory; a pottery and 
 stoneware manufactory; an establishment for 
 cutting and beautifying marble; two tanneries, 
 and several manufactories of plows and other 
 agricultural implements. 
 
 In the following year the foundation stone of 
 the Centenary church at the corner of Fifth and 
 Pine streets was laid, and in 1843 immense act- 
 ivity was manifested in the building of com- 
 
16 
 
 OI^D AXD NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 THE GREAT FIRE 
 AND ITS 
 
 inercial structures. Eighteen hundred and forty- 
 four was the year of the disastrous river flood 
 which did immense damage, but which did not 
 prevent 1,14G buildings being erected during 
 the year. 
 
 In 184(5 the Mercantile 
 Library was organized, 
 
 and the foundation laid 
 INFLUENCES. ^^^ ^,^^ ^^j^^^^^j^^ .^^^^■^^^_ 
 
 tion which has done so much educational work 
 for the city in every way. In 1849 the city's 
 progress was checked by a calamitous fire, re- 
 sulting in a loss of upwards of §3,000,()0(). The 
 entire area between Locust and Market streets, 
 and from Second street to the river, was devast- 
 ated, and this catastrophe was followed bv an- 
 other attack of cholera, this time more serious 
 than the first. During the months of I\Iay, 
 June and July the number of deaths attributed 
 to cholera amounted to 4,000, and when the 
 scourge was over a stricken and bruised city 
 was left. Under some conditions dual disaster 
 such as this would have discouraged the inhab- 
 itants and set back the progress of the city for 
 many years; but the men who were building up 
 St. Louis were of sterner stuff than this, and it 
 has since turned out that the disasters were in 
 many respects blessings in disguise. The new 
 buildings which took the place of the old ones 
 Avere nuich more substantial in character and 
 much more metropolitan in appearance and far 
 greater precautions were taken against loss by 
 fire. Main street was widened, the levee was 
 paved and sanitary regulations were adopted 
 which have since proved of immense value to 
 the city. 
 
 On October 15th of this year the second great 
 railroad convention was held, and the building 
 of the Pacific Railroad was assured. On the 
 fourth of July, 1851, ground v»'as broken for this 
 road, and in 1852 work was commenced on the 
 Ohio and Mississippi and on the Terre Haute 
 and Alton roads. Thus was the foundation 
 laid for the system of railroads which has made 
 St. Louis the best railroad center in America. 
 In 1855 the St. Louis Agricultural and Mechan- 
 ical Association was incorporated with Mr. J. 
 
 Richard Barret its first president. The site 
 still occupied by the Fair Grounds was pur- 
 chased and in 1856 the first fair was held. 
 
 Early in the same year work was commenced 
 on the Southern Hotel, but the progress made 
 prior to ISHl was inconsiderable. Street rail- 
 roads began to make their appearance at this 
 l^eriod, and it is mentioned as quite an achieve- 
 ment that seven or eight thousand passengers 
 were carried daily. In 1859 the old Post-office 
 and Government building was erected on Third 
 and Olive streets, and Mr. John Hogan ap- 
 pointed postmaster. 
 
 When the war broke out the population of 
 St. Louis was a little more than ltiO,000. Prog- 
 ress was retarded b\- the " late unpleasantness," 
 but not altogether checked. In 18(52 the court 
 house was finally completed, and in 18(54 an 
 act was passed by the Legislature incorporating 
 the Illinois and St. Louis Bridge Company. In 
 the following year the Missouri Legislature 
 passed an amended act, and the necessary legis- 
 lation was also obtained in the State of Illinois. 
 In 18(57 the Polytechnic building was finished, 
 and in the same year Captain J. B. Eads com- 
 pleted his plans for the magnificent bridge which 
 still bears his name, and which is regarded justly^ 
 as one of the wonders of the world. In 18^^ 
 the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburg un- 
 dertook the contract for the superstructure, and 
 on the fourth of July, 1874, it was announced 
 with great rejoicing that the magnificent bridge 
 was completed . The tunnel was also constructed , 
 connecting the bridge approach with the old 
 Union Depot, and St. Louis at last was con- 
 nected directly by means of railroads with the 
 East. 
 
 This completes a brief outline of the history 
 of Old St. Louis, from its first settlement by 
 Laclede and Chouteau to the completion of the 
 first bridge across the Father of Waters and the 
 adoption of the Scheme and Charter. No at- 
 tempt has been made to go into full details, but 
 sufficient has been stated to indicate by what 
 stages the little Indian trading point grew into 
 a frontier village, a county town; an important 
 river port, and finally a great metropolis. 
 
OLD ST. LOUIS. 
 
 17 
 
 ANNALS OF 
 OLD ST. LOUIS. 
 
 The various events and liappeniii<(S since the 
 opening of the bridge will be found recorded in 
 the various chapters dealing with the most im- 
 portant features of New St. Louis, a city which 
 is destined to be at an early date the Metropolis 
 of the Mid-Coutineut, and which is now the 
 commercial and financial metropolis of the tier 
 of prosperous and growing States which make 
 up the great West, Southwest and South. 
 
 The following table of 
 events of interest connect- 
 ed with Old St. Louis, 
 will also be of value in tracing the growth of 
 the city, and the building of great things out of 
 small. It is not a complete historical index, 
 but deals with points of importance with wdiich 
 every St. Louisan ought to be familiar: 
 
 February 15, 17(31, Auguste Chouteau landed 
 at site of St. Louis. 
 
 Louis St. Ange de Bellerive, French Com- 
 mander, took possession July 17, 176;"). 
 
 French supremacy supplanted by Spanish do- 
 minion, August 11, 17()8. 
 
 Pontiac, the great Indian chief, visited St. 
 Ange in 17t3it, and was nuirdered while visiting 
 Cahokia. 
 
 Lieutenant Governor and Military Command- 
 ant Don Pedro Piernas assumed control for 
 Spain, November 29, 1770. 
 
 St. Ange de Bellerive, who had accepted mili- 
 tary services under Piernas, died in 177-1, and 
 was buried in the Catholic cemetery. 
 
 Pierre Laclede Liguest laid out and chris- 
 tened St. Louis, March, 17t)l. 
 
 First marriage, that of Toussaint Hanen and 
 Marie Baugenon, solemnized April 20, 17()(;. 
 
 First Catholic church dedicated with solemn 
 ceremonies, June 24, 1770. 
 
 First ferry established by Gamasche, June, 
 1776, forerunnerof the Wiggins Ferry of to-day. 
 
 Les Petites Cotes, subsequently St. Andrews, 
 now St. Charles, founded in 17()!(, and Floris- 
 sant, then calkd St. Ferdinand, in 1776. 
 
 Pierre Laclede Liguest died June 20, 1778, 
 while en route to New Orleans, and was buried 
 somewhere near the mouth of the Arkansas. 
 
 Don Fernand de Leyba in 1778 succeeded Don 
 
 Francisco Cruyat, a wise and popular Governor 
 in command of Upper Louisiana. 
 
 Monday, May 26, 1780, 1,000 Indians, in- 
 cited by the English, attacked St. Louis and 
 massacred forty citizens. This is known as 
 Paiuice du coup — the year of the blow. 
 
 Don Fernand de Leyba died June 28, 1780, 
 and was succeeded by Lieut. Silvio Francisco 
 Castabana. 
 
 The year 1785 was marked by disastrous 
 floods, almost wiping out civilization in the val- 
 ley. It was called by the French Pannee des 
 grandcs caitx — the year of great waters. 
 
 Boatmen on the Mississippi annoyed by pi- 
 rates at Grand Tower, and in 1788 ten vessels 
 united in an expedition from New Orleans, van- 
 quished the robbers and reached St. Louis safely. 
 This' is known as P aiince des dix bateaux — the 
 )-ear of the ten boats. 
 
 The winter of 17itl) was of extraordinary se- 
 verity, and went into history as Pannee du grand 
 liiver — the year of the hard winter. 
 
 Don Manuel Percy assumed gubernatorial 
 control in 1788, the population of the St. Louis 
 district then being 1,1!I7, exclusive of Indians. 
 
 The beloved Zenan Trudeau was succeeded in 
 1798 by Charles Debault de Lassus de Lunerie, 
 a native of F'rance long in the Spanish service, 
 and promoted to lieutenant-governor from mil- 
 itary command. 
 
 May 15, 1801, marked the first appearance of 
 small-pox, and the settlers commemorated the 
 scourge by a peculiar title, Painiee de la picottc 
 — the year of the small-pox. 
 
 The military fort of Belle Fontaine was estab- 
 lished on the Missouri, near its mouth, by Gen. 
 Wilkinson in 1806. Its site has long since been 
 washed away. 
 
 Gen. Merriweather Lewis, the great explorer, 
 and at the time Governor of the Territory, com- 
 mitted suicide in a moment of depression brought 
 on by the hard times prevailing, while on a 
 journey to Louisville, in October, 1809. 
 
 The Missouri Fur Company was formed by 
 St. Louisans in 1808, and supplanted the Hud- 
 son Bay Company in what afterward became 
 United States territory. 
 
18 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 Charter granted St. Louis Lodge, No. Ill, 
 Masonic Order, September 15, ISOJS, to Gen. 
 Merriweather Lewis, being the first lodge in the 
 West. 
 
 First fire company organized January 27, 
 IS 10. 
 
 July 4, 1811, first public celebration of Inde- 
 pendence Day. 
 
 Earthquake shook St. Louis and vicinity, De- 
 cember 16, 1811. 
 
 June 4, 1812, the name of Missouri was 
 adopted for Territory, and first Territorial Legis- 
 lature met, and the Post-office of St. Louis and 
 departure of delegates to Washington. 
 
 First English school opened by Geo. Thomp- 
 kins in room on Market street, near Second, 
 in 1818. 
 
 August 2, 1815, first steamboat, the "Pike," 
 Capt. Jacob Reed, reached the foot of Market 
 street, and was greeted with holiday demon- 
 stration. 
 
 The Bank of St. Louis, first institution of its 
 kind in tlie Territon,-, incorporated August, 1816; 
 Samuel Hammond, president, and John B. N. 
 Smith, cashier. 
 
 The Missouri Bank was incorporated Febru- 
 ary 1, 1817, with Auguste Chouteau, president, 
 and Liburn W. Boggs, cashier. 
 
 First Board of School Trustees, formed in 
 1817, consisted of Win. Clark, Wm. C. Carr, 
 Thomas H. Benton, Bernard Pratte, Auguste 
 Chouteau, Alexander McNair and John P. 
 Cabanne. 
 
 A fine cathedral was built in 1818 on the site 
 of the old log church. It was decorated with 
 original paintings by Rubens, Raphael, Guido 
 and Paul Veronese, but afterwards destroyed by 
 fire, except the gift of Louis XVIII. , now in 
 Walnut Street Cathedral. 
 
 A duel between Thomas H. Benton and 
 Charles Lucas, April 12, 1817, resulted in the 
 wounding of Lucas. A second meeting on Sep- 
 tember 27, resulted in his death. 
 
 A duel between Joshua Barton, United States 
 District Attorney, and Thomas C. Rector, brother 
 of Gen. Wra. Rector, on Bloody Island, June 
 30, 1818, resulted in the death of Rector. 
 
 St. Louis was incorporated as a city by act of 
 the Legislature December 9, 1822, and William 
 Carr Lane elected mayor, with a board of nine 
 aldermen. 
 
 May, 18111, the " Independence," first steam- 
 boat, left for up the Missouri, reaching Old 
 Franklin in seven days. 
 
 Gen. Wm. H. Ashley's expedition from St. 
 Louis, 1824, reached the great Utah Lake, and 
 discovered the South Pass through the Rocky 
 Mountains. 
 
 Marquis Lafayette visited St. Louis April 28, 
 1825, and was received with great honor and 
 prolonged festivities. 
 
 The year 1825 was marked by the erection of 
 the First Episcopal and the First Presbyterian 
 churches. The commencement of the present 
 court house and Jefferson Barracks and the es- 
 tablishment of the United States arsenal were 
 in the next year, 1826. 
 
 Convent of the Sacred Heart founded at 
 Broadway and Convent street, 1827, by will of 
 John MuUanphy. It is now located at ]\Iarys- 
 ville, in South St. Louis. 
 
 The St. Louis University, under Jesuit con- 
 trol, was permanently opened November 2, 1829, 
 at Ninth and Washington avenue. 
 
 First jockey club organized and opened a 
 three-day meeting Thursday, October 9, 1828. 
 The St. Louis Jockey Club opened the Cote 
 Brilliante track June 4, 1877. 
 
 In 1829, the first branch of the United States 
 Bank, afterwards a bone of national contention, 
 was established, with Col. John O'Fallon as 
 president. 
 
 August, 1831, witnessed the bloodiest duel 
 on record, Spencer Pettis and Major Biddle 
 meeting on Bloody Island, firing at five paces, 
 and both falling mortally wounded at the first 
 fire. 
 
 The first water works, located at the foot of 
 Bates street, were put in operation in 1832, and 
 were a private enterprise, and purchased by the 
 city in 1835. The BisseU's Point works were 
 commenced in 1867 and delivered completed 
 July 16, 1870. 
 
 The free public school system of St. Louis 
 
OLD ST. LOUIS. 
 
 19 
 
 under its present form was created by act of 
 Legislature, February 13, 1833. Judge Marie 
 P. Leduc was first president. The first free 
 school was opened in 1837, four j-ears later. 
 
 First lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
 lows was established June 3, 1835, under the 
 name of Travelers' Rest Lodge, No. 1, and had 
 five members. 
 
 The year 183(5 was marked by the burning 
 alive by a mob of Francis Mcintosh, a negro 
 who had killed Deputy Constable Samuel Ham- 
 mond, the atrocious event occurring on or about 
 the present site of the old Polytechnic building. 
 
 The corner-stone of the St. Louis Theatre 
 was laid in 1836 at Third and Olive, on the 
 spot afterwards occupied by the custom house. 
 N. M. Ludlow, chief of its founders, lived until 
 three years ago. This was the first theatre in 
 the West. 
 
 "The year the negroes were hung" was 1811, 
 four men having murdered two young mer- 
 chants, Jacob Weaver and Jesse Baker, for the 
 purpose of robbery, and then set fire to the 
 building in which the corpses lay. The crim- 
 inals were early apprehended, and, being con- 
 victed, were executed upon Arsenal Island. 
 
 The first steamboat sent up the Yellowstone, 
 the departure of the famous Bonneville expedi- 
 tion to the Far West, the exploration of Ar- 
 kansas and establishment of Fort William, now 
 Little Rock, were events of 1812. 
 
 The Bank of the State of Missouri was in- 
 corporated February 1, 1837, with a capital of 
 $5,000,000, in time to meet the great panic of 
 that year, during which it temporarily sus- 
 pended. The Planters' House was commenced 
 same year. 
 
 The great Daniel Webster visited St. Louis in 
 the summer of 1837, was entertained at the St. 
 Clair Hotel, and the next day he spoke for six 
 hours to an audience of 5,000 which had gath- 
 ered to a barbecue in the field which was after- 
 ward Lucas Market Square, and is now known 
 as Grant Place. 
 
 Centenary M. E. Church corner-stone was 
 laid May 10; Hon. J. B. C. Lucas died; the first 
 steamboat was built in St. Louis; Judge Br>'an 
 
 Mullanphy was impeached for oppression; July 
 3, the steamer Edna blew up and killed fifty- 
 five persons; General Atkinson died at Jefferson 
 Barracks, all in the year 1842. 
 
 The Medical Society riots occurred February 
 25, 1814r; the volunteer firemen's riot occurred 
 July 29, 1849; the first of the Know-nothing 
 riots April 5, 1852; a more serious Know-nothing 
 riot August 7, 1854, in which ten persons were 
 killed and thirty wounded, and the great rail- 
 road riots in 1877. 
 
 The "June rise" of 1844 eclipsed all previous 
 high-water records, the crest being reached June 
 24, with the flood seven feet and seven inches 
 above the city directrix. Steamboats landed at 
 Second street and plied to the bluffs in Illinois. 
 Over 500 people were rendered homeless. The 
 city directrix was not reached in the abatement 
 until July 14. 
 
 October 15, 1849, a mass convention was held 
 at the court house to reconsider the building of 
 a railroad to the Far West, which bore fruit, for 
 on July 4, 1851, ground was broken in the prac- 
 tical commencement of the Pacific Railroad, the 
 humble forerunner of the grand system of rail- 
 roads now west of the Mississippi river. Thomas 
 Allen was president of the first company. 
 
 Washington University was chartered in 1853 
 under the name of Eliot Seminary, which was, 
 a year later, changed to Washington Institute. 
 Smith Academy was added in 185(), and the 
 University formally inaugurated April 22, 1857. 
 The Law School was added in 18(iO, and the 
 Manual Training School in 1880. 
 
 The old Liudell Hotel, on the site of the pres- 
 ent hostelry, was commenced in 1857, and when 
 completed, represented to the people of the 
 country the astounding spectacle of a hotel be- 
 yond the Mississippi surpassing in magnitude 
 any other in the United States. It was de- 
 stroyed by fire in 1867, rebuilt and opened for 
 business in 1874. 
 
 The first street car corporation in St. Louis 
 was the Missouri Railroad Company, and the 
 first car was driven by the president of the com- 
 pany, Hon. Erastus Wells, on July 4, 1859, who 
 lived to see the development of the finest sys- 
 
20 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 tem of local transportation of j)assengers in the 
 world. 
 
 In l'S74 the Union depot was established and 
 the Eads bridge opened for traffic. The Union 
 depot has ontli\-ed its usefulness, but the bridge 
 remains an honor to the city and to the man 
 who designed it. 
 
 In 1876 the scheme and charter was adopted, 
 and St. Louis became an independent city with- 
 out either county government or taxation. 
 
 In 1878 the first Veiled Prophet's pageant was 
 seen in the city, and crude attempts were made 
 to illuminate the city. 
 
 The Mercantile and Commercial clubs were 
 both organized in 1881. 
 
 In 1882 the Cotton Exchange building was 
 opened ; work was commenced on the Exposi- 
 tion building, and the first extensive illumina- 
 tions were seen. 
 
 In 1882 the agitation in favor of granite pav- 
 ing on the down-town streets was commenced 
 and took definite shape. 
 
 In 1883 find 1884 the Exposition building 
 was constructed, and the first Exposition was 
 held in the months of September and October 
 of the latter year. 
 
 In 1884 work was commenced with a view to 
 securing legislation for a rapid transit street 
 railroad in St. Louis, and Old St. Louis ceased 
 to have any practical existence. 
 
 CHAPTER. II. 
 
 NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 SOME OF THE INFLUENCES WHICH BROUGHT ABOUT THE CITY'S SECOND BIRTH.— A SUC- 
 CESSION OF TRIUMPHS. 
 
 WELL-KNOWN character in fiction is 
 represented as expressing doubts as to 
 her birth, and as hazarding an opin- 
 ion that she was never born at all, but 
 just "growed." So it is to a great 
 extent with New St. Louis. We know 
 to a day when Old St. Louis was born ; we know 
 how year after year it grew and flourished, and 
 we know how and when it fulfilled and surpassed 
 early expectations of greatness. 
 
 But just when New St. Louis commenced its 
 existence cannot be determined by a reference to 
 the calendar or a quotation from it. Old St. 
 Louis is a thing of the j^ast. The city in its 
 magnificent maturity has "put away childish 
 things" and ranks high among the foremost 
 cities of the world. Its new Union Station is 
 the grandest, largest railway passenger depot 
 in the world, with track facilities and connec- 
 
 tions which are at once a marvel of intricacy 
 and simplicity ; the largest city on the largest 
 ri\er in the world, St. Louis has also unsur- 
 passed railroad connections, with lines stretch- 
 ing out in every direction and running through 
 every State in the Union ; its manufacturing 
 and commercial establishments are numerous 
 and gigantic, and its manufacturing output is in- 
 creasing more rapidly than that of any other city 
 in the world. The little narrow thoroughfares of 
 our grandparents have given place to some of 
 the best paved and lighted streets in America. 
 The street railway system of St. Louis has be- 
 come the best in the countr)-, and a veritable 
 model even in these days of rapid transit and 
 electric locomotion. Panics come and go, but 
 the banks of St. Louis weather the storm with 
 the ease of lifeboats, and emerge from it unin- 
 jured either in finance or reputation. The parks 
 
NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 21 
 
 of St. Louis are exquisite oases of beauty aud 
 verdure in the midst of a profusiou of commer- 
 cial palaces aud delightful homes, aud New St. 
 lyouis is iu a huudred other ways a model city, 
 not perfect of course, but rapidly advancing to- 
 wards the ideal of municipal excellence. 
 
 But this does not settle the question of the 
 date of the birth of New St. Louis, always as- 
 suming that it was born and did not mysteriously 
 gi'ow. The preceding chapter contains a rough 
 outline of events from the founding of the town 
 to the establishment of the city on an entirely 
 independent basis by the adoption of the scheme 
 and charter, and it may be asked — does not New 
 vSt. Louis date from the severance of the city 
 from the county? Did not Old St. Louis come 
 into existence in 17(i4and pass out of it in 1876? 
 The answer to both questions is " No." 
 The difference between Old and New St. Louis 
 is far greater than a mere matter of years. It is 
 something infinitely more important than a ques- 
 tion of area and boundaries. It involves some- 
 thing much more tangible than a mere increase 
 in material wealth and influence. Old St. Louis 
 clung to the traditions of the past long after it 
 had become one of the largest cities of the Union. 
 It followed where it ought to have led. It 
 scented danger in every new project, and devoted 
 too little energy to measures of aggressive ad- 
 vance. It ignored the rivalry of smaller cities, 
 and allowed them to encroach upon its territory 
 right up to its very gates, and it adopted a pol- 
 icy of ultra-conservatism with a motto, implied 
 if not expressed, that what had made the city 
 great would keep it so for all time and against 
 all comers. In a word it stood still, resting upon 
 its own strength, ignoring the changes which 
 modern invention and enterprise were making 
 around, and ridiculing the idea of a serious devi- 
 ation from the old established lines. The com- 
 mercial interests of the city were mostly in the 
 hands of men of mature years, many of whom 
 had come W.est and grown up with the country, 
 before Horace Greeley had commenced to phi- 
 losophize. 
 
 Some of these veterans heralded the New St. 
 Louis idea with delight, and gave it the support 
 
 THE SENTIMENT 
 
 IN 1878. 
 
 and assistance of advice based upon half a cent- 
 iiry of hard work. But others, inchiding some 
 whose yeoman service certainly entitled them 
 to rest and retirement, looked less favorably on 
 the necessary rush and hurry of these latter 
 days, in which every man who hopes to suc- 
 ceed must do at least the work of two men. 
 They were literally astounded at the progress 
 St. Louis had made during their sojourn in 
 it, and instead of regarding that progress as 
 evidence of unlimited possibilities, they were 
 inclined to regard it as a magnificent achieve- 
 ment — as a battle valiantly fought and perma- 
 nently won. 
 
 This feeling of finality, if 
 the word may be used, was 
 well expressed by a local 
 writer in 1878: "Are St. Louis business men 
 unprogressive? Some of our contemporaries 
 out West are disposed to 'poke fun' at St. Louis 
 because of the apparently unprogressive and 
 unenterprising character of those who are rulers 
 in her marts of trade and banks. Well, per- 
 haps it is a truth that St. Louis is provokingly 
 slow, l)ut it would be well to remember that St. 
 Louis is exceedingly sure, that she does not act 
 for to-day only, but for all time. The truth is 
 St. Louis is a very solid city; that the actual 
 financial condition of her business men is a little 
 too good for a very aggressive campaign for 
 traffic. We do not say that the city is in danger 
 of permanent injury from the prosperous condi- 
 tion of her citizens engaged in the business of 
 merchandising, manufacturing, banking, build- 
 ing and other industries. St. Louis is a con- 
 servative city, that we readily admit; but the 
 conservatism of our citizens does not lead them 
 to neglect the great interests which center here, 
 and which have thus far led to a great and sulv 
 stantial development. It is true, and we readily 
 admit it, that the rather ultra-conservatism 
 which prevails here sometimes delays the con- 
 summation of designs necessary to the contin- 
 ued prosperity of the city, and, to the extent of 
 such delays, retards and injures its commerce. 
 But the good people of St. Louis are neither 
 blind nor destitute of ordinary intelligence. 
 
22 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 They know their interests, and will be very cer- 
 tain to guard them with jealous care." 
 
 "Guarding with jealous care" is good, but it 
 does not build up a city, nor is it either logical 
 or progressive to speak of "the actual financial 
 condition of business men" as "a little too good 
 for a very aggressive campaign for traffic." 
 Eternal vigilance is the price of a great many 
 blessings besides liberty. A city can never be sta- 
 tionary in anything but location; in commerce, 
 finance and influence it must either gain or lose 
 — it must either achieve victories, or it must be 
 content to suffer losses. Thus it was with Old 
 St. Louis in the zenith of its glory. It ceased 
 to be aggressive, and it lost ground. The cen- 
 sus returns of 1880, the last it ever saw, were 
 disappointing in the extreme, and the gains 
 made by apparently insignificant rivals caused 
 a general awaking to the fact that what the city 
 had fought to obtain, it must fight to retain. 
 "Poor old Missouri!" "Poor old St. Louis!" 
 became every-day expressions, and an impres- 
 sion gained ground that St. Louis had seen its 
 best days, that it was a great river town, but 
 not in the race in the days of railroads, and that 
 the western metropolis would not be on the 
 western bank of the IMississippi, in the almost 
 exact center of the great valley to which the 
 Father of Waters gave its name. 
 
 New St. Louis is entirely different. Young, 
 untiring men have assumed control of the city 
 in every department, and where there was leth- 
 argy and content, there is now ceaseless energy 
 and laudable ambition. People no longer say, 
 "Good enough for St. Louis;" nothing is good 
 enough which is not the very best. St. Louisans 
 no longer hesitate when a new project of gigan- 
 tic proportions is suggested; they are ready, to 
 adopt a simile only partly applicable, to step in 
 where angels fear to tread. In other words, the 
 city leads where it iised to follow; it insists 
 where it used to yield; it frightens those it xised 
 to fear. 
 
 The change from the old regime to the new 
 was in a measure gradual, and in a measure 
 sudden. It did not take place when the Eads 
 bridge was opened, nor was the extension of the 
 
 THE FIGHT 
 FOR RAPID TRANSIT. 
 
 city limits and the adoption of the scheme and 
 charter celebrated by a ringing out of the old 
 and a ringing in of the new. The last three or 
 four years of the seventies belong distinctly to 
 the Old St. Louis period, and we must look to 
 the eighties for the day and hour of the birth 
 of New St. Louis. 
 
 And even here it is a 
 case of doctors differing. 
 According to one theory 
 the death-knell to Old St. Louis was sounded when 
 the ground was broken for the first rapid transit 
 road in thecity, the old Locust street cable, which 
 in its twists and turns used to throw the passen- 
 gers around with as little mercy as baggage hand- 
 lers usually extend toward trunks and valises. 
 Truly, the fight for a franchise was picturesque 
 and emblematical. On the one side was the de- 
 mand for rapid transit, with the unanswerable 
 argument that time is money, and that there was 
 no reason for St. Louis being content with mules 
 and horses for street car traction, when smaller 
 cities were building cable lines rapidly. The 
 New St. Louis idea was well brought out, and 
 there was a great deal of severe talk about 
 old-fogyism, vested interests, Westinghonse air- 
 brakes on progress, and the like. 
 
 As to the Old St. Louis theory, it was liter- 
 ally ridden to death. A good lawyer has been 
 described as an advocate who knows when to 
 stop; but the opponents to rapid transit helped on 
 the good work of reform and progress by comibal 
 descents from the sublime to the ridiculous, and 
 by riding their hobby to death. The street car 
 powers that were naturally opposed the pro- 
 ject because of its dangerous rivalry, and they 
 succeeded in getting the ordinance so amended as 
 to force upon the promoters what was described 
 as "an impossible route." That is to say, they 
 multiplied the curves and difficulties to such an 
 extent that competent engineers expressed de- 
 cided opinions to the effect that the road could 
 never be operated even if built. This was fair 
 fighting, but it was accompanied by consider- 
 able hitting below the belt. Worshipers of the 
 old idea screamed with horror. Horses would 
 be frightened, wheels would sink into the cable 
 
NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 23 
 
 slot, children and even adults would be crushed 
 out of existence by the threatened Juggernaut, 
 and streets would be rendered absolutely impass- 
 able. These arguments were raised, not once or 
 twice, but dozens of times, both before the com- 
 mittees of the City Council and House of Dele- 
 gates, and in the columns of the newspapers. 
 It was a cry of flee from the cars to come, and 
 there was no dearth of prophets to foretell dire 
 disaster as the immediate and certain effect of 
 the proposed profanation of the streets. 
 
 Nor was this all. The old story of the man 
 who objected to gas because his father had li\-ed 
 and prospered with no brighter illuminant than 
 a rush-light, was retold in a new form and with- 
 out the narrators noticing the humor of their 
 argument. St. Louis, they said, had grown into 
 a great city without rapid transit, and what had 
 sufficed in the past would do in the future. It, 
 or rather they, did not need any innovations, and 
 the city's reputation for substantial solidity 
 would be jeopardized by the change. People 
 did not live far enough from their places of busi- 
 ness to make rapid transit necessary, it was 
 urged, the theorists calmly oblivious of the fact 
 that they were mixing up cause and effect, and 
 that the reason people lived in crowded homes 
 was because the most attractive and healthy por- 
 tions of the city were inaccessible to all but the 
 favored few who could afford to keep carriages 
 and horses. Public opinion was divided to a 
 remarkable extent, but common sense finally 
 triumphed, the necessary powers were granted 
 and the road was built. 
 
 This was in the years 1884, 1885 and 188(), 
 and, we are inclined to think, a little after the 
 birth of New St. Louis. There was a pitched 
 battle between the old and the new, and both 
 forces organized with sufficient thorono-hness to 
 indicate the existence of the new idea which was 
 gaining strength, as well as the old idea which 
 was d)ing so painfully and so hard. 
 
 Again, as evidence 
 of the fact that the 
 grand awakening took 
 place prior to the building of the first rapid 
 transit road, the erection of the Exposition 
 
 THE VEILED 
 PROPHET'S INFLUENCE. 
 
 Building and the inauguration of autumnal 
 illuminations may be recorded. That the Old 
 St. Louis idea is not interred, although it is long 
 past medical aid, is proved by the fact that 
 there are still people to be found who doubt the 
 good influence of hospitality, and who cry cni 
 bono? every time St. Louis lays itself out to 
 attract and entertain. But these are in a hope- 
 less minority, for on every hand the opinion 
 prevails that if the Veiled Prophet is not the 
 actual creator of New St. Louis, he was present 
 at the birth and assisted materially in bringing 
 it about. It was the Prophet who taught the 
 people of St. Louis to appreciate the beauties 
 and resources of their own city, and it was the 
 Prophet and his followers who downed cry after 
 cry of the Old St. Louis order. 
 
 And if it was not the Prophet who suggested 
 the building of a home for a permanent exposi- 
 tion, who was it? In the years 1883 and 1884, 
 the suggestions took material shape, and it is 
 probable that this event, more than any other, 
 marked the change from the old to the new. 
 The raising of the necessary funds to construct 
 the building, and the general rallying around 
 the standard, roused St. Louisans out of them- 
 selves and had an educational influence, the 
 value of which it would be difficult, if indeed it 
 were possible, to overrate. The change was 
 not by any means completed while the work 
 was in progress, because the air was full of 
 prophesies of failure. No city had ever suc- 
 ceeded in making an annual exposition self- 
 sustaining, and was it likely "poor Old St. 
 Louis could"? It was not at all likely; but it 
 was possible for New St. Louis to do what has 
 since been so forcibly demonstrated. The mill- 
 ions of people who have come from east, west, 
 north and south to see the Exposition, the illu- 
 minations and the other fall attractions, have 
 carried back to their homes enthusiastic state- 
 ments as to the grandeur of the city, and have 
 concluded description after description with the 
 qualification that the half had not been told. 
 
 In a search for the causes which led to an ig- 
 noring of the 2:>ast and a determination to plan 
 and construct a new future, it would be niani- 
 
24 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 THE COMMERCIAL CLUB 
 AND QRANITE STREETS. 
 
 festly unjust to overlook the influence of two of 
 tlie great clubs of St. Louis — the Mercantile 
 and the Commercial. The Mercantile Club was 
 established three or four years before the Expo- 
 sition, and it has been the birthplace of nearly 
 every important project which has since seen the 
 light. The meeting at which it was proposed 
 to construct an exposition building was held in 
 the old building on Locust street, and many 
 other projects of untold value to the city were 
 plotted and schemed in one or the other of the 
 rooms of the same building. It was almost 
 an act of vandalism to tear down a club house 
 which had so many pleasing and profitable 
 memories; but it was erected in the reign of 
 Old St. Louis, and was not in keeping with 
 New St. Louis, either in capacity or elegance. 
 
 The Commercial 
 Club differs from the 
 Mercantile in one 
 essential point. It is a debating society rather 
 than a social club, and it also performs many of 
 the duties which fall to the lot of boards of 
 trade in smaller cities. Since the formation of 
 the Autumnal Festivities Association, with its 
 numerous committees, the Commercial Club has 
 been less heard of than formerly. But in its 
 earlier days it was an immense power for good, 
 and its influence on improvements of the better 
 kind has always been marked. Indeed, it com- 
 petes with the rapid transit movement and the 
 Veiled Prophet for the right to claim New St. 
 Louis as its own particular offspring. The club 
 was established in the year 1881, and its forma- 
 tion proved to no inconsiderable extent the ex- 
 istence of a spirit of dissatisfaction with the 
 existing condition of affairs and a determination 
 to strike out in fresh lines and pastures new. 
 In March, 1882, Mr. George E. Leighton read a 
 paper before the club in which he spoke strongly 
 on the importance of an improvement in the 
 streets and of better paving. The arguments 
 were heartily appreciated, and if the paper did 
 not result in the immediate repavingof the bus- 
 iness streets, it at least opened the eyes of the 
 public to the paramount importance of the work, 
 whioiiwas commenced soon after its reading. 
 
 Again, the Old St. Louis ultra-conservatism 
 was manifested; and the reform was fought bit- 
 terly. At that time, and, indeed, up to the 
 year 1893, the cost of street reconstruction was- 
 charged against the property fronting on it, 
 with a limit of charge fixed at one-fourth the 
 assessed valuation, any excess being paid out of 
 the municipal revenues. There is no limit now,* 
 but even with the advantage f^iven property 
 owners under the old law, they protested bit- 
 terly, and the board room of the Board of 
 Public Improvements, as well as the committee 
 rooms of the two branches of the Municipal 
 Assembly, and even the mayor's ofiice itself, 
 heard arguments which echoed in sentiment 
 and purpose the still prevailing conservatism. 
 
 But the pavements which were good enough 
 for Old St. Louis were not suitable in any re- 
 spect for New St. Louis, and common sense 
 won again. As the business streets were paved 
 with granite, so did the standing of the city 
 improve. History shows that, almost invari- 
 ably, good roads and civilization have gone 
 hand in hand; and the. moral and commercial 
 influence of good streets in St. Louis has been 
 astounding. Whether the new era was the re- 
 sult of their being constructed, or whether their 
 construction was an incident to the new era, 
 this deponent sayeth not. 
 
 In the same line of thought it is difficult to 
 distinguish cause and effect in regard to the 
 phenomenal increase in the extent and, im- 
 portance of the city's manufnctures. Certain it 
 is that coincident with the commencement of 
 work on the granite streets and with the build- 
 ing of Exposition Hall, the manufacturing inter- 
 est had an awakening far too solid and lasting to 
 be looked upon or spoken of as a " boom. ' ' Ne \v 
 factories and ofSce-buildings began to be erected, 
 old ones were remodeled and enlarged, and 
 " angels of commerce " were sent out to do mis- 
 sionary work in fields never before invaded by 
 St. Louis houses. As rapid transit opened up 
 new territory for homes, this good work con- 
 
 *The validity of the Stone Law, abolishing the 25 per 
 cent limit, was being tried in the courts when this woik 
 went to press. 
 
NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 25 
 
 TWO OUTSIDE OPINIONS 
 ON THE 
 
 tinned, and New St. Louis is to-day one of the 
 most important manufacturing and distributing 
 points in the world, leading in many lines and a 
 good second in many more. 
 
 So it will be seen that four distinct iufiuences 
 combined to bring New St. Louis into existence 
 about ten years ago. Fortunately, there was 
 an abundance of youthful talent and energy to 
 2)iIot the old into the new and to take advantage 
 of opportunities as they arose; and, hence, we 
 have to-day a city old only in its history, its 
 solidity and integrit}-, and new in every other 
 feature — in its buildings, its streets, its manu- 
 factures, its commerce and its people. 
 
 Julian Ralph, who 
 is perhaps the best 
 
 authoritv of the dec- 
 CITVS NEW GROWTH. , . 
 
 a d e on American 
 
 cities, owing to the nature and extent of the 
 special correspondence tours he has undertaken, 
 has this to say of the transition or " new 
 growth" of St. Louis: 
 
 " St. Louis is the one large western city in 
 which a man from our eastern cities would feel 
 at once at home. It seems to require no more 
 explanation than Boston would to a New Yorker 
 or Baltimore to a Bostonian. It speaks for 
 itself in a familiar language of street scenes, arch- 
 itecture, and the faces and manners of the peo- 
 ple. In saying this I make no comparison that 
 is unfavorable to the other western cities, for it 
 is not unfriendly to say that their most striking 
 characteristic is their newness, or that this is 
 lacking in St. Louis. And yet to-day St. Louis 
 is new-born, and her appearance of age and of 
 similarity to the eastern cities belies her. She 
 is not in the least what she looks. Ten or 
 a dozen years ago there began the operation of 
 influences which were to rejuvenate her, to fill 
 her old veins with new blood, to give her the 
 momentum of the most vigorous western enter- 
 prise. Six or seven years ago these began to 
 bear fruit, and the new metropolitan spirit com- 
 menced to throb in the veins of the old city. 
 The change is not like the awakening of Rip 
 Van Winkle, for the city never slept; it is rather 
 the repetition of the case of that boy-god of 
 
 mythology, whose slender form grew sturdy 
 when his brother was born. It was the new 
 life around the old that spurred it to sudden 
 growth. ' ' ( Harper's A'c^u Monthly^ November, 
 1892.) 
 
 A year later the Springfield Democrat., com- 
 menting editorially on a large real estate trans- 
 action, said: " St. Louis has never in any sense 
 been a 'boom' town, but there is not to-day a 
 city in the country in better repute as a solid, 
 progressive, financial, commercial and manufact- 
 uring center, nor one which is making as rapid 
 jDrogress in expansion of trade, in architectural 
 supremacy, or in increase of population. To 
 within fifteen years ago it was regarded as an 
 ultra-conservative town that compromised its fu- 
 ture by the rejection of adventitious aids that 
 were seized upon by its windy competitor by the 
 lakes, and was the target of jibes and standing 
 comparisons that were a dead-weight when the 
 present generation took the helm and overthrew 
 tradition by the utilization of every legitimate 
 opportunity that gave the promise of a better- 
 ment. 
 
 ' ' The New St. Louis is an object lesson for 
 the careful, and, possibly, profitable, considera- 
 tion of other communities with greater or less 
 aspirations. It has demonstrated that while 
 conservatism is advantageous as breakwater, it 
 is a positive injury as dam to enterprise, and 
 that the maxim, ' nothing venture, nothing 
 gain,' has its application in the building of cities 
 as in tlie determination of the fortunes of indi- 
 viduals." 
 
 It was a favorite boast of 
 the old regime that "St. 
 Louis owns herself. ' ' In other 
 words, the people gloried in 
 the fact that local enterprises were supported 
 exclusively by local capital. This fallacy has 
 long since been exploded, and there is a realiza- 
 tion of the fact that the more outside capital 
 that is attracted to the city, the greater the ad- 
 vantage to its mercantile and manufacturing in- 
 terests. Since the civilized world has begun to 
 appreciate the fact that New St. Louis is one 
 of its most progressive and prosperous cities, 
 
 FOREIGN CAPITAL 
 
 AND 
 
 ITS INFLUENCE. 
 
26 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 millions of outside capital have been attracted 
 to it, and many of the most magnificent of the 
 new buildings have been erected largely or in 
 great part by eastern and even English money. 
 The days of Chinese walls are over, and the city 
 which earns for itself the confidence of the in- 
 ternational financial world is the one that makes 
 the most pronounced and prolonged improve- 
 ment. Charity may begin at home, but it does 
 not end there; and while the investment of local 
 capital and accumulation is the first stepping- 
 stone to municipal growth, the attraction of 
 foreign capital for investment is indispensable 
 in these days of competition and encroachment. 
 Hence, while Old St. Louis was hampered by an 
 excess of exclusiveness and an undue tendency 
 to look with suspicion upon new enterprises 
 from the outside. New St. Louis has sprung to 
 the front and kept there, largely because it has 
 attracted the attention, if not the envy, of the 
 financial and mercantile world of two continents, 
 and because of the impetus investment from the 
 outside has given to almost every one of its in- 
 dustries. 
 
 When English gold was paid for a number of 
 the breweries of which St. Louis had long been 
 proud, there was considerable heartache in con- 
 sequence. But the breweries remain where they 
 were. They pay as large if not larger sums 
 every week to St. Louis men to be spent at 
 St. Louis stores, and for all practical purjioses the 
 city derives as much benefit from the industry 
 as ever. True, the idea of the profits crossing 
 the ocean in the shape of dividend warrants is 
 the reverse of pleasant, but the local investment 
 of the foreign purchase-money proved so advan- 
 tageous in every way, and gave such an impe- 
 tus to local building, that a great many dividends 
 will have to be paid before St. Louis will lose 
 one tithe of what it gained. And although 
 there are not wanting those who regret the plac- 
 ing of municipal bonds in London during the 
 current 3'ear, there are hundreds more who re- 
 joice in the evidence furnished of the city's ex- 
 cellent credit abroad, and who also recognize 
 the fact that had the bonds been subscribed for 
 locally, just so much money must have been 
 
 withdrawn from the home loaning capital, to 
 the probable curtailment of local enterprise and 
 business. In short, it is not an iinmixed bless- 
 ing for a city to own itself, and the recognition 
 of this fact has proved of incalculable benefit to 
 New St. Louis in its fight for commercial su- 
 premacy — a fight which has been so overwhelm- 
 ingly successful, and which is still being waged 
 so gloriously and so well. 
 
 The preceding chapter closed with a brief 
 chronological summary of events in Old St. 
 Louis. This chapter cannot close more appro- 
 priately than with the record of some of the 
 "footprints in the sands of time" madebv New 
 St. Louis. Each footprint marks a stride to- 
 wards improvement and perfection; a casting 
 aside of things that were, and a pressing for- 
 ward to things that are to be. Reference is 
 only made to distinct and absolute reforms, or 
 movements in the direction of reform. 
 188L 
 
 Commercial and Mercantile clubs established. 
 1882. 
 
 Agitation for granite streets commenced. 
 
 First extensive street illumination. 
 1883. 
 
 Exposition and IMusic Hall Association incor- 
 porated. 
 
 Active work commenced on repaving down- 
 town streets with granite. 
 1884. 
 
 First franchise granted for rapid transit (Ca- 
 ble and Western). 
 
 Opening of Exposition Building, and first an- 
 nual Exposition. 
 
 188.5. 
 
 Ground l^rokeu for first lofty fire-proof offiae 
 building. 
 
 1886. 
 
 First cable road operated. 
 
 Union Depot Company formed. 
 
 General activity commenced in building asso- 
 ciations. 
 
 1887. 
 
 Streets first sprinkled by municipal contracts. 
 
 Charter ol)tained for second bridge across the 
 Mississippi at St. Louis. 
 
MANUFACTURES. 
 
 27 
 
 St. I^ouis made a central reserve city for 
 national banks of other cities. 
 1888. 
 
 Work commenced on new Water-works, ca- 
 pacity 100, ()()(), OOO gallons daily. 
 
 General movement inaugurated to build freight 
 depots on this side of river for eastern roads. 
 1889. 
 
 Merchants' Bridge constructed. 
 
 First electric cars successfully operated. 
 
 Largest electric arc light works in the world 
 
 constructed. 
 
 1890. 
 
 Merchants' Bridge opened for traffic. 
 Foundation-stone of new City Hall laid. 
 Streets and alleys lighted by electricity. 
 
 1891. 
 First county electric road constructed. 
 New Mercantile Club Building commenced. 
 St. lyouis Trafhc Commission organized. 
 Work commenced on new Union Station. 
 Autumnal Festivities Association formed, and 
 more than $500,000 subscribed. 
 
 1892. 
 
 Work commenced on New Planters' House, 
 $2,000,000 hotel. 
 
 Sixteen million dollars appropriated by Con- 
 gress for improvement of Mississippi river. 
 
 First postal street railroad car run in the United 
 States on a St. Louis electric railroad. 
 
 New buildings erected with a total frontage 
 of thirty-nine miles. 
 
 Grand Columbian street illumination. 
 
 Smoke Abatement Association formed. 
 
 1893. 
 
 Electric street car system completed, and last 
 horse car run down-town. 
 
 Legislation against black and gray smoke, and 
 first prosecutions under the ordinance. 
 
 National financial uneasiness. No bank or 
 other failures in St. Louis. 
 
 City four per cent renewal bonds placed in 
 London at par. 
 
 Largest Union Railroad Station in the world 
 jDractically completed. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MANUFACTURES. 
 
 A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE IMMENSE IMPORTANCE OF THE MANUFACTURING INTERESTS OF 
 
 NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 JT HAS BEEN asserted by political econo- 
 mists of every school, that production is 
 the only actual and reliable source of 
 wealth. Every nation that has attained 
 eminence of a permanent character has 
 done so by and with the aid of its manu- 
 factures; and every country which has gained 
 temporary precedence by any other means has 
 found its glories transitory and its supremacy 
 short-lived. Statesmen and philosophers have 
 differed as to the best means of encouraging 
 
 home industries, but while the word "protec- 
 tion" has acquired a political meaning, and 
 has become a party watch- word, every party in 
 every country claims that its policy is designed 
 to foster manufacturing in its own territory, and 
 to encourage the production of commodities of 
 every description at home. Especially is this 
 the case in a comparatively new country like the 
 United States. In the early struggles of colon- 
 ists and exiles, every luxury — including in the 
 term many articles which habit has made nee- 
 
'28' 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 essaries of every-day life — had to be imported 
 from older countries, and the rise of the nation 
 in wealth and influence has been the immediate 
 and direct result of the increase in its manufact- 
 ures which, although slow at times, has always 
 been continuous. Adam Smith and Stuart 
 Mill, and indeed all authorities on political 
 economy, have proved that manufacturing and 
 greatness go hand in hand, and although the 
 majority of our statesmen during the last quarter 
 of a century, have favored measures at variance 
 in detail with the theories of these authorities, 
 the policy has invariably been to expedite man- 
 ufacturing supremacy. 
 
 And as it is with nations, so is it with cities. The 
 "boom" towns of the West, which built up in a 
 day, fell by the wayside almost as rapidly, because 
 the growth was not the result of legitimate de- 
 mand, and because the local manufacturing in- 
 dustry was not extensive enough to warrant or 
 maintain the growth. The solid substantial cities 
 of the East have, on the other hand, held their own 
 because of the practical monopoly they have en- 
 joyed in the production of commodities called for 
 by the entire country. St. Louis owes its unique 
 prosperity to the same cause — to the immense- 
 ness of its manufactures and the rapid increase in 
 the amount of capital invested, wages paid, and 
 goods produced. The influences alluded to in 
 the preceding chapter made the manufacturing 
 greatness of the city possible, and the greatness 
 in turn has guaranteed the city a glorious future. 
 
 Up to the time when New St. Louis reared 
 its head and asserted itself over Old St. Louis, 
 very little encouragement was offered to outside 
 capital or capitalists; and in a number of in- 
 stances enterprises of great value were in conse- 
 quence lost to the city. But as the manufactur- 
 ing public found that a new order of things pre- 
 vailed, immigration of the most advantageous 
 character set in. Firms and corporations came 
 from other cities and infused new life and energy 
 into our institutions, encouraging a spirit of 
 friendly rivalry and adding immensely to the 
 capacity and output. St. Louis is pre-eminently 
 the best adapted city on the continent for man- 
 ufacturing. Situated a short distance west and 
 
 south of the center of population, it offers ad- 
 vantages in the way of distribution second to no 
 other city, and its magnificent railroad and river 
 connections enable these advantages to be made 
 the most of. Raw material of every description 
 is close at hand, and coal, the great source of 
 mechanical power, is abundant and cheap. The 
 southern Illinois coal fields yield an unlimited 
 supply of excellent coal, which is delivered to 
 factories at prices which excite the envy of man- 
 xifacturers located elsewhere. The price varies 
 according to the side-track facilities and the 
 length of the haul, but contracts are now being 
 executed at prices as low as $1.:20, and even less, 
 2)er ton. No other large manufacturing city can 
 offer such inducements as this, and in most of 
 them the cost of coal is at least twice as great. 
 Only the manufacturer realizes what an impor- 
 tant factor is the price of coal in his calculations, 
 and the advantage which the cheap and good 
 coal of St. Louis gives to the St. Louis producer 
 over his competitors elsewhere. 
 
 The output of the coal fields, which are so 
 close to St. Louis that they are part and parcel 
 of its manufacturing greatness, is enormous, 
 amounting to thirty million tons annually. The 
 receipts of coal at St. Louis for the last ten years, 
 or since the city's awakening to the New St. 
 Louis idea, are worth placing on record, because 
 t!ie\' show what immense increase has been 
 made in the consumption of the great power cre- 
 ating article without which manufacturing can- 
 not snccessfulh' be carried on. 
 
 
 Hituminous Coal . 
 Bushels. 
 
 Anthracile Coal. 
 Tons. 
 
 Coke . 
 Kushels. 
 
 1883 
 
 50,687,225 
 52, .349 UOO 
 53,387,064 
 61,258,525 
 66,.524,925 
 67,676,875 
 65,403,025 
 69,477,225 
 72,078,225 
 82,302,228 
 
 52,000 
 
 62,000 
 
 80,000 
 
 70,000 
 
 131,600 
 
 136,600 
 
 121,500 
 
 124,335 
 
 139,050 
 
 187,327 
 
 6,956,500 
 
 1884 
 
 3 190 150 
 
 1885 
 
 3,500,000 
 
 1886 
 
 5,463.950 
 
 1887 A.. 
 
 18SS 
 
 1889 
 
 9,584,350 
 6,757,5.50 
 8,646.200 
 
 1890 
 
 9,919 850 
 
 1891 
 
 6,924, 2.J0 
 
 1892 
 
 8,914,400 
 
 
 
 There are many other influences which have 
 combined to force New St. Louis to the front in 
 this all-important feature. These will be found 
 
MAN UFA C TURES. 
 
 29 
 
 enlarged upon in other portions of this work. 
 It will suffice here to show briefly to what 
 eminence St. Louis has already attained as a 
 manufacturing city. 
 
 St. Louis has (i,000 factories. 
 
 It has the largest shot tower in America. 
 
 It has the largest iron jail factory in the world. 
 
 It has the largest stamping plant in the coun- 
 tiy. 
 
 It manufactures more tobacco than any other 
 city. 
 
 It manufactures more chairs than any other 
 city. 
 
 Its sugar refineries include the largest in the 
 world. 
 
 It has the largest cracker factory in the 
 world. 
 
 It is first in the production of stoves and 
 ranges. 
 
 It has the largest woodenware factory in 
 America. 
 
 It produces more boots and shoes than au)- 
 other city. 
 
 It has the largest and best equipped brewery 
 in America. 
 
 It easily leads in the manufacture of saddlery 
 and harness. 
 
 The value of the product of ISSK) was double 
 that of 18.S(). 
 
 It is the fifth largest manufacturing city in the 
 United States. 
 
 It has the largest terra cotta factory in the 
 United States. 
 
 Its factory employes earn an average of about 
 $200,000 a day. 
 
 It leads in the manufacture of street cars of 
 every description. 
 
 It has the largest boot and shoe factory xinder 
 one roof in the Union. 
 
 It is the only western cit}- manufacturing 
 silverware to any extent. 
 
 Its reclining chairs are in use in railroad cars 
 in ten different countries. 
 
 It is the third largest furniture manufacturing 
 city in the United States. 
 
 Its factories find employment for one-sixth of 
 the city's total population. 
 
 It manufactures more coffins and caskets than 
 any other city in the world. 
 
 It has recently executed the largest order for 
 steam railroad cars ever placed. 
 
 It has the largest jeans factory in the United 
 States, and probably in the world. 
 
 It manufactures one-fourth of the entire to- 
 bacco product of the United States. 
 
 It manufactured street cars which are in daily 
 use in England, Australia and Japan. 
 
 Its monthly manufactured product is sold for 
 sufficient to pay off the entire city debt. 
 
 It is the fourth largest producer of men's 
 clothing, and leads in the higher grades. 
 
 It has the largest press brick, fire brick and 
 sewer pipe factories in the United States. 
 
 It is first in the manufacture of white lead, 
 with the largest white lead factory in the world. 
 
 It has a tobacco factory which has paid more 
 government tax than any other factory in the 
 Union. 
 
 It is the home of the largest electric arc light 
 plant and the largest incandescent station in 
 America. 
 
 Its millers manufacture more flour than those 
 of any other city in the world, with but one 
 exception. 
 
 It manufactured more of the glass used in the 
 World's Fair buildings than any other three 
 cities combined. 
 
 Its manufactures are more extensive than those 
 of Kansas City, Omaha, Denver and San Fran- 
 cisco combined. 
 
 Its annual manufactured product, on a cash 
 valuation, is twelve times as great as the city's 
 bonded indebtedness. 
 
 Its manufactured product is equal in value to 
 over $400 per annum per inhabitant, including 
 men, women and children. 
 
 It is the greatest distributing point for agri- 
 cultural machinery, and ranks among the larg- 
 est manufacturing cities in this specialty. 
 
 Its factory employes are 25 per cent more 
 numerous than when the census was taken in 
 1«;I0, as proved by the State Labor Commis- 
 sioner's report, published early in the winter of 
 1893. 
 
30 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 THE GAIN IN 
 
 EASTERN CITIES DURING 
 
 THE EIGHTIES. 
 
 This list does not 
 include ever}' indus- 
 try or factory which 
 is a record-breaker. 
 It is rather typical than complete, and is given 
 for the purpose of showing that when the state- 
 ment is made that St. Louis is a manufacturing 
 monarch, there is not even a suspicion of exag- 
 geration. No other city in the world can claim 
 such cosmopolitanism in its manufactures, and 
 no other city can produce such a showing of 
 excellence in such a vast number of varying lines 
 and branches. Nor are the claims a mere 
 matter of surmise. They are based upon actual 
 facts and figures recorded in the census of ISiK) 
 (Bulletin 170), and have hence the stamp of 
 official confirmation. The progress made since 
 the war has been both rapid and continuous. 
 In 1860, St. Louis ranked ninth in the list of 
 manufacturing cities. The returns for 1870 
 were so notoriously inaccurate that they are 
 worthless for purposes of comparison; but the 
 year 1880 found St. Louis in the sixth place, 
 with an annual product of $104,000,000. It was 
 still led by New York, Philadelphia, Brooklyn 
 and Boston, in addition to which Chicago had 
 risen to third place. Pittsburgh was entirely dis- 
 tanced and Providence, Newark, Cincinnati and 
 Baltimore were left far in the rear, St. Louis 
 having made a growth of about 400 per cent 
 for the twenty years as against their compara- 
 tively small increases. 
 
 Durins: the eio-hties the influence of New 
 St. Louis made itself felt in a most decisive 
 manner in its manufactures, and during the de- 
 cade it made a greater increase than any of the 
 great Eastern centers of manufacture. Thus the 
 manufactured product doubled itself during the 
 ten years, while the increase in New York was 
 but fifty-six per cent, in Philadelphia seventy- 
 two per cent, in Cincinnati sixty-seven per 
 cent, and in Baltimore sixty-nine per cent. In 
 the amount of capital invested a comparison is 
 still more favorable to St. Louis, which made a 
 gain of 180 per cent during the decade while 
 the increase in New York, Philadelphia and 
 Baltimore averaged 100 per cent, and the gain 
 
 in Cincinnati was about seventy-seven per cent. 
 These phenomenal gains easily placed St. Louis 
 in the fifth place, Boston being overtaken in the 
 race and only New York, Chicago, Philadelphia 
 and Brooklyn left in front of New St. Louis in 
 the race for manufacturing supremacy. 
 
 Chicago still leads St. Louis in manufactures. 
 It is not proposed in this work to go into details 
 over the battle royal between the metropolis of 
 the Northwest and the metropolis of the West 
 and Southwest. The contest has been of so long 
 duration and its discussion has become so tire- 
 some in consequence of the almost innumerable 
 charges and counter-charges made, that the sub- 
 ject can profitably be ignored. The territory of 
 each city is so different that there is ample room 
 for both and while Chicago has derived immense 
 advantage from the enormous growth of the 
 new States in the Northwest, St. Louis has the 
 benefit of the almost exclusive trade of the 
 equally important and even more promising 
 States of the West, Southwest and South. Omit- 
 ting Chicago from the calculation, we find 
 St. Louis by all odds the great manufacturing 
 head of the West. The value if its product is 
 almost twice as great as that of San Francisco, 
 three times as large as that of Minneapolis, six 
 times as large as that of Omaha, seven times as 
 great as either vSt. Paul or Kansas City, eight 
 times as large as Denver, twenty times as great 
 as St. Joseph, and so much larger than that of 
 any other Western manufacturing point as "to 
 make calculations and comparisons impossible 
 and percentage tedious. The value of the man- 
 ufactured product of St. Louis is equal to the 
 combined output of San Francisco, Denver, 
 Omaha, Kansas City, St. Joseph and all other 
 strictly Western cities. 
 
 It is not desired to oc- 
 cupy space with a multi- 
 plicity of tables or com- 
 ELEVENTH CENSUS. ^^^^^^^..^ but the census 
 
 of 1890 being necessarily the basis upon which 
 a treatise on the city's manufactures has to be 
 based it is necessary to give a table showing the 
 totals in the most important lines of industry. 
 This is given on the following page: 
 
 THE RECORD 
 OF THE 
 
MANUFACTURES. 
 
 31 
 
 MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES IN ST. LOUIS, 
 
 CENSUS OF 1890. 
 
 INDUSTRIES. 
 
 No. of 
 Establish- 
 ments. 
 
 Capital 
 Employed. 
 
 Value of 
 Product. 
 
 Agricultural Iiiipl'mts 
 
 4 
 
 $ 686,484 
 
 % 1,107,454 
 
 Bags, Paper 
 
 3 
 
 174,425 
 
 431,228 
 
 Bak'g and Yeast Powdr 
 
 14 
 
 3;3,181 
 
 403,77:i 
 
 Blacksuiithing and 
 
 
 
 
 Wheelwrighting 
 
 219 
 
 406,121 
 
 898,177 
 
 Bookbiuding aud Bl'iik 
 
 
 
 
 Book Making 
 
 14 
 
 196 618 
 
 336,227 
 
 Boots and Shoes 
 
 24 
 
 4,170,0:i7 
 
 4,250,961 
 
 Bread aud other Bak- 
 
 
 
 
 ery Products 
 
 291 
 
 1,244,167 
 
 3,597,392 
 
 Brick and Tile 
 
 38 
 
 2 53l,12cS 
 
 1,691,692 
 
 Carpentering 
 
 407 
 
 4,364 659 
 
 10,364,922 
 
 Carriages and Wagons 
 
 114 
 
 2,523,448 
 
 3,603,735 
 
 Cars (Railroad, Street 
 
 
 
 
 and Repairs) . - 
 
 24 
 
 2 453 443 
 
 5,641,252 
 
 Chemicals 
 
 16 
 
 1,500,068 
 
 2,672,749 
 
 Clav and Pottery Pro- 
 
 
 
 
 ducts 
 
 13 
 
 939,996 
 
 899,855 
 
 
 348 
 
 5,765,150 
 
 9,630,688 
 
 Coffee aud Spices, 
 
 
 
 Roast'g and Grind'g 
 
 9 
 
 816,688 
 
 2,466,392 
 
 
 48 
 
 1 078 426 
 
 2,462,037 
 
 CooDerace 
 
 71 
 
 1,042,643 
 
 1,912,779 
 
 Flouring aud Grist 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 4 320 955 
 
 12,641,000 
 
 Foundry aud Machine 
 
 
 
 
 Shop Products 
 
 103 
 
 10,184,926 
 
 11,945,493 
 
 Furniture, Upholster- 
 
 
 
 
 
 121 
 
 3 108,211 
 
 4,658,546 
 838 930 
 
 Glass 
 
 5 
 
 842 354 
 
 Iron and Steel 
 
 6 
 
 2,655,199 
 
 2,513,761 
 
 Irou Works, Architect- 
 
 
 
 
 ural and Ornamental 
 
 23 
 
 1,732,748 
 
 2,023,526 
 
 Leather, Tanned and 
 
 
 
 
 Curried 
 
 15 
 
 682,7.53 
 
 1,502,680 
 
 Liquors, Malt 
 
 8 
 
 15,910,417 
 
 16,18»,560 
 
 Lumber and other Mill 
 
 
 
 
 Products aud Logs . 
 
 / 
 
 2,766,012 
 
 1,689,832 
 
 Lumber, Planing Mill 
 
 
 
 
 Products 
 
 23 
 
 1,860,036 
 
 3,061,178 
 
 Masonry, Brick aud 
 
 
 
 
 Stoue 
 
 160 
 3 
 
 4,436,578 
 1.018,562 
 
 9,122,952 
 
 Oil, Linseed 
 
 1,438,201 
 
 Painting and Paper 
 
 
 
 
 Hanging 
 
 331 
 
 867,194 
 
 2,841,041 
 
 
 14 
 
 3,498,107 
 
 3,163,818 
 
 Patent Medicines and 
 
 
 
 Compounds 
 
 58 
 
 1,601,999 
 
 2,196,416 
 
 Plumbers' Materials ... 
 
 4 
 
 1,280,486 
 
 1,465,371 
 
 Plumb'g and Gasfit'g., 
 
 124 
 
 581,067 
 
 1,651,169 
 
 Print'g and Publish'g 
 
 213 
 
 5,192,065 
 
 8,551,349 
 
 Saddlery and Harness 
 
 110 
 
 2,160,963 
 
 2,803,961 
 
 Slaughtering and Meat 
 
 
 
 
 Packing 
 
 60 
 
 3 274 671 
 
 12 047 316 
 
 
 10 
 
 806,301 
 
 1,203,406 
 
 Tin smithing. Copper 
 
 
 
 
 smithing and Sheet 
 
 
 
 
 Irou Working 
 
 132 
 
 1,1 32,. 588 
 
 2,369,540 
 
 Tobacco, Chewing, 
 
 
 
 
 Smoking aud Snuff 
 
 12 
 
 3,894,320 
 
 14,354,165 
 
 Tobacco, Cigars and 
 
 
 
 
 Cigarettes 
 
 296 
 
 787,520 
 
 1,558 401 
 
 All other Industries 
 
 2,632 
 
 3-5,915588 
 
 54,515,383 
 
 Total, 1890 
 
 6,148 
 
 5140,775,392 
 
 1228,714,317 
 
 Total, 1880 
 
 2,924 
 
 1 50,832,885 
 
 j!l 14,333,375 
 
 
 The exact percentage of increase in the vari- 
 ous features is best ascertained by deducting 
 several minor industries not inchided in the 
 returns for 1880, which leaves the figures as 
 follows: 
 
 Number of establish- 
 ments reported 
 
 Number of hands em- 
 ployed 
 
 Capital invested 
 
 Miscellaneous expenses.. 
 
 Wages paid 
 
 Cost of materials used 
 
 Value at factory of goods 
 manufactured 
 
 1890. 
 
 5.453 
 
 90,966 
 
 $133,292,699 
 
 17,381,274 
 
 62,170..536 
 
 120,887,355 
 
 225,500,657 
 
 1880. 
 
 2,924 
 
 41,825 
 $50,832,885 
 
 17,743. .532 
 
 75,379,867 
 
 114,333.375 
 
 Per cent 
 
 of 
 increase 
 
 86.49 
 
 117.49 
 162.22 
 
 194.03 
 60.37 
 
 97.23 
 
 The great reduction of i:)rices in almost every 
 line accounts for the fact that although capital 
 and wages show an increase of l(i2 and 194 per 
 cent, the value of the product only increased 97 
 per cent. In actual weight and bulk the in- 
 crease was far greater. 
 
 The way in which St. Louis has gained on 
 the largest eastern manufacturing cities during 
 the last thirty years, is shown by the following 
 comparisons of the value of annual product: 
 
 New York . 
 
 18(i0 
 1890 
 
 Philadelphia . \ , j,(' 
 
 8«0 
 1890 
 
 Cincinnati 
 
 Boston. 
 
 Brooklyn 
 
 Baltimore. . 
 
 Pittsburgh. 
 
 St. Louis . 
 
 18(50 
 1890 
 
 / 18(i0 
 \ 1890 
 
 [ 18(iO 
 \ 1890 
 
 18(;0 
 18<)0 
 
 f 1860 
 \ 1890 
 
 18(J0 
 1890 
 
 $l(iO,000,000 
 770,000,000 
 
 135,000,000 
 577,000,000 
 
 47,000,000 
 196,000,000 
 
 37,000,000 
 210,000,000 
 
 34,000,000 
 269,000,000 
 
 29,000,000 
 141,000,000 
 
 26,000,000 
 126,000,000 
 
 27,000,000 
 228,000,000 
 
 In 1860 the seven large eastern cities manu- 
 factured seventeen times as much as St. Louis; 
 in 1890 St. Louis products equaled one-tenth 
 the total for the seven cities combined. 
 
 Since 1860 the manufacturing output of the 
 
32 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 seven eastern cities has increased less than 500 
 percent; dnring the same period the increase 
 in St. Lonis has been nearly one tliousand per 
 cent. 
 
 A glance at these figures shows how iniposible 
 it is to exaggerate the greatness of the city in 
 the important detail of manufactures. It will 
 be observed that the percentage of increase in 
 the number of establishments reported, the 
 number of hands employed, the capital invested, 
 the wages paid, the cost of material used, and 
 the value of the product varied from sixty to 
 nearly two hundred per cent, with an average 
 of over l.')0 per cent. It will also be noted that 
 the greatest increase was in wages paid, a fact 
 which has a great deal to do with the popularity 
 of St. Louis manufactures. St. Louis has always 
 been noted for the high grade of workmanship 
 its products display, and this is the result in 
 large measure of the care exercised in its selec- 
 tion of mechanics, and the inducements offered 
 them over and above those held forth in other 
 cities. The sweating system is practically un- 
 known in St. Louis, which is also noted through- 
 out the entire country for the excellence of its 
 manufacturing plants and the modernness of its 
 machiner}'. 
 
 It would be interesting, if space permitted, to 
 trace in detail the causes which have led to the 
 center of American manufacturing lea\ing the 
 Atlantic States, but this would hardly come 
 within the province of an article of this char- 
 acter. One great reason for the growth of man- 
 ufactures of every kind is the marvelous increase 
 in population and wealth of the district of which 
 St. Louis is the commercial and financial me- 
 tropolis. This will be found more fully enlarged 
 upon in the chapter relating to St. Louis as a 
 commercial metropolis and distributing point, 
 and it need only be said here that rapid as has 
 been the increase of the city's manufactures, it 
 has continued to act as a distributing point for 
 other manufacturing centers, and that in many 
 lines its jobbers actually import more goods 
 from other centers than in the days when our 
 manufacturing output was comparatively insig- 
 nificant. 
 
 TWO WAYS OF ^^y^'^tevinthcNewEn^/and 
 
 Alamzine in Tanuarv, 1892, 
 LOOKING AT * . , , , 
 
 speaking of the marvelous 
 
 PLAIN FiaURES. , • i u c^ t • • 
 
 showing made by St. Louis in 
 
 the census returns which had just been made 
 public, says, with a lingering remembrance of 
 the Old St. Louis idea, and with evident danger 
 of being classed as a town boomer or an extrav- 
 agant writer: 
 
 " I now come to speak of the great activity 
 which absorbed the working strength and ener- 
 gies of our people. The situation of St. Louis, 
 at the junction or two great rivers and at the 
 head of deep-water navigation, naturally sug- 
 gests trade rather than manufacture, yet, even 
 now, it is pre-eminently a manufacturing city. 
 The reports of the tenth and eleventh censuses 
 furnish figures which indicate in a most em- 
 phatic manner the growth and tendency of the 
 city in the direction of manufacture during the 
 past ten years. I dare not quote those fig- 
 ures here — they make a showing so extravagantly 
 favorable as to suggest criticism. It is probable 
 that the business statistics for 1880 and those 
 for 18!K) were compiled in very different ways, 
 and that comparison should be made with cau- 
 tion." 
 
 This rather reminds one of the story of the 
 l)oy, who, coming home from school with a very 
 favorable report of his year's work, handed it 
 to his father with an apology for being at the 
 head of his class, explaining that the remainder 
 of the boys were inclined to be indifferent, and 
 that it was doubtful whether the system of 
 marking and awarding prizes was good enough 
 to be accepted as final proof of the superiority of 
 those at the top of the class, or the intellectual 
 inferiority or indifference of those at the bottom. 
 In striking contrast to this self-abnegation and 
 pessimism is tlie explanation which Mr. Robert 
 P. Porter, Superintendent of the Eleventh Ceu- 
 sus, thought proper to add to the first informa- 
 tion ever given out concerning the results of the 
 industrial census of 1890. In an address before 
 the Commercial Club, on November 21st, 1891, 
 Mr. Porter went very fully into the returns, a 
 synopsis of which he had brought with him 
 
MAN UFA C rURES. 
 
 33 
 
 from Washington, and concluded a thoron_<jlily 
 conservative and logical argument with this 
 peroration: 
 
 " Have we not here in the tables which indi- 
 cate the story of ten years of municipal indus- 
 trial and commercial progress of a great center 
 of population many things which an organiza- 
 tit)n such as the Commercial Club of St. Louis 
 can rejoice and feel proud over ? In ten years 
 you ha\-e added over a hundred thousand to }-our 
 citN' population, an increase of nearly thirty per 
 cent ! The mileage of railroads tributary to 
 your city has gone from 35,000 to 57,000 miles, 
 an increase of sixty-one per cent, while the 
 mileage centering in the city has increased over 
 10,000 miles, and is now more than 25,000 
 miles. You received in 18!tO 15,000,000 tons of 
 freight, an increase of 6,400,000 tons over 
 1(S80. In spite of the change from water to 
 rail, 3'our waterways are still a source of profit 
 and can be nuade still more so. Over 170,000,000 
 has sought investment in new industry since 
 1880. Over 44,000 additional artisans have 
 l)een given employment, making a total of about 
 8fi,000 engaged in manufacturing occupations. 
 You are distributing annually nearly $50,000,000 
 in wages, and have increased your pay-rolls 
 $30,000,000 since 1880. The value of the 
 manufactured product has grown from about 
 $114,000,000 to nearly $214,000,000, a gain of a 
 cool hundred million dollars. And in the fact 
 that the number of children employed in your 
 industry has decreased can be discerned humane 
 sentiment with this increased prosperity. Your 
 nuinicipal finance is sound; your debt is decreas- 
 ing, and your wealth is $141,000,000 greater 
 than when the last national inventory was 
 taken. 
 
 "These are the simple official facts. They are 
 not presented with local coloring, but the data 
 had been collected by government agents under 
 the strict rules which apply to all other com- 
 munities, and for comparison with all other 
 cities rmder a system, the tendency of which 
 must necessarily be to understatement rather 
 than overstatement. Within a few days you, 
 as citizens of this fair and progressive city and 
 
 of the United States, will be called upon to give 
 thanks for the numerous blessings which Al- 
 mighty God has bestowed upon the people of 
 this country. Is it presuming too much to ven- 
 ture the suggestion that the continued pros- 
 perity of your own city, as shown by the elev- 
 enth census, should come in for at least a share 
 of your gratitude, and that you may view with 
 a spirit of fairness a census that has announced 
 to the world such gratifying facts about the 
 great Southwestern river city of the American 
 Continent?" * 
 
 This quotation, from what may be described 
 as an official speech by a thoroughly imjsartial 
 government official, should surely be accepted 
 as proof positi\e that the figures relating to the 
 manufactures of St. Louis, as published in the 
 eleventh census, may be relied upon. If any- 
 thing, they understate rather than overstate the 
 increase in the manufacturing importance of 
 St. Louis, because it is a notorious fact that a 
 higher standard was adopted in deciding what 
 was and was not a manufacturing establishment. 
 Thus while many small workshops and factories 
 were omitted from the calculations of 1890, in 
 1880 very little discrimination was used, and 
 the 2,!»24 establishments then reported included 
 some far below the standard adopted ten years 
 later. But the census returns for I8i)0 show 
 how marvelously the New St. Louis idea had 
 taken hold of the city, and how success already 
 achieved was acting as an inducement for fur- 
 ther effort. The St. Louis GIohc-Deinocrat^ 
 commenting editorially on Mr. Porter's speech, 
 said: 
 
 "The truth is, St Louis has only just begun 
 to improve her opportunities and to realize upon 
 the profits that logically belong to her. She 
 possesses certain advantages that cannot be 
 taken away from her by any act of hostility, 
 and she is learning how to make the best prac- 
 tical use of them. There are no lurking dan- 
 
 * Mr. Porter spoke from the draft returns, several weeks 
 before their final revision and publication. Hence his fig- 
 ures differ slightly from those in the official bulletin, the 
 latter being more favorable to St. Louis than those quoted 
 by the Superintendent and upon which he calculated his 
 perceutages. 
 

 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 geis in her financial and commercial system. It 
 
 is entirely sound and equal to all emeryencies. 
 
 There will be a continuance of past success, 
 
 with new triumphs of skill and energy. The 
 
 progress of St. Louis, in short, is one of the 
 
 fixed facts of American civilization, and her 
 
 citizens have every reason to be satisfied and 
 
 grateful." 
 
 Passing from St. Louis 
 ST. LOUIS BOOT , '^ 
 
 manufactures generally to 
 
 the various lines in which 
 SHOE FACTORIES, ^j^^ ^^^^^ remarkable prog- 
 
 ress has been made, and in which St. Louis 
 most particularly excels, it is natural to deal 
 first with shoes, because in this line the gain 
 has been phenomenal. Old St. Louis made 
 very few shoes, and during the seventies little 
 advance was made in this industry. At that 
 time New England had a practical monopoly in 
 shoe manufacturing, and the idea of the west 
 producing a rival to Boston and Lynn had never 
 been thought of. Now, however, St. Louis has 
 the largest shoe factory under one roof in the 
 country, with others almost as large and as well 
 equipped, and it manufactures more shoes than 
 any other single city in the Union. The accu- 
 racy of this assertion has been challenged, and 
 it is undoubtedly true that Boston is still tlie 
 greatest distributing point for boots and shoes 
 in America, and probably in the world. But 
 Boston is situated in the midst of a shoe manu- 
 facturing district, and by actual count it docs 
 not produce witliin its city limits as many shoes 
 as its once despised but now powerful western 
 rival. 
 
 In 1<S80 there were 184 establishments in St. 
 Louis devoted to the manufacture of boots and 
 shoes. The capital invested was less than 
 $700,000, and the number of men employed 
 was only 658, with 217 girls and 197 children. 
 The aggregate product was about $1,(500,000. 
 It will thus be seen that the average number of 
 men per factory was less than four, and that the 
 annual value of the product was less than $10,000 
 per establishment. It is evident from these fig- 
 ures that the bulk of the establishments reported 
 were practically retail stores with a custom- 
 
 made connection, and, indeed, there were not in 
 St. Louis at that time any large factories in the 
 18!i;3 sense of the term. To-day we have one 
 factory selling three times as many shoes as the 
 total product for the year 1880, and at least ten 
 which will each exceed that total within a very 
 short period. In 1882 St. Louis manufactured 
 less than half a million pair of shoes, but about 
 this period there was a distinct awakening, and 
 in 188(3 about a million and a quarter pairs were 
 made, valued at about $2,000,000. For the 
 next four years the increase was rapid, and when 
 the census was taken again in 18!lO the value of 
 the product was found to have increased to 
 $4,250,SM;1, an increase over the figures of 1880 
 so enormous as to make the most indifferent 
 wonder. 
 
 We have seen that 1880 the average number 
 of men per factory was less than four, and that 
 the annual value of the product averaged less 
 than ten thousand dollars to each establishment. 
 In 1890 the average number of hands per fac- 
 tory was one hundred, and the average product 
 of each factory was nearly $140,000. The cus- 
 tom work and repairing' shops, which were 
 classed as factories in 1880, were returned sep- 
 arately in 1890 and numbered 477. It will be 
 seen from these figures that the census enume- 
 rators in 1880 were much more lenient and less 
 exacting than those of 1890, and that during the 
 ten years St. Louis practically established what 
 may be termed a wholesale shoe manufacturing 
 industry, and brought it into the first rank' 
 Since the census was taken in 1890 the output 
 has more than doubled. New factories, magni- 
 ficent in elevation and marvelous in internal ar- 
 rangement and equipment, have been erected 
 every year, and these have enabled the city to 
 outstrip more competitors. To-day the monthly 
 output is larger than the annual output twelve, 
 if not ten, years ago. In other words vSt. Louis 
 is manufacturing boots and shoes worth a mill- 
 ion dollars every month in the year, and is add- 
 ing to its capacity with a regularity and 
 persistency which indicates that before the 
 end of tlie present century it will ha\-e at- 
 tained an eminence in this line which will 
 
MANUFACTURES. 
 
 35 
 
 make it the great manufactnrino: and distribut- 
 ing point of the bulk of the American continent. 
 Its factories are a subject of general admiration, 
 and are to be classed among the attractions 
 which excite the admiration and surprise of 
 visitors from every section of the Union. 
 
 St. Louis-made boots and shoes are in demand 
 all over the western and southwestern terri- 
 tory, and they are shipped in very large num- 
 bers to all points, quite a large number of cases 
 going east and north every month. The shoes 
 have a reputation for durability and style. 
 Comjieting cities have sometimes stated that 
 St. Louis shoes are of a heavy type, and that 
 only the agricultural and laboring demand is 
 catered for. This is entirely erroneous. Boots 
 and shoes suitable for out-of-door work are made 
 in St. Louis and are of the highest grade, but 
 lighter and more elegant kinds are also produced 
 in immense quantities. St. Louis-made shoes 
 obtained the highest awards at the World's Fair, 
 and orders are received from connoisseurs as far 
 away as San Francisco and Montreal. Strange 
 to say a comparatively small percentage of the 
 local retail trade is supplied from St. Louis fac- 
 tories. There are various trade reasons for this 
 which time only can overcome. The president 
 of one of the largest shoe manufacturing corpo- 
 rations in the city, on being asked why it is so 
 difficult to obtain a single pair of the remarkably 
 fine shoes his house was producing in such large 
 quantities, said : 
 
 "This is a characteristic of the shoe trade all 
 over the world. Shoe dealers carry more coals 
 to Newcastle, to quote the favorite English 
 expression, than any other trade. We ship 
 immense quantities of shoes to cities which have 
 large factories of their own, and while we are 
 sending out cases by the thousand, we still 
 handle large shipments frour New England. 
 We have never encouraged a local trade for our 
 manufactured product, because we have found 
 outside trade pays the best. If we were to sup- 
 ply the retail stores direct, we would have 
 errand boys and clerks, at all hours of the day, 
 asking for individual pairs of shoes of special 
 size and grade. As it is, our orders are much 
 
 ISBN'S 
 CLOTHING. 
 
 more wholesale in character and suit the exi- 
 gencies of our trade much better." 
 
 The men's clothing manu- 
 facture of St. Louis is, at least, 
 ten times as extensive as is 
 generally supposed. Centralization is the pol- 
 icy in the shoe trade and it is quite easy to 
 appreciate the work that is done by the magnif- 
 icent factories which greet the eye on every 
 side; decentralization is the invariable policy of 
 the clothing manufacturer, who, instead of hav- 
 ing all his departments under one roof and close 
 at hand, finds it more profitable to give out his 
 work in sections to smaller factories or shops, 
 which make specialties of various lines of work. 
 This plan prevails in St. Louis, as elsewhere, 
 and hence there is very little to indicate that 
 the value of the product is already largely in 
 excess of ten millions per annum and increasing 
 rapidly. It is to the credit of the St. Louis 
 clothing trade that little or no shoddy goods are 
 made in the Southwestern metropolis. Woolen 
 goods of varying grades are chiefly made, large 
 quantities of cloth being imported from the Euro- 
 pean markets, mostly coming direct in bond 
 to the port of St. Louis. Special attention is 
 paid to cut and finish, and St. Louis clothes 
 are shipped to those markets which appreciate 
 a high grade of goods. 
 
 Mention has already been made of the fact 
 that the sweating system is discountenanced in 
 St. Louis. In no other line of industry is this 
 fact so apparent as in men's clothing. From 
 time to time exposures have been made of the 
 disease-breeding hovels in which home work in 
 the clothing trade is performed in the large 
 cities of the East and of Europe. Careful in- 
 vestigations by labor commissioners, philanthro- 
 pists and others have failed to reveal a single 
 instance in St. Louis where this dangerous sys- 
 tem prevails. The business is in the hands 
 of men of exceptional intelligence and integ- 
 rity, and it is their special care that every 
 garment given out by them shall be made and 
 completed in a properly constructed and venti- 
 lated room. The clothing trade generally ap- 
 preciates this policy, which is in a large measure 
 
36 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 FURNITURE AND 
 CHAIRS. 
 
 responsible for the ever-increasing ijopularit}' of 
 St. Louis-inade clothes. 
 
 In fnrther evidence of the high grade of the 
 product in this line, it may be stated that ship- 
 ments are made to States as far remo\-ed from 
 St. Louis as Georgia, California and Washing- 
 ton. An interesting contest has been goins: on 
 for years between New York and St. Louis for 
 the trade of Texas. It is now practical]}- o\'er, 
 St. Louis having well-nigh driven its eastern 
 competitor from the field. The increase in tlie 
 orders from this and other Southwestern States 
 are causing phenomenal growth in the St. Louis 
 clothing trade. Already the cit)- has the largest 
 jeans factory in America, and projects are in 
 contemplation which will give it equal jaromi- 
 nence in other branches of this industr\-. 
 
 Among the other indus- 
 tries which nuiy be classed 
 as domestic in character, 
 the furniture manufacture of St. Louis must be 
 specially mentioned as typifying the exceptional 
 growth of the city's commercial interests. Its 
 steady and continuous growth is due largely to 
 the excellent work done by the St. Louis Fur- 
 niture Board of Trade, one of the most useful 
 trade organizations in the city. Mr. George T. 
 Parker, Secretary of the Board, expresses the 
 situation very accurately when he savs: "Up to 
 ten years ago St. Louis was not known as much 
 of a furniture manufacturing city; now it is one 
 of the foremost. Within ten years this indus- 
 try has increased over a hundred per cent. The 
 advance of the city in all lines during the last 
 decade has been partly responsible for this; but 
 to the aggressive and progressive nature of the 
 men who managed this branch of industry is due 
 the present business of fully twenty millions." 
 
 It is only necessary to glance at the census 
 returns of 1880 to see how phenomenal has been 
 the growth of this business. There were in that 
 year but seventy-two establishments, employing 
 about one thousand hands, to wdiona were paid 
 about half a million dollars a }'ear in wages. 
 Now the number of establishments is at least 
 one hundred and fifty, the number of men em- 
 ployed is considerably in excess of three thou- 
 
 sand, and the annual disbursement in wages is 
 more than two millions. These figures include 
 the chair factories, which are even more remark- 
 able in their growth and individuality than the 
 establishments devoted to the production of fur- 
 niture of various kinds. Especially in reclining 
 chairs for railroads has St. Louis made itself 
 famous; and contracts involving thousands of 
 dollars in this line alone are constantly being 
 placed in the city, in which several valuable 
 patents are owned. 
 
 The exceptional ad\'antages of St. Louis as 
 a lumber — especially hardwood — market, have 
 helped to bringthe city from obscurity to promi- 
 nence in the matter of furniture manufacture, and 
 its central location also helps it to gain on 
 its competitors. It now occupies at least third 
 rank in manufacturing cities, and if the pres- 
 ent rate of progress is maintained it will soon 
 lead the entire country. Car loads of fur- 
 niture are shipped in every direction, and the 
 high reputation which the product of the city 
 has made for itself throughout the entire United 
 States, and al.so in Mexico, makes it compara- 
 tively easy to obtain orders even in districts upon 
 which other manufacturing cities claim an iron- 
 clad mortgage. 
 
 The Furniture Board of Trade is entitled to 
 more than a passing notice. Its work has been 
 of a most valuable character, and one of its 
 latest achievements was the securing of the 
 National Furniture Convention for St. Louis in- 
 1893. It maintains a credit department, which 
 has proved of immense value, and it has made its 
 influence felt in national legislation on more oc- 
 casions than one. From reports issued by tliis 
 body it is shown that more chairs are made by 
 three St. Louis factories than by all the factories 
 combined in any other city in the countr)*. 
 In kitchen safes it makes more than all the 
 rest of the United States; and the spring bed 
 industry is remarkably large. The railroad 
 car chairs already referred to are being used in 
 cars and " coaches " in India, Russia, England, 
 Australia and South America, and the Board of 
 Trade is now in negotiation with other countries 
 not generally looked upon as accessible, but 
 
MANUFACTURES. 
 
 37 
 
 IRON AND KINDRED 
 INDUSTRIES. 
 
 which offer a magnificent market. Among the 
 accessories to the furniture trade which are 
 specially prominent, may be mentioned the man- 
 ufacture of coffins and caskets, in which St. Louis 
 easily leads the entire country. 
 
 It is difficult to estimate 
 the actual extent of the 
 iron and kindred indus- 
 tries of St. Louis, owing to the fact that the 
 number of branches is so great that the figures 
 are necessarily freely subdivided. Under the 
 head of "Iron and Steel" the census returns six 
 large establisliments, with a total capital em- 
 ployed of a little over $2,500,000, and with an 
 output about as large. This, however, does not 
 begin to cover the local trade, for under the 
 head of "Architectural and Ornamental Iron 
 Work," there is found the record for LSDO of 
 twenty-three establishments, emplo)-iug a capi- 
 tal of §1,700, ()()(), and with a total output of 
 about $2,000,000. Under "Foundry and Ma- 
 chine Shop Products," the record is still greater, 
 the figures for ISilO showing that there were 103 
 establishments in operation, with a capital of 
 upwards of $10,000,000, and with a total pro- 
 duct of about $12,000,000. To produce this, 
 over 6,000 men were employed, and their earn- 
 ings for the one year appro.ximated $4,000,000. 
 Even under the head of "Bolts, Nuts, Wash- 
 ers and Rivets," four establishments are re- 
 corded, with a capital of more than a quarter of 
 a million, and an output of similar value; and it 
 would appear as though $20,000,000 would be a 
 small estimate of the total product in the iron 
 and steel and kindred industries, which find 
 employment for millions of dollars of capital 
 and for an almost unlimited amount of labor. 
 In liS80, Governor Johnson, in an address before 
 the vState Immigration Convention, spoke of St. 
 Louis as the "Center of the W^orld's trade, the 
 future metropolis of the World's Empire, the 
 favored child of the mighty Valley of the Mis- 
 sissippi, the City of the Iron Crown." Since 
 that time great progress has been made in the 
 iron and steel industry throughout the countr)-, 
 and although, perhaps, the gain has not been 
 so phenomenal as the eloquent speaker desired 
 
 or anticipated, yet it has been great enough to 
 more than justify his remarks. Certain it is, 
 that within easy distance of St. Louis there is 
 an abundance of iron ore sufficient to supply the 
 requirements of the world for generations to 
 come, with every indication of still greater un- 
 discovered supplies. The unlimited supplies of 
 coal, timber and water-power, and other similar 
 aids to manufactures of this character, make it 
 appear probable that St. Louis will eventuall)- 
 outpace all competitors in the race and become 
 the leader in iron, as in other industries. 
 
 St. Louis commenced the manufacture of iron 
 nearly eighty years ago, and although the pro- 
 duction was on a very limited scale it had the 
 effect of introducing other work of a similar 
 character. Foundries came to be erected, and 
 many thousands of wagon-boxes and tires were 
 manufactured here during the first quarter of 
 the present century. Foundries on a larger 
 scale were established about the year 18o0, and 
 long before the middle of the century the city 
 had assumed quite an activity in the iron trade. 
 Agricultural implements, and everything in 
 which iron was used to any large extent, began 
 to be manufactured in large quantities, and 
 about the year 1850 the magnificent resources 
 of the Iron Mountain began to be appreciated. 
 The splendid furnaces and rolling mills belong- 
 ing to the Chouteau family began to exert an 
 influence over the city's trade, and in 185(i a 
 careful estimate showed the existence in the 
 city of as many as thirty iron works, with a 
 total output of about $5,000,000. The amount 
 of pig metal mined and produced at this early 
 period exceeded 100,000 tons a year, and all 
 through the sixties and seventies the business 
 was pressed to full advantage. 
 
 In agricultural machinery St. Louis is well to 
 the front, and many of its specialties are in demand 
 in very remote centers. Some of the largest fac- 
 tories in this line to be found in the entire 
 country are situated in St. Louis, and the high 
 standard of work, in every detail, keeps up 
 the demand. Travelers through Mexico have 
 been struck with the very general use in that 
 country of agricultural machinery made in 
 
38 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 RAILROAD SUPPLIES 
 
 AND 
 
 STREET CARS. 
 
 St. Louis; and in all parts of the rich agricultural 
 country in St. Louis territory, the products of 
 our local factories are appreciated at their full 
 worth. As soon as more intimate trade rela- 
 tions with Mexico and the Spanish-American 
 republics are encouraged by a mutual reduction 
 of tariffs, a further immense impetus will be 
 given to this business, and St. Louis will easily 
 maintain its position as a manufacturing point 
 for agricultural machinery of every kind. In 
 carriages and wagons, which are in a measure 
 connected with this industry, St. Louis has been 
 prominent and famous for years, and the increase 
 in its output since the census of 1880 has been 
 a subject of general comment in trade circles 
 everywhere. 
 
 In cars of every de- 
 scription, the city is a 
 producer on a thorough- 
 ly wholesale plan. Its 
 railroad supply houses execute orders from rail- 
 roads with headquarters in cities many miles 
 distant, and the output of cars, both freight and 
 passenger, is very large. It is an interesting 
 fact to record that, within the last two years, 
 one of the prominent factories has executed a 
 larger order for cars than was ever given, at one 
 time, to any other factory in America. The 
 growth in this industry has been stupendous. 
 It is estimated that the value of the output dur- 
 ing the year 18!)2 exceeded $8,000,000, and this 
 is probably correct, although, if accessories were 
 added, the total would be much larger. The 
 census of 1880 only recorded the existence of 
 seven establishments in this line, which were 
 credited with employing a capital of some 
 $314,000, and with having (501 men on their 
 pay-rolls. The value of the output was placed 
 at a little over a million dollars. In l.S!M) 
 twenty-four firms were returned in the govern- 
 ment census, their combined capital was stated 
 at $2,500,000, and the number of men and boys 
 on their pay-rolls approximated 3,000. They 
 paid, in wages alone, nearly twice the sum total 
 of the product of 1880, and the total result of 
 the year's work was placed at a trifle less than 
 $G, 000, 000. These figures are very conserva- 
 
 ti\'e, and the estimate for 18;»2 is much more 
 nearly accurate than the official rtcord for 1890. 
 
 In the manufacture of street cars St. Louis 
 easily leads the world. Prior to the war the 
 city turned out large numbers of passenger- 
 carrying vehicles, and even during the war a 
 very extensive stage-coach, omnibus and transfer 
 business was done here. At the close of the 
 war a fresh impetus was given to the business, 
 and for the first time St. Louis vehicles began 
 to acquire prominence in the country. Other 
 large western cities commenced to manufacture 
 omnibuses and similar vehicles, but they did 
 not possess either equal ad\-antages or similar 
 enterprise, and St. Louis soon forged to the 
 front and secured a foremost position, which it 
 has held ever since. Mechanics of ability were 
 attracted here, and, when late in the sixties an 
 improved type of street cars was produced, at- 
 tention was attracted from all parts, and the new 
 type of vehicle came to be regarded as a stand- 
 ard one. During the fifteen or twenty years 
 which followed, street cars of every description 
 were manufactured here, and improvements of 
 every character were introduced. The demand 
 for bobtail cars was met by tUe manufacture of 
 these somewhat unsatisfactory vehicles, and so 
 many St. Louis improvements were introduced 
 that they lost much of their original unpopu- 
 larity. 
 
 The introduction into St. Louis of rapid 
 transit, some six or eiglit years ago, led to another- 
 marked revival in this industry, and the re- 
 sources of the establishments were soon taxed to 
 their utmost to meet the demands of the ener- 
 getic street railway presidents, who insisted on 
 getting the best of everything, regardless of 
 price. Some of the cars in use on local street 
 railroads at the present time are unequaled, and, 
 indeed, scarcely imitated in any other city, and 
 so many patents have been produced here that 
 the name of St. Louis is identified with nearly 
 all of the best types of street railroad cars to be 
 found in any city in the Union. 
 
 Very large shipments are made from time to 
 time to Chicago, some of the roads in that city 
 having been equipped exclusively by St. Louis 
 
MAN UFA CTURES. 
 
 39 
 
 houses. The awakening in New York in favor 
 of surface rapid transit has also been felt in 
 an advantageous manner in St. Louis, orders of 
 a very large character having been placed here 
 during the last two or three years. Boston, 
 Baltimore, Washington, Columbus, Cleveland, 
 Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, Milwau- 
 kee, Detroit, Minneapolis and St. Paul have 
 all looked to this city for street railroad supplies, 
 and extensive shipments have also been made fre- 
 quently to extreme southern points, such as New 
 Orleans and Galveston, to say nothing of such dis- 
 tant cities as Los Angeles, Portland and Tacoma. 
 Nor is the popularity of St. Louis street cars 
 confined to the United States. A good lesson 
 in geography can be learned bj^ a glance over 
 the shipping books of any one of the gigantic 
 street car factories of this city. England buys 
 from St. Louis freely, while there are now 
 running on Australian streets, cars made in the 
 northern portion of St. Louis. A year or two 
 ago an order was received and executed whereby 
 the subjects of the Mikado of Japan were given 
 an insight into the progress made by the street 
 car builders of America in general, and of St. 
 Louis in particular. 
 
 St. Louis is by far the best 
 saddlery and harness center in 
 the United States. When it 
 was merely a frontier town it commenced the 
 manufacture of saddles and harness for the use of 
 immigrants and pioneers, and when the war 
 broke out the number of people engaged in the 
 business v/as considerable. During the war im- 
 mense orders were placed in St. Louis for army 
 saddles and harness, and this is one of the few 
 industries which in consequence did not suffer 
 materially from the national disaster. During 
 the last quarter of a century the business has 
 assumed immense proportions, and a careful re- 
 view of the transactions of the twelve exception- 
 ally large factories of St. Louis, and of the many 
 smaller ones, indicates that the annual value of 
 the output is now a little more than $5,000,000. 
 The trade is very varying in character. St. 
 Louis has a practical monopoly of the business 
 in the Western and Southwestern States, and to 
 
 SADDLERY AND 
 HARNESS. 
 
 these it ships saddles of the Texan or Mexican 
 type of the most elaborate character, some of 
 them heavy enough in themselves to provide 
 what would appear to be quite a considerable 
 load for the little animals on which they are usu- 
 ally fitted. But the trade is not by any means 
 restricted to heavy saddles for cowboys and 
 farmers. Some of the best retail establishments 
 in New York obtain their supplies from St. 
 Louis, which also ships to points as far distant 
 as British Columbia and even Europe. Light 
 racing saddles of great popularity are made in 
 the city, and harness of every description is also 
 produced. One of the largest whip factories is 
 to Ije found here, and in every department act- 
 ivity prevails. During the last eight or ten 
 years the practice of sending out of the city for 
 supplies needed in these kindred trades has en- 
 tirely died out, and now nearly everj'thing 
 required is made at home, and an additional 
 impetus thus given to other branches of the 
 leather industry. 
 
 For its stoves, ranges and fur- 
 naces St. Louis was famous long 
 before it took first rank among 
 manufacturing cities, and it has maintained its 
 supremacy to this day. The history of the in- 
 dustry is the history of the lives of some of its 
 best-known citizens, and it is full of facts which 
 are far stranger than fiction. The value of its 
 output in these lines is considerably in excess 
 of two millions per annum, and is increasing, not 
 every year, but every month. The largest fac- 
 tory in the world devoted to this class of manu- 
 facture is situated in St. Louis, and the name of 
 the city is a by-word with all who handle stoves 
 or ranges of any description. There are no ge- 
 ographical limits to this trade. St. Louis ships 
 to every State in the Union, and to all parts of 
 the American continent. Europe has been slow 
 in appreciating the value and convenience of 
 American stoves and ranges, but of late years 
 St. Louis has shipped many of its best products 
 in this line to London and other trans- Atlantic 
 markets. St. Louis ranges swept everything 
 before them at the World's Fair, and came back 
 loaded down with blue ribbons. 
 
 STOVES AND 
 RANGES. 
 
40 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 THE LEAD INDUSTRY 
 IN 
 
 St. Louis is the larg- 
 est white lead manu- 
 facturing city in the 
 DIFFERENT BRANCHES. ^^,^^j^^^ ^^^^^ j^ continues 
 
 to increase its output ever}- year. The annual 
 yield now exceeds 30,0()() tons in weight and 
 $4,000,000 in value. The three largest facto- 
 ries in the country are in the city, and their ca- 
 pacitv appears to be unlimited. The figures 
 would be even more astounding but for trade 
 combinations which have had an effect on prices 
 and restricted the output throughout the entire 
 country. Pig lead had been held for too great 
 an advance, and this had the effect of putting 
 up the price of white lead too high, giving the 
 dealers in mixed paints an opportunity to com- 
 pete more bitterly than ever. The heavy floods 
 in the Mississippi Valley of two or three years 
 ago also had a depressing effect on this industry, 
 which however has nearly regained lost ground 
 and is now in a very flourishing condition, with 
 annual shipments of white lead amounting to 
 something like forty million pounds, as com- 
 pared with fourteen millions in 1880 and twenty- 
 one millions in 1886. The trade is one in which 
 great variation in the annual output is unavoid- 
 able, but the general tendency in St. Louis is 
 decidedly in the right direction, and there is no 
 fear of the city's claim to supremacy being 
 challenged in the long run. 
 
 Another branch of the lead business which 
 has shown even more remarkable and satis- 
 factory increase is lead pipe and sanitary supplies 
 generally. One of the largest plumbers' sup- 
 plies establishments in the world is located in 
 St. Louis, with a large branch in an Illinois city. 
 It has advertised St. Louis throughout the 
 entire labor world by the successful efforts of its 
 controllers to introduce the profit-sharing sys- 
 tem into its pay-rolls. One effect of this act of 
 genuine philanthropy has been to so popularize 
 and strengthen the local trade that it is very 
 unusual for any supplies to be obtained from out 
 of the city, in spite of the fact that some of the 
 eastern factories boast themselves of being the 
 best in the world; and besides establishing a 
 practically local monopoly, the enterprise of the 
 
 establishments has enabled them to make vigor- 
 ous inroads into the territory of. New York and 
 Boston manufacturers, shipments in this line of 
 business going daily to the Atlantic and Pacific 
 Coasts and even to foreign countries. 
 
 In the South and Southwest St. Louis is 
 known as a great sanitary plumbing center, and 
 in many lines of business the factories can hardly 
 keep up with the heavy orders their own enter- 
 prise has called forth. The more general incorpo- 
 ration of bath-room accommodations in private 
 houses, together with the enormous quantity of 
 plumbing called for in the commercial palaces 
 which are being erected in every part of 
 St. Louis, have also combined to keep the fac- 
 tories busy and to drive away au}- possible fear 
 that might exist as to the future of the city in 
 this regard. Improved methods in building, 
 which have enabled contractors to keep up their 
 work for the entire year instead of limiting their 
 operations to six or eight months in the spring, 
 summer and fall, have abolished the quiet time 
 which used to be looked for in the plumljers' 
 supplies industry in winter, and taken away the 
 possibility of catching up with orders in arrear 
 during the winter months. The capacity of the 
 factories has been steadily increased, and al- 
 though the sales of sanitary plumbing materials 
 now exceed four millions per annum, the supply 
 is ample without going out of the city for 
 assistance. 
 
 St. Louis is the largest shot manufacturing; 
 and distributing center in. the world. Nearly a 
 million dollars are invested in the shot towers, 
 and these convert into shot (5,000 to 10,001) 
 tons of pig lead every year. The competition 
 in this line of business is heavy, but the local 
 manufacturers succeed in holding their own and 
 in doing a profitable business in spite of draw- 
 backs. The census of 1890 gave some interest- 
 ing information as to the capital employed and 
 the number of men engaged in the various in- 
 dustries connected directly with lead. This 
 shows that upwards of 4,000 men find employ- 
 ment in this line, to say nothing of an immense 
 number of others who are engaged in kindred 
 industries returned under other heads. 
 
MAN UFA C TURES. 
 
 41 
 
 BRICK AND 
 SEWER PIPE. 
 
 St. Louis bricks are in de- 
 mand as far east as New York, 
 
 as far west as the towns on the 
 Pacific Coast, and as far nortli as Canada. The 
 clay found in tlie neighborliood of St. Louis is 
 the finest in tlie country, and nearly 100,000 
 tons of it are shipped uut of the city yearly, 
 though enough is kept at home to make St. 
 Louis one of the largest brick manufacturing 
 cities' in the world. The clay is free from 
 gravel, and can be made into brick with the aid 
 of water and shovel alone. Such primitive 
 modes of construction have, however, been long 
 since superseded by machinery. One company 
 alone makes over 100,000,000 bricks in St. 
 Louis every year, and it is almost impossilile 
 to ascertain the actual total output, though it 
 far exceeds 200,000,000 annually. Hydraulic 
 press bricks are a specialty of St. Louis, and 
 their popularity throughout the entire country 
 is generally known. These, together with the 
 other most popular St. Louis-made bricks, are in 
 growing demand in all sections, and during the 
 year l<Sil3 the capacity for manufacture was in- 
 creased to a most remarkable extent. 
 
 Other clay manufactures show almost equally 
 astounding totals for St. Louis. There is an 
 abundance of good fire clay to be found near the 
 city and, indeed, within its corporate limits. 
 Sewer pipe is also produced in immense quanti- 
 ties, the output exceeding fifty tons every year. 
 The local demand, which is always heavy, is 
 augmented by large orders constantly received 
 from all the central and Western States, and 
 there are, in addition, sales every year in New 
 England and on the Pacific Coast. This is an 
 industry which has made enormous strides dur- 
 ing the last few years. The exceptional value 
 of the trade is now generally admitted, and in- 
 quiries are being received from manufacturers 
 in all sections who are looking out for suitable 
 territory in which to carry on their business. 
 
 The Clay Record., published at Chicago, in a 
 recent review of the brick industry of the United 
 States, said: 
 
 "The increasing use of pressed brick in this 
 country is due more largely to the growth of the 
 
 St. Louis manufacture of pressed brick than any 
 other cause. St. Louis ships pressed brick to 
 New York, New Orleans, San Antonio, Duluth 
 and Seattle. It is the head and front of the 
 pressed brick industry. Its product last year 
 was 220,000,000 brick. Fifteen years ago the 
 product was not 30,000,000, and these latter 
 figures include brick made by the old-time pro- 
 cess. One St. Louis company is the biggest 
 manufacturer of pressed brick in the world, and 
 has branch yards in several cities. It began 
 operations twenty-five years ago, with every 
 architect in the country ojjposed to pressed 
 brick. Now nearly all of the tallest buildings 
 in America are made of this material. The 
 St. Louis brickmaking capacity has increased 
 within fifteen years from 240,000 a week to 
 2,000,000. Nineteen hundred workmen are em- 
 ployed, and even in the East, where brickmaking 
 has at least reached something like the pro- 
 ficiency of the West, St. Louis brick is preferred, 
 though it must be purchased at an advance o\-er 
 the price paid for native brick. There is some 
 virtue in the St. Louis clay, which also adds to 
 the quality of the brick. 
 
 " The fancy and ornamental brick trade was 
 not known there fifteen years ago. It is now a 
 great business. Over 2r)0 different shapes and 
 designs are kept in stock. Gravel brick, un- 
 known, save in England, fifteen years ago, are 
 now made in St. Louis with as good success as 
 in England. The only terra cotta works in 
 vSt. Louis began in a small wooden building in 
 1<SS2. Now they are shipping their product 
 East, West, North and South. A quarter of a 
 million represents their annual output. 
 
 "St. Louis leads in fire brick and fireclay 
 products. Fifteen years have shown wonderful 
 growth. The Cheltenham district produces 
 more fire clay sewer pipe than any other district 
 in the United States. The St. Louis output of 
 brick is but little behind the entire output of 
 the State of Ohio, and fire brick, gas retorts, 
 chimney tops, fire-proofing, crucibles, and sewer 
 pipe are the Cheltenham goods. The City of 
 Mexico, Monterey, and all the eastern cities use 
 its fire brick. It turns out, at full capacity, 
 
42 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 THE BREWERIES 
 OF ST. LOUIS. 
 
 three miles of clay sewer pipe a clay. Oiie 
 concern ships thirty-five to forty tons of fire 
 brick. St. Lonis has the best fire clay out of 
 England. Near Rolla, ^Missouri, is another great 
 deposit, even more refractory than that found 
 here in such inexhaustible cjuantities. There 
 are eleven fire brick firms. The shipments 
 last year were 9,329 cars of fire brick at $90 a 
 car, 747 cars of fire clay at $'^^> a car, and 2,211 
 cars of tile at $195 a car. The industry em- 
 ploys 1,172 hands." 
 
 The beer brewing indus- 
 try of St. Louis ranks among 
 the most important of its 
 manufactures. The city is one of the first beer 
 manufacturing cities in the world, and it boasts 
 proudly of the largest brewery in the United 
 States and the most magnificent brewery in the 
 world. At the world's competition at Chicago, 
 this year (1893), St. Louis beer won the high- 
 est award, scoring more points than the products 
 of any other city. This is an industry which 
 has more than kept pace with the growth of the 
 city, a fact which a perusal of the following 
 extract from the Missouri Republican., of Sep- 
 tember 20, 1854, clearly indicates: 
 
 "St. Louis has about twenty-four breweries, 
 and every one of them has stored nearly twice 
 the quantity of ale, for this summer, that has 
 been made in any preceding one. As we are 
 informed by one of the largest dealers of this 
 article, the quantity may safely be reckoned at 
 forty thousand barrels of lager beer and, per- 
 haps, twenty thousand barrels of common beer. 
 By an average count, one barrel of about thirty 
 gallons gives about three hundred glasses. 
 Thus we have about twelve million glasses of 
 lager beer and about six million glasses of com- 
 mon beer. Common beer is sold at five dollars 
 per barrel and lager beer at seven dollars, that 
 is at wholesale. This will make the amount 
 received by the brewers: for lager beer, $290^- 
 000, and for common, $100,000. The retailers, 
 at five cents a glass, took in $600,000 for lager 
 beer, and $300,000 for the common article. 
 Just think of it, nearly a million dollars spent 
 iu St. Louis, during one summer, for beer." 
 
 In 18(;0, 122,400 barrels of lager beer, .Sr),.-)00 
 of common beer, and 4,400 barrels of ale were 
 manufactured, worth at wholesale $1,500,000, 
 so that during the six years preceding the war 
 the brewing industry of St. Louis increased 
 with remarkable activity. Between 18(10 and 
 1870 the production of beer more than doubled 
 itself, and during the next seventeen years the 
 increase was nearly five hundred per cent, for 
 at the present time the breweries of St. Louis 
 are producing fully 2,000,000 barrels, or more 
 than (iO, 000, 000 gallons yearly. The following 
 table shows the increase, year by year, since 
 1877, with but one fractional decrease during 
 the entire period: 
 
 Year. 
 
 1877... 
 
 1,S78 . 
 
 1879- . 
 
 1880 
 
 1881 
 
 188-2 
 
 1883 
 
 1884 
 
 1885. 
 
 1886. 
 
 1887 
 
 1888 
 
 1889 
 
 1890 
 
 1891 
 
 1892 . 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 471 2.32 
 
 521,684 
 
 613,667 
 
 828,072 
 
 959,236 
 
 1,069,715 
 
 1,100,000 
 
 1,122,2G.5 
 
 1,086,032 
 
 1,280,091 
 
 1,383,361 
 
 1,482,883 
 
 1,546,587 
 
 1,856,883 
 
 1,810,812 
 
 1,961,449 
 
 (Gallons. 
 
 14, 
 16 
 19, 
 25, 
 29, 
 33, 
 34. 
 34, 
 33, 
 39, 
 43, 
 46. 
 4s, 
 58, 
 56 
 60 
 
 608, 
 172, 
 023, 
 670. 
 739, 
 661, 
 100, 
 790, 
 666, 
 682 
 557 
 ,710, 
 .717 
 ,498 
 
 ,i:« 
 
 ,814 
 
 192 
 204 
 677 
 232 
 
 313 
 165 
 000 
 215 
 992 
 821 
 872 
 815 
 ,490 
 ,114 
 ,172 
 ,919' 
 
 The census returns for 1890 go more fully into 
 the growth during the eighties. Thus, in 1880 
 the capital invested in this industrj- was returned 
 at $4,000,000, just one-fourth the total for 1890. 
 During the ten years the army of employes in- 
 creased from 1,200 to 2,800, and the annual 
 wages from a little more than half a million to 
 two millions and a quarter. The value of the 
 product annually appears to be almost identical 
 with the capital invested, and the increase dur- 
 ing the ten vears was hence about four hundred 
 per cent. Several new breweries have been 
 started since the census was taken, and at the 
 present time the number of men employed ex- 
 
 *The returns for 1893 could not be included in this 
 work. Taking the actual figures for November and 
 estiniatiiij; for December, the number of gallons would be 
 about 63,000,000. 
 
MANUFACTURES. 
 
 43 
 
 ceeds 3,700,* to whom there are paid in wages 
 at least two and a half million dollars. 
 
 There are about twenty-five large breweries 
 in St. Louis, in addition to several others which 
 are small only by comparison. Reference has been 
 made in the preceding chapter to the purchase 
 by the English syndicate of some fifteen of our 
 most prominent breweries. This transaction 
 was completed some five years ago, and the syn- 
 dicate has so increased the capacity of its enor- 
 mous plants that it now produces three-cpiarters 
 of a million barrels of beer annually, and can 
 increase its output to a million and a half bar- 
 rels when the demand makes it necessary. The 
 purchase of the breweries by these capitalists 
 created quite a sensation, and called attention to 
 St. Louis in a variety of ways. The two largest 
 breweries held aloof from the transaction, and 
 could not be tempted by English gold. These 
 breweries are visited every year by thousands of 
 tourists, and a regular system of guides to pilot 
 the strangers over the immense plants is main- 
 tained. The largest of them is in itself a small 
 town, inaddition to which it maintains branches 
 in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh 
 and other cities, and the actual number of its em- 
 ployes exceeds 4,000. Shipments are made to 
 Mexico, to West Indies, Central America, Brazil, 
 the Sandwich Islands, Australia, Japan, China 
 and other ecjually distant points. Quite recentlv 
 another attempt has been made by wealthy Lon- 
 don bankers to obtain control of the two mam- 
 moth breweries of St. Louis which have so far 
 reserved their individuality. The effort was not 
 successful, but the persistency of those making 
 ^.he offer cannot be regarded as other than a 
 vvell-merited compliment to a city which is just 
 beginning to be appreciated at its full worth in 
 the old world. During the years LS90, 181)1 
 and I.S92 new establishments have been erected 
 in St. Louis, and increased competition has been 
 
 TOBACCO 
 AND CIGARS. 
 
 *State Labor ConnnissioDer's Report, 1893. These cal- 
 culations exclude resident agents and salesmen, traveling- 
 men, clerical help, etc. The Anheuser-Busch Biewery, 
 alone, finds employment for mure men than are returned 
 for all the Vjrewerie? combined, but its vast army of cni- 
 r,)r.vp<; includes many hundred men who are not brewers 
 or actual producers. 
 
 created. St. Louis is not quite the greatest beer 
 producing city in America, but it does not fall 
 far below the leaders in this respect, and before 
 the century expires it will pass at least two of 
 the three cities which now lead it. 
 
 In tobacco St. Louis leads 
 the entire country, a fact 
 which can be easily proved by 
 reference to the returns made yearly to the gov- 
 ernment officers and to the amount of revenue 
 paid. Our largest tobacco house has the record 
 of paying a larger tax in a given period than 
 any other establishment, and it is certainly the 
 best equipped establishment of its kind in the 
 world. As long ago as 18r)0 the city claimed 
 the largest tobacco manufacturing house in 
 the West, and from that time to this it has easily 
 maintained its supremacy, not only over the 
 West, but also the entire country. In 1880 there 
 were in the city 222 establishments engaged in 
 the manufacture of tobacco or cigars, with a 
 capital of about one and a half million. The 
 number of hands employed was 2,(i27, and the 
 value of the product was less than :f (),0no,()00. 
 The census for 1890 revealed the existence in 
 the city of 12 tobacco factories and 29 (i cigar 
 factories, with a total product valued at about 
 116,000,000. The way in which the govern- 
 ment revenue is collected makes it easy to ascer- 
 tain at any period the condition of the tobacco 
 industry. From the government returns it is 
 evident that St. Louis manufactures about one- 
 fourth the tobacco product of the United States. 
 The number of pounds now manufactured 3'early 
 is about 60,000,000, worth nearly .$20,000,000. 
 About 6,000 people are kept constantly em- 
 ployed, and the popularity of St. Louis brands 
 is so great that they sell practically in every 
 part of the civilized world, and certainly in 
 every city of the United States. The annual 
 increase in the product varies from ten to fifteen 
 per cent, and, although the output was reduced 
 in 1892 by a disastrous fire, the returns for that 
 year showed a gain of upwards of 2,000,000 
 pounds. The New Jersey district, which conies 
 second to St. Louis in the returns, had for many 
 years a very valuable trade in the far West, but 
 
44 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 St. lyouis factories have now secured a practical 
 monopoly of this trade, and, in addition, the de- 
 mand from Mexico and other Spanish-American 
 countries is largely on the increase. 
 
 The city is, of course, exceptionally well lo- 
 cated for a cigar jobbing center, and one house 
 iu it handles more cigars than any one house in 
 any other city. From $3,000 to $5,000 is 
 paid weekly by manufacturers in the way of 
 duty, and there are now more than a million 
 cigars manufactured ever)' week. About 30,000 
 pounds of snuff are placed on the market by 
 St. Louis houses every year. 
 
 Passing to a more indispensable article of 
 every-day life, it may be stated that St. Louis 
 is the third largest flour manufacturing city in 
 America, its output being exceeded only by 
 Minneapolis and Milwaukee. If the returns 
 from factories situated outside of the city limits, 
 but owued and operated by St. Louis millers, 
 are included, the city is second in the order. 
 The annual output of mills within the city 
 limits exceeds 1,(;()(),()()0 barrels, to which should 
 be added 1,<S00,()00 manufactured annually at 
 mills situated at Alton, Litchfield, Belleville, 
 Red Bud, Nashville, Clinton, St. Mary's and 
 other points, but which are owned and operated 
 by St. Louis firms. The amount of flour han- 
 dled by millers and dealers has increased more 
 than fifty per cent since 188(), and the industry 
 is in as healthy condition as is possible with 
 wheat at the phenomenally low prices which 
 have prevailed for over a year. Even this low 
 price has its advantages, for it has enabled 
 millers to place flour in eastern and other mar- 
 kets hitherto closed against them. About half 
 a million barrels are shipped yearly to Europe, 
 about 38,000 to Canada, about twice that quan- 
 tity to Havana, by rail to Gulf points, in addition 
 to over 80,000 barrels sent down the river to 
 New Orleans and thence to Havana. About 
 80,000 barrels are shipped to eastern points, and 
 about 1,.")00,()00 barrels to the Southern States. 
 
 It is impossible to 
 deal at length with the 
 immense manufactur- 
 ing interests grouped in the table on a preceding 
 
 '•OTHER INDUSTRIES" 
 $34,514,383. 
 
 page as "other industries," with an aggregate 
 annual product valued at $54,514,383. Indeed, 
 if each industry were to be handled in detail an 
 entire work would be occupied. But there are 
 some points of especial interest in connection 
 with some of the trades not mentioned specific- 
 ally, which ought to be recorded. Thus, St. Louis 
 is one of the largest publishing centers in the 
 world, producing and binding an immense num- 
 ber of books. Its planing mill industry is one 
 of immense importance, gaining in magnitude 
 every year. It is one of the largest candy and 
 cracker manufacturing cities in the world, be- 
 sides having within its corporate limits the larg- 
 est cracker factory in America. The first city 
 to have its streets lighted from end to end by 
 aid of electricity, the business in electric sup- 
 plies of every description has naturally grown 
 until to-day it has assumed a magnitude far be- 
 yond general acknowledgment. The value 
 of the output is $6,000,000 per aniunn, and 
 shipments are made regularly to New York and 
 London. 
 
 Enough patent medicines are manufactured 
 in the city e^•ery year to either kill or cure the 
 entire population of a good-sized nation, and the 
 product of St. Louis chemical manufactories is 
 also enormous. The census returns show that 
 these two industries together have a product in 
 excess of $5,000,000 per annum, and this calcu- 
 lation is probably an under-statenient rather 
 than otherwise. In paints and oils its business 
 is constantly increasing, and iu bags and bag- 
 ging it defies competition. Glass manufactured 
 in St. Louis was used almost exclusiveh- in the 
 World's Fair buildings, a striking tribute to the 
 manufacturing greatness of St. Louis by its old- 
 time rival. One of the largest contracts for glass 
 ever issued was the one for the lights in the 
 enormous roof of the new Union Station, and 
 this contract was executed by a St. Louis house. 
 St. Louis was the first city to manufacture silver- 
 ware west of the Alleghany mountains, and iu a 
 hundred other ways it has established its right 
 to be regarded as the greatest manufacturing 
 center of the West, and as one of the greatest 
 manufacturing cities in the world. 
 
TRADE AND COMMERCE. 
 
 45 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE. 
 
 ST. LOUIS TERRITORY, AND THE WAY IN WHICH ITS ORDERS FOR MERCHANDISE ARE EXECUTED. 
 
 Ml 
 
 TAKE A MAP of the United States and 
 draw a circle with a 5()()-mile radiu.s 
 round New York, Chicago and St. 
 Louis. The result will astonish you, 
 unless you are already acquainted 
 with the fact that a larger number of 
 people reside in or within .300 miles of St. Touis 
 than in or within 500 miles of any other city 
 in the United States. At least two-fifths of the 
 New York circle extends into the Atlantic 
 Ocean, and more than another fifth is taken up 
 by Takes Erie and Ontario and the southern 
 section of Canada. Of the Chicago circle, the 
 lakes occupy at least a third. 
 
 St. Touis is much more fortunate, for nearly 
 the entire circle covers rich land in a district 
 the growth of which has surprised the world. 
 It includes the wdiole of Missouri, Illinois, In- 
 diana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ar- 
 kansas and Iowa, with portions of Nebraska, 
 ^linnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, West 
 Virginia, Virginia, North and South Carolina, 
 Georgia, Alabama, the Indian Territory, Okla- 
 homa and Kansas — truly, a magnificent territory, 
 and one whose possibilities are unlimited In a 
 few short years we shall be called upon to cele- 
 brate the centennial of the Touisiana purchase. 
 When the treaty of Paris was signed, the Amer- 
 ican minister, Mr. Robert R. Tivingston, said 
 to M. Marbois, with whom he had been treat- 
 ing: "We have lived long, but this is the noblest 
 work of our lives. The treaty which we have 
 just signed will change vast solitudes into flour- 
 ishing districts." This prophetic utterance has 
 
 been amply justified by resxdts; and as that portion 
 of the old Territory of Louisiana which is trib- 
 utary to St. Louis has emerged from darkness 
 into light and from wilderness to fertility, so 
 has the city which is its commercial metropolis 
 risen head and shoulders above all competitors, 
 and become literally the best distributing point 
 for merchandise in the United States. 
 
 "St. Louis," says Julian Ralph, in the ex- 
 ceptionally able article from which an abstract 
 has already been taken, "is commonly spoken 
 of as the capital of the Mississippi Valley, but 
 her field is larger. It is true that there is no 
 other large city between her and New Orleans — 
 a distance of 800 miles — but there is no other 
 on the way to Kansas City, 283 miles; or to 
 Chicago, 280 miles; or for a long way east or 
 southwest. Her tributary territory is every 
 State and city south of her; east of her, to the 
 distance of 150 miles; north for a distance of 
 250 miles; and in the west and southwest as far 
 as the Rocky mountains. Between 1880 and 
 1890, the State of Missouri gained more than 
 half a million inhabitants; Arkansas gained 
 32(i,000; Colorado, 300,000; Kansas, 430,000; 
 Kentucky, 200,000; Nebraska, 600, OnO; Texas, 
 040,000; Utah, 64,000; New Mexico, Arizona 
 and Oklahoma, 114,000. Here, then, was a gain 
 of 3,174,000 in population in St. Louis' tribu- 
 tary country, and this has not only been greatly 
 added to in the last two and a half years, but 
 it leaves out of account the growth in popida- 
 tion of the States of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Mis- 
 sissippi and Louisiana." 
 
46 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 A ST. LOUIS 
 
 COMMERCIAL 
 
 SUBURB. 
 
 We have said that the section 
 of country within a 5()()-niile ra- 
 dins of St. Louis is rich, and that 
 its possibilities are prodigious. 
 The States named as coming within the circle 
 have made themselves famous by their achieve- 
 ments in agricultural and other directions, and 
 their greatness need not be dilated upon. But 
 there has arisen during the last four or five years 
 a new territory whose growth has been phenom- 
 enal. Reference is made to Oklahoma, a com- 
 mercial suburb of St. Louis, and a coiintry 
 which was unknown to civilization until the 
 three "openings," the first in 1<S89, and the 
 third in 189?). In 1890, the original Oklahoma 
 had a population of 62,000, and now it is 150,- 
 000, a gain of 250 per cent in less than three 
 years. The Cherokee Strip, recently opened, 
 adds, it is computed, 100,000 to the population, 
 brineino- the total number of inhabitants in the 
 Territory up to 251,000. This gives Oklahoma 
 a larger number of inhabitants than any other 
 of the Territories, for LTtah, the most populous 
 of all of them in 1890, had only 208,000 in that 
 vear, which number must still be considerably 
 below the 250,000 mark. New Mexico's popu- 
 lation in 1890 was 154,000, and Arizona's 
 60,000. In general business development and 
 wealth, the growth of Oklahoma has been 
 equally wonderful. The six national banks and 
 twenty-four private banks in the Territory' show 
 that the industrial, commercial and financial in- 
 terests of that region are w-ell taken care of. 
 The railroads running through it are well pat- 
 ronized, and new lines are projected to meet the 
 requirements of a steadily and rapidly expand- 
 ing community. It was less injuriously affected 
 by the financial disturbance than w^ere the other 
 Territories and some of the States, and, as a 
 consequence, it has rallied quicker from the 
 effects of the panic. Agriculture, of course, is 
 far ahead of all other interests in the Territory, 
 but factories are being established and mines 
 opened. Within a few years its activities will 
 be fairly well diversified, and a well developed 
 and s\mnietrical growth will be had. 
 
 St. Louis is especially interested in the growth 
 
 and fortunes of the Territory. Her business re- 
 lations with this city have been close and ex- 
 tensive from the beginning, and they are being 
 diversified and expanded rapidly. This city is 
 the chief distributing point for the entire South- 
 west, and Oklahoma is a growing, prosperous 
 and progressive portion of that section. The 
 creation of a prosperous territory- with a popula- 
 tion of a quarter of a million inhabitants in three 
 years, shows how limitless are the possibilities 
 of the country in which it is situated. There 
 are yet countless acres to be opened for settle- 
 ment in the Indian Territor\', and there is also 
 room for millions of people in the great States 
 that surround it. St. Louis is not exactly the 
 center of population of the United States, which 
 on June 1, 1890, was situated about twenty miles 
 west of Columbus, Indiana. The center moved 
 nearly fifty miles west during the eighties, and 
 will reach St. Louis in its westward course 
 within ten or twenty years. But it is unneces- 
 sary to wait for this event to happen, for St. 
 Louis is to-day practically the center of com- 
 merce of the North American continent. It is 
 too far east to be western,' too far west to be east- 
 ern, too far north to be southern, and too far 
 south to be northern. It is, in short, all things 
 to all men and to all States — the great com- 
 mercial and financial center of the most pros- 
 perous nation in the world, and within compar- 
 atively easy access by rail or river of all points. 
 Thus, in addition to being the great distrib- 
 uting point for the West and the great wdiolesale 
 supply point from which the leading cities of 
 Kansas and Colorado obtain merchandise of every 
 description, it is also in every sense of the word 
 the metropolis of the South. The New South 
 and New St. Louis may be spoken of as twin 
 sisters, for their birth and growth has been prac- 
 ticallv simultaneous. Cincinnati alone competes 
 with St. Louis for the southern trade, but during 
 the last twenty years the latter has so com- 
 pletely outstripped the former that the competi- 
 tion can scarcely be said to exist at this time. 
 The rapid development of new and practically 
 unsettled sections of the Southern States has 
 caused an immense increase in the demand from 
 
TRADE AND COMMERCE. 
 
 47 
 
 TRADE WITH MEXICO 
 
 AND 
 
 SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 those sections, and in view of the popuhirity 
 which immigration southward has attained, a 
 still further growth in this direction is a cer- 
 tainty. 
 
 Nor is the trade of St. 
 Louis limited by the 
 boundaries of the United 
 States. It is the nearest 
 large city to Mexico, and is rapidly becoming 
 the great centei of distribution for all points in 
 the Mexican republic as well as in Spanish- 
 American countries generally. European ex- 
 porters up to a few years ago enjoyed a monop- 
 oly of this trade, to which they catered so 
 carefully that they popularized their goods and 
 also their methods of doing business to an ex- 
 tent which practically shut out trade from this 
 country. The Spanish Club of St. Louis de- 
 serves credit for having done more to get rid of 
 this anomally than any other trade organiza- 
 tion in the United States. Mexican merchants, 
 as a rule, are well situated financially, but a sys- 
 tem of long credits prevails, and this makes it 
 absolutely necessary for the wholesaler to keep 
 himself acquainted with the financial standing 
 of those from whom orders are solicited. The 
 Spanish Club, with the co-operation of the 
 Autumnal Festivities Association, has made this 
 easy by the collection of data of every descrip- 
 tion, and by placing these data at the disposal of 
 merchants. The city is now supplying Mexico 
 "with goods of almost every descriiJtion, but more 
 notably with agricultural and other machinerv, 
 mill and mining supplies, steam and traction 
 engines, shovels, hardware, sewing machines, 
 belting, smoked and dried meats, groceries and 
 provisions, wooden and willowware, glassware, 
 fire brick, fire clay, cement, drugs and chem- 
 icals, paints and oils, cordage, rubber goods, 
 dressed lumber, street and railway cars and sujj- 
 plies, blank-books and stationery and printing 
 presses, importing in return large quantities of 
 coffee, sugar, rice and fruit. During the year 
 1892 nearly a million pounds of hardware were 
 shipped from St. Louis on through bills of lading 
 to IMexico, Cuba and Central and South Amer- 
 ica. Groceries and chemicals of equal weight 
 
 were sent, in addition to which 157,000 barrels 
 of flour were shipped to Cuba. These totals 
 merely represent the' direct shipxuents from St. 
 Louis which the work of improvement on the 
 Mississippi river, now in progress, will make 
 both easier and cheaper. A large quantity of 
 merchandise is still shipped to Spanish-Amer- 
 ican countries via New York houses, but the ad- 
 justment of freights and the improved railroad 
 communications between St. Louis and Mexico 
 favor direct shipment only. 
 
 Before passing to a consideration of some of 
 the principal articles included in the wholesale 
 and jobbing business of St. Louis, it is interest- 
 ing to note that during the eighties the tonnage 
 of freight received at St. Louis increased from 
 6,000,000 to nearly 10,000,000, while the quan- 
 tity of freight forwarded by railroads out of St. 
 Louis increased from 2,7.56,000 tons in ISSO 
 to nearly double that total in 1890. The freight 
 tonnage of the railroads tributary to St. Louis 
 increased from about 35,000,000 in 1880 to 
 nearly 49,000,000 in 1890, an increase during 
 the ten years of nearly 14,000,000 tons. Since 
 these figures were published in connection with 
 the census of 1890, there has been a marked 
 increase in shipments of goods from St. Louis, 
 and in 1892 nearly 9,000,000 tons of merchan- 
 dise crossed the Mississippi river at St. Louis, 
 an increase of fifty per cent since 1887. Tlie 
 total receipts of merchandise of St. Louis by 
 river and rail were almost 12,000,000, as com- 
 pared with 10,600,000 in 1890. The shipments 
 also show a very large increase and point to 
 prosperity of a most pronounced type. 
 
 The wholesale and 
 jobbing dry goods 
 
 business of St. Louis 
 
 AND DRUGS. , 
 
 shows an increase in 
 
 the cash receipts of from ten to fifteen per 
 cent per annum. The total sales now exceed 
 140,000,000 per annum, and they extend to 
 points west of the Rocky mountains, as well as 
 to cities in Indiana and over the entire South. 
 In addition to the immense jobbing trade, the 
 retail dry goods trade of St. Louis has assumed 
 immense importance, and the business trans- 
 
 DRY GOODS, BOOTS 
 AND SHOES, GROCERIES 
 
48 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 acted in response to mail orders is very large. 
 The hat and cap trade has developed from prac- 
 tically nothing ten years ago, to abont $5,000,000 
 per annum at this time, and is growing with 
 great rapidity. As a boot and shoe distributing 
 city St. Lunis is second only to Boston. Enor- 
 mous as is the manufacturing output of the St. 
 Louis factories, and rapid as has been the in- 
 crease during the last ten years, the jobbing 
 business in boots and shoes has shown an even 
 more astonishing growth. The exceptional 
 causes which made trade dull throughout the 
 entire country during at least six months of the 
 current year had less effect on the shoe trade of 
 St. Louis than on any other city in the country. 
 In 1892 St. Louis received 828,071 cases of 
 shoes, a gain over IXDl of about forty per cent. 
 Ten years ago the receipts were less than 
 .100,000 cases, so that the gain has been excep- 
 tionally pronounced, though it has chiefly taken 
 place during the last four years. The ship- 
 ments from Boston to various trade centers are 
 usually considered as criterions, and it is inter- 
 esting to note that while St. Louis received 
 13,500 more cases from Boston than in the pre- 
 ceding year, there was a falling off in the re- 
 ceipts of New York of 13,000, at Chicago of 
 8f),000 and at Baltimore of 44,000, showing 
 that the immense gain of St. Louis meant a 
 great deal more than an increased demand in 
 keeping with the natural increase in popu- 
 lation. 
 
 The wholesale grocery trade of St. Louis is 
 so large that the sales are now nearly $90,000,000 
 a year. The increase for the year 1892 over 
 the preceding year was twelve and a half per 
 cent, largelv due to increased orders from Mis- 
 souri, Arkansas, Illinois, the Indian Territor}- 
 and the Soiitheastern States, and to the opening 
 up of new trrde in the Iowa district. In 
 branches of the grocery trade, such as sugar, 
 syrups and rice, very healthy gains are reported 
 every year; and in coffee, which is one of the 
 city's specialties, the gain in 1892 was enor- 
 mous, the shipments increasing from 232,000 
 sacks to 367,000. 
 
 St. Louis is either the first or the second 
 
 largest distrilniting point for drugs and chem- 
 icals, and the volume of the business in these 
 specialties now exceeds a million dollars a 
 month. The largest drug house in the world 
 has its home in St. Louis, and there are other 
 establishments of enormous proportions. The 
 trade depression of 1893 checked the increase 
 of eight or ten per cent in business which had 
 been reported annually, but did not cause any 
 marked falling off. The wholesale drug busi- 
 ness is one which is not generally understood 
 by the outside public, to many of whom it will 
 be news that it is quite a common practice for a 
 new proprietary article to be placed in the hands 
 of St. Louis jobbers, irrespective of the home of 
 the inventor, simply because it has been ascer- 
 tained by experience that St. Louis possesses 
 unrivaled facilities for introducing into the 
 market any novelty in the driig trade. The 
 volume of business transacted is amazing in its 
 extent and variety, and is a source of general 
 surprise to those who have made themselves 
 acquainted with the details. 
 
 HARDWARE 
 AND HARDWOOD. 
 
 St. Louis has the largest 
 hardware house in the world, 
 
 and the city has few equals 
 as a distributing point for this commodity. The 
 year 1892 was an exceptionally favorable one 
 for this trade. The actual receipts showed an 
 increase of fifteen per cent and, as there was a 
 general reduction in prices, the actual increase 
 in the volume of trade was little, if an}-, less 
 than twenty-five per cent. The foreign trade is 
 exceptionally good, in addition to which the en- 
 tire coimtry west of the Alleghany mountains is 
 supplied. Indeed, shipments are made into 
 many States which cannot, by any species of 
 reasoning, be regarded as St. Louis terri- 
 tory. Shipments are also made frequently to 
 points within half an hour's ride of Chicago, 
 and, what is even more remarkable, quite an 
 extensive business is done with strictly eastern 
 sections. The old craze for sending East for 
 high-class decorations for homes is rapidly dying 
 out in face of the progress made by St. Louis, 
 which now sends more high-class hardware 
 to the East than it receives from it. The 
 
TRADE AND COMMERCE. 
 
 49 
 
 annual sales amount to about $18,000,000, and 
 are increasing with great rapidity. In wooden 
 and willowware St. Louis does such an enor- 
 mous trade that the sales are equal to those of 
 all the other American cities combined — a state- 
 ment which may seem extravagant, but which 
 is easily borne out by an examination of tables. 
 St. lyouis is the best hardwood market in the 
 world, and its lumber interests are enormous. 
 It is so situated that the very best lumber 
 regions are within easy access; and the reputa- 
 tion the city has obtained as a lumber market 
 has led to the choicest products coming to it. 
 The receipts of lumber are so large that the figures 
 are a trifle bewildering. Thus, in 1892 the num- 
 ber of feet received was 883,943,163, an increase 
 of fully twenty-five per cent on those of two 
 years previously. The shipments were less than 
 half the receipts, showing that during the year 
 4(;o,()()O,0()0 feet of lumber were consumed in 
 the local planing mills, wagon and carriage fac- 
 tories, and other establishments, a marked 
 tribute to the city's manufacturing activity. 
 The planing mill products alone realized at 
 least $4,000,000 during the year, and are stead- 
 ily increasing. 
 
 The general depression in 
 the cotton trade during the 
 last few years has been so great 
 that much activity is impossible, but St. Louis 
 is rapidly increasing its importance as a receiv- 
 ing and distributing jjoint. It draws most of 
 its supplies from Arkansas, the other States 
 which ship largely to St. Louis being Texas, 
 Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, 
 Louisiana and Kentucky. During the year 
 1891 the city built up a very valuable export 
 trade, shipinng 185,000,000 bales to England, 
 and smaller quantities to Germany, France, 
 Belgium, Ireland, Saxony, Austria, Italy, Hol- 
 land and Switzerland, the shipments to Ireland, 
 Saxony and Holland opening up an entirely new 
 trade. The total shipments during the year end- 
 ing August 31, 1892, were 68.''), 000 bales, of 
 which nearly a third went direct to Europe, and 
 17(1,000 bales to England. A great gain in 
 this business cannot be looked for until condi- 
 
 COTTON 
 AND WOOL. 
 
 tions over which the city has no control are 
 changed. 
 
 At one time there existed a prejudice against 
 St. Louis as a wool market, but this fortunately 
 has entirely died out. The receipts in wool 
 in St. Louis in 1892 were about 2(5,000,000 
 pounds, 4,000,000 greater than in 1891, and 
 larger than any year's in the city's history. The 
 years 1888 to 1891 showed a satisfactory busi- 
 ness, increasing during the four years a little 
 over 2,000,000 pounds. The early eighties 
 showed unfavorable returns, none of them ex- 
 ceeding or even approaching the business of 
 1879. A great jump was made in the forward 
 direction in the year 1885, and now the strength 
 of the St. Louis wool market is so great that 
 there can be no possible anxiety as to the future. 
 St. Louis is now a very much stronger wool 
 market than Chicago, and for domestic wools it 
 is now the greatest market in the country, with 
 the single exception of Boston. The great gain 
 has been brought about mainly by the energy of 
 the wool merchants, who have established for 
 the city a great reputation for promptness in 
 handling consignments and making remittances. 
 This fact, coupled with the improved railroad 
 facilities and reduced freight rates, has brought 
 the St. Louis wool market in touch with the 
 large wool producing areas in Montana, Wyo- 
 ming and Colorado. Two of these States are 
 within what is regarded as Chicago territory, 
 which city formerly secured the bulk of the 
 Colorado trade. Now, however, these three 
 States send nearly the whole of their product to 
 St. Louis, and the indications are that other ex- 
 treme Western States will soon follow the good 
 example set them. 
 
 In shipments, St. Louis was even more active 
 in 1892 than in receipts, the splendid total 
 of 27,000,000 being reached, showing an in- 
 crease of considerably over 5,000,000 pounds. 
 The stock on hand on January 1, 1892, ex- 
 ceeded 7,000,000 ' pounds, but the transac- 
 tions for the year were so heavy that in spite 
 of the great increase in receipts, the stock carried 
 over to 1893 showed a very gratifying decrease. 
 It is probable that the increased demand from 
 
50 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 Northern and Northwestern areas is mainly re- 
 sponsible for this increase in shipments. For- 
 merly these mills relied upon Chicago for their 
 supplies, and it is only in recent years that they 
 have found out that they can get better treat- 
 ment in St. Louis than in any other city in the 
 country. Wisconsin is taking more and more 
 of our wool every month, and mills within the 
 city boundaries of Chicago send their orders in 
 here with gratifying regularity. 
 
 Strange buyers are seen in the city constantly, 
 and are more than welcome. They are attracted 
 here by reports of friends in the same line of 
 business who have commenced drawing their 
 supplies from St. Louis, and who have found it 
 to their advantage to do so. The superiority of 
 the St. Louis wool market in the matter of selec- 
 tions is its guarantee for future success, and the 
 great increase in wool manufacturing in the 
 West and Northwest renders any anxiety un- 
 necessary' as to the maintenance of the demand 
 in the sections which the city rightfully looks 
 upon as its own. 
 
 While the receipts of wool have doubled 
 themselves during the last twelve years, the 
 gain in hides and leather has been even more 
 pronounced. The weight of the hides received 
 has increased from 18,000,000 pounds in 1880 
 to nearly 40,000,000 pounds per anuum now, 
 while the shipments have about doubled during 
 the same period. In the early da}-s of St. Louis 
 it was noted for its transactions in peltries and 
 furs, which increased steadily up to about the 
 year 1870. For the next fifteen or sixteen years 
 comparatively little progress was made, owing 
 to causes which affected the wool industry of 
 the entire country, but the business has in- 
 creased six-fold during the last six years, and 
 has now assumed enormous proportions. 
 
 St. Louis is known as the 
 best winter wheat flour market 
 in the world, and it is the sec- 
 ond in the list of primary grain markets in the 
 United States. Its receipts in grain have in- 
 creased more than sixty per cent in the last fi\'e 
 years, as will be seen by the following con- 
 densed table; 
 
 Bush'ls 
 
 WHEAT AND 
 OTHER GRAIN. 
 
 1892. 
 
 1891. 
 
 1890. 
 
 1889. 
 
 1888. 
 
 Wheat. - 
 Corn .. 
 Oats.-- 
 
 Rye 
 
 Barley. 
 
 Total. 
 
 I i I I 
 
 27,483,855 2.5,523,183 11,730,774 13,810,591 13,010,108 
 32,030,030 21,530,940 45,003,681 34,299,781 20,269,499 
 10,604,810 12,432,215 12,259,955 11,347,340 10,456,760 
 
 1,189,1531 1,149,4901 501,0.541 679,364 
 2,691,249 2,108,546 2,794,880 3,070,807 
 
 ■3,999,09762,744,374 72,260,344,63,207,883 
 
 421,514 
 3,044,961 
 
 47,202,842 
 
 The export trade has increased with great 
 rapidity, the European shipments being six 
 times as large in 1892 as in 1890 in wheat 
 alone. The popularity of St. Louis as a grain 
 market is also proved by the increased receipts 
 in wheat since 1886, when they were 8,400,000 
 bushels, as compared with 27,000,000 in 1892. 
 The transactions in hay have increased very 
 rapidly during the last ten years, though, owing 
 to the increased home consumption, the ship- 
 ments have remained nearly stationary. Dur- 
 ing the current year, hay has been shipped from 
 St. Louis to France, and although the transac- 
 tion was a comparatively insignificant one, it is 
 of imjDortance as showing what an immense field 
 is open for St. Louis in exporting, and how 
 easily these opportunities can be taken advan- 
 tage of. 
 
 St. Lonis is the best horse 
 and mule market in the 
 United States; and so far as 
 mules are concerned, its transactions are larger 
 than those of all the other markets in the coun- 
 try combined. The trade is confined to a com- 
 paratively small area on Broadway, a few blocks 
 north of the Eads bridge. About 50,000 mules 
 are sold every year in this section, and the re- 
 ceipts from sales exceed $5,000,000. The go\-- 
 ernment purchases between 1,000 and 2,000 
 mules every year from St. Louis, and the south- 
 ern planters rely on the city entirely for their 
 supply. Shipments are made to Cuba in large 
 numbers, one firm alone selling as many as 5,000 
 head a year to Cuban planters. To such a perfect 
 system has the trade been brought that tele- 
 graphic orders are often received and executed for 
 from twelve to a hundred mules wanted at distant 
 points. The animals are graded very carefully, 
 and there is hence little difficulty in fixing values 
 
 HORSES, MULES 
 AND LIVE STOCK. 
 
TRADE AND COMMERCE. 
 
 51 
 
 or completing trades. In horses, St. Lonis also 
 does a very large trade, as many as 20,000 being 
 sold every year. It is qnite an every-day occur- 
 rence for high-grade carriage horses to be or- 
 dered from St. Louis by New York and Chicago 
 dealers. This is because St. Louis has the repu- 
 tation of paying a higher price for stock than 
 any other market, while the rapidity with which 
 sales are made makes it i^rofitable to sell at very 
 low prices. More than one St. Louis magnate 
 has ordered a pair of handsome carriage horses 
 from a distant market in order to obtain some- 
 thing exceptionally fine, only to have his order 
 executed through a St. Louis dealer or broker 
 at an additional expense to him of the commis- 
 sion charged by the foreign house. 
 
 In live stock generally, St. Louis is a highly 
 important market. The total live cattle receipts 
 in iy;i2 were 801,111, and almost the entire re- 
 ceipts were marketed here. From 600 to 800 
 head of cattle are slaughtered daily at the Na- 
 tional Stock Yards, and a great increase in fa- 
 cilities is the result of the introduction of capital 
 from outside points. During 1892, St. Louis 
 sold more Texas cattle than Chicago, and the 
 prices realized were somewhat higher. In spite 
 of the general decrease of interest in sheep- 
 raising throughout the country, there was but a 
 slight falling off in the receipts or shipments of 
 sheep: nor was the volume of business in hogs 
 materially reduced, although the flood kept a 
 great deal of trade away from the city, in addi- 
 tion to which less hogs were raised. It is a 
 significant fact that, although a less number 
 were sold, a very much larger sum was realized 
 than in 1891, and the condition of the market 
 must be described as exceptionally healthy in 
 ever^' respect. 
 
 The story of the 
 greatness of St. Louis 
 
 RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS 
 HERE AND ELSEWHERE. 
 
 as a wholesale and 
 jobbing center might be continued without limit, 
 but the few specialties selected must suffice to 
 illustrate the general scope and extent of the 
 business, which has assumed proportions far be- 
 yond what the most enthusiastic New St. Louisan 
 realizes, and which is growing every month. 
 
 Before passing from the subject of trade and 
 commerce, a reference must be made to the re- 
 tail business of the city. St. Louis is without 
 doubt the greatest shopping center in the West, 
 and with but few exceptions the greatest in the 
 country. The Bureau of Information recently 
 issued a circular to 2,000 prominent citizens, 
 asking them a series of questions as to the retail 
 excellence of St. Louis. Among other queries 
 was one as to the nature and extent of the as- 
 sortments, and another asked for a comparison 
 as to price. Nearly every reply was to the effect 
 that the more one traveled the more was the 
 conviction driven home that New St. Louis was 
 one of the most fa\-ored cities so far as stocks 
 are concerned, and the opinion was unanimously 
 expressed that retailers ask less for their wares 
 than do those of any other city for similar grades. 
 One of the leaders of society, a lady who was 
 born in the East, but who is now the wife of one 
 of St. Louis' leading bankers, did not exagger- 
 ate one jot or tittle when she said : 
 
 ' ' Every year I visit the eastern stores, and 
 every j-ear I become more strongly convinced 
 that our St. Louis merchants equal in energy 
 and result any in the United States." 
 
 Captain Cuttle's advice to his friends as to im- 
 portant records of fact and philosophy was, 
 "when found, make a note of." The hint 
 expressed so tersely by the St. Louis lady is as 
 valuable as any proverb of the past or present, 
 and should be "made note of" and be borne 
 constantly in mind by every resident in the city 
 or within a da)-'s journey of it. 
 
 St. Louis merchants act on the principle that 
 the best is the cheapest, and they accordingly 
 carrs' the best goods in every grade, thereby ac- 
 quiring and maintaining a reputation which 
 adds greatly to their business, and which brings 
 them in orders by mail from every direction. It 
 is impossible to estimate how many thousands 
 of dollars are received in St. Louis daily by re- 
 tailers, but the express and freight business 
 transacted may be taken as a fair index, and 
 this shows that St. Louis occupies a unique po- 
 sition as a distributor of goods of every descrip- 
 tion required for household purposes. The store 
 
52 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 buildings of a few years ago having proved en- 
 tirely inadequate to the wants of the present time, 
 uiagnificent structures have been erected for the 
 accommodation of merchant princes in various 
 lines. Broadway and Olive street are special 
 favorites with large retailers, and most of the 
 largfe establishments are to be found on these 
 magnificent thoroughfares, though in some lines 
 adjoining streets are also quite popular. 
 
 The retail dry goods houses may be described 
 as singularly massive and complete, some of 
 the largest establishments on the Parisian Bon 
 Marche plan having acquired a national reputa- 
 tion. In clothing and hats, the retail establish- 
 ments are also conspicuously fine, while the 
 most elaborate assortments of boots and shoes 
 are to be found in numerous retail stores in the 
 best locations in the city. 
 
 Speaking of the retail trade of the city gener- 
 ally, it may be said that the St. Louis merchants 
 are specially favored by location. Not only have 
 they a population of considerably over half a 
 million within their own city from which to 
 draw regular trade, but they also enjoy the trade 
 of an immense number of suburban and semi- 
 suburban cities, in addition to doing a large 
 trade by express and through the mails with the 
 residents of at least five States. Besides these 
 excellent facilities for securing customers, they 
 are remarkably well fixed for obtaining stock at 
 reasonable prices. The manufactories of the 
 city enable a large percentage of the supply to 
 be drawn from home, and the railroad connec- 
 tions with the East are such as to render it very 
 easy and convenient to receive the latest pro- 
 ductions of the great eastern houses. The city 
 is also a United States port of entry^ and re- 
 ceives goods from European centers direct to the 
 consignee. Every advantage is taken of these 
 facilities, and the latest fashion in St. Louis is 
 never far behind the latest fashion in New York, 
 London or Paris. 
 
 The St. Louisan on his travels and anxious 
 to have justice done his favored city should ac- 
 quaint him'self with some of the most remarkable 
 of its commercial* achievements. 
 
 *See also page 29. 
 
 St. Louis is the best market in America. 
 It is by far the best hardwood lumber market. 
 It is the largest soft hat market in the world. 
 It has the largest drug house in the world. 
 It sells more bags and bagging than any other 
 city. 
 
 It is the largest interior cotton market in the 
 world. 
 
 It is the best winter wheat flour market in the 
 world. 
 
 It is the largest inland coffee market in the 
 world. 
 
 It is the second primary grain market in the 
 world. 
 
 It is the largest horse and mule market in the 
 world. 
 
 Its wholesale grocery sales exceed |yu,UOO,UUO 
 a year. 
 
 It has the largest exclusive carpet house in 
 America. 
 
 It is the largest fruit and vegetable market in 
 America. 
 
 It has the largest hardware establishment in 
 the world. 
 
 It has the largest woodenware establishment 
 in the world. 
 
 It is the third largest dry goods market in the 
 United States. 
 
 It has the finest jewelry establishment in the 
 United States. 
 
 It ships more than 7.j,()(K),(H)() pounds of barb 
 wire annually. 
 
 It exports more goods to Mexico than any 
 other interior city. 
 
 It is the best interior market in the United 
 States for domestic wool. 
 
 It handles more than half the woodenware 
 sold in the United States. 
 
 It receives by rail and river a million tons of 
 merchandise every month. 
 
 It is the largest shoe distributing point in the 
 world, with one exception. 
 
 It handles on an average nearly three million 
 feet of lumber every working day in the year. 
 
 Its transactions in dry goods, clothing, hats 
 and shoes are in excess of $100,000,000 per 
 annum. 
 
RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 53 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 THE BEST RAILROAD CENTER IN THE UNITED STATES.— THE LARGEST CITY ON THE LARGEST 
 RIVER IN THE WORLD.— THE LARGEST RAILROAD STATION IN THE WORLD. 
 
 PROPHET," we are told, "is not 
 without honor, save in his own 
 country," and what is true of 
 prophets is equally true of cities. 
 Hence it was that the world generally 
 was enlightened concerning the ex- 
 traordinary advance of St. Louis as a railroad 
 center, not by a St. Louis statistician, but by 
 Mr. Robert P. Porter, Superintendent of the 
 Eleventh Census, whose under-statement of the 
 population of the city in 1890 proves conclu- 
 sively that he is not unduly prejudiced in favor 
 of St. Louis. In the speech delivered by the 
 superintendent on November 21, 1891, from 
 which quotations have already been made, he 
 called attention to the fact that St. Louis, as a 
 railroad center, is something of which the 
 nation, as well as the city, can be proud. "We 
 may throw Ohio, Indiana and Illinois out of 
 consideration," he said, "and still have more 
 miles of railroad tributary to vSt. Louis than the 
 total mileage of the United Kingdom, of Ger- 
 many, France or Austria-Hungary. Add half 
 of Illinois, which is justly tributary to this city, 
 and we have a railway mileage, tributary to 
 this one great river city, equal to the combined 
 railway mileage of the United Kingdom and 
 Austria-Hungary. Again, take the mileage of 
 railways centering in St. Louis, and we find it 
 equal to the total mileage of the German Em- 
 pire, and exceeding by about five thousand miles 
 the total mileage of railways of England or of 
 France. These are not boastful facts, but facts 
 which point to a future far beyond that as yet 
 attained by Europe's great river cities." 
 
 A year later, another tribute to the excellence 
 
 of St. Louis as a railroad center, was paid by 
 Mr. Julian Ralph, who, in his article in Har- 
 per' s Netv Monthly Magazine.^ for November, 
 1892, said: "St. Louis has become remarkable 
 as a centering place of railroads. The city is 
 like a hub to those spokes of steel that reach out 
 in a circle, which, unlike that of most other 
 towns of prominence, is nowhere broken by lake, 
 sea or mountain chain. Nine very important 
 railways, and a dozen lesser ones, meet there. 
 The mileage of the roads thus centering at the city 
 is 25,678, or nearly 11,000 more than in 1880, 
 while the mileage of the roads that are tributary 
 to the city has grown from 35,000 to more than 
 57,000. These railways span the continent 
 from New York to San Francisco. They reach 
 from New Orleans to Chicago, and from the 
 Northwestern States to Florida. Through Pull- 
 man cars are now run from St. Louis to San 
 Francisco, to the City of Mexico, and to St. 
 Augustine and Tampa in the season. New 
 lines that have the city as their objective point 
 are projected; old lines that have not gone there 
 are preparing to build connecting branches, and 
 several of the largest systems that reach there 
 are just now greatly increasing their terminal 
 facilities in the city with notable works at im- 
 mense cost." 
 
 These two quotations from 
 the utterances or writings of 
 outsiders, show how the rail- 
 road facilities of St. Louis are appreciated 
 throughout the country at the present time. 
 During the eighties the growth in the city's 
 railroad facilities, and in the territory which it 
 supplies with merchandise, were enormous. 
 
 THE SITUATION 
 IN 1890. 
 
54 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 During the decade the railroad mileage of Texas, 
 which is one of the States which draws nearly all 
 its supplies from this city, increased 147 per 
 cent; those of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Ar- 
 kansas, three more States in St. Louis territory, 
 more than doubled during the same period, 
 while the Indian Territory railroad mileage 
 increased nearly four-fold. The increase in 
 Kansas, another distinctly St. Louis State, was 
 about eighty per cent, and through the entire 
 section tributary to St. Louis there was a gain 
 of 21,000 miles, or about sixty-one per cent. The 
 following table shows the general increase in 
 mileage, tonnage and passenger traffic of the 
 St. Louis railroads between the years of 1880 
 and 1890. It was not prepared for the purpose 
 of demonstrating the greatness of St. Louis, but 
 is part of the official record of the census of 
 1890: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 These figures are bewildering in their vast- 
 ness, especially when it is remembered that it is 
 but a little more than forty years ago when work 
 was commenced on the first railroad entering 
 St. Louis. It is interesting at this period, arid 
 in view of the marvelous achievements of St. 
 Louis railroads, to glance back for a moment at 
 the early efforts to secure railroad connection of 
 any kind for St. Louis. After the Legislature 
 of Missouri had in the year 1849 incorporated a 
 railway company to build a road from St. Louis 
 to Jefferson City, with a view to its being ex- 
 tended out to the Pacific Ocean, local sentiment 
 was inclined to be facetious as well as skeptical. 
 During the last year or two there have been 
 many prophets who have doubted the possibility 
 of connecting St. Louis and Chicago by means 
 of an electric railroad which would shorten the 
 distance between the two cities so as to bring it 
 down to a three-hours' journey. Forty-four years 
 ago there were as many, if not more, people who 
 were certain that the road then projected across 
 the State would never be built. 
 
 While people were discussing the 
 
 impossibility of the project, Mr. 
 
 Thomas Allen called a meeting of 
 the incorporators at the St. Louis insurance 
 rooms and delivered an address which forms 
 "mighty interesting reading" at this time. 
 Mr. Allen asked his hearers to imagine that the 
 road had been constructed and opened for trafiic. 
 " Let us enter," he said, "the depot or station- 
 house, which is the largest house in the city. 
 Here we see boxes of merchandise of all sizes, 
 and various articles of household and family 
 utensils, hogsheads of sugar, sacks of coffee and 
 of salt, barrels of molasses and of whisky, kits 
 of mackerel, boxes of raisins, bundles of paper, 
 wagons in pieces and small carriages, kegs of 
 nails, bars of iron, boxes of Indian goods, of 
 shoes, hats, tar and turpentine, marked for the 
 towns in the interior, and some for Deseret, all 
 of which the men are at work placing in the freight 
 train. There is none of that disorder and flurry 
 which exists upon the levee, but all is neatness 
 and order. 
 
 "But the bell is ringing. We will take our 
 
 A FORECAST . 
 IN 1849. 
 
RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 55 
 
 ticket and step aboard tlie passenger train with 
 fifty or sixty otlier passengers who are destined 
 for various points along the line of the road. 
 Off we go, with the speed of twenty-fi\'e miles 
 an hour. We lia\'e not gone five miles when 
 the pace of the train is slacked and we observe 
 one or two gentlemen jumping off at the su- 
 burban residences. A few miles further is a 
 platform and a turn-out. Here several are 
 waiting to get off to go to their dwellings. 
 Here also we observe a string of open cars laden 
 with coal. We pass on, scarcely having time 
 to observe the fine residences which city gen- 
 tlemen have constructed all along each side of 
 the road, but we stop every few moments to let 
 off a passenger or two and take on as many 
 more, so that our number is kept about the 
 same. Here we pass a train loaded with wood, 
 with a few cars of baled hay attached. The 
 country on either side seems to be full of busy 
 men and every farm occupied. Directly we 
 reach a water station, where we observe im- 
 mense piles of cord-wood, and many men en- 
 gaged in hauling and cording. Here also is a 
 small refreshment house, and here again we 
 leave and take on a few passengers. 
 
 "We come in sight of the Missouri, and catch 
 a glimpse, as we pass, of a steamboat, with a 
 small freight and a few passengers, puffing away 
 and hard on a sand-bar. Soon we meet a freight 
 train loaded with pigs of lead and copper and 
 iron from Franklin county. In about two hours 
 from St. Louis, we are at the Union Station, 
 where we discharge a few passengers and ob- 
 serve large piles of metal pigs. Though stop- 
 ping now and then to leave or take on a pas- 
 senger, or to supply the engine with water, we 
 are soon in Gasconade county. We pass cars 
 laden with cannel coal, and we discharge at 
 Hermann Station a number of Germans and 
 their baggage, and we observe some cars receiv- 
 ing freight, some of it apparently pianos, and 
 quite a number of pipes one would suppose to 
 be wine — a;ll the manufacture of Hermann. 
 We are come, however, to the crossing of the 
 Gasconade, which is a grand bridge of solid ma- 
 sonry of great strength and durability. Here 
 
 is quite an important station, and we notice a 
 number of new buildings going up on lots sold 
 by the railway company, imniense quantities of 
 yellow pine piled up, and a number of cars at- 
 tached to an engine ready to start to St. Louis 
 with a heavy load of lumber. 
 
 "We cross the Lamine, stop at the Saline 
 Station, and we are struck with the fine appear- 
 ance of the country as we pass on and observe 
 niimerous excellent farms. We leave a few 
 passengers at Lexington Station, a few miles 
 south of that place, and reach our station not 
 far from the Kansas river (Kaw river) about tea- 
 time, having been about ten hours from St. 
 Louis. Here our remaining passengers, to the 
 number of about twenty or thirty, dispose them- 
 selves for the night at a good hotel, intending 
 in the morning to be off for Independence, Lib- 
 erty, Westport and St. Joseph, and other places 
 up the river. The hotel is quite full of passen- 
 gers, there being as many to go down as up, 
 and in the station-house is a freight train ready 
 to start. It was remarked that there was not 
 less than a thousand tons of freight that day on 
 this road. Now, although this be an imaginary 
 trip, who can doubt, who knows anything of 
 railroads, that the picture would be fully if not 
 more than realized upon the opening of such a 
 road? Can we do any better than to take the 
 2,000 shares required preliminary to the per- 
 manent organization? I am strong in the be- 
 lief that if the road had been built but fifty 
 miles, or if built to Jefferson City, it would pay." 
 When Mr. Allen concluded 
 this address he locked the door, 
 
 A OLORIOUS 
 REALIZATION. 
 
 and, turning to those present, 
 remarked that it was a time for acting and not 
 speaking, adding a hope that the 2,000 shares 
 of stock required would be subscribed for before 
 the door was unlocked. One hundred thousand 
 dollars in stock was required, for which Messrs. 
 James H. Lucas, John O' Fallon and Daniel 
 Page subscribed, and thus was laid the founda- 
 tion-stone for a railroad which in itself has be- 
 come a source of untold worth to vSt. Louis, and 
 of a railroad systenr generally, which, as has 
 been shown above, is equal or superior to that 
 
56 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 of an}' other city in the world. The St. Louis 
 Traffic Commission, of which Mr. C. N. Osgood 
 is executive officer, with the title of Commis- 
 sioner, has enabled fnll benefit to be derived 
 from the great railroad mileage of the city, and 
 it is largely from the reports of Mr. Osgood that 
 the data concerning these railroads centering in 
 the city are taken. These railroads are: 
 
 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. 
 
 Bai,timore & Ohio. 
 
 Chicago & Alton. 
 
 Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. 
 
 Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis ("The 
 Big Four"). 
 
 Illinois Central (via the Vandalia and Cairo Short 
 Lines). 
 
 Jacksonville Southeastern. 
 
 Louisville & Nashville. 
 
 Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis ("Air Line"). 
 
 Missouri, Kans.\s & Tf:xas. 
 
 Missouri Pacific. 
 
 Mobile & Ohio. 
 
 Ohio & Mississippi. 
 
 St. Louis & Hannibal. 
 
 St. Louis & San Francisco (" 'Frisco Line"). 
 
 St. Louis, Alton & Terre Haute ("Cairo Short 
 Line"). 
 
 St. Louis, Chicago & St. Paul ("Bluff Line"). 
 
 St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern ("Iron 
 Mountain"). 
 
 St. Louis, Kansas City & Colorado. 
 
 St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern ("Burlington 
 Route"). 
 
 St. Louis Southwestern ("Cotton Belt"). 
 
 St. Louis, Vandalia S: Terre Haute ("Vandalia 
 Line"). 
 
 Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City ("Clover Leaf "). 
 
 Wabash. 
 
 These are exclusive of the transfer lines con- 
 necting St. lyouis with the Relay depot on the 
 other side of the Eads bridge. These are: 
 
 The Terminal Railroad Association. 
 
 The St. Louis Merchants' Bridge Terminal. 
 
 The WiGGIn's Ferry Company (and associated lines). 
 
 The Madison County Ferry. 
 
 Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis R. R. Ferry. 
 
 Carondelet Ferry. 
 
 In discussing in detail the 
 various railroad connections 
 of St. Louis, they will be 
 dealt with in their alpha- 
 betical order, as above; it being left to the 
 reader to discriminate between the importance 
 
 THE 
 
 A TCHISON- 'FRISCO 
 
 SYSTEM. 
 
 of the various systems, and to decide which 
 would be first discussed, were-the classification by 
 order of merit. The first on the list is the 
 Atchison, Topeka & Santc Fe, which, by the 
 absorption of the St. Louis & San Francisco 
 road, some three years ago, obtained a direct 
 entrance to the city, and made St. Louis one of 
 the terminal points of the great system which 
 controls over 11,000 miles of railroad, extending 
 to California on the west, Texas and Old Mex- 
 ico on the south, and the lakes on the north. 
 The amalgamation of the two systems gave 
 St. Louis another route to the Pacific Coast and 
 also to Old Mexico, and, in addition to that, it 
 greatly increased the railroad facilities between St. 
 Lotiis and Oklahoma. By means of the 'Frisco 
 branch to Sapulpa, St. Louis has railroad facil- 
 ities without change of cars, to the northeast 
 corner of Oklahoma, while the 'Frisco Southern 
 Kansas line, with the Atchison connection at 
 Arkansas City, affords a direct communication 
 with Guthrie and Oklahoma, the two largest 
 cities in the exceptionally prosperotis and thriving 
 Territory, concerning whose marvelous growth 
 figures have been already quoted. The 'Frisco 
 mileage alone covers 1,500 miles, mainly through 
 the States of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas 
 and the Indian Territory. It affords rapid and 
 convenient connection between St. Lotiis and 
 all parts of central and Southwestern Missotiri, 
 and it also sends out from St. Louis daily 
 throttgh sleeping cars to the City of Mexico and, 
 to California. The quantity of freight shipped 
 into St. Louis by the 'Frisco was 551,000 tons 
 in 1892, as compared with 48(3,000 in 1891 and 
 437,000 in 1890. During the same three j'cars 
 the shipments from St. Louis increased from 
 ,HI7,000 tons to 409,000 tons. The immense 
 cjuautity of raw material, lead and zinc, oil and 
 similar products, accounts for the fact that in 
 four years the shipments into St. Louis in- 
 creased fully sixty per cent. 
 
 The Chicago & Alton 
 Railroad is a line verj' pop- 
 ttlar locally. It has only 850 
 miles of track, l)nt e\-ery mile is a good one, 
 and the connections with Chicago and Kansas 
 
 THE CHICAGO AND 
 ALTON. 
 
RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 57 
 
 THE '• BURLINGTON 
 ROUTE." 
 
 City are a source of sjreat profit to St. Louis 
 couiuierce, as the territory through which tlie 
 road passes is rich in the extreme and an ever- 
 increasing source of trade. During the last two 
 or three years it has made vast improvements in 
 its train service, and the admirable condition in 
 which its ballasted track is kept is a source of 
 general pride to all connected with the road. It 
 hauls in iunnense quantities of coal and of grain, 
 stock and fruit products, and it also affords ad- 
 mirable connection with Wisconsin and Michi- 
 gan and se\eral Eastern States. A great 
 portion of its road has been double-tracked 
 recently, and the road is in a condition of great 
 prosperity. In 1892 it hauled into the city 
 12(;, ()()() tons of freight, as compared with 102,000 
 tons four years ago. During the same year, 
 1892, it distributed 103,000 tons of St. Louis 
 merchandise, as compared with 91,000 tons in 
 1889. 
 
 The " Burlington," or 
 the "Q," is becoming 
 more and more a St. Louis 
 road. Its management has of late years been 
 thoroughly impressed with the importance of 
 St. Louis as a shipping point, and the invest- 
 ments that have been made with a view to 
 increasing connections with the city have run 
 into the millions. This route by its own 
 rails affords connection with the best parts 
 of Illinois and Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Ne- 
 braska, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming and 
 Colorado. In addition to this, it reaches by 
 track of its own nearly every important busi- 
 ness center between St. Louis and the Rocky 
 mountains and Lake Michigan. Including the 
 St. Louis, Keokuk & Western, the quantity 
 of freight hauled into the city in 1<S92 was 
 nearly 1,000,000 tons. In its shipments out of 
 St. Louis the total tonnage reached 70(),0()0, an 
 increase from 405,000 four years ago, showing 
 how immensely the distributing business has in- 
 creased. Tlie management of this road has 
 chafed for years under what it considered its in- 
 adequate terminal facilities at St. Louis. Its 
 East vSt. Louis freight terminal was extensive, 
 but not sufficient to answer its purpose, and at 
 
 a heavy outlay a site was secured on this side 
 of the river for a freight house. It has erected 
 and is now oiDcrating on this property one of the 
 most convenient freight houses in the world. 
 This has a frontage on Eranklin avenue of 140 
 feet, and the brick building, which is four 
 stories high, runs back 38 feet. The freight 
 shed is 770 feet in length, and there is thus 
 space, under cover, for five tracks, each capa- 
 ble of accommodating twenty cars. In other 
 words, a hundred cars of merchandise can be 
 handled under cover; a most important condition 
 in bad weather, especially with perishable 
 freight. Adjoining, there is accommodation for 
 about 150 cars on team tracks. This road is 
 also connecting itself with St. Louis by means 
 of a road on this side of the river running 
 north, crossing the Missouri river at Alton over 
 bridges, to which reference will be made later. 
 When this new track is opened an immense 
 volume of business will be diverted to and 
 through St. Louis, and the present freight re- 
 turns will soon be made to look insignificant. 
 
 The Cleveland, Cincinnati & 
 Chicago Railway, known both 
 as the "Three C.'s" and the 
 "Big Four," crosses the States of Illinois, In- 
 diana and Ohio. The "Big Four" system 
 has recently acquired control of the Cincin- 
 nati, Sandusky & Cleveland R. R., Cincinnati, 
 Wabash & Michigan Ry. and Whitewater 
 R. R. The consolidation of the numerous 
 independent lines of which this s\stem is 
 now composed has been a matter of much 
 benefit to St. Louis, resulting as it has in 
 large improvements in transporting facilities. 
 The effect has been shown in the traflic re- 
 turns. The road is now hauling into the city 
 more than half a million tons of merchandise 
 every year, and distributing St. Louis products 
 weighing upwards of 300,000 tons per annum. 
 It hauls into the city every year about 5,000,- 
 000 bushels of coal, and in many other 
 ways contributes towards the city's prosjaerity 
 and grov.'th. 
 
 The Jacksonville Southeastern Railroad (the 
 "J. S. E.") is a smaller line, which, however, 
 
 THE 
 'BIG FOUR." 
 
58 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 THE LOUISVILLE 
 
 AND 
 
 NASHVILLE. 
 
 is quite important to the city. Its career has not 
 been an entirely fortunate one, and during the 
 current year a receiver was appointed to protect 
 certain interests. This was not in consequence 
 of any lack of patronage, as its freight ship- 
 ments increased over 100,000 tons in 1892. The 
 road is entitled to the thanks of the city for the 
 early enterprise it displayed in establishing ter- 
 minals on this side of the river, and in the early 
 future the road will acquire a prosperity to 
 which it is at present a stranger. 
 
 The Louisville & Nash- 
 ville Railroad is of far 
 greater importance than its 
 name would indicate. It 
 connects St. Louis with the Southern and South- 
 eastern sections, and it operates considerably 
 more than three thousand miles of track in the 
 very best regions of the New South. In addition 
 to very valuable connections in Illinois and 
 Indiana, the L. & N. connects with all the 
 leading centers of Kentucky, Tennessee and 
 Alabama, and also runs into the States of Flor- 
 ida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Virginia. In 
 addition to its St. Louis terminus it has termini 
 at Memphis, Mobile, Pensacola, New Orleans 
 and other points; and among the commercial 
 centers of the South through which it runs are 
 Nashville and Birmingham. From St. Louis 
 the L- & N. runs through the exceptionall}' fer- 
 tile region of Southern Illinois and Indiana, 
 crossing the Ohio river at Henderson, Ken- 
 tucky, the Cumberland river at Clarksville, and 
 reaching the Mississippi again at Memphis. At 
 Nashville the main line from St. Louis connects 
 with the Louisville and Cincinnati line and runs 
 on to Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, New 
 Orleans and Pensacola. The new work of the 
 L- & N., in the way of railroad building, has 
 been mainly in Southwest Kentucky, Tennessee 
 and Virginia during the last few years. The 
 road is a most valuable one for the exportation 
 of St. Louis products to the Spanish- American 
 countries, and it is a great favorite with export- 
 ers. Last year it shipped from St. Louis nearly 
 2(U),000 tons of freight as compared with 207,000 
 tons the preceding year, and it also brought 
 
 THE "AIR LINE " AND 
 THE M. K. & T. 
 
 into the city r)5(i,000 tons, an increase of nearly 
 200,000 tons in two years. • It is also interest- 
 ing to note that it hauled into the city about 
 7,000,000 bushels of coal in 1892 as compared 
 with about 4,000,000 in 1890. The L. & N. is 
 another of the roads which has appreciated the 
 necessity of terminal facilities on the west side 
 of the Mississippi river. Having acquired a 
 block of property bounded by Broadway, Cass 
 avenue, Dickson and Collins streets, it proceeded, 
 toward the end of the year 1891, to construct a 
 two-story freight house measuring 5(58x50 feet. 
 The first floor has forty-two doors available for 
 the receipt and delivery of team freight, and 
 the adjoining team tracks afford every facility 
 for business. The second story runs the entire 
 length of the structure and is designed for the 
 warehousing of freight. 
 
 The "Air Line," as the 
 Louisville, Evansville & 
 St. Louis Consolidated 
 Railway Company is generally called, connects 
 St. Louis with Louisville, running through a 
 very important and prosperous section of South- 
 ern Illinois and Indiana. ' It has hauled into 
 St. Louis an immense quantity of merchandise 
 and raw material, the tonnage having grown 
 from 2(;o,000 in 1889 to 46(5,000 in 1892. It 
 has done less work in way of distribution of 
 manufactured product. In 1889 it distributed 
 less than 10,000 tons of St. Louis-manufactured 
 goods. Since then the export business has in- 
 creased ten-fold, but it has not yet acquired 
 very large proportions. During 1892 it hauled 
 into the city nearly 10,000,000 bushels of coal. 
 The Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway is of 
 greater interest to St. Louis on account of fut- 
 ure prospects than actual developments. Within 
 a comparatively short space of time the track 
 connecting this system to St. Louis will be com- 
 pleted, bringing the enormous mileage of this 
 system more directly within reach of the city's 
 manufactures and staples. The principal offices 
 of the company are already situated in St. Louis, 
 a recognition of the fact that the States of Mis- 
 souri, Kansas and Texas, from which the road 
 takes its name, and from which it runs, are dis- 
 
RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 59 
 
 IHE BALTIMORE 
 AND OHIO. 
 
 tinctly St. Louis territory. The greatest mile- 
 age of this road is in Texas, where it exceeds 
 800 miles. It has also 375 miles in Kansas, 300 
 miles in Missouri, and 240 miles in the Indian 
 Territory. The completion of the track to St. 
 lyOnis with independent terminals will make 
 this the terminal city of a road which cannot 
 fail in the early future to play an immense part 
 in the destinies of St. Louis commerce. 
 
 The Baltimore & Ohio Rail- 
 road, which includes the Ohio 
 & Mississippi, has become 
 more distinctly a St. Louis road during the pres- 
 ent year by the removal here of the offices of 
 the company which were formerly situated at 
 Cincinnati. In November, 1893, the offices were 
 finally removed to the Rialto building, where 
 the general passenger and general freight agents 
 and managers took up their headquarters. The 
 change was another admission on the part of 
 experts of the standing of St. Louis as a railroad 
 center, and the influence will be great on the 
 policy of the road. The Baltimore & Ohio 
 Southwestern Railroad by its absorption of the 
 Ohio & Mississippi has a mileage of 930 iniles, 
 extending from St. Louis to Parkersburgh, West 
 Virginia. The old Ohio & Mississippi proper 
 extends from St. Louis to Cincinnati, a distance 
 of 340 miles, with several branches which con- 
 nect the city with various Illinois, Indiana 
 and Kentucky points. The consolidation gives 
 St. Louis another direct route to the Atlantic 
 sea-board, and will result at an early date in 
 greatly increased railroad facilities between this 
 city and New York. It is too early to estimate 
 what the influence will be on the shipping re- 
 turns. The Ohio & Mississippi hauled in nearly 
 700, 000 tons of freight in 1892, including 
 12, (ISO, 000 bushels of coal. It took from the 
 city nearly 170,000 tons of merchandise as com- 
 pared with 130,000 tons in 1.S90. 
 
 It cannot be said too fre- 
 quently that the history of 
 the Missouri Pacific Rail- 
 way is the liistory of the 
 development of modern St. Louis. This chap- 
 ter, dealing as it does with the present rather 
 
 THE 
 MISSOURI PACIFIC 
 SYSTEM. 
 
 than with the past, is not the place to trace that 
 history in all its details. We have seen how 
 Ma^or Darby lent impetus and weight to the 
 railroad agitation nearly sixty years ago, and 
 how Mr. Thomas Allen in 1849 drew an imagi- 
 nary picture ofthe road then contemplated, which 
 he believed would pay as a line connecting St. 
 Louis and Jefferson City. In June, 18r)3, the 
 first section of the railroad, extending to Frank- 
 lin, was opened, and in 18.").J Jefferson City was 
 reached. 
 
 How insignificant do these little details 
 seem compared with the events of to-day, when 
 the Missouri Pacific and its connections inter- 
 sect the best sections of the St. Louis territory! 
 The Iron Mountain road was chartered some- 
 what later, and in 18;'J8 the road was opened as 
 far as Pilot Knob. In 1872 the road reached 
 the Arkansas boundary, and since then its ex- 
 tensions have been numerous. A glance at the 
 map now shows that the Missouri Pacific owned, 
 leased and operated lines connect a greater por- 
 tion of the State of Missouri with St. Louis, 
 bring a still larger portion of Kansas in touch with 
 the city, and also provide excellent facilities for 
 Nebraska, Colorado, Arkansas, Louisiana and 
 other States. St. Louis is the great terminus of 
 this mighty system, and the work it does is 
 best shown by the following figures, which have 
 been extracted from the annual reports of recent 
 years: 
 
 In 1885 the roads in this system hauled into 
 St. Louis about 1,300,000 tons out of a total of 
 7,497,093 tons by all roads. In 1.S89 it brought 
 in rather more than 1,800,000 tons ; in 1892 the 
 total tonnage by the Missouri Pacific system ex- 
 ceeded 2,250,000 tons, or more than twenty per 
 cent of the entire receipts from all sources. Last 
 year again it distributed no less than l,2(!fi,000 
 tons of St. Louis merchandise throughout the 
 St. Louis territory, this being again about 
 twenty per cent of the total. With these figures 
 before him the reader will not think Traffic 
 Commissioner Osgood's eulogy of this road over- 
 drawn. "This great S)'stem," he said, in his 
 annual report for the year 1891, " )-early be- 
 comes more and more a factor in the commercial 
 
60 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 progress of this city. It has ever been among 
 the first to extend its lines into new territory, 
 thns constantly opening up to the commerce of 
 St. lyouis, the pivotal point of the entire system, 
 and, therefore, the point with which its vast 
 interests are chiefly identified, new fields of agri- 
 culture, mining, timber and stock-raising, bring- 
 ing the rich products of the entire West and 
 Southwest directly under contribution to her 
 trade. The significance of the situation can be 
 in a measure appreciated when it is stated that 
 its lines traverse 5,300 miles of productive ter- 
 ritory. It will be better understood when it is 
 seen that by its rails St. Louis is given direct 
 connection with the commercial centers and rich 
 farms of Missouri; the broad corn and wheat 
 fields and prosperous communities of Kansas; 
 the fertile river valleys and trade centers of the 
 richest districts of Nebraska; the mineral regions 
 and chief cities of Colorado; the agricultural, 
 fruit, mineral and timber lands of Arkansas; 
 the rapidly increasing populations of the pro- 
 ductive Indian Territory (which at no far dis- 
 tant day is to become equal in prosperity with 
 any of the States on its borders ) ; the sugar plan- 
 tations of Louisiana, and the cotton and grain 
 fields and vast cattle ranges of Texas. Through 
 its connections it reaches to every other principal 
 part of the West and Southwest, including the Pa- 
 cific slope and Mexico. Its through passenger 
 service to all these districts isadjusted with special 
 reference to the requirements of the St. Louis 
 traveler; and as this is the gateway to the entire 
 system, St. Louis becomes the point upon which 
 the travel from the East destined to these districts 
 naturally converges. During the year 1891 
 over 200 miles of new road were constructed and 
 added to the system, perhaps the most impor- 
 tant portion being the Houston, Central Ar- 
 kansas and Northern line, which will be in 
 operation to Alexandria, Louisiana, its junction 
 with the Texas and Pacific Railway, as soon as 
 the magnificent bridge by means of which it 
 will cross the Red river at that point is com- 
 pleted. This will give St. Louis immediate di- 
 rect connection with New Orleans and the Gulf. 
 St. Louis is the headquarters for the official staff 
 
 of the company, and is the point from which all 
 its operations are directed." . 
 
 The Mobile & Ohio 
 Railway is an important 
 
 THREE VALUABLE 
 SOUTHERN ROADS. 
 
 trunk line connecting St. 
 Louis with the South. It runs through the States 
 of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and 
 Alabama, having its southern terminus at the 
 port of Mobile, 644 miles from St. Louis. Its 
 trains haul into St. Louis immense quan- 
 tities of cotton, lumber, vegetables and fruit, in 
 addition to about 4,000,000 bushels of coal every 
 year. It has freight headquarters in St. Louis, 
 in a building erected and owned by it for the 
 purpose. The very best sections of what is now 
 called the New South are traversed by the Mo- 
 bile & Ohio and its branches, and its influence 
 on the commerce of the city is marked. It 
 brings in nearly 700,000 tons of merchandise 
 every year, and takes away immense quantities 
 of manufactured goods. A very large percent- 
 age of the Spanish- American trade is transacted 
 over this road. From its southern terminus 
 there are regular steamship lines to Tampa, Key 
 West, Havana, Tampico, and other points, in 
 addition to a steamship service to both New 
 York and European ports. 
 
 The ' ' Cairo Short Line, ' ' or, more properly, the 
 St. Louis, Alton & Terre Haute Railway, oper- 
 ates nearly 250 miles of road through a territory 
 which is tributary to St. Louis in every respect. 
 It crosses the Southern Illinois coal fields, and 
 hauls in 12,000,000 or 13,000,000 bushels of 
 coal every year. It connects with the Illinois 
 Central, and gives a direct route between vSt. 
 Louis and Memphis and the most important 
 points in the Southern Mississippi Valley. Dur- 
 ing the last two or three years it has inaugu- 
 rated a number of improvements, which have 
 shortened the distance between St. Louis and a 
 large number of important points. The com- 
 pany also operates a line between St. Louis and 
 Paducah, Kentucky, connecting with diverging 
 lines, also with boats on the Ohio, Tennessee 
 and Cumberland rivers. The recent completion 
 of the Paducah, Tennessee & Alabama R. R., 
 built by St. Louis capitalists, from Paducah to 
 
RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 61 
 
 Hollow Rock, Tennessee, has opened up a new 
 territory to this market, and through a connec- 
 tion with the N., C. & St. L. Ry. at Hollow 
 Rock, Tennessee, has formed a new short route 
 to the Southeast. The policy of the manage- 
 ment of this line is liberal, and it has at all times 
 been found to be alive to the interests of the 
 trade and commerce of St. lyouis. The head- 
 quarters of the company are located here, and 
 the local facilities have been largely improved 
 by the erection of a new freight warehouse, and 
 otherwise. 
 
 The St. Louis Southwestern Railway, for- 
 merly known as the St. L,ouis, Arkansas & 
 Texas, but almost invariably described as the 
 "Cotton Belt," is a St. Louis line, with its 
 headquarters in this city, where its principal 
 officers reside. The 1,200 miles of its track are 
 of immense value to St. Louis, for they bring 
 within easy access of the city a large number 
 of important towns and a vast area of territory 
 tributary in every respect to St. Loiiis. The 
 mileage of the main system is 580 in Missouri 
 and Arkansas, 40 in Louisiana, and 640 in 
 Texas. But by the number of its important 
 connections its importance to St. Louis is largely 
 enhanced. Its own rails reach a group of the 
 most popular and progressive cities of the South- 
 west, viz.: Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Camden, 
 Arkansas; Texarkana; Shreveport, Louisiana; 
 Fort Worth, Waco, T\ler, Corsicana, Green- 
 ville and Sherman, Texas. Lumber, cotton and 
 live stock are the items of freight it contril^utes 
 most largely to the St. Louis market, in ad- 
 dition to all the other products of agricultural 
 sections it traverses. 
 
 The Vandalia, or the 
 Terre Haute & Indianapolis 
 Railroad, is another of the 
 very extensive systems con- 
 necting St. Louis with the eastern roads. Run- 
 ning between St. Louis and Indianapolis, it there 
 connects with the great Pennsylvania system. 
 It has also connections between St. Joseph, 
 Michigan, and Terre Haute, Indiana, and thus 
 becomes valuable to St. Louis connnerce in a 
 variety of ways. This road also handles 
 
 TO THE ATLANTIC 
 
 AND 
 
 THE LAKES. 
 
 St. Louis freight destined for the Erie system, 
 and its business has become so great of late years 
 that during 1891 and 1892 it found it necessary 
 to build and open a large freight depot on this 
 side of the river between O' Fallon street and 
 Cass avenue. The Vandalia hauls into St. Louis 
 every year 11,000,000 or 12,000,000 bushels of 
 coal, and its general freight business is also 
 very large. 
 
 The Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Rail- 
 way, known as the "Clover Leaf," forms an 
 important factor in the St. Louis railroad sys- 
 tem. It runs a distance of 4.^)0 miles to Toledo, 
 Ohio, also operating over 2.'")0 miles of water lines 
 between Toledo and Buffalo. This road con- 
 nects St. Louis directly with Buffalo, Toledo, 
 Belfast, Decatur, Marian, Kokomo, Frankfort, 
 and many other important towns, besides pass- 
 ing through a very large area in which com- 
 merce and manufacture are both well repre- 
 sented. Since the gauge of this road has been 
 changed from narrow to standard, its impor- 
 tance has largely increased, and it has improved 
 its St. Louis connection by constructing a very 
 useful freight depot on the west side of the river 
 between Broadway and Second street, at the 
 intersection of Brooklyn. A great increase in 
 business has resulted from this enterprise, and 
 the popularity of the road in St. Louis is very 
 great. 
 
 The last of the St. Louis 
 roads which will be men- 
 tioned specifically is the 
 Wabash, which connects St. Louis with twenty- 
 one cities, each of a population more than 
 10,000, and a total population of 2,500,000. 
 The Wabash Eastern and the Wabash Western, 
 which are now combined under one manage- 
 ment, have 731 miles in Illinois, 500 in Mis- 
 souri, nearly 400 in Indiana, 125 in Iowa, 105 
 in Ohio, and 80 in Michigan, figures which 
 show very plainly the immense value of the 
 sj'stem to St. Louis. Every day it starts through 
 sleeping cars from the Mississippi to the princi- 
 pal cities on the Atlantic sea-board and Canada; 
 to the principal cities on the shores of the 
 northern lakes; to Chicago, St. Paul, Minne- 
 
 TtiE WABASH 
 SYSTEM. 
 
62 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 apolis, Des Moines, and Denver, to say nothing 
 of the hundreds of intervening points. The 
 through freight service is unique in its com- 
 pleteness; so much so that its cars bring into 
 the city every year nearly 1,000,000 tons of 
 freight, distributing more than 500, (HH) tons 
 of merchandise. It brings from the Illi- 
 nois coal fields over 7,000,000 bushels of coal 
 yearly, and the returns from all sources are con- 
 tinually increasing. This is strictly a St. Louis 
 road, with headquarters in the city. It has 
 within the last two or three years greatly in- 
 creased its freight terminal facilities on this side 
 of the river. The old switching yard on North 
 Market street has been changed into a large 
 loading and unloading yard, and an outside yard, 
 with a capacity of a thousand cars, has been 
 established just east of Bellefontaine cemetery. 
 This road has excellent terminal facilities and 
 entrances to the city, and thus is able to haul 
 unlimited quantities of merchandise without 
 difficulty. 
 
 One of the most signifi- 
 cant tributes paid to New 
 
 THE EADS BRIDQB 
 AND TERMINALS. 
 
 St. Louis since it emerged 
 from comparative dullness, has been in the in- 
 creased terminal facilities provided by the rail- 
 roads centering in the city and by the large 
 increase in the numlser of roads having freight 
 depots on this side of the river. As far as possible 
 controversial subjects are avoided in this work, 
 but it is impossible to overlook the fact that the 
 bridge and terminal monopoly which prevailed 
 for ten or fifteen years was prejudicial to the 
 city's commercial growth. It seems ungener- 
 ous to state this in plain words and without an 
 explanation, for it is obvious that, although this 
 monopoly retarded progress and enterprise, the 
 facilities provided by the Eads bridge have been 
 worth, and are still worth, countless millions to 
 the city. This bridge is one of the great things 
 familiarity with which has bred, if not contempt, 
 at least neglect of appreciation. Its construc- 
 tion was a work of enterprise of the most 
 noble character, and the bridge itself is one of 
 the finest in the world. The bridge was built 
 on solid rock, and it is an invulnerable fortress, 
 
 capable of bearing almost any weight and with- 
 standing the force of any flood. It consists of 
 three graceful arches of steel, each 520 feet in 
 length. Huge piles of masonry rest on solid 
 rock, and the piers are between 91 and 127 feet 
 below high-water mark. The masonry in this 
 bridge measured 69,000 cubic yards; the iron 
 used weighed 6,300,000 pounds, and the steel 
 arches came within two-thirds of that weight. 
 The bridge is two-stories high, the first story 
 being used by railroads, and the upper story 
 forming a splendid highway for vehicles between 
 St. Louis and East St. Louis, and the States of 
 Missouri and Illinois. Something not contem- 
 plated by the designers has lately been added, 
 and an electric road now affords additional facil- 
 ities of communication between St. Louis and 
 its thriving suburb on the east side of the river. 
 The bridge is 2,225 feet long between its abut- 
 ments, and its clearance above the St. Louis 
 directrix is 55 feet. It took seven years to con- 
 struct and was finally finished in 1874. In the 
 same year the tunnel was constructed connect- 
 ing the eastern approach at the foot of Wash- 
 ington avenue with the Mill Creek Valley, and 
 a union passenger depot was established. 
 
 We have said that much as the management 
 of this bridge has been criticised from time to 
 time, the value of the bridge to the city's com- 
 merce has been enormous. The unfortunate feat- 
 ure was the terminating of the roads from the 
 East on the east side of the river. Freight from 
 the East was billed for years to East St. Louis and 
 brought over the ri\-er by the company owning 
 the bridge and terminal facilities. In addition 
 to the sentimental objection to a city of the 
 first class being ignored in bills of lading and 
 receiving from the East second-hand through a 
 comparatively small city, the commerce of the 
 city was handicapped by the additional charges, 
 and as New St. Louis gained strength and form 
 the clamor for additional bridge facilities to de- 
 stroy the monopoly became very strong. In 
 l.s.S(; the Merchants' Exchange, which had been 
 giving the matter attention for years, brought 
 the agitation to a focus, and a committee was 
 formed, consisting of Messrs. S. W. Cobb, C. C. 
 
RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 63 
 
 Rainwater, John R. Holmes, John Whittaker, 
 D. R. Francis, John D. Perry and John M. Gil- 
 keson. This committee sncceeded in obtaining 
 a charter from Congress, which was approved 
 by President Cleveland in Febrnary, 1887. In 
 June of the same year the necessary franchise 
 for terminals was obtained from the city of 
 St. Louis, and general rejoicing at the certainty 
 of early emancipation from the difficulties com- 
 plained of were tlie result. On April 24, 1886, 
 Messrs. S. W. Cobb, John R. Holmes, John M. 
 Gilkeson and C. C. Rainwater filed the neces- 
 sary application with the Secretary of State for 
 the incorporation of St. lyouis Merchants' Bridge 
 Company, and on April 2()th the company's 
 subscription books were opened. 
 
 The act of Congress al- 
 THB SECOND BRIDGE , , , * , 
 
 ready referred to author- 
 
 ACROSS • j\i ^ ^- r 
 
 ized the construction of 
 
 THE MISSISSIPPI. .1, 1 -I ■ 1 J 4-1 4. 
 
 the bridge provided that 
 
 no bridge should be constructed across the Mis- 
 sissippi river within two miles above or below 
 the Eads bridge, and as the result of this restric- 
 tion, which in many ways has proved advan- 
 tageous to the city, the new bridge was planned 
 in the northern manufacturing section. A bridge 
 without terminals would be of little value, and 
 hence the application to the municipal author- 
 ities for franchise for terminal tracks; the rights 
 were freely given, and have since been extended, 
 with a result that the company has been able to 
 complete the system of very admirable termi- 
 nals. The St. lyouis Merchants' Bridge Termi- 
 nal Railway Company was formally established 
 in August, 1887. The length of the railroad 
 was specified in the charter as fourteen miles, 
 and the life of the corporation was fixed at fifty 
 years. Work was commenced on the bridge 
 early in 1<S89, and was completed the same 
 year, the bridge being ojjened for traffic in ISDO. 
 It is a handsome light structure of immense 
 strength. The piers rest on hard limestone 
 rock which was leveled for the purpose and thor- 
 oughly cleaned of all new shale, clay and sand. 
 The caissons were solidly packed with concrete, 
 and limestone from Bedford, Indiana, was used 
 to within three feet of the low-water line; above 
 
 this level to the high-water line Missouri granite 
 is used, and above this, Bedford limestone. The 
 dimension stone was laid in Portland cement 
 mortar, and the backing in lyOuisville cement. 
 In order to make a less abrupt break in the grade 
 between the level grade of the bridge and that 
 of the approaches, the two river piers were 
 raised so that the clear height in the center of 
 the central span is fift}'-two feet above high 
 water, instead of fifty feet as required by the act 
 of Congress, and the height at the end of the 
 shore sj^ans is about four inches less. This gives 
 a much better bridge from a navigation stand- 
 point than the law contemplated. 
 
 On the west end of the bridge the approach 
 crosses Ferry street twice. The crossing near- 
 est the bridge is made by a viaduct resting on 
 cylinder piers; the crossing furthest from the 
 bridge is a deck span 125 feet long resting on 
 masonry piers. There is one other street o\er- 
 liead crossing which is made by masonry abut- 
 ments and steel girders. The intermediate 
 space between the structures are either solid 
 earthwork or a substantial timber trestle. On 
 the east end of the bridge, between the 425-foot 
 length of permanent structure and the over- 
 head crossing at the Chicago & Alton, Bee Line 
 and Wabash railroads, and east of this last 
 named structure to the earth embankment, the 
 intermediate spaces are filled with a wooden 
 trestle. The bridge at the crossing of these 
 three railroads is made by two masonry abut- 
 inents on which rest a 175-foot span and a 
 40-foot steel girder. The entire bridge and ap- 
 proaches is built for double track. The st)'le of 
 the three spans of the main bridge is a double 
 intersection piu-connected truss with horizontal 
 bottom-chord and a curved top-chord. The 
 entire structure is of steel, except pedestals and 
 ornamental parts, which are of cast-iron, and 
 nuts, swi\'els and clevises, which are of wrought 
 iron. The steel was required to stand an ulti- 
 mate tensile strain in the sample bar from 
 68,000 to 70,000 pounds per square inch, with 
 an elastic limit of not less than 38,000 pounds. 
 Finished bars, selected by the engineer, were 
 subjected to a breaking test, the requirement 
 
64 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 being an elongation of ten per cent before break- 
 ing. The strnctnres are so proportioned that 
 under all possible conditions the material cannot 
 be subjected to injurious strain. 
 
 At the end of the east 
 ajDproach there are three 
 
 THE MERCHANTS' 
 BRIDGE TERMINALS. 
 
 connecting lines, one to 
 the north, connecting with the three railroads 
 above mentioned; and one to the east, on the 
 line of the east approach extended, connecting 
 with the Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Rail- 
 road; one to the south, connecting with the 
 Venice & Carondelet Belt Railway and the 
 East St. Louis & Carondelet Railway, through 
 which belt railroads connection is made with 
 the Vandalia, the Ohio & Mississippi, Louis- 
 ville & Nashville, and all other roads which 
 reach St. Louis. 
 
 The west approach connects with the Wabash 
 Railroad, and also with the lines of the St. Louis 
 Transfer Company. The system also has a con- 
 nection with the Chicago & Burlington Rail- 
 road on both sides of the river, and is connected 
 with the St. Louis & San Francisco and other 
 railroads. By franchises more recently ob- 
 tained, it has acquired the right to construct a 
 belt line circling the city, and crossing every 
 road entering it from the west. A great deal of 
 work has already been done on this road, and 
 the improvement in shipping facilities is 
 marked. The ^lerchants' bridge is connected 
 with the Mill Creek Valley tracks and the 
 Union depot by means of an elevated structure 
 along the river front and across the intervening 
 city blocks. By means of this connection, it is 
 probable that in the early future an overhead 
 route will be established between the river and 
 the Union depot for all passenger trains. This 
 probability has been increased during the last 
 year by the establishment of a modus vivcndi 
 between the two bridge and terminal companies. 
 While the Merchants' Bridge and Terminal 
 Company was increasing the city's terminal 
 facilities, the older corporation also showed 
 great enterprise, immensely increasing the mile- 
 age of its tracks and the extent of its accommo- 
 dations. During the year 1893 it was found 
 
 that unnecessary expense was being incurred 
 in duplicate systems of terminals, and an agree- 
 ment was arri\-ed at whereby the competition 
 between the two S}stems was terminated. It 
 must be left to future historians to decide whether 
 this step was an unmixed blessing to the city 
 or not. It is an event of too recent occurrence 
 to be dispassionately considered at this time of 
 writing. Opponents of the amalgamation con- 
 demn it as the re-establishment of a monopoly 
 which it took seven or eight years of work to 
 overcome, and to this feeling may be attributed 
 a revival in the fall and winter of 18i)3 of the 
 project to construct a third bridge across the 
 Mississippi at St. Louis. A charter was ob- 
 tained for a bridge in Carondelet several years 
 ago, and soundings which have been made 
 within the last few weeks indicate that the pro- 
 ject has not been entirely abandoned. 
 
 The amalgamation or absorption, whichever 
 may be the correct legal term, is defended by the 
 parties most interested and also by a large sec- 
 tion of the business community, on the ground 
 that the combined system of terminals with two 
 bridges, will afford facilities for the rapid hand- 
 ling of merchandise unequaled in the past. The 
 influence of the Merchants' bridge, and of the 
 agitation against the billing of freight to East 
 St. Louis from the East, has been seen in the 
 immense number of freight depots on this side 
 of the river, which have been constructed during 
 the last three years. These depots will continue 
 to play an important part in the railroad busi- " 
 ness of the city, in spite of the removal of com- 
 petition between the two bridges. It takes 
 more than a few months to change customs in 
 force for years, and the freight depots on the 
 west side are only just beginning to be apjire- 
 ciated at their full worth. Another argument, 
 strongly in favor of the amalgamation which 
 has just been effected, has relation to passenger 
 trafBc. The immense number of passenger 
 trains between St. Louis and eastern points has 
 caused the capacity of the tunnel to be over- 
 taxed, and for other reasons an overhead route 
 to the new Union depot would be hailed with 
 o-eneral satisfaction. According to the theories 
 
RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 65 
 
 TWO NEW BRIDGES 
 IN 1894. 
 
 of well-informed railroad ineii, a large propor- 
 tion of the passenger traffic would be diverted 
 to the ]\Ierchants' bridge and would proceed 
 from its western approach, either by means of 
 the elevated railroad already referred to, or by 
 the belt road, which would take the trains in a 
 westerly direction, aud bring them into the 
 Union depot from the west. This latter route 
 would necessarily increase the distance some- 
 what, but it would take passengers through the 
 residence portions of the city, and make little 
 difference in the time occupied by the journey. 
 
 The railroad and bridge 
 facilities of the city will 
 be largely strengthened by 
 the new bridges in course of construction across 
 the Mississippi and Missouri rivers a few miles 
 north of St. Louis. One of these is known as 
 the Bellefontaine bridge, and crosses the Mis- 
 souri river three and a half miles from the ]\Iis- 
 sissippi. The bridge, which is rapidly ap- 
 proaching completion, is a splendid structure, 
 about 1,780 feet in length. It is supported by 
 five piers, and will be a bridge of exceptional 
 strength. The other bridge is at Alton, over 
 the INIississippi river. It is also being rapidly 
 pushed forward to completion, and will be used 
 as a means of securing a northern inlet to the 
 city for the ' ' Burlington ' ' and other roads. The 
 influence of these bridges on the railroad sys- 
 tem of the city and its eastern and northern 
 connections will be enormous, and already it 
 is being felt in a variety of ways. At Alton, 
 they have enlivened the real estate market and 
 encouraged the laying out of additions. That 
 there will be many more is a certain fact. The 
 "Burlington" is famous for fostering its su- 
 burban traffic and, out of Chicago especially, 
 gives particular attention to it. The plan of 
 building up such business is to be adhered to 
 here, and it is easy to prophesy that within two 
 or three years we shall see the entire line of the 
 road between St. L,ouis and Alton built up with 
 lovely suburban homes. Many have alreadv 
 taken advantage of the prospect in view and 
 bought large tracts of land with the ultimate 
 purpose of making suburban tracts of them, 
 
 while some others have built upon the wayside, 
 hoping to reap their reward after many years. 
 It has been announced that the " Big Four," the 
 Chicago & Alton and the "Burlington" sys- 
 tems will use the Alton and Bellefontaine 
 bridges. There are others also who have come 
 into the fold since, and have contracted, or will 
 contract, to use them. Besides the ]\I. K. & E. 
 and the M. K. & T. systems, together with the 
 St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern on the south, 
 there is also the St. Louis & San Francisco to 
 use it for east aud west-bound freights, and it is 
 surmised that another one will before long make 
 a contract with the owners of the two bridges. 
 From the north and east, in addition to those 
 already named, there are the Jacksonville South- 
 eastern, which will probably come into Alton 
 direct by the "Bluff Line;" the "Santa Fe," 
 which will come by the same route; possibly the 
 Illinois Central also, via the "Bluff Line;" 
 while the Wabash will build to the Belt Line, 
 via Edwardsville crossing, and connect with 
 the bridges; and it is quite likely that the Penn- 
 sylvania will build from Highland or Green- 
 ville, which lie directly east of Alton, and use 
 the bridges as the rest will. In any event, it is 
 certain that they will have plenty of traffic and 
 be a most important factor in the commerce of 
 St. Louis, as well as of Alton. 
 
 The two bridges, it is understood, are to be 
 free, except a yearly rental charged roads not in- 
 terested in the building of them, and rates may 
 be made independent of the Eads, Merchants' or 
 any other method of crossing the Mississippi. 
 At Lamothe Place there is to be an important 
 transfer station with plenty of side-tracks, 
 where the transfers of east and west-bound 
 freight cars will be made and new trains 
 lie made iip, as also at East Alton. All in 
 all, the new bridges, when completed, will 
 be the most important accessions to the business 
 of St. Louis since the building of the Eads and 
 the Merchants' bridges. They will involve a 
 saving of fifty miles and a week of transfer, 
 opening up a new suburban territory and offer- 
 ing many other advantages too numerous to 
 mention here, but which will develop as time 
 
66 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 moves on and the Ijridges and their connections 
 are bnilt and pnt into operation. 
 
 The work of bnilding these bridges, as a total, 
 far surpasses the entire labor of bnilding the 
 Eads bridge, and, with their connections and 
 terminals, it forms one of the most majestic 
 conceptions of modern times. Two bridges not 
 more than fonr miles apart, the distance from 
 Alton to St. Louis reduced to sixteen miles, 
 many miles of railroad through what was con- 
 sidered an impassable country, subject as it is to 
 annual overflows, all concentrating at one point 
 for the general good and direct benefit of them- 
 selves and St. Louis, is a result which five years 
 ago was laughed at, and even sneered at, by 
 many of the most well-informed people. 
 
 It will thus be 
 THE LARGEST PASSENGER .1 . .^i 1 
 
 seen that the rail- 
 
 DEPOT A c •^•^■ ( 
 
 road facilities of 
 
 ,N THE WORLD. g^ ^ouis are at 
 
 the present time magnificent, and that in the 
 immediate future they will Ijecome even more 
 distinctly superior to those of any other city. It 
 is therefore strictly in order that New St. Louis 
 should have a Union depot better and more 
 gigantic than can be found elsewhere, and this 
 it is to have. Simultaneously with the publish- 
 ing of this work there will be opened the finest 
 dejjot in the world, and its builders have decided 
 to adopt the European and eastern appellation 
 and call it the ' ' St. Louis Union Station. ' ' Noth- 
 ing but never-ceasing care, has enabled the enor- 
 mous passenger traffic for the last few years to be 
 carried on at all, let alone safely and promptly, 
 at the old Union depot on Twelfth street, and 
 ten years ago a new depot was determined upon. 
 In 1886 the movement took definite shape in the 
 formation of the Union Depot Company by the 
 Missouri Pacific, the Cleveland, Cincinnati & 
 St. Louis, the Iron ]\Iountain & Southern, the 
 Louisville & Nashville, the Ohio & ^Mississippi 
 and the Wabash. It was not designed that the 
 promoting companies should use the new struct- 
 ure and tracks exclusively, but upon them fell 
 the responsibility of the great task. Jay Gould 
 took a personal interest in the proposition, and 
 many discussions as to the form to be adopted 
 
 took place. The platforms of the old depot run 
 east and west, and the through system is used; 
 the platforms of the new station run north and 
 south, and it is designed on the terminal and 
 " pocket " plan. The step was not taken with- 
 out mature deliberation, and that the wiser 
 counsels prevailed is generally admitted. Mr. 
 William Taussig, the president of the company, 
 and Mr. Theo. C. Link, the architect, will ever 
 be spoken of with pride by St. Louisans for 
 designing and giving to St. Louis //ic largest 
 Union Railroad Station in the world. 
 
 There is no exaggeration in this expression. 
 The St. Pancras Station in London is generally 
 spoken of as an exceptionally large depot, but 
 is less than half the size of the new station at 
 St. Louis, which also covers more ground than 
 the two magnificent depots of the Pennsylvania 
 road at Jersey City and Philadelphia put to- 
 gether. Ranked in order of area the seven 
 great representative depots of the world are: 
 
 
 
 
 
 ii 
 
 
 
 
 "0 D* 
 
 t.'o 
 
 
 
 
 r-y; 
 
 <A 
 
 New Union station, St. Louis 
 
 606 bv 
 
 700 feet 
 
 424,200 
 
 10* 
 
 Union Depot, Frankfurt, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 552 by 
 
 600 feet 
 
 331,200 
 
 8 
 
 Reading Railroad Station, 
 
 
 Philadelphia 
 
 360 by 
 
 800 feet 
 
 288,000 
 
 7 
 
 Pennsylvania Railroad Sta- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tion, Philadelphia 
 
 306 bv 
 
 647 feet 
 
 197,982 
 
 44 
 
 St. Pancras Station, London 
 
 240 bv 
 
 700 feet 
 
 168,000 
 
 4 
 
 Pennsylvania Railroad Sta- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tion, Jersey City 
 
 256 by 
 
 653 feet 
 
 167,168 
 
 4 
 
 Grand Central Station, New 
 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 York City 
 
 200 by 
 
 750 feet 
 
 150,0(50 
 
 ■Si 
 
 The depot and sheds together cover six city 
 blocks, bounded on the north by Market 
 street, on_ the south by the Mill Creek Valley 
 tracks, on the east by Eighteenth street, and on 
 the west by Twentieth street. The total area 
 covered is equal to ten acres, and 200, UUU men 
 could stand under its roof at one time. No less 
 than 12,000,000 pounds of steel, 2,.")00,000 feet 
 of lumber, .'),000,000 bricks, 3,000,000 nails, 
 100,000 cubic feet of stone, 200,000 roofing tile 
 and 50,000 square yards of plastering have been 
 
 *Including sheds, buildings, &c., the area covered is 
 really about twelve acres. 
 
RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 67 
 
 used ill the work, and the total cost of the 
 structure, inchiding the purchase of the site, 
 exceeds $4,000,000. A detailed descriptiou of 
 a building of this magnitude is well-nigh im- 
 possible, but some of the most striking features 
 must be recorded. At Eighteenth street there 
 is an entrance-way and stair-case fifty feet wide, 
 but the main entrances are on Market street, 
 where carriages can drive in through a semi- 
 circular drive-way to the approach to the grand 
 stair-case. The basement of the depot is on a 
 level with the tracks under the train-shed, and 
 the first floor is a little above the Market street 
 level. 
 
 Passengers to the city cannot fail to be im- 
 pressed with the grand waiting-rooms through 
 which they will pass. The general waiting-room 
 has a floor area of 10,000 square feet, and is of 
 exceptional altitude. The decorations, both of 
 the walls and the ceiling, are appropriate and 
 costly, and in the center there is to be a Bureau of 
 Information, at which questions of all character 
 will be answered. The grand waiting-room, on 
 the first floor above, has an area of 12,000 square 
 feet, and is sixty feet high. The decorations of 
 this room are magnificent, and no less than ;>,(•()() 
 incandescent lights will be used for its illumina- 
 tion. The ladies' parlors, which are now prac- 
 tically completed, are also models of excellence; 
 and the general offices, railroad, telegraphic and 
 otherwise, are of the most perfect character. 
 When the Municipal Assembly granted the 
 necessary authority for closing the streets run- 
 ning through the ten-acre tract now covered by 
 the depot, it was stipidated that the main build- 
 ing should cost not less than $800,000. The 
 actual cost of this portion of the work has not 
 been made public, but it is so far in excess of 
 the minimum named in the franchise, that those 
 who took the precaution to put in the figures 
 feel now that their ideas of the work proposed 
 were extremely conservative. 
 
 The train-shed is 
 more remarkable than 
 the building itself. It 
 is 606 feet wide, nearly 700 feet long, and 100 
 feet high. The roof of the shed forms an arch 
 
 PLAN OF THE 
 UNION STATION SHED. 
 
 of 600 feet radius, the height varying from 
 30 feet at the sides to the 100 feet already 
 mentioned in the center. The roof is supported 
 by forty-four outer columns, forty-four interme- 
 diate columns and twenty-four middle columns 
 of great strength. The roof is almost entirely 
 of glass, of which there are used altogether 
 120,000 square feet in the work, all of St. L,ouis 
 manufacture. An extension to the train-shed 
 calls for 42,000 square feet of space, and will 
 give the depot facilities for handling an unlim- 
 ited amount of traffic expeditiously and safely. 
 The number of tracks provided for in this shed 
 is thirty-two, twice as many as are to be found 
 in the Pennsylvania depot at Philadelphia, and 
 nearly twice as many as in the large depot at 
 Frankfurt, Germany. Between the tracks will 
 be hardwood platforms, twelve feet in the clear. 
 As already mentioned, the tracks run into the 
 depot from south to north, and the platforms 
 parallel the tracks, bounded at the southern 
 end by fences and gates. Along the Eighteenth 
 street side there is also a fifty-foot platform for 
 the exclusive use of promenaders, who will not 
 be allowed to go on the platforms. 
 
 Seventy feet from the rear depot wall a bag- 
 ofage-room extends 300 feet southward. This 
 will be the most complete quick-ser\'ice room in 
 the country, and will be so great an improve- 
 ment over the accommodations hitherto enjoyed 
 by the travelers through St. Louis that com- 
 parison is out of question. One more feature 
 of the depot must be mentioned, because of the 
 ingenuity of which it gives evidence, and also 
 of the immense advantages that w'ill accrue. 
 This has relation to the system of tracks and 
 their entrance to the sheds, which have been so 
 arranged that no engine will come under the 
 massive roof. In the good days to come, loco- 
 motives will be equipped with smoke-consuming 
 devices, but even then they will be objection- 
 able under cover. Now, they give forth vol- 
 umes of smoke and make a variety of unpleas- 
 ant noises, and their room, is far preferat)le to 
 their company; and it is a splendid feature of 
 the new depot that the air in the sheds will 
 always be perfectly clear and pure. The thirty- 
 
68 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 two tracks will vary in length from 400 to 
 1,200 feet, and they will converge into a bottle- 
 shaped junction or throat at the soutli end. 
 A train coming in from either direction will run 
 past the shed; the engine will be reversed and 
 the train backed in over the curved "Y" to 
 its respective track. No switching will be 
 required, as the trains will be made np and 
 ready to resume their respective journeys in 
 either direction when required. The switches 
 will all be controlled by the lever-locking sys- 
 tem, from a switch-tower of consideral:)le height. 
 There will be no possibility of collisions, and 
 the service will be improved and expedited in 
 the most pronounced manner. 
 
 If the arrangement already described, whereby 
 all passenger trains will enter the city via the 
 Mill Creek Valley from the west, is carried out, 
 the system will be still greater in its simplicity. 
 At the first opening of the depot, however, the 
 Wabash, Missouri Pacific, Iron Mountain, Keo- 
 kuk, Colorado, and San Francisco trains, with 
 others using their tracks, will come in from the 
 west under the Twenty-first street bridge, pass- 
 ing the shed entrance and then backing in as 
 described. The Wabash Eastern, Chicago & 
 Alton, "Burlington," " Cairo Short Line," "Big 
 Four," Illinois Central, lyouisville & Nashville, 
 Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis and Balti- 
 more & Ohio trains will at first run np the Mill 
 Creek Valley from the eastern apjiroach, pass 
 under the Eighteenth street bridge, and back 
 into the shed and depot from the west. 
 
 The official announcement has been made that 
 the depot will be open for traffic next March 
 ( 1894 ), and there seems every reason to believe 
 that the promise will be carried out and that the 
 magnificent depot will be in use before the sum- 
 mer travel commences. 
 
 The extraordinary rail- 
 road facilities of St. Louis 
 
 have, to a great extent, 
 
 RIVER CONNECTIONS. ■, -, ■, •. 
 
 overshadowed its river 
 
 facilities, and have caused sight to be lost of the 
 fact that St. Louis is the chief port in l'S,()00 
 miles of inland waterways. In years gone by 
 the river was the making of St. Louis, and al- 
 
 THB IMPORTANCE 
 OF OUR 
 
 though the city's greatness is due more to the rail- 
 roads than to the river, no treatise on the great- 
 ness of St. Louis will ever be complete without 
 a reference to the river and the enonnons traffic 
 that it has witnessed. " There is no warrant," 
 to quote from the memorial presented by the 
 Merchants' Exchange in 1892 to the Fifty- 
 second Congress, in favor of the deepening of 
 the river channel between St. Louis and the 
 Gulf, " for the assertion that in this age of rail- 
 roads rivers have lost their fascination and 
 influence over the people, and that it is as easy 
 to build up a great and populous city at a dis- 
 tance from navigable water as upon its shore. 
 The history of settlements in this countrv, as 
 well in the last forty years of railroad making, 
 as in the one hundred and fifty that preceded it, 
 attests the continued ascendency of navigable 
 streams and lakes over the popular mind, and 
 their great value in commercial, industrial and 
 distributive economies. The same forces that 
 located New York at the mouth of the Hudson, 
 Philadelphia on the Delaware, Baltimore on the 
 Patapsco, New Orleans and St. Louis on the 
 Mississippi , Pittsburgh , Cincinnati and Louisville 
 on the Ohio, and Chicago and Milwaukee on 
 Lake Michigan, before railroads were thought 
 of, have assisted to build np Minneapolis, St. 
 Paul, LaCrosse, Winona, Dubuque, Davenport, 
 Rock Island, Muscatine, Keokuk, Hannibal, 
 Ouiiicy, Cairo, Memphis and Vicksburg on the 
 Mississippi, Evansville, Owensboro and Pa- 
 ducah on the Ohio, and Kansas City, Leaven-" 
 worth, St. Joseph, Omaha, Council Bluffs, Sioux 
 City, Pierre and Bismarck on the Missouri; and 
 it may be observed that in the settlement of the 
 newer portions of the Mississippi Valley in the 
 last half century, it has ever been the rule to 
 found the leading cities and towns on rivers and 
 lakes, if there were ri\-ers or lakes within reach, 
 unless special agencies dictated a different loca- 
 tion. And it is a fact not without significance 
 that the cities, founded on the waterside, which 
 were leading cities as far back as 1830, have 
 maintained their pre-eminence in the face of 
 railway influences, and are leading cities in 
 1892. Pittsburgh, at the head of the Ohio, con- 
 
RAILROAD AND RIVER FACILITIES. 
 
 69 
 
 tinues to be the largest city in Western Peuns)-1- 
 vania; Cincinnati, on tlie Ohio, and Cleveland, 
 on Lake Erie, are the largest cities in Ohio; 
 Chicago is the chief city of Illinois, St. Lonis 
 and Kansas City of Missonri, Lonisville of Ken- 
 tucky, St. Paul and Minneapolis of Minnesota, 
 Omaha of Nebraska, Memphis and Nashville of 
 Tennessee, Little Rock of Arkansas, Vicksburg 
 of Mississippi and New Orleans, Shreveport and 
 Baton Rouge of Louisiana — and there are good 
 reasons for believing that these cities, all located 
 on the waterside, will continue to maintain their 
 ascendency in their respective States for genera- 
 tions to come." 
 
 The actual population of the Mississippi river 
 States alone is 18,r)0U,U()0, while the population 
 of the Mississippi Valley States isover 28, 00(1, 000. 
 The region drained by the Mississippi and its 
 tributaries embraces one-half the States in the 
 Union and nearly one-half the population, and 
 the immense value of the city's river location 
 can easily be understood when this fact is taken 
 into consideration. According to the census 
 of 1890 upwards of ;-^l, 000, 000 tons of freight 
 were carried during the year 1889 on the 
 Mississippi and its tributaries, the principal 
 commodities and the tonnage of each being as 
 follows: 
 
 C0.M3I0DIT1ES. 
 
 Tons. 
 
 Coal - 
 
 Forest Products 
 
 Merchandise 
 
 Wheat 
 
 Cottou 
 
 Iron Ore 
 
 Cotton Seed and Oil 
 
 Corn 
 
 Sugar and Molasses 
 
 Animal Products 
 
 Stone and Ciravel 
 
 Clay and Sand 
 
 Manufactured Iron 
 
 Mill Products 
 
 Hay 
 
 Other Grain 
 
 Fruits and Vegetables 
 
 Tobacco 
 
 Pig Iron 
 
 Oils r 
 
 Ice 
 
 Cement, Brick and Lime.. 
 
 Total 
 
 632, 
 531, 
 
 SS6, 
 
 068, 
 
 GSO, 
 
 530, 
 
 392, 
 
 266, 
 
 189, 
 
 169, 
 
 158, 
 
 141, 
 
 12-2, 
 
 88, 
 
 7s, 
 
 51, 
 
 23 
 
 17 
 
 5, 
 
 3, 
 
 4, 
 
 1 
 
 109 
 189 
 259 
 504 
 635 
 647 
 988 
 071 
 829 
 470 
 453 
 464 
 000 
 129 
 635 
 3U8 
 091 
 707 
 500 
 128 
 l)(t0 
 231 
 
 PROSPECTS OF 
 
 INCREASED 
 RIVER TRAFFIC. 
 
 31,054,423 
 
 The river equipment of the streams with 
 which St. Louis has direct traffic and large pro- 
 prietary interest embrace upwards of l,oO() 
 boats, with an aggregate tonnage of 480,000, 
 the actual of weight of freight moved on them 
 amounting to about one-half the total given 
 above. 
 
 It could scarcely be ex- 
 pected that the river traffic 
 to and from St. Louis would 
 show a large increase when 
 the immense railroad freight returns are taken 
 into consideration, but considerably upwards of 
 1,000,000 tons of freight are received at the 
 city and shipped from it every year. The re- 
 turns would be infinitely larger but for suspen- 
 sions of traffic caused by low water, and for 
 several j-ears the efforts of the Merchants' Ex- 
 change have been directed towards the securing 
 from the Federal Oovernment a measure of jus- 
 tice in the matter of river improvement. The 
 movement, warmly supported by Mr. E. A. Noo- 
 nan, during his administration as mayor, came 
 to a definite head in the years 1891 and 1892, 
 when the executive committee of the commercial 
 and manufacturing associations of St. Louis for 
 the improvement of the Mississippi river secured 
 the introduction of abillappropriating$8, 000, 000 
 annually for the improvement of the river. This 
 bill passed the Senate, but owing to the strong 
 opposition in the House, it was deemed inad- 
 visable to run the risk of pushing it, and in its 
 place there was obtained an appropriation of 
 $4,000,000 per annum for four years, for con- 
 tinuous work on the Mississippi river from 
 St. Paul to New Orleans. This work is 
 now in progress, and a concerted effort will 
 be made to ha\'e the appropriations continued 
 indefinitely until St. Louis becomes a seaport, 
 and until the river is navigable at all periods of 
 the year, except when closed by ice. 
 
 The high water of the year 1892 reduced the 
 river tonnage considerably. During the months 
 of April, May, June and July the a\-erage stage of 
 the river at St. Louis was about twenty feet, as 
 compared with zero of gauge in the year LSI);], 
 and again in December, 1893. This latter indi- 
 
70 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 cated about twelve feet of water in the channel in here and Cairo. The arrivals and departures at 
 the harbor of St. lyouis, with four and some- and from the port of St. Louis during the last 
 times only three feet of water in places Ijctween twenty years are as follows: 
 
 1892. 
 
 1891. 
 
 1890. 
 
 1889. 
 
 18S8-. 
 
 18S7.. 
 
 1886.. 
 
 1885. 
 
 1884.. 
 
 1883. 
 
 1882.. 
 
 1881. 
 
 18S0. 
 
 1879. 
 
 1878.. 
 
 1877. 
 
 1876.. 
 
 1875 
 
 1874 . 
 
 1873. 
 
 ARRIVALS. 
 
 lioats. 
 
 Barges. 
 
 2053 
 
 1 
 1090 ' 
 
 1881 
 
 1019 
 
 1927 
 
 1274 1 
 
 2195 
 
 1474 
 
 2079 
 
 1244 i 
 
 2361 
 
 1272 
 
 2087 
 
 1269 
 
 1878 
 
 1030 
 
 2048 
 
 999 
 
 2240 
 
 1185 
 
 2537 
 
 1110 
 
 2426 
 
 1525 
 
 2871 
 
 1821 
 
 23G0 
 
 1471 
 
 2322 
 
 1291 
 
 2l.i0 
 
 660 
 
 2122 
 
 6S3 
 
 2201 
 
 743 
 
 2332 
 
 951 
 
 2316 
 
 1020 
 
 Tons of 
 
 Freight 
 
 Received. 
 
 656,980 
 450,050 
 530,790 
 543,990 
 597,955 
 652,880 
 570,205 
 479,065 
 520,350 
 629,225 
 802,080 
 852,410 
 893,860 
 688,970 
 714,700 
 644,485 
 688,755 
 663,525 
 732,765 
 810,055 
 
 Tons of 
 
 Lumber and 
 
 Logs by Raft 
 
 Received, 
 
 130,220 
 142,0i)0 
 132,940 
 127,695 
 130,855 
 213,165 
 200,785 
 217,860 
 240,330 
 231,285 
 271,490 
 356,020 
 198,315 
 
 DEPARTURES. 
 
 1892 
 1891 
 1890 
 1889 
 1888 
 1887 
 1886 
 1885 
 1884 
 1883 
 1882 
 1881 
 1880 
 1879 
 1878 
 1877 
 1876 
 1875. 
 1874 
 1873 
 
 Boats. 
 
 2013 
 
 1845 
 1910 
 2211 
 2076 
 2328 
 2102 
 182S 
 2018 
 2140 
 2487 
 2340 
 2866 
 2392 
 2348 
 2156 
 2118 
 2223 
 2364 
 2303 
 
 Tons of 
 Freight 
 Shipped. 
 
 502,215 
 512,930 
 617,985 
 712,700 
 510,115 
 637,060 
 561,895 
 534,175 
 514,910 
 677,340 
 769,905 
 884,025 
 1,038,350 
 676,445 
 614,675 
 597,676 
 600,225 
 639,095 
 707,. 325 
 783,256 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 RAPID TRANSIT AND ITS INFLUENCES. 
 
 THE EARLY STRUGGLES OF OMNIBUS AND STREET CAR COMPANIES.— THE INTRODUCTION 
 OF CABLE AND ELECTRIC POWER.— EFFECT ON IMPROVEMENTS AND VALUES. 
 
 Ml 
 
 ^^HE STREKT C.\R service of St. Louis 
 \ / is now equal to that to be found in any 
 (g) (g) city in the world, and in many respects 
 it is far superior. It has more special 
 features than the street car senace of 
 any other city, and it runs some of the 
 most handsome cars in the world. During the 
 year 1893 the use of horses and mules for street 
 car traction was put a stop to in the down-town 
 sections of the city, and the three roads which 
 were the last to fall in line with the procession 
 commenced the regular running of electric cars 
 during the summer. Now every main line is 
 operated by electricity or cable, and there are 
 
 nearly .300 miles in operation, while the total 
 number of passengers carried each year is about 
 100,000,000. To realize what this means it 
 should be borne in mind that to maintain an 
 average of 100,000,000 passengers per annum it 
 is necessarj' for the cars to haul a number efjual 
 to one-half the city's entire population every 
 day, Sundays included. Before describing the 
 splendid equipments of to-day, a brief reference 
 must be made to the early days of omnibuses 
 and street cars in St. Louis. The first omnibus 
 was run without any concerted system or plan 
 about fifty-five years ago. A local paper in 
 18o8 speaks of the handsome style of an omnibus 
 
RAPID TRANSIT AND ITS INFLUENCES. 
 
 71 
 
 run by Mr. Belcher, but it was not until 1844 
 that an omnibus service of any extent was es- 
 tablished. Mr. Erastus Wells and Mr. Calvin 
 Case in that year established an omnibus line, 
 which is referred to in a local paper on June 11, 
 1845, in the following terms: 
 
 "It is but a few months since our opinion was 
 asked as to the probable profits of an omnibus 
 to be run in certain parts of the city. At 
 that time no omnibuses were run in the city. 
 The experiment was attempted. The first was 
 started by Messrs. Case & Wells, to run from the 
 National Hotel on Market street, to the ferry at 
 the upper end of the city. We believe it has 
 been successful as could have been expected from 
 a new undertaking. At first people were a little 
 shy of it; some did not think it exactly a gen- 
 teel way of traveling the streets. These scruples 
 have entirely disappeared, and everybody now 
 rides in them, and is glad of the oj^portunity. 
 Messrs. Case & Wells manifest a determination 
 to keep up with the encouragement given them, 
 and have lately put on their line a new and 
 beautiful omnibus, manufactured in Troy, New 
 York. It is a fine specimen of workmanship, and 
 is a very comfortable carriage. In addition to the 
 line above mentioned, we now have regular lines 
 running from the National Hotel to the Arsenal, 
 along Second street; a line from the Planters' 
 House to the Arsenal, along Fourth street; a 
 line from the corner of Fourth and Market 
 streets to the Camp Springs, and a line to the 
 Prairie House. All seem to be doing a flourish- 
 ing and profitable business, and they prove to be 
 a great convenience to persons residing in dis- 
 tant parts, and to those having business to at- 
 tend to in remote parts of the city. Tliey have 
 contributed not a little to give an increase of 
 value to real estate lying at a distance from the 
 center or business portion of the city." 
 
 In 1850 Erastus Wells, with Calvin Case, 
 Robert O'Blennus and Lawrence Mathews 
 formed a combination which purchased and op- 
 erated all the omnibus lines in St. Louis. In 
 the following year there were six lines in exist- 
 ence, as follows: First, from the Arsenal to Ca- 
 rondelet; second, from the corner of Market and 
 
 THE FIRST STREET 
 RAILROAD TRIP. 
 
 Second streets to the Arsenal; third, from the 
 corner of Main and Market to Camp Springs; 
 fourth, from the corner of Broadway and Frank- 
 lin avenue to Rising Sun Tavern; fifth, from the 
 corner of Market and Third to Bremen; sixth, 
 from Bremen to BisselPs Ferry. The omnibuses 
 from these points started every four to ten min- 
 utes, and the lines comprised in all ninety om- 
 nibuses, 450 head of horses, four stables and 
 about 100 hands. 
 
 In January, 1859, a 
 meeting was held to dis- 
 cuss the question of the 
 building of street railroads, and the sense of the 
 meeting was so strongly in favor of the innova- 
 tion that local enterprise was at once directed to- 
 wards the incorporation of companies for build- 
 ing and equipping street railroads. In the fol- 
 lowing May the Missouri Railroad Company 
 was organized, and Mr. Erastus Wells became 
 its president, a position he occupied for more 
 than twenty years. By July the road was con- 
 structed as far as Twelfth street, and on the 
 4tli of July the first car was run over the 
 track. In these days of street railroads running 
 trains five, and even fifteen, miles, the excite- 
 ment which the first trip created on the six- 
 block route seems remarkable and almost hu- 
 morous. The literature of the day tells us that 
 the first car was a beautiful vehicle, light, ele- 
 gant and commodious, having cost $900, in- 
 cluding freight from Philadelphia, where it was 
 constructed. "Mr. Wells, president of the 
 road, then took the reins," we are told, "and, 
 after a jerk or two, the first car moved slowly 
 but steadily up the track amidst loud shouts 
 and cheers from the crowd. Troops of urchins 
 followed in its wake, endeavoring to hang on, 
 and we fear unless this is prevented in the 
 future, serious accidents may occur." The 
 journey appears to have been accompanied by 
 great difficulties, the car leaving the track 
 several times, but Tenth street was finally 
 reached, "the track having been cleared of 
 Stone only that distance." It took many years 
 to bring the Missouri Railroad system up to its 
 present standard, but Grand avenue was reached 
 
72 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 during the seventies by both Olive and Market 
 streets. 
 
 The St. Louis Railroad, or the Broadway line, 
 was also started in 18.')!), as was the Citizens' 
 Railway, which originally ran as far west as 
 Garrison avenue. In 1864 the road was extended 
 to the Fair Grounds, and in 1881 along the 
 St. Charles rock road to Rinkelville. The ex- 
 tension of this road between King's Highway 
 and Rinkelville is still operated by horses on a 
 single track with turn-outs. It is shortly to be 
 reconstructed and equipped as an electric road, 
 but in the meantime it gives an interesting in- 
 sight into the original system of street railroads 
 in St. Louis as compared with the magnificent 
 equipment of to-day. The People's road was also 
 constructed along Fourth street in 18.")9, and 
 five years later it was extended to Lafayette 
 Park. In 1882 it was further extended to Grand 
 avenue. The first step towards the forma- 
 tion of the Union Depot system of street rail- 
 roads was made in 18()2, when the track was 
 laid from Fourth and Pine streets to Gravois 
 road. So many extensions have taken place 
 since, that the road has become a general South 
 St. Louis means of transportation, and it has just 
 completed a line to Caroudelet on the high 
 ground. The year 1864 was an important one 
 in street railroad history. It saw the building 
 of the Benton-Bellefontaine Railroad as far as the 
 water tower, and also the commencement of 
 work on the Lindell system, now one of the 
 largest in the United States. Cars were run on 
 V)oth the Washington avenue and Fourteenth 
 street branches early in 18117, the first named 
 road having for some years its terminus at Ware 
 avenue. 
 
 The Union Railway was organized the follow- 
 ing year and track was laid as far as Hyde Park. 
 Ten years later the road was extended to the 
 Fair Grounds. In 1874 the Cass Avenue and 
 Fair Grounds Railway was organized, and in 
 June 1875 it was first operated. On October 
 25, 1874, some excitement was caused by the 
 running of the first two-story car in the city. 
 This was on the Northwestern St. Louis Rail- 
 way, which became absorbed by the Mound City 
 
 Railway Company, whose cars were first oper- 
 ated in 18(j(>. The South St- Louis Railway 
 Company was incorporated in 1876 at about the 
 time of the adoption of the scheme and charter. 
 By the purchase of the Carondelet Street Rail- 
 way Company, it connected Carondelet with St. 
 Louis, running due south. 
 
 Another company, not strictly a street railroad 
 company, but of equal importance to the city, is 
 the St. Louis Transfer Company, originally 
 known as the Ohio & Mississippi Transfer Com- 
 pany. This was chartered in 1859, and has 
 provided admirable transfer and omnibus facili- 
 ties for passengers, baggage and freight ever 
 since, keeping pace with the growth of public 
 sentiment and the improvement of transfer facili- 
 ties generally. 
 
 This in brief traces the 
 THE SERVICE . . , , 
 
 origin of the magumceut 
 
 OF OLD ST. LOUIS - ^ ., , . ■,-^- r 
 
 street railroad facilities of 
 
 AT ITS BEST. g^_ j^^^^j^ to-day. In 18S2, 
 
 when, as we have already seen. Old St. Louis 
 began to merge into New St. Louis, there were 
 in operation fourteen street railroads, which 
 carried about 30,000,000 passengers during the 
 year, or less than one-third the total carried now. 
 The following table, based on the 1882 returns, 
 will give some slight idea of the small begin- 
 ning upon which the street railroad system of 
 New St. Louis was based: 
 
 Baden 
 
 Beiitou & Bellefontaine.... 
 
 Cass Avenue 
 
 Citizens' 
 
 The Lindell 
 
 Missouri 
 
 Mound City 
 
 People's 
 
 St. I^ouis , - . 
 
 South St. Louis 
 
 Tower Grove & Lafayette.. 
 
 Union 
 
 Union Depot - 
 
 . a 
 
 O =3 
 
 r. 
 
 14 
 
 12 
 
 3 
 
 8 1 
 
 10 ! 
 
 17 
 132 1 
 
 193 i 
 
 290 I 
 401 
 
 295 ; 
 
 83 I 
 250 ] 
 442 
 
 75 
 
 93 
 210 
 366 
 
 42 
 30 
 56 
 70 
 56 
 2-2 
 30 
 66 
 23 
 20 
 24 
 68 
 
 ; 6,820 
 
 48,720 
 
 83,810 
 
 94,520 
 
 159,430 
 
 122.960 
 
 22,880 
 
 59,110 
 
 125,860 
 
 32.510 
 
 25,0.")0 
 
 03,660 
 
 75,870 
 
 The influence of New St. Louis at once began 
 to be felt in the street cars. As seen above. 
 Grand avenue was generally the terminus of 
 
RAPID TRANSIT AND ITS INFLUENCES. 
 
 73 
 
 railroads running west, and the extension of the 
 lyindell Railway as far as Vandeventer a\-enue 
 by means of a loop running west on Delmar 
 avenue, north on Vandeventer, east on Finney 
 and south on Grand, was regarded as quite a 
 work of enterprise. Bobtail cars — the popular 
 name for the unpopular diminutive cars, whose 
 drivers are compelled to act in dual capacity 
 as drivers and conductors — were run, and, al- 
 though the road proved a great convenience, it 
 was not pushed to its full limit. The Market 
 street road was also extended as far as Forest 
 Park, and on Sundays through cars were run, 
 though during the week the much-despised bob- 
 tail cars did duty on the extension. 
 
 St. Louisans, visiting other cities and observ- 
 ing the successful operation in them of street 
 railroads operated by rapid transit in the shape 
 of cables, became impressed with the fact that 
 horse and nude traction was too slow for a great 
 city like St. Louis, and the question of rapid 
 transit began to be discussed here very freely. 
 As we have seen in a j^receding chapter, the 
 railroad magnates strongly objected to the pro- 
 posed innovation, and a vigorous outcry was 
 also raised by the conservative and timid ele- 
 ment. It seems strange that emancipation from 
 the old rut should have been inaugurated by 
 Indianapolis capitalists, but such was the case, 
 and in 1884 the first franchise was granted for 
 a cable road. The promoters had acquired the 
 title and interest in the narrow-gauge road 
 which ran from the intersection of Grand avenue 
 and Olive street to the interesting city of Floris- 
 sant, seventeen miles out in the country. That 
 this road was intended for much greater things 
 than it had achieved, was evidenced by its 
 title, which was the St. Louis, Creve Coeur & 
 St. Charles Railway Company, to which cor- 
 poration the privileges were granted by the 
 Municipal Assembly after a bitter fight. 
 
 Ordinance No. 12,852, ap- 
 proved by Mayor Ewing in 
 188-4, should ever be regarded 
 by St. Louis property holders 
 and citizens with something akin to veneration, 
 because it sanctioned the first step towards the 
 
 THE FIRST 
 
 CABLE ROAD 
 
 FRANCHISE. 
 
 emancipation of the city from the rule of horses 
 and mules on its street car tracks, and because 
 the work done under it gave a marked impetus 
 to the new growth of the city. The franchise 
 granted the company permission to lay a cable 
 track between the junction of Sixth and Locust 
 streets and the intersection of the narrow-gauge 
 road with Morgan street, at a point a little west 
 of Vandeventer avenue. The precautions taken 
 against damage to the city and private property 
 in the construction of the road were somewhat 
 remarkable, and showed that the warnings of 
 those who had prophesied dire disaster as the 
 result of the innovation had not been thrown 
 away on the city legislators. The limits of 
 speed specified in the ordinance were also 
 indicative of the spirit of the times. East of 
 Twelfth street no car was to run faster than six 
 miles an hour; between Twelfth street and Gar- 
 rison avenue a speed of seven miles was per- 
 mitted, and west of Garrison avenue eight miles 
 was allowed. These speed regulations would 
 have required the use of three different cables, 
 with drums at Twelfth street and also Garrison 
 avenue; but before the road was opened wise 
 counsels prevailed, and a more reasonable uni- 
 form speed-limit was made. 
 
 Those who resided in the city at the time will 
 remember with great interest the construction 
 of this road. It was built in the most substantial 
 manner then possible, but by a slow, tedious 
 and expensive process, without the use of the 
 devices of more recent years which had made 
 cable-track laying far more speedy and prac- 
 ticable. As an event typical of the times, the 
 laying of the first cable in the conduit is worth 
 mentioning. The local papers devoted to the 
 work a large amount of space, and considering 
 the immense crowds which witnessed the work, 
 the event was certainly one of more than ordi- 
 nary interest. The cable was placed in position 
 late in the winter of 1885-86, and the first cable 
 train was run at the commencement of spring 
 following. The excitement which the experi- 
 ment created will ever be remembered. On the 
 first Sunday of the road's operation it beat the 
 record in the matter of jDassenger hauling, 
 
74 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 although its equipment was by no means com- 
 plete. The popularity of the road was so great 
 that even after the novelty wore off, people will- 
 ingly walked four or five blocks out of their 
 way to ride in the cars, and a career of extra- 
 ordinary prosperity appeared to be certain. The 
 "impossible" route added to the difficulties of 
 running" the road, but although a great many 
 passengers were thrown into each other's laps, 
 and some few were thrown on to the sidewalk at 
 the sharjDest curves, these little drawbacks did 
 not materially injure the road's traffic receipts. 
 The most objectionable and dangerous point was 
 at Grand avenue and Morgan street, where a 
 double curve seemed to defy the efforts of the 
 engineers to devise means to keep the cars on 
 the track. This trouble was finally obviated by 
 the purchase of the property at the southeast 
 corner, and the moving several feet south of the 
 house situated upon it, so as to enable the track 
 to be relaid without a perceptible curve at all. 
 The road's progress was also interfered with 
 by a calamitous fire, which destroyed its entire 
 equipment before it had been in operation more 
 than a year. Horse cars were run for a short 
 time, and finally a fresh supply of cars was ob- 
 tained and traffic was resumed. The road was 
 finally sold, at a handsome profit to the original 
 promoters, and it passed into the control of Bos- 
 ton capitalists. Sufficient money was not spent 
 to keep up the track, and the competition of 
 adjoining roads which in the meantime had 
 been equipped with cable power, reduced the 
 earning capacity of the pioneer rapid transit 
 road of St. Louis to such an extent that it passed 
 into the hands of a receiver. About four years 
 ago Messrs. Charles H. Turner, S. M. Kennard, 
 Clark H. Sampson and other capitalists were 
 convinced of the possibility of reconstructing the 
 road with electricity and making it pay hand- 
 somely. They secured a controlling interest in 
 the corporation, reorganized it as the St. Louis 
 & Suburban Railroad, and at once decided upon 
 the gigantic enterprise of equipping the road its 
 entire length with electricity. The narrow- 
 gauge suburban service was exceedingly unsat- 
 isfactory and entirely inadequate, and the reor- 
 
 ganizers determined to run a double-track 
 electric road as far as the city limits and a sin- 
 gle-track electric road from that point to Floris- 
 sant, the tracks to be doubled on the county 
 section as soon as the traffic justified the outlay. 
 
 The necessary legisla- 
 THB FIRST COUNTY . , . ; '^^ , 
 
 tion was obtained, and the 
 ELECTRIC ROAD. . , ^ ,. ^ . 
 
 long and tedious task com- 
 menced. Electric cars were run as an extension 
 to the cable service in 18i)l, and in 1892 the great 
 work was completed and a through service of 
 electric cars established between Sixth and Lo- 
 cust streets and the city limits at Wells Station, 
 with an excellent county extension to Normandy 
 and Florissant. This road is now the longest 
 electric road in the world operated from one 
 power-house, and the enormous increase in its 
 receipts since the change of motive power has 
 more than justified the enterprise and anticipa- 
 tions of the reorganizers. 
 
 The history of this road has been traced at 
 some length because of its exceptional influence 
 on the city's rapid transit facilities and also on 
 its general growth. Before leaving the sul^ject, 
 it is of interest to add that in addition to being 
 the longest electric road o^Derated from one 
 power-house, it was the road selected by the 
 government for the experiment of street railroad 
 postal cars. The experiment has proved a per- 
 fect success, and now three trips are made daily, 
 with sub-postoffices established along the line 
 of route. The delivery of mail is expedited 
 very largely by the change, and national interest 
 has been attracted by the experiment, which, 
 however, can hardly be regarded as an experi- 
 ment now. The company already transacts a 
 freight and express business west of Vandeventer 
 avenue, and at an early date this service will be 
 extended down-town. 
 
 But we are somewhat anticipating history. 
 The railroad companies which had oj^posed the 
 cable franchise found their worst fears fulfilled, 
 and the traffic returns of parallel lines in 188G 
 showed the necessity of prompt action. During 
 the year nearly every road of importance ob- 
 tained the right to change its motive power, 
 and the year 1887 saw much work done. Among 
 
RAPID TRANSIT AND ITS INFL UENCES. 
 
 75 
 
 the first roads to lay cable, and the first to re- 
 construct, was the Olive street branch of the 
 Missouri, which cabled its tracks right out to 
 Forest Park, instead of having its western ter- 
 minus at Grand avenue, as hitherto. The re- 
 construction was a lengthy piece of work, but 
 it was duly accomplished, and subsequently both 
 the other sections of this system have been 
 equipped as electric roads. This Missouri sys- 
 tem alone now carries half a million passengers a 
 month, and its business is constantly increasing. 
 It has just erected a magnificent depot and 
 pavilion close to the Blair statue in Forest 
 Park for the convenience of the thousands of 
 passengers its cars haul daily, and the popular- 
 ity of the route will be still greater when this 
 building is ready for use. There are few street 
 railroad lines in the country which run so nearly 
 in a straight line, and which traverse such a 
 thickly settled and highly improved territory. 
 Starting from Fourth and Olive, close to the 
 Merchants' Exchange, and some of the finest 
 office-buildings in the city, it runs directly west 
 up Olive street, passing the Federal building and 
 the Exposition, and continuing on its western 
 course, within a block a great portion of the 
 way of the finest boulevard and drive-way in St. 
 Louis. Although this was one of the first cable 
 railroads constructed in St. Louis, it is also the 
 most modern in character, and the most suc- 
 cessful in operation. No money was spared in 
 building the road, which is kept in the highest 
 state of repair, with a power-house of unlimited 
 capacity, and a determination on the part of the 
 management to provide accommodation as nearly 
 perfect as possible. The cars, those used both 
 for summer and winter, are excellently uphol- 
 stered, and are kept scrupulously clean, while 
 the trains run at such frequent intervals that 
 people who are in a hurry use them even if it 
 compels a walk of a few extra blocks. The serv- 
 ice is so excellent in every respect that, al- 
 though electricity has entirely supplanted the 
 cable in the estimation of the people, there is an 
 exception in this instance, and the Olive street 
 road is as much liked as the best electric road 
 in the city. 
 
 RAPID TRANSIT 
 TO THE 
 
 The Missotiri Company 
 
 has also an electric road 
 
 running in a straight line to 
 PRINCIPAL PARKS. p^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^.^ ^^^^^ 
 
 formerly known as the Forest Park & Laclede 
 Railroad, starts from the southern front of the 
 court-house, and runs up Market and Chestnut 
 streets, reaching the park by the former thor- 
 oughfare, some few blocks south of the cable 
 terminus. It is also the only street railroad 
 corporation in St. Louis running to both Forest 
 Park and Tower Grove Park, the two most pop- 
 ular recreation and breathing spots in the city. 
 Tower Grove Park is reached by the Missouri 
 Company's electric road, which starts from Fourth 
 and Market and runs by a very direct route to 
 Shaw's Garden, being in fact the only railroad 
 which carries passengers right to the gates of 
 the great botanical garden which has made St. 
 Louis popular and famous among students of 
 natural beauty everywhere. The western ter- 
 minus of this road is at the northern entrance 
 to Tower Grove Park, and its passengers thus 
 have the advantage of reaching both the garden 
 and the parks without change of cars or delay 
 of any kind. 
 
 Simultaneously with the cabling of the Olive 
 street road, the Citizens' Railroad was changed 
 to cable. Nor was this all. Easton avenue be- 
 tween Prairie avenue and King's Highway was 
 neither improved nor graded, and the company 
 proposed as a matter of course to lay its con- 
 duits only as far as city improvements made 
 it possible. The property owners, however, 
 clubbed together and had the street graded to 
 King's Highway. The company was a party to 
 the transaction, made King's Highway its west- 
 ern cable terminus, and thereby doubled and 
 trebled the value of property along the avenue. 
 The compan}'s branch to the Fair Grounds was 
 also cabled, but in 18113 the conduit was removed 
 and electric power substituted; another tribute 
 to the conquering tendency of the latest of 
 modern inventions. Under the same manage- 
 ment as the Citizens' are the Cass Avenue, 
 Northern Central and Union lines, to all of 
 which reference has already been made, and all 
 
76 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 of which were equipped with electricity during 
 1892. The combined system serves the north- 
 west portion of the city very thoroughly, and 
 hauls immense numbers of passengers to the 
 Fair Grounds and races. 
 
 One of the most indispensable, and, as we have 
 seen, one of the very oldest roads in the city is 
 the Broadway. Unlike the other roads referred 
 to, which run more or less east and west, this 
 road runs from north to south, connecting the 
 manufacturing section of North St. Louis with 
 the manufacturing and brewing section of South 
 St. Louis, and passing through not only the 
 business section of the city, but also through 
 some of its most thickly settled residence wards. 
 Although before this road was reconstructed for 
 rapid transit, electric roads had established their 
 popularity, the immense number of trains to be 
 run over the track made the management prefer 
 a cable, which was laid during the years 1889 
 and 1890. The cabling of the road was a ver>' 
 costly undertaking, but the work was done in 
 the most efficient manner possible, and the road 
 is a model in every respect. Visitors to St. Louis 
 who desire to visit the new Merchants' bridge, 
 the old and the new water-works, the cemeteries, 
 all in the northern section of the city, find the 
 Broadway cable convenient for the purpose; 
 while it is also a popular route to the great 
 breweries of the south end. 
 
 The Lindell, or Washington avenue, Railroad 
 was among the first to feel the influence of rapid 
 transit competition, as the new cable road paral- 
 leled its line within a few blocks almost its 
 entire length. Experiments were tried in 1887 
 with a storage battery electric car, which, how- 
 ever, was not a success. Shortly afterwards I\Ir. 
 George D. Capen and other local capitalists 
 secured control of the road, and having unlimited 
 faith in the future of St. Louis proceeded at once 
 to map out what looked like a daring scheme, 
 not only of reconstruction, but also of extension. 
 Electric power was selected as the motor, and 
 the main line track was extended on Finney 
 avenue as far west as Ta\-lor. From this point 
 two branches were constructed, one running on 
 Uelmar boulevard to DeBaliviere avenue and 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 TRANSFER SYSTEM. 
 
 then south into Forest Park, where a magnifi- 
 cent pavilion has been constructed providing a 
 handsome ornament to the park, and being of 
 immense convenience to passengers visiting the 
 city's great breathing ground and pleasure 
 resort. The other branch was constructed out 
 west on Page boulevard, piercing a district 
 hitherto a stranger to street railroad facilities of 
 any kind. The enterprise of the road did not stop 
 at this point. Recognizing that St. Louis was in 
 need of north and south railroads, or cross-town 
 lines, the management obtained municipal legis- 
 lation and proceeded to construct, some three 
 years ago, the Vandeventer avenue line, which 
 connects the Fair Grounds with the Mill Creek 
 Valley tracks. 
 
 The opening of this 
 road was a matter of spe- 
 cial interest to St. Louis, 
 because for the first time 
 it introduced into the city on a comprehensive 
 scale a system of transfers, whereby a passenger 
 can make a continuous journey by more than 
 one car without paying an additional fare. Dur- 
 ing 1893 the company has also completed and 
 opened a street railroad on Ta}'lor avenue from 
 its junction with Finney into the northwestern 
 wards, with the intention of extending it at an 
 early date to the cemeteries on the north and 
 the railroad tracks on the south. Also, during 
 1893, it has opened a new road passing the new 
 Union Station, crossing the Eighteenth street 
 bridge and providing facilities for residents in 
 the Compton Hill district. It also has a second 
 road to F'orest Park via Chouteau avenue, and 
 has altogether one of the most comprehensive 
 and extensive street railroad S},-stems in the 
 United States. Its power-house is one of the 
 largest in the world, and it has also ex- 
 cited the interest of street railroad men everj-- 
 where b}- its patented vestibule street car, which 
 affords easy ingress and egress through a vesti- 
 bule in the center of what is really a combina- 
 tion of two full-sized electric cars. No returns 
 are available for the entire Lindell system. 
 During the third quarter of 1893 it carried 
 nearly 4,000,000 passengers, and its completed 
 
RAPID TRANSIT AND ITS INFLUENCES. 
 
 77 
 
 system is probably canning at least 1,500,000 
 passengers inoiitlily. 
 
 Another road which has obtained running 
 powers past the new Union Station is the Union 
 Depot Company, which now embraces not only 
 the numerous roads running into the southern 
 wards, but also the Mound City Railroad and 
 the Benton & Bellefontaine Railroad. This gi- 
 gantic system of railroads, with upwards of 
 sixty miles of electric track, thus runs from the 
 extreme south of the city to the cemeteries in 
 the extreme northwest, with branches in almost 
 every direction, and a system of transfers which 
 enables passengers to travel right through and 
 across the city for one fare. Its latest extension 
 is now nearly completed. It intersects the 
 highest ground in Carondelet, and affords un- 
 limited facilities for transportation. No road 
 has a more interesting history than this great 
 system and the parts which help to make up 
 the whole. In its early days all the hardships 
 of bobtail bars and insufficient service were felt, 
 but during the last few years these comj^laints 
 have all been rendered unnecessary, and the 
 equipment is now excellent. The power-house 
 from which these different branches are oper- 
 ated is of exceptional size, and its capacity is 
 ta.xed to the uttermost. By its absorption of the 
 Mound City and Benton «& Bellefontaine roads, 
 the company also acquired two other large 
 power-houses. The business transacted by the 
 roads in this system is nearly, if not quite, 
 20,000,000 passengers jDer annmn. 
 
 The People's Rail- 
 road, originally con- 
 structed to Lafayette 
 Park, was cabled 
 some three years ago and extended along Grand 
 avenue to Tower Grove Park. Now an electric 
 road is being constructed along Grand avenue, 
 connecting the various roads which run on or 
 across that thoroughfare, and providing a third 
 parallel cross-town road of great usefulness. At 
 the present time there are in the city 240 miles 
 of street railway in actual operation, and 43 
 more in course of construction. In other words, 
 early in 1894 there will be about oitO miles of 
 
 A COMPARISON BETWEEN 
 
 THE ROADS OF 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 street railroads in operation, as compared with 
 less than 120 miles in 1882. This wonderful 
 increase in itself is a striking tribute to the 
 growth and importance and wealth of New St. 
 Louis, and it would be so if the question of 
 mileage alone were considered. But the in- 
 crease in value has been far greater than the 
 increase in mileage, because, while in 1882 the 
 tracks were laid as cheaply as possible, and the 
 motive power was horses and mules, the roads 
 in 1893 are equipped in the most costly manner 
 known, and the moti\-e power is more than two- 
 thirds electricity, with about forty-three miles 
 of cable road. 
 
 The enterprise of the railroad magnates has 
 been more than rewarded, for the traffic has in- 
 creased in a most remarkable manner. In 1885, 
 the last year of the horse-car reign, the number 
 of passengers carried by the St. Louis street rail- 
 roads was a trifle in excess of 41,000,000. Esti- 
 mating population at this stage at 410,000, each 
 inhabitant of the city, on an average, rode in a 
 street car a hundred times during the year. In 
 1891 the number of passengers carried had in- 
 creased about 100 per cent, and in 1892 the num- 
 ber of passengers carried amounted to 9 1,500, 000. 
 In other words, the average number of rides 
 taken by every inhabitant of St. Louis was 
 about 200 during the year. The returns for 
 1893 are not yet complete, but they will cer- 
 tainly approximate 100,000,000 for the year. 
 The total for the first si.x months was more than 
 4.S, 000,000, and the following table gives the 
 traffic for the quarter ending October 1: 
 
 Miles 
 Operated 
 October 1. 
 
 Xiimber of 
 Trijjs 
 Made. 
 
 Number of 
 
 Fares 
 Collected. 
 
 Union Depot 
 
 Lindell 
 
 Missouri 
 
 St. Louis 
 
 Citizens' 
 
 Cass Avenue 
 
 St. Ivouis & Suljiirbau. 
 
 Southern 
 
 People's 
 
 Jefferson Avenue 
 
 Baden 
 
 55 
 41 
 24 
 
 20 
 ]5 
 27 
 19 
 15 
 10 
 3 
 3 
 
 158,367 
 
 323.242 
 
 2!}7,600 
 
 211,440 
 
 185,246 
 
 150,890 
 
 33,803 
 
 88,560 
 
 5S,0U4 
 
 23,116 
 
 5,720 
 
 4,612,404 
 3,845,936 
 3,712,257 
 3,067,721 
 2,213,793 
 2,121,410 
 2,057,175 
 1,520,307 
 1,260,678 
 505,413 
 127,940 
 
 This shows a total of more than 25,000,000 
 passengers carried during the c]uarter. 
 
78 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 „ _ It only needs a g-lance at the 
 
 RAPID TRANSIT . ^ , '^ , , 
 
 City map to-day and the maps 
 
 as published ten years ago, to 
 THE CITY MAP. ^^^ j^^^^^ remarkable has been 
 
 the influence of rapid transit on the building up 
 of the city. Those visiting St. Louis during the 
 years 1892 and 1893, after an absence from the 
 city of eight or ten years, ha\-e been astounded 
 at the changes effected. Specific reference has 
 already been made to the effect of the cable con- 
 struction on Easton avenue. This thoroughfare 
 was little more than a country road ten years 
 ago. The single-track street car line was laid 
 on one side of the road, and the ser\ice was any- 
 thing but satisfactory. There were a few stores 
 on the street, but they were general country 
 stores, without specialties in any line. To-day 
 Easton avenue is one of the most important 
 thoroughfares in the city. It forms part of the 
 direct road from the Mississippi river at St. 
 Eouis to the Missouri river at St. Charles, and, 
 thanks to the influence of the cable, that portion 
 of the St. Charles rock road which is now 
 known as Easton avenue, is a busy thorough- 
 fare, with hundreds of stores and private dwell- 
 ings. Several attempts have been made to state 
 in figures what benefit the cable road has been 
 to Easton avenue, but sufficient data are not at 
 hand to make any calculation approximately ac- 
 curate. It is certain, however, that property 
 which could not be sold at -$10 a foot before 
 the reconstruction, now has buyers in abund- 
 ance at $50, .$fiO and $70, ^vith higher prices 
 for corners. Farther out on Easton a\'enue 
 where property ten }-ears ago could be bought 
 by the acre, $20, $25 and $30 a foot is now 
 paid. 
 
 The general equipment of the roads running 
 due west with rapid transit facilities, and their 
 extension beyond Grand a\-enue, has remodeled 
 that section of the city which lies west of Van- 
 deventer avenue and north of Forest Park. In 
 the old days this exceptionally desirable prop- 
 erty was inaccessible except to those who owned 
 carriages. Even in 1885 there was no street 
 car accommodation in the district named west 
 of Vandeventer avenue. The enterprise of the 
 
 St. Eouis & Suburban and Lindell Companies, as 
 well as the cabling and extension of the 01i\e 
 street line, has made this property as easy of 
 access as it was formerly difficult. The result 
 has been a complete transformation. The streets 
 and boulevards between Vandeventer and Taylor 
 avenues are all built up with costly improve- 
 ments, including elegant mansions, while west 
 of Taylor a\-enue the number of delightful home§ 
 is constantl)' increasing. West of King's High- 
 way, in old horse-car days, the territory was un- 
 explored and unknown. There were several 
 large country mansions with extensive grounds, 
 but as a residence section for the masses it had 
 yet to be born. Encouraged by the railroad 
 companies, acre after acre has been covered with 
 attracti\-e homes, the Cabanne and Chamberlain 
 Park districts vying with any in the country for 
 beauty and elegance. 
 
 The conversion of the horse car lines running 
 south and southwest has also transformed those 
 sections of the city. It was formerly so difficult 
 to get to Carondelet that most people living in 
 St. Louis knew little or nothing concerning the 
 beauties of this section of the cit>-. The high, 
 healthy ground is now being built up with res- 
 idences of all descriptions, and, thanks to the 
 admirable street railroad facilities, the popula- 
 tion is being increased at a surprising rate. In 
 the northwest and the north, the street railroads 
 have opened up several square miles of hitherto 
 inaccessible property. The improvements are 
 continuing, and, indeed, the good work of the 
 rapid transit roads in this direction is yet in its 
 infancy. In no respect does New St. Louis 
 differ in appearance from Old St. Louis more 
 than in its residences and residence sections, and 
 the change has been brought about almost en- 
 tirely by rapid transit. 
 
 One more influ- 
 ence of improved 
 
 street railroad facili- 
 
 CITV LIMITS. ^ • , , 
 
 ties must be re- 
 corded. The St. Louis & Suburban electric 
 road, as already mentioned, runs as far into the 
 couutv as Florissant, and all along the line of 
 its route it has built up suburban districts. 
 
 POSSIBILITY 
 OF AN EXTENSION OF THE 
 
SOAfE AIDS TO PROGRESS. 
 
 79 
 
 Nominally, Normandy and Ramona are both in 
 the county, but practically the)- are part of St. 
 Louis. Powers have also been obtained to con- 
 struct electric roads into various other sections 
 of the county. A road has already been finished 
 to Clayton, the county seat, and two other cor- 
 porations have been formed to construct rail- 
 roads, to be operated by electricity, through the 
 strictly urban section of the county west and 
 southwest of the city. As a result of this, it is 
 proposed to, as early as possible, extend the city 
 limits so as to take in Jefferson Barracks on the 
 south, Kirkwood on the southwest, Clayton on 
 the west and Ferguson on the northwest. 
 
 The new limits as thus proposed would add 
 an area to the city of about ;"> 1,200 acres, or 
 eighty square miles. It would bring in all the 
 suburban towns fostered by present and projected 
 electric roads, including Ferguson, Woodland, 
 Normandy, Jennings Heights, Ramona, College 
 
 View, O' Fallon, Clayton, Rosedale, Kirkwood, 
 Glendale, Webster, Luxemburg and Jefferson 
 Barracks, and within the area named there is a 
 population of nearly, if not more than, 50,000. 
 The present financial condition of that portion 
 of St. Louis county included in the limits named 
 greatly simjDlifies the question of annexation. 
 If the boundaries named above should be adopted 
 the city would have an area of 89,9(52 acres, or 
 about 140 square miles. It would add, at a 
 low estimate, f25,000,000 immediately to the 
 taxable values, yielding a revenue of about 
 ,t!.')00,000. The proposed line has been drawn 
 so as to continue along the high ground, and 
 within fi\-e years much of the new territory 
 would be the most desirable property in the 
 city. The rapid transit to suburban localities is 
 the best in the United States, and whether the 
 territory is annexed or not it will practically be 
 a part of the city within a short time. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SOME AIDS TO PROGRESS. 
 
 THE VEILED PROPHET, AUTUMNAL FESTIVITIES ASSOCIATION, ILLUMINATIONS, EXPOSITION 
 AND FAIR.-CONVENTIONS.-COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 y^^HE HISTORY OF CITIES, ancient and 
 
 
 modern, fails to record a duplicate to 
 the enterprise of New St. Louis in the 
 matter of entertaining strangers and 
 providing lavishly for their amusement. 
 It was in 1878 that the Veiled Prophet 
 commenced his series of annual visits to St. 
 Louis, and from the first these visits have been 
 made the basis of hospitality of the most lavish 
 character. The mystery of the Veiled Prophet 
 has been kept entire from the first, and although 
 it is generally known that the enormous expense 
 of the pageant and ball is borne by a secret organ- 
 ization composed of the princi])al capitalists, 
 manufacturers and merchants of St. Louis, their 
 
 exact identity is a matter of .surmise, and the 
 correctness of the guesses need not be discussed. 
 Certain it is that the men who thought out and 
 then raised the money to carry out the idea, 
 have contributed nobly towards the city's re-birth 
 and second growth, and that they have earned 
 the good-will of all. The pass-word of the 
 Veiled Prophet is, or should be, " unselfishness." 
 The idea is a beautiful one, for it is borrowed 
 from ancient or legendary history, and is de- 
 signed to perpetuate the poetic story, which 
 ought to be true if it isn't, that there used to 
 exist a Veiled Prophet who was surrounded only 
 by whole-souled men who gave up their lives 
 to good works. Before the circle of followers 
 
80 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 WHAT THE 
 VEILED PROPHET 
 
 was enlarged, tlie new-comer was compelled to 
 look into a magic mirror which laid bare to 
 the prophet's gaze his very thoughts and feel- 
 ings. Hence the court was made up of gener- 
 ous, open-hearted men, devoted to the service of 
 their fellows. 
 
 It is very much the same 
 with the Veiled Prophet's 
 Association. The members 
 HAS DONE. subscribe freely to the ex- 
 
 pense account, but do not take their reward 
 by means of printed and advertised subscrip- 
 tion lists; indeed, no man can be found who 
 will admit having donated a single dollar to 
 the annual pageants. Millions of visitors have 
 come in to see the sixteen annual parades, 
 and thousands have tripped the light fantastic 
 toe at the grand balls. It seems a trifle debas- 
 ing to try to reduce to a cash basis the benefit 
 the city has derived from the visits and the 
 festivities. In the first place, they have lifted 
 St. Louis out of a rut and broken down that 
 Chinese wall which was always thought to en- 
 circle what was even then the metropolis of the 
 Mississippi Valley. Then, they have made 
 hundreds of thousands of people acquainted with 
 the city, and have fostered tlie habit of annual 
 visits to it. Both these influences have been 
 of almost incalculable value; but when the 
 prophet's power was used to raise New St. L,ouis 
 out of the old city, the true force and \-alue of 
 that power came to be appreciated. The part 
 pla}-ed by the prophet in this work has already 
 been discussed, and need not be enlarged upon 
 here. The good work has continued year after 
 year until in the fall of 18;»3 there seemed to be 
 a feeling that the prophet had outlived his use- 
 fulness, and that St. Louis was too important a 
 city for the annual pageant. At first it was 
 thought that this feeling was, if not general, at 
 least extensive, and it was semi-officially an- 
 nounced that the Veiled Prophet would appear 
 no more. The outcry that followed showed that 
 the sentiment was held only by the element, to 
 be found in every city, which is much more 
 ready to criticize than to invent or work, and it 
 is now generally understood that the Veiled 
 
 Prophet will appear next October, as usual. 
 
 A detailed description of -the annual pageant 
 would be impossible, nor is it practicable to de- 
 scribe the annual balls at which the wealth and 
 beauty, not only of St. Louis and the West, but 
 also of the East, are represented. It is no ex- 
 aggeration to say that thousands of society men 
 and women look forward to the event with 
 excitement for months before it takes place, nor 
 is it too much to say that the annual ball is 
 absolutely unique. Be)-ond this and a passing 
 reference to the beauty of the invitations and 
 programmes, nothing can be said here. 
 
 More space must be devoted to the illumina- 
 tions which have made St. Louis famous all over 
 two continents. Some little work in street illumi- 
 nation was done when the prophet first appeared, 
 but it was not until 1882, the year so marked 
 by changes from old to new, that St. Louis 
 first illuminated its streets in a comprehensive 
 manner. The sum of $20,000 was subscribed 
 for the purpose, and the illumination committee 
 of that year had a task of no small magnitude to 
 overcome, for it had to originate as well as to 
 perfect. So far as the United States was con- 
 cerned, St. Louis was the pioneer in the matter of 
 street illuminations, no other city having made 
 an effort in the direction, and it became necessary 
 to look to Europe for hints and ideas. Careful 
 inquiry in Paris showed that in e\-en the gay 
 French capital nothing had been attempted on 
 anything approaching the scale determined 
 upon in St. Louis, and even the much-talked-of 
 illuminations of Brussels and Venice were ex- 
 perimental and insignificant compared with the 
 new western idea. In London, Japanese lan- 
 terns and an occasional colored globe, constituted 
 the idea of street beautification by night; and 
 the St. Louisans who had crossed the Atlantic in 
 search of information and designs returned with 
 very little of the former and still less of the latter, 
 the fact having been demonstrated that the ap- 
 parently primitive efforts of the preceding year 
 in St. Louis had excelled the best on record in 
 the carnival cities of the Old World, besides 
 having 1)cen entirely without precedent in those 
 of the New. 
 
SOME AIDS TO PROGRESS. 
 
 81 
 
 STREET 
 ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 It is fortunate for St. Louis, 
 and also for the United States, 
 that there was nothing found 
 worth copying in the carnival cities of Europe, 
 for the Carnival City of America proceeded at 
 once to originate, and to spring at one bound 
 into the lead as an entertaining city, achieving, 
 even twelve years ago, a triumph it could 
 have scarcelv hoped for had it followed in the 
 wake of other cities instead of leading the way 
 itself. Twenty thousand dollars having been 
 subscribed in 1)^82, one hundred and fort\- skilled 
 plumbers were engaged, and gas-pipes and 
 arches were placed along and over the sidewalks 
 and across the streets. Twenty-one thousand 
 globes of different colors were purchased, and 
 for the distance of about forty-four blocks in the 
 business section everything was got in readiness 
 for a magnificent display and for a dazzling show 
 of many-shaded lights. 
 
 The most sanguine expectations of the pro- 
 moters of the enterprise were more than real- 
 ized, for tens of thousands of spectators gazed 
 with admiration on the display evening after 
 evening, and hundreds of European tourists, 
 who were attracted by the novelty and magni- 
 tude of the undertaking, pronounced it the most 
 gorgeous street spectacle they had ever wit- 
 nessed, and so infinitely superior to the best Old 
 World productions as to make anything in the 
 nature of comparison out of the question. A 
 well-known official of the Crystal Palace at Syd- 
 enham, near London, England, was among the 
 visitors who enjoyed the first grand street illu- 
 mination the world had ever seen, and his ver- 
 dict was that not even in the Crystal Palace 
 grounds, nor in the gardens at South Kensing- 
 ton, had any approach towards such magnificence 
 been made. Other visitors of equal experience 
 endorsed this expression of approval, and no one 
 has yet been found to express a contrary opin- 
 ion. In 1883 the illuminations were repeated, 
 and the area covered being increased several 
 blocks; and in the two following years the work 
 of improvement went steadily on. Inl88(),the 
 year of the Knights Templars Conclave at St. 
 Louis, upwards of $22, ()()() was collected and ex- 
 
 THE 
 
 AUTUMNAL FESTIVITIES 
 
 ASSOCIATION. 
 
 pended in illuminations, which were made more 
 dazzling than ever by the free use of electric 
 lights. In 1887 the gathering of the Grand 
 Army, followed by the visit of President and 
 Mrs. Cleveland, stimulated St. Louisans to 
 still greater efforts; the subscription exceeded 
 $2(i,000, and the streets were rendered more daz- 
 zling than ever. 
 
 This feature was continued, and the plan of 
 illumination gradually improved until the end of 
 the eighties, when the impression spread that 
 the illumination had served its purpose, and for 
 two years this feature was omitted. The re- 
 sult was something like what happens to a bus- 
 iness man who, having achieved a reputation by 
 advertising, suddenly comes to the conclusion 
 that he is spending too much money and shuts 
 down on advertising expense. Such a man gen- 
 erally resumes advertising quickly on a more lib- 
 eral scale than ever. So did St. Louis. 
 
 In 1891 a mass-meet- 
 ing was held, which is 
 probably without a par- 
 allel in the world's his- 
 tory. It was called by the proclamation of the 
 Veiled Prophet. The object of the meeting was 
 to raise $1,000,000 to be expended during the 
 World's Fair period for the general good of the 
 city. Mr. Samuel M. Kennard presided at the 
 meeting, and the attendance was large and rep- 
 resentative. Indeed, the element which had 
 succeeded in establishing New St. Louis was 
 present in full force, although there were plenty 
 of old men for counsel, as well as young men 
 for war. The objects in view were largely 
 three-fold. One, which ma)' be described as the 
 immediate outward and visible sign of the pro- 
 posed work, took the shape of festivities for the 
 current and two following years of a character 
 never before attempted in St. Louis, the idea be- 
 ing to celebrate the Columbian quadro-centenary 
 on the streets of St. Louis. The second object of 
 the proposed association was to secure the erec- 
 tion of a new fire-proof hotel to cost not less 
 than $1,000, 000, and the proposed association 
 was authorized to offer a bonus for this purpose. 
 It was also designed to spend about one-third oi 
 
82 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 the money raised in advertising St. Louis in a 
 dignified manner, and thus enlightening the world 
 as to the progress made by the city since it de- 
 cided to throw off all allegiance to tradition and 
 to map out for itself a new career as the future 
 metropolis of the mid-continent. 
 
 The success of the meeting was remarkable. 
 Just as, more than forty years ago, a few public- 
 spirited St. Louisans met together and made the 
 construction of a railroad into the city a possi- 
 bility, so did a larger number of large and small 
 capitalists in Alay, LSDl, insure the success of 
 an enterprise at least as important and daring. 
 It was not expected that the million dollars 
 would be raised in the room, but a very splendid 
 beginning was made. Two subscriptions, each 
 for $10,000, Avere announced, followed b\- others 
 of $7, .500, $5,000 and smaller sums. A spirit of 
 enthusiasm was spread o\'er the meeting, which 
 soon extended over the city and guaranteed the 
 success of the movement. Before the meeting 
 adjourned the St. Louis Autumnal Festivities 
 Association was formed, with the following offi- 
 cers: President, S. RL Kennard; first vice-presi- 
 dent, E. O. Stanard; second vice-jjresident, 
 F. A. Wann; third vice-president, John S. 
 Moflfitt; fourth vice-president, Rolla Wells; fifth 
 vice-president, Clark A. Sampson; secretary, 
 Frank Gaiennie; treasurer. Walker Hill; execu- 
 tive committee, A. D. Brown, R. P. Tansey, 
 D. D. Walker, J. C. Wilkinson, S. C. Bunn, 
 Jacob Furth, W. T. Haydock, M. C. Wetmore, 
 W. F. Nolker, George E. Leighton, T. B. Boyd, 
 Charles M. Hays, Goodman King, C. D. Mc- 
 Clure, IM. Bernheimer, T. K. Niedringhaus, 
 H. J. Meyer, Jonathan Rice, August Gehner, 
 J. J. Kreher, C. H. Turner, L. D. Kingsland, 
 H. C. Townsend, R. ]\L Scruggs, Festus J. 
 Wade, Jerome Hill, A. T. Kelley, George D. 
 Barnard, D. S. Holmes, W. H. Woodward, 
 Patrick McGrath, J. Specht, W. H. Thompson 
 and George M. W^right. 
 
 Six committees were formed to deal respect- 
 ively with finance, advertising, transportation, 
 programme, illumination and hotel. Mr. John 
 S. Mofiitt, who had been at the head of most of 
 the collecting funds for illuminations in prior 
 
 years, was appointed chairman of the finance 
 committee, which at once proceeded to attempt 
 the so-called impossible task of raising enough 
 money to carry out the plans of the promoters 
 of the organization. Every' professional and 
 mercantile interest in the city was classified and 
 nearly a hundred sub-committees were appointed 
 to assist in obtaining subscriptions. Extraordi- 
 nary success followed the efforts. A spirit of 
 rivalry of the most friendly character was estab- 
 lished between the different trades and profes- 
 sions, and not to subscribe to the fund was to 
 form an exception to a remarkably general rule. 
 That the Old St. Louis spirit was well-nigh 
 dead was proved by the fact that the collectors 
 only met with four rebuffs during their entire 
 work. A hundred thousand dollars was secured 
 the first week, and the work went on through- 
 out the summer in the most satisfactory manner. 
 Not only did the capitalists and employ-ers of 
 labor subscribe freely, but the laborers them- 
 selves came forward and contributed. Nearly 
 every member of the police force and of the fire 
 department, in addition to hundreds of traveling 
 men and clerks, joined the procession, and the 
 city acquired a proprietary interest in the asso- 
 ciation which it could not have done had the 
 money been raised from the few instead of the 
 many. A generation hence the list of subscribers 
 to the Autumnal Festivities Association will be 
 looked upon as a roll of honor, for wdiile it may 
 be true that 
 
 The evil that rneu do lives after them, 
 The good is oft interred with their bones, 
 
 this cannot be said to be the case with or- 
 ganizations of what are sometimes incorrectly 
 described as a " boom " order. Hence, wdiile 
 the good influences of the festi\'ities association 
 are manifest to-day, they will be ten times more 
 so twenty and fifty years hence, when much of 
 the good seed sown during the last two and a 
 half }-ears will have borne fruit a hundred and a 
 thousand-fold. The work of collection was con- 
 tinued during 18112, but the financial uneasiness 
 in l<Sil3 made it impossible to solicit new svd> 
 scriptions. Fortunately, the remarkable manner 
 in which St. Louis weathered the storm enabled 
 
SOME AIDS TO PROGRESS. 
 
 83 
 
 the association to collect almost every dollar 
 promised it, and a total of more than $(500,000 
 was received, including as cash the large snms 
 generously donated by the local newspapers for 
 advertising purposes. 
 
 Mr. J. C. Wilkinson became chairman of the 
 illumination committee, which pro\-ided for St. 
 lyouis during the years 18!t2 and 1893 the most 
 magnificent street illuminations ever attempted 
 in this or any other city. Space prevents a de- 
 tailed description of these illuminations. More 
 than 70,000 lights, half electric and half gas, 
 were used for the purpose, and the down-town 
 streets were made a veritable blaze of light. 
 The electrical panorama which were seen on the 
 widest streets, and at the most conspicuous 
 points, excited the admiration of the hundreds of 
 thousands of visitors who were attracted to the 
 cit3' by them. Mr. Wilkinson earned the praise 
 of every one b}^ the ingenuity of the designs 
 and by the determined manner in which he in- 
 sisted upon novelties being produced in the face 
 of technical objections and forecasts of certain 
 failure. 
 
 Mr. Goodman King was 
 ajDpoiuted chairman of the 
 advertising committee, the 
 name of which was changed to the Bureau of 
 Information in consequence of the vast scope 
 of its operations. As the writer of "Old and 
 New St. Louis " is the secretary of this bureau, 
 Mr. Julian Ralph, whose able and comprehensive 
 article in Hai-pcr'' s New Moiif/ilv has already 
 been referred to more than once, will be quoted 
 as to its work and operations: " The bureau," 
 says Mr. Ralph, "has offices in St. Louis, and 
 has also arranged to open others in London and 
 other cities in pursuit of a systematic effort to 
 advertise the commercial, social and sanitary ad- 
 vantageswhich St. Louis possesses. It may cause 
 a smile to read that Chairman King and Secretary 
 Cox report, in a circular now before me, what 
 work the Bureau of Information has done ' to 
 correct any false impressions which ha\e been 
 created by the too great modesty of St. Louis- 
 aus in the past.' But they are right, for, as 
 compared with its rival, St. Louis possessed 
 
 THE BUREAU 
 OF INFORMATION. 
 
 that defect, and the frank admission of such a 
 hated fault shows how far removed and reformed 
 from retarding bashfulness that city has since 
 become. The bureau reports that it is causing 
 the publication of half-page advertisements of 
 St. Louis, precisely as if it were a business or a 
 patent medicine, in sixty-two papers,* circulat- 
 ing more than a million copies; that it has 
 obtained reading notices in all these dailies; 
 that ' articles on St. Louis as a manufacturing 
 and commercial metropolis and as a carnival 
 cit)-' are sent out every da>-; that arrangements 
 are being made for a weekly mail letter to 500 
 southern and western journals, and that once 
 or twice a week news items are sent to the 
 principal dailies of the whole countrv. It was 
 found that St. Louis was not fairlv treated in 
 the weekly trade reports published generallv 
 throughout the country, and this source of com- 
 plaint has been removed. Invading the camp 
 of the arch-enemy — Chicago — the bureau has 
 caused a handsome ' Guide to Chicago ' to add 
 to its title the words, ' And St. Louis, the Car- 
 nival City of America.' It is also getting up a 
 rich and notable book to be called ' vSt. Louis 
 Through a Camera ' for circulation among all 
 English-speaking peoples. The local service 
 for the press telegraphic agencies has been 
 greatly improved, ' and the efforts of the bureau 
 to increase the number and extent of the notices 
 of St. Louis in the daily papers throughout the 
 United States have continued to prove success- 
 hil," .so that 'instead of St. Louis being ignored 
 or referred to in a very casual manner, it is now 
 recognized as fully as any other large city in 
 America.' 
 
 ' ' I have described the operations of this asso- 
 ciation and its most active bureau at some 
 length because they exhibit the farthest ex- 
 treme yet reached in the development of the 
 most extraordinary phase of western enterprise. 
 There we see a city managed by its people as a 
 wide-awake modern merchant looks after his 
 
 *Tliis was comparatively early iu the bureau's issue. 
 It subsequently made use of the columns of more than 
 4,000 American newspapers, periodicals and magazines, 
 and issued 60,000 copies of the book spoken of in this ar- 
 ticle as being " got up." 
 
84 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 THE NEW 
 PLANTERS' HOUSE. 
 
 business. It is advertised and ' written up ' and 
 pushed upon the attention of the world, with all 
 its good features clearly and proudly set forth. 
 There is boasting in the process, but it is always 
 based upon actual merit, for St. L,ouis is an old 
 and proud city, and there is no begging at all. 
 The methods are distinctly legitimate, and the 
 work accomplished is hard work paid for by 
 hard cash. It is considered a shrewd invest- 
 ment of energy and capital, and not a specula- 
 tion. If we in the eastern cities, who are said 
 to be ' fossilized,' are not inclined to imitate 
 such a remarkable example of enterprise, we 
 cannot help admiring the concord and the 
 hearty local pride from which it springs." 
 
 Another committee 
 which has achieved re- 
 markable success is the 
 hotel committee, of which Mr. M. C. Wetmore is 
 chairman. Authorized to offer a bonus of 
 $100,000 for the erection of a fire-proof hotel on 
 approved plans and on an acceptable site, at a 
 cost of not less than $1,000, 000, it proceeded at 
 once to make its mission known and to invite 
 offers from corporations and capitalists. Vari- 
 ous propositions were made, but no actual 
 advance was made until a number of local capi- 
 talists, including several members of the asso- 
 ciation, joined together, purchased the old 
 Planters' House, removed the old structure and 
 commenced the erection of a fire-proof hotel, 
 which is now nearly completed and which can 
 be described as one of the finest hotels in 
 America, with an unlimited number of new 
 ideas and improvements in it. One of the great 
 events of 1894 will be the opening of this mag- 
 nificent hostelry, which will cost by the time it 
 is ready for opening nearly $2,000,000. It 
 bears as little resemblance to the old Planters' 
 House as New St. Louis does to Old St. Louis, 
 and, indeed, the two buildings may well be 
 taken as types of the correct thing forty years ago 
 and now. The hotel fronts on Fourth street, 
 and is bounded by Pine and Chestnut streets. 
 It is ten full stories high, and its front is de- 
 signed in the form of an inverted E, with two 
 recessed courts so arranged that of the 400 
 
 apartments nearly every one is a front room. 
 The st>le of internal decorations is not finally 
 settled, but it will be as fine as money can pro- 
 cure; and the hotel will be a source of admira- 
 tion not only in St. Louis, but through the 
 entire West. Various names were suggested 
 for the hotel when it was designed and while it 
 was in course of erection. It has, however, 
 been called, by general consent, the New Plant- 
 ers' House, a name which it will probably re- 
 tain, although it was at one time proposed to 
 call it the Columbian Hotel, a name which 
 would have been very appropriate and which 
 would have served as a perpetual reminder of 
 the date of the building's erection. This detail, 
 however, is not of such great importance as the 
 hotel itself, and, having got this latter, St. Louis 
 is not worrying itself greatly over the minor 
 question. 
 
 The Autumnal Festivities Association was 
 formed for three seasons, those of "Jl, '92 and 
 '93, and while these pages are in press it is 
 practically winding up its operation and termi- 
 nating its work. In some shape or other it 
 will, however, be perpetuated; for an associa- 
 tion of a permanent character will certainly be 
 formed during 1894 to carry on the work inau- 
 gurated by the festivities association and to so 
 large an extent successfully accomplished. 
 
 One exceptionally useful influence of the asso- 
 ciation will be found in the increased facilities 
 it has provided for the accommodation of dele- 
 gates to conventions. St. Louis has earned' the 
 title of the Carnival City of America in conse- 
 quence of the lavish nature of its festivities and 
 entertainments, and it has also long been known 
 as the City of Conventions, because its phenom- 
 enal hospitality and its exceptional railroad facil- 
 ities ha\'e made it the most popular city in the 
 country for the holding of con\-entions, political, 
 social and commercial. As long ago as 18(57 a 
 River Convention, with delegates from over 
 twenty States and Territories, convened in the 
 old Mercantile Library Hall, which was one of 
 the largest public meeting places in the West. 
 The convention laid the foundation for many im- 
 provements which the Federal goxerumeut has 
 
SOME AIDS TO PROGRESS. 
 
 85 
 
 THE GREAT 
 CONVENTION YEARS. 
 
 since carried out on the Mississippi river. Rail- 
 road conventions of great importance, but less 
 national in character, had been held before, but 
 this gathering excited almost universal atten- 
 tion. In the winter of 1872 a National Com- 
 mercial Convention was held. In 1875 a Na- 
 tional Railroads Convention was held, and many 
 measures of importance decided upon. The un- 
 varying success of the local entertainment com- 
 mittees in making delegates comfortable resulted 
 in a strong effort being made to secure the hold- 
 ing of the Democratic Nominating Convention 
 in St. Louis in 187(3, and there was a general 
 feeling of satisfaction when the telegraphic news 
 announced that the Democrats proposed to nom- 
 inate the next President of the United States 
 here. The convention was held, and was a 
 marked success, as was also the great River 
 Convention of 1881. 
 
 During the eighties 
 conventions followed each 
 other in rapid succession. 
 In 1885 a Cattle Convention of great importance 
 was held, and 1886 and 1887 were the banner 
 years of St. Louis in the matter of conventions. 
 In the former year the physicians, photograph- 
 ers and butchers of the United States met suc- 
 cessively in annual convention in the Exposition 
 Hall, and enjoyed not only satisfactory and well- 
 attended business meetings, but a glorious time 
 of recreation as well, the citizens never tiring of 
 subscribing to entertainment firnds. The con- 
 vention boom of 188G culminated in the Knights 
 Templar Triennial Conclave, during which car- 
 nival reigned supreme. An immediate outcome 
 of the success of the 1886 convention season was 
 the selection of St. Louis for the Grand Army 
 Reunion in 1887. This was followed by a visit 
 from President and Mrs. Cleveland, whose wel- 
 come was one they will never forget. The fes- 
 tivities were on a high order, and attracted 
 enormous crowds. In 1888 the Democratic 
 party held its Nominating Convention in the Ex- 
 position Building, where the National Saenger- 
 bund also met. 
 
 Passing over several important gatherings, 
 mention may be made of the grand Odd Fellows' 
 
 Convention in 1891, which was a success beyond 
 expectation. In 1892 the People's party held 
 its organizing conference in the city, and during 
 the same year an important Nicaragua Canal 
 Convention was held. In 189;} the National 
 Electric Light Association held its convention 
 in the city, and the Exposition was besieged with 
 applications for standing room to hear Nicola 
 Tesla describe his triumphs over the mysteries 
 of electricity. The furniture manufacturers, the 
 saddlers, the florists, and the builders, as well as 
 many other commercial organizations, met in 
 convention in the city during the year, as did 
 also an important monetary and trade convention 
 of the Western States. During the fall the 
 Autumnal Festivities Association also enter- 
 tained the foreign commissioners to the World's 
 Fair, and other delegations of importance were 
 seen here. 
 
 A history of St. Louis and its conventions 
 alone could be written and provide material for 
 a large volume. All that has been attempted is 
 to show how thoroughly St. Louis is entitled to 
 the name " Convention City," and how admira- 
 bly it has learnt its lesson as to how to enter- 
 tain. 
 
 • St. IrOuis holds 
 the record of ten 
 consecutive annual 
 expositions, each of 
 which has more than paid its own expenses. It 
 had long been accepted as a proved fact that no 
 city could maintain an exposition year after year 
 successfully. Even London, by far the largest 
 city in the world, and the first city in which an 
 international exposition was ever held, has failed 
 in more than one attempt to maintain a success- 
 ful annual display of manufactured and artistic 
 goods; and in nearly every large city in this 
 country an exposition building, diverted from its 
 original use to manufacturing or store-room 
 purposes, stands out in bold relief in silent testi- 
 mony to another failure. But in all the bright 
 vocabulary of St. Louis, is no such word as 
 "fail," and the Exposition has proved a success 
 every year since it was first opened, namely, in 
 1884. In 1883 a number of gentlemen met at 
 
 THE 
 
 TEN-TIMES SUCCESSFUL 
 
 EXPOSITION. 
 
86 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 the ^Mercantile Club, and after talking over the 
 possibility of erecting an exposition building and 
 holding an annual exposition, decided to ignore 
 the diiificulties and make the attempt. The en- 
 tire funds for the work were raised locally, and 
 although the bulk of the money was subscribed 
 in the form of stock, it is only just to the original 
 investors to state that they had little or no hope 
 of return, and were actuated more by a spirit of 
 local pride and enthusiasm than a desire to ob- 
 tain a good investment. The nominal cost of 
 the Exposition Building, which was built during 
 the years 1883-84 on a six-acre site on Olive 
 and St. Charles streets, between Thirteenth and 
 Fourteenth streets, was $750,000, but so much 
 money has been spent in perfecting the structure 
 that $1,000,000 should be named as the ap- 
 proximate actual cost. The building is too well 
 known to all St. Louis people to need a detailed 
 description. The large music hall has 3,507 
 numbered seats, and on special occasions will 
 accommodate twice as many people. The space 
 intended for general displays is very large and 
 admirably arranged, and from the first the E.x- 
 position was a sticcess. 
 
 It was opened in September, 1884, and during 
 the season, which lasted six weeks, over 500,000 
 people passed through the turnstiles. Every 
 year it has repeated its triumph, and nearly 
 6,000,000 people have paid admission fee since 
 the first opening. For several years Patrick 
 Sarsfield Gilmore and his famous band fur- 
 nished the music every season. In 1892 Col. 
 Gilmore commenced the season with his band of 
 100 pieces, and just as he was enjoying the tri- 
 timph of his life, that life ended with painful 
 suddenness and the Exposition suffered severely 
 in consequence. In 1893 John Phillip Sousa 
 commenced a three-years' engagement with his 
 unrivaled band, and during the season Madame 
 Scalchi and other artists of international repute 
 assisted in the concerts. The attendance in 
 1893 far exceeded expectations. It had been 
 feared that the competition of the World's Fair, 
 added to the general financial depression, would 
 have resulted in a serious falling off in attend- 
 ance, and the loss on the season was debated 
 
 very freely by those to whom ignorance is never 
 bliss, but rather the reverse: Long before the 
 close of the season it became evident that there 
 would be a handsome surplus, and when the 
 season closed there remained a profit consider- 
 ably in excess of $25,000 — a wonderful achieve- 
 ment when the exceptional difficulties of the 
 year are taken into account. Twenty years 
 hence the work of the E.xposition management 
 will be appreciated much more highly than it is 
 to-day, but even now it is generally realized that 
 the men who have made the Exposition a suc- 
 cess and who have enabled the entire bonded 
 indebtedness to be paid off, deserve the thanks 
 of the entire city. The first president of the 
 Exposition was Mr. Sam. M. Kennard, who 
 bore the burden and heat of the day for nine 
 years and then insisted on being allowed to 
 retire. He was succeeded by Gov. E. O. 
 Stanard, who gave to the duties of the office the 
 careful attention which has marked his honored 
 career. He in turn was succeeded late in 1893 
 by Mr. T. B. Boyd. Too much credit cannot 
 be given to General Manager Frank Gaieunie, 
 whose success in 1893 must be regarded as phe- 
 nomenal and by whose efforts some of the choic- 
 est exhibits at the World's Fair have been 
 secured for the local display of 1894 and 1895. 
 This promises quite a change in the appearance 
 of the Exposition next year; and in view of the 
 enterprise of the management, there seems no 
 reason to doubt that the St. Louis Exposition 
 will continue year after year with unabated 
 triumph. 
 
 Although not what may be termed a New 
 St. Louis institution, the St. Louis Agricultural 
 and Mechanical Association deserves credit for the 
 3'eoman service it has rendered year after year. 
 At one time the St. Louis Fair was one of the 
 greatest events in the West, and although neither 
 the city or country fair is the attraction it once 
 was, the St. Louis Fair continues the greatest 
 thing of its kind in the world. The build- 
 ing of the new Jockey Club House, and the 
 erection and opening of the new grand stand 
 are more strictly of the newer order of things, 
 and some very excellent racing has been seen in 
 
SOM/-: AIDS TO PROGRESS. 
 
 St. Louis. The Veiled Prophet has assisted the 
 
 institution in a variety of ways, and has timed 
 
 his visits so as to make them come in Fair week, 
 
 or the first complete week of October. 
 
 The opening of the finest base-ball park in 
 
 America in 1893 serves as a reminder of the 
 
 fame St. Louis base-ball players have obtained. 
 
 Although not now world's champions the 
 
 "Browns" are still great ball plavers, and a 
 
 third world's championship flag will in the near 
 
 future float over Sportsman's Park. 
 
 jMore strictly commer- 
 TRAFFIC COMMISSION . , , 
 
 cial than these agencies 
 
 are the TrafBc Commis- 
 SPANISH CLUB. ^-^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ Spanish 
 
 Club, already referred to. The Traffic Commis- 
 sion, as at present organized, is a most useful 
 body, and it has done work for St. Louis com- 
 merce which it would have taken many years to 
 accomplish by indi\-idual effort. It has insisted 
 upon justice to the city in the matter of freight 
 rates, and has succeeded in adjusting an im- 
 mense number of irregularities and discrimina- 
 tions against this city. By its aid hundreds of 
 miles of territory have been added to the district 
 easily accessible to St. Louis trade, and it is still 
 continuing its good work in a variety of ways. 
 The commission has permanent offices in the 
 Equitable Building, and is under the active 
 management of Traffic Commissioner Osgood, a 
 railroad man of unlimited experience and marked 
 ability. 
 
 The work of the Spanish Club has already 
 been enlarged upon. It is an institution which 
 has somewhat hid its light under a bushel in 
 the past, and although it has increased railroad 
 and river connection between St. Louis and 
 Mexico, secured reduction in rates amounting to 
 quite a substantial percentage, and more than 
 doubled the trade between Mississippi and 
 Spanish-American points, but a comparatively 
 few people appreciate the extent of its work and 
 its triumphs. The club has now handsome 
 quarters in the Columbia Building. Its presi- 
 dent is Mr. L. D. Kingsland, and its secretary Mr. 
 S. L. Biggers, both of whom have traveled ex- 
 tensively through Spanish-speaking countries. 
 
 The assistant and acting secretary is Mr. Ber- 
 nard Mackey, for many years in the consular 
 service. 
 
 The Citizens' Smoke Abatement Association 
 is another organization designed to aid the trade 
 as well as the salubrity of St. Louis. Nearly 
 all the coal used for manufacturing purposes in 
 St. Louis is bituminous, and the quantity of 
 smoke sent out by the countless chimneys is 
 very destructive to stocks of merchandise, in 
 addition to being objectionable from both the 
 standpoints of health and comfort. As the re- 
 sult of prolonged agitation, the Citizens' Smoke 
 Abatement Association was formed some two 
 years ago. It has succeeded in obtaining legis- 
 lation against the emission of smoke. An im- 
 mense number of boiler-jDlant owners have co- 
 operated with the association and abated the 
 smoke without waiting for legal proceedings. 
 Those who failed to fall in with the procession 
 are now being proceeded against in the courts, 
 and although in a manufacturing city like St. 
 Louis there will always be a certain amount of 
 smoke, the smoke nuisance will be so far re- 
 duced as to be practically abated. 
 
 During the last few 
 months the Merchants' Ex- 
 change has purchased the 
 building, a portion of which it has occupied for 
 several years. The Exchange is the successor 
 of one of the oldest commercial institutions of 
 the West. In 1886 a meeting of merchants 
 and traders was held and the St. Louis Chamber 
 of Commerce established. It did not resemble 
 in any way our present Merchants' Exchange, 
 being rather a large market and commission 
 house, with arrangements for arbitration in dis- 
 putes. In 1.S47 ground was purchased at the 
 corner of Third and Chestnut streets for the 
 purpose of erecting an exchange building, and 
 in 1.S49 the Merchants' Exchange was estab- 
 lished and carried on more or less in connection 
 with the Chamber of Commerce. The Millers' 
 Convention was formed shortly afterwards; and 
 the Millers' Exchange, established at Nos. 9 
 and 11 Locust street, was the first exchange in 
 the United States established for the purpose of 
 
 THE MERCHANTS' 
 EXCHANGE. 
 
88 
 
 OLD AXD NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 bringing together buyers and sellers of grain. 
 In 1855 a movement was started which resulted 
 in the erection of the Exchange Hall, on Main 
 street, which for many years was the great cen- 
 ter of trade in the city. During the war political 
 differences led to the organization of the Union 
 Merchants' Exchange, a name which was re- 
 tained until 1X75, when it was changed to the 
 Merchants' Exchange of St. Louis, and all the 
 organizations were practically amalgamated. 
 In 1874 the corner-stone was laid for the present 
 Chamber of Commerce, which still continues to 
 be one of the finest exchanges of its character 
 in America. The grand hall is 221 feet in 
 length, 92 feet wide and 80 feet high. The 
 ceiling is perhaps the most appropriate and 
 handsome in the country. It is finished in 
 elaborate fresco work, with paintings in the 
 panels. In their general details these are strik- 
 ingly magnificent. The north panel is conspic- 
 uous for its characteristic types of England, 
 Germany, Italy, France, Scotland and other 
 nations of the Old World in the central group, 
 with others surrounding. The southern panel has 
 types of Asiatic and African countries, and on 
 the cornice are the States of the Union, desig- 
 nated by name. 
 
 The Exchange membership includes some 
 three thousand of the leading men of the citv. 
 The first president of the Chamber of Commerce 
 was Mr. Edward Tracy. He was succeeded by 
 Messrs. Wayman Crow, George K. McGunnegle, 
 W. N. Morrison, Alfred Vincent, R. M. Henning, 
 Henry Ames, E. M. Ryland, R. M. Funk- 
 houser, D. A. January and William Mathews. 
 The following gentlemen ha\e served as presi- 
 dents of the Merchants' Exchange: 
 
 18G2 Henry J. Moore. 
 1S63 George Partridge. 
 
 1864 Thomas Richeson. 
 
 1865 Barton Able. 
 
 1866 E. O. Stanard. 
 
 1867 C. L. Tucker. 
 
 1868 John J. Roe. 
 
 1869 George P. Plant. 
 
 1870 Wm. J. Lewis. 
 
 1871 Gerard B. Allen. 
 
 1872 R. P. Taxsey. 
 
 1873 Wm. H. Scudder. 
 
 1874 Web. M. Samuel. 
 
 1875 D. P. Rowland. 
 
 1876 Nathan Cole. 
 
 1877 John A. Scudder. 
 
 1878 George Bain. 
 
 1879 John Wahl. 
 
 1880 Alex. H. Smith. 
 ISSl Michael McEnnis. 
 
 1882 Chas. E. Slayback. 
 
 1883 J. C. EwALD. 
 
 1884 D. R. Francis. 
 
 1885 Henry C. Haarstick. 
 18R6 S. W. Cobb. 
 
 1887 Frank Gaiennie. 
 
 1888 Chas. F. Orthwein. 
 
 1889 Chas. A. Cox. 
 
 1890 John W. Kauffman. 
 
 1891 Marcus Bernheimer. 
 
 1892 Isaac M. Mason. 
 
 1893 W. T. Anderson. 
 
 Mr. George H. Morgan has been secretary and 
 treasurer since the year 1865. 
 
 The Builders' E.xchange is the successor of 
 the Mechanics' Exchange, another institution 
 which has done good service in concentrating 
 and developing the trade and commerce of St. 
 lyouis. It was originally organized in 1839; it 
 was reorganized on a wider basis, under the 
 name of the Mechanics' and Manufacturers' 
 Exchange and Library Association of St. Louis, 
 in 1852. In 185(3 there was another reorgani- 
 zation, and the exchange was established very 
 much on the basis on which it exists to-day. 
 In 1879 its headquarters were at 100 North 
 Fourth street, and later its headquarters were 
 on Seventh street, between Chestnut and Market. 
 Upwards of a year ago, it moved into elegant 
 offices in the Telephone Building, where it con- 
 tinues to exercise a most beneficent influence 
 on the building and kindred trades and interests 
 of the city. It is universally regarded as one of 
 the permanent institutions of the city of St. 
 Louis, and is devoted to the building and ma- 
 terial interests of the city, affording an oppor- 
 tunity to its members and all engaged in the 
 building business to enjoy the great advantage 
 of having a meeting place in the central part of 
 the city for the consideration of questions of 
 importance relating to trade matters, lettings, 
 and so forth. The hall is so large that it is 
 used for conventions and similar gatherings. 
 Mr. Richard Walsh is the secretary, and the 
 1893 president is Mr. Wm. J. Baker. 
 
 The limits of space forbid a detailed history 
 of the Real Estate Exchange, Coal Exchange, 
 Brewers' Association, the Associated Wholesale 
 Grocers of St. Louis, the Retail Grocers' Asso- 
 ciation, the Furniture Board of Trade, of which 
 mention has already been made; the Cotton Ex- 
 change, the Wool and Fur Association, the Live 
 Stock Exchange, the newly-formed Wholesale 
 Clothing Association, and of the other organiza- 
 tions designed to aid the city's commerce in 
 various directions. St. Louis is fortunate in both 
 the number and extent of these associations, and 
 the influence of their work has been felt in a 
 large variety of ways. 
 
FINANCE AND BANKING. 
 
 89 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FINANCE AND BANKING. 
 
 NEW ST. LOUIS AN IMPORTANT FINANCIAL CENTER.-BANK CLEARINGS.-TRUST COMPANIES 
 
 AND BUILDING ASSOCIATIONS. 
 
 E HAVE ALREADY seen that St. 
 Louis is the great manufacturing and 
 commercial center of a district even 
 larger than that which is generally 
 described as the Mississippi Valley. 
 It is equally true that St. Louis is 
 the great financial center of a district almost as 
 large. The banks of St. Louis are known 
 throughout the entire country for their solidity 
 and for the conservative policy which has char- 
 acterized their management. The year 1893 
 was a peculiarly trying one for banks, and from 
 ever}' large city in the Union there came reports 
 of distrust and uneasiness, followed, in very 
 many cases, by records of actual suspension. 
 None of the cities of the first class went through 
 the ordeal entirely scathless, with the single 
 exception of St. Louis, where there was not a 
 single bank failure, nor even a suspicion of 
 insolvency. Had it not been for the reports 
 telegraphed from other cities, and the doleful 
 forecasts of impending national calamity, St. 
 Louis would have gone through the year with- 
 out any knowledge of the panic, and its financial 
 institutions would have done their ordinary bus- 
 iness just as if it had been a great boom year. 
 As it was, the reports of disasters elsewhere 
 naturally led to timid depositors withdrawing 
 money from the banks, but thanks to the solid 
 rock foundation of these institutions, the with- 
 drawals did not cause them any alarm, and, al- 
 though the reduction in the amount of loanable 
 capital necessarily hampered commercial prog- 
 ress, all demands were promptly met; and it was 
 proved that, with all its energy and enterprise, 
 
 New St. Louis is just as solid and substantial as 
 the unduly conservative Old St. Louis used to be. 
 The history of banking institutions in St. Louis 
 need not be traced at any great length in this 
 work. In 1816 the Missouri Gazette wrote on 
 "the opulent town of St. Louis, with a capital 
 of nearly .$1,000,000," but went on to complain 
 that there was no bank in the city to foster 
 business, although the territorial legislature had 
 granted a charter for one three years before. 
 The banks of St. Louis and of Missouri, to which 
 reference has already been made, were estab- 
 lished soon after this, and the use of peltry and 
 hides in place of money began to die out. The 
 Bank of the State of Missouri appears to have done 
 the bulk of the banking business for some time 
 after this, and in November, 1829, this institu- 
 tion, in consequence of the suspension of a num- 
 ber of eastern bahks, passed a resolution that in 
 the future it would receive and pay only its own 
 notes and specie on the notes of specie-paying 
 banks. Something of a local panic followed, and 
 on November l.'kh a meeting was held to take 
 into consideration the action of the bank. A 
 number of the prominent capitalists of the city, 
 including George Collier, E. Tracy, Pierre 
 Chouteau, John Walsh, William Glasgow, John 
 Perry, Henry Von Phul, John Kerr, G. K. 
 McGunnegle, Joseph C. Leveille and John 
 O'Fallon, with great public spirit pledged theni- 
 seh-es to indemnify the bank against any loss it 
 might sustain by the depreciation in notes. The 
 offer was somewhat discourteously declined, and 
 as a result the Bank of the State of Missouri was 
 practically boycotted, and the St. Louis Gas 
 
90 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 Light and the various insurance companies 
 transacted most of the banking business. 
 
 Private banking houses sprang into existence 
 about this time, and the financial troubles of 
 LSfio and 1854 were reflected on this city. In 
 January, 1855, there was a run on several private 
 banks and some of a more public character; but 
 once more the public-spirited men of St. Louis 
 came forward and checked the run by guarantee- 
 ing deposits in the banking houses of Lucas & 
 Simouds, Bogy, Miltenberg & Company, Tesson 
 & Dangen, L. A. Benoist & Company, J. J. 
 Anderson & Company, Darby & Barksdale and 
 the Boatmen's Savings Institution. The panic 
 was at an end and business was resumed as be- 
 fore. In 1857 there was a renewal of trouble, 
 but once more it was met in the same generous- 
 hearted manner. After the war the banking 
 institutions of St. Louis gathered strength, and 
 until the panic of 1873 the local financial needs 
 were well met. In that year $300,000 of 
 "brown-backs " were issued. They took their 
 name from the fact that owing to the dearth of 
 currency, Mayor Brown recommended the Coun- 
 cil to issue warrants to the extent of $300,000. 
 The proposition was accepted and the warrants 
 or notes issued. The financial transaction was 
 a unique one, and served its purpose remarkal)ly 
 well. Confidence was restored, and although 
 there was further difficulty in 1887, that year 
 may be named as the last in which there was 
 any serious trouble with St. Louis banks. 
 
 Early in the year 1887 
 St. Louis was made a 
 central reser\-e city and 
 a depositary for national banks of other cities. 
 This recognition b\- the Federal government of 
 the importance of St. Louis as a financial cen- 
 ter has had the effect of making St. Louis ex- 
 change used much more generally throughout 
 the entire West and Southwest, and a very nuich 
 larger number of banks in other cities have in- 
 cluded St. Louis financial institutions in their 
 lists of correspondents. Several of the largest 
 firms have still further emphasized the impor- 
 tance of St. Louis by remitting their personal 
 checks on city banks for the payment of ac- 
 
 ST. LOUIS A CENTRAL 
 RESERVE CITY. 
 
 counts due in other cities. This practice has 
 not yet become as general as it ought to be, and 
 efforts ha\'e been made during the last two or 
 three j^ears to make the practice universal. 
 Some firms still adhere to the old practice of pur- 
 chasing exchange on New York and remitting 
 the same in payment of accounts, a practice 
 which involves a loss in illegitimate bank clear- 
 ings of several millions per month. 
 
 A large majority of the city banks favor the 
 remitting of personal checks in preference to 
 the purchase of exchange, and their influence is 
 being gradually made perceptible in the right 
 direction. In the days of Old St. Louis it was 
 quite a usual practice for large firms to keep a 
 banking account in New York, and to pay all 
 eastern accounts by checks drawn on their New 
 York banks. This plan is obviously unjust to a 
 city of the magnitude of St. Louis, and, although 
 it will take several years to make the remission 
 of St. Louis checks to all outside points general, 
 it is gratifying to know that very few firms now 
 adhere to the plan of checking on New York 
 instead of on banks of their own city. Corisid- 
 ering the high financial standing of St. Louis 
 banks and the central location of the city, St. 
 Louis checks ought to be accepted at par in all 
 parts of the countr\', and they are done so when 
 any attempt is made to insist. 
 
 Only once has New St. Louis seen a bank fail- 
 ure. That was eight years ago, and was the 
 result of a personal breach of trust, and not of 
 commercial or financial dei^ression. The last 
 statement as to banks and banking capital in 
 Old St. Louis shows that the capital and surplus 
 was $13,492,9(54; the savings and time deiwsits, 
 fS, 901, 522; the current deposits, $32,827,489, 
 and the circulation, $632,850. This was in 
 1882, and at the present time the banking busi- 
 ness of the city has gained such proportions that 
 the capital of the national banks alone exceeds 
 $20,000,000; the surplus and profits, $3,000,000, 
 and the loans and discounts, $23,000,000. The 
 following official statement of the twentj'-six 
 leading St. Louis banks, is one of which the 
 city is naturally proud, and it shows very clearly 
 the financial solidity of New St. Louis: 
 
FINANCE AND BANKING. 
 
 91 
 
 OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE TWENTY-SIX LEADING ST. LOUIS BANKS. 
 
 RE.SOURCES. 
 
 BANK. 
 
 Bauk of Commerce 
 
 Boatmeu's 
 
 Fourth National 
 Continental Nat'l 
 
 State Bank 
 
 St. Louis National 
 German Savings 
 
 Mechanics' 
 
 Commercial 
 
 Laclede National 
 
 Third National 
 
 German-American 
 
 Franklin 
 
 Merchants' Nat'l 
 
 Lafayette 
 
 Am. Exchange 
 
 Northwestern 
 
 Nat. B. of Republic 
 
 Bremen 
 
 Mullanphy 
 
 Chemical National 
 International 
 
 Citizens' 
 
 South Side 
 
 Southern Com'l .. 
 Jefferson 
 
 Currency 
 and 
 Coin . 
 
 ,499,834.30 
 .124,463. 
 y7L840.56 
 938,732.01 
 767,174.68 
 59L333,8S 
 365,262.70 
 695,871.13 
 ,050,234.63 
 645,478.65 
 430,00L64 
 567,324.95 
 294,702.05 
 522,275.47 
 310,846.93 
 183,69L9l 
 86,344.60 
 233,519.29 
 69,563.45 
 80,518.10 
 130,599.73 
 138,265.30 
 219,601.25 
 140,483.39 
 12,192 95 
 37,143.65 
 
 Checks 
 
 and 
 
 Exchange. 
 
 Loans and 
 Discounts. 
 
 82-',593 
 
 492,77*;, 
 
 2><4,638. 
 
 789,427. 
 
 187,645. 
 
 748,350. 
 
 398,865. 
 
 501,649. 
 
 3:i9,782 
 
 410,756. 
 
 332,629. 
 
 259,664. 
 
 181,108. 
 
 197,538. 
 
 209,344. 
 
 161,661. 
 
 121,270. 
 
 243,515 
 
 145,169. 
 33,306 
 98,535 
 36,220 
 66,614 
 92,015, 
 21,729, 
 4,160 
 
 48^ #5 
 79i 5 
 56' 3 
 
 82.42; 2 
 
 844,068.25 
 ,481,271.46 
 290,032.37 
 909,671.38 
 260,564.04 
 675,369.12 
 745,923.50 
 659,568.56 
 171,975.86 
 370,824.61 
 091,922.00 
 651,002.83 
 625,649.52 
 934,707.56 
 715,367.17 
 643,539.27 
 120,462.51 
 044,564.58 
 691,123.06 
 825,103.15 
 796,249.37 
 589,943.72 
 514,212.4( 
 441,790.23 
 205,314.79 
 121,190:D5 
 
 Bonds and 
 Stocks. 
 
 724,071.37 
 259,050.24 
 664,610.00 
 508,703.79 
 286.327.73 
 
 56,000.00 
 
 490,000.00 
 
 3,523.00 
 
 4,977.10 
 
 69,500.00 
 
 94,612 50 
 480,200.00 
 6.54,630.00 
 
 58,000.00 
 
 224,300.00 
 
 3,200.00 
 
 352,127.68 
 
 60,850.00 
 265,.500.00 
 154,513.24 
 
 57,000.00 
 
 64,289.04 
 
 5,825.9: 
 
 113,386.00 
 
 5,797.77 
 
 Heal Estate, 
 
 Furniture and 
 
 Fl-xtures. 
 
 I 
 
 530,000.00 
 508,321.85 
 :20,237.65 
 50,000.00 
 44,269.91 
 211,000.00 
 63,131.37 
 
 50,663.97 
 180,000.00 
 
 30.000.00 
 134,000.00 
 
 Expense. 
 
 Overdrafts . 
 
 Totals. 
 
 43,002.25 
 
 6,871.77 
 
 24,863.15 
 
 23,752 30 
 
 500.00 
 126.64' 
 
 17,500.00 
 
 19,000.00 
 
 37,831.46 
 
 10,000.00 
 
 59,789.62 
 
 9,879.94 
 
 3,800 00 
 
 10,774.48 
 
 1,900.00 
 
 231.41 
 
 J. 
 
 1,922.06 
 
 75,313.85, 
 
 3,074.15 
 
 418.22 
 6,225.2S 
 21,160.64 
 5.091.89 
 1.120.10 
 3,929.08 
 1,108.49 
 5,882.80 
 
 536.72 
 2,830.91 
 1,486.42 
 5,329.80 
 10,474.22 
 1,315.10 
 
 394.46 
 
 567.54 
 2,316.80 
 3,328.66 
 
 278.54 
 2,062.41 
 1,906.02 
 
 406.90 
 •2,235.19 
 
 422 
 7,941 
 5,277, 
 5,196, 
 4,5.V2 
 4,310, 
 4,068 
 3,861 
 3,500, 
 3,473, 
 3,135, 
 2,988, 
 2,892, 
 2,737, 
 2,465, 
 2.002, 
 1,689, 
 1,600. 
 1,190, 
 1,133 
 1,095, 
 888, 
 818, 
 793 
 256 
 166 
 
 489.46 
 200.08 
 435.. 54 
 952.44 
 206.98 
 076.25 
 264.57 
 732.69 
 899.09 
 105.75 
 048.86 
 729.05 
 920.75 
 760.65 
 687.99 
 693.04 
 520.47 
 343. GO 
 923.34 
 589.45 
 945.12 
 786.37 
 ,196.35 
 381.02 
 216.59 
 629.31 
 
 LIABILITIES. 
 
 BANK. 
 
 Bank of Commerce 
 
 Boatmen's 
 
 Fourth National 
 Continental Nat'l 
 
 State Bank 
 
 St. Louis National 
 German Savings.. 
 
 Mechanics' 
 
 Commercial 
 
 Laclede National 
 Third National..., 
 German-American 
 
 Franklin 
 
 Merchants' Nat'l 
 
 Lafayette 
 
 Am. Exchange 
 Northwestern .. 
 Nat. B. of Republic 
 
 Bremen 
 
 Mullanphy 
 
 Chemical Nat'l 
 
 International ..... 
 
 Citizens' 
 
 South Side 
 
 Southern Com'l 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 Capital. 
 
 p. 000, 
 
 2,000, 
 
 1 ,000, 
 
 2,000, 
 
 650, 
 
 1,000. 
 
 2.50, 
 
 600, 
 
 500 
 
 1,000 
 
 1,000 
 
 150 
 
 200 
 
 700 
 
 100 
 
 500 
 
 100 
 
 500 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 500 
 
 200, 
 
 200, 
 
 300 
 
 100, 
 
 100, 
 
 Surplus 
 and Profits. 
 
 Circulation 
 
 000.00 
 000.00 
 000.00 
 000.00 
 000.00 
 000.0(1 
 000.00 
 
 000.00 
 
 000.00 
 ,000.00 
 000.00 
 000.00 
 ,000.00 
 ,000.00 
 ,000.00 
 000.00 
 ,000.00 
 ,000.00 
 ,000.00 
 000.00 
 000.00 
 000.00 
 
 noo.oo 
 
 000.00 
 000.00 
 000.00 
 
 ( 884, 
 
 541, 
 
 848, 
 
 259, 
 
 1,197, 
 
 190, 
 
 524. 
 
 688, 
 
 530, 
 
 194, 
 
 330, 
 
 661 
 
 462 
 
 246 
 
 •251 
 
 357 
 
 134 
 
 24 
 
 137 
 
 160 
 
 36, 
 
 84 
 
 71 
 
 35 
 
 14 
 
 3. 
 
 604. 
 535. 
 
 179. 
 883. 
 089. 
 212. 
 511. 
 200. 
 219. 
 711. 
 987. 
 019. 
 931. 
 ,972. 
 ,2,84, 
 ,738, 
 ,099 
 .442, 
 ,000, 
 ,885, 
 288. 
 ,872, 
 ,665. 
 ,323, 
 069, 
 239. 
 
 % 45,000.00 
 
 45,000.00 
 45,000.00 
 
 45,000.00 
 
 45.000.00 
 45,000.00 
 
 45,000.00 
 
 45,000.00 
 
 45,000.00 
 
 Individual 
 Deposits. 
 
 ,f;3,032.192. 
 3,012,400. 
 1,787,1.54. 
 1,624,577. 
 2,081,305. 
 1,315,403. 
 1,515,772. 
 1,745,793. 
 2,202,974. 
 1,401,134. 
 1,045,055. 
 1,394.191. 
 1,0.37,768. 
 1,064,005. 
 
 957,325. 
 
 798.090. 
 
 414,822 
 
 443,197. 
 
 402,521. 
 
 334.220. 
 
 344,345. 
 
 400,853. 
 
 415,230. 
 
 306,311. 
 91,034. 
 59,556, 
 
 Hank 
 Deposits. 
 
 )fl, 578,014. 63 
 
 365,475.66 
 
 1,153,921.30 
 
 1,133,084.84 
 
 233,281.73 
 
 1,696,269.47 
 
 30,590.72 
 
 361,269.48 
 
 311,934.74 
 
 745,993.38 
 
 714,005.77 
 
 137,085.75 
 
 216,781.45 
 
 475,241.28 
 
 3,918.01 
 
 184,152.81 
 
 503,411.11 
 
 9,374.43 
 
 90,669.33 
 
 56.73 
 
 10,783.35 
 
 17,228.41 
 
 Time 
 Deposits. 
 
 t 882,667. 
 
 1,921,797. 
 
 393,179. 
 
 134,407. 
 
 391,530. 
 
 163,190. 
 
 1,528,843. 
 
 402,128. 
 
 16,770. 
 
 86,356. 
 
 Bills 
 Payable. 
 
 76$. 
 
 72 
 
 32 
 
 46 
 
 11 
 
 646,432 
 
 975,439 
 
 206,641 
 
 1,153,359 
 
 92,752 
 
 1,040,597 
 
 84,292 
 
 551,401 
 
 529,108 
 
 79,642 
 
 203,003 
 
 120,516 
 
 134,517 
 
 51,112 
 
 3,833 
 
 50,000.00 
 
 218,.545 82 
 64,310.41 
 
 Totals. 
 
 69,958.79 
 
 6.59 
 
 ,422,489.46 
 ,941,200.08 
 ,277, 435.. 54 
 ,196,952.44 
 ,552.206.98 
 ,310,076.25 
 ,068,264.57 
 ,861,732.69 
 ,560,899.09 
 .473,196.75 
 ,135,048.86 
 ,988,729.05 
 ,892,920.75 
 .737,760.65 
 ,465,687.99 
 ,002,693.04 
 ,689,520.47 
 ,600,343 66 
 ,190,923.34 
 ,133,589.45 
 ,095,945.12 
 888,786.37 
 818,196.35 
 793,381.02 
 266,216..-)9 
 166,629.31 
 
92 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 It is universally conceded by experts that the 
 St. Louis banks keep themselves in an excep- 
 tionally solid position. The statement on the 
 preceding page was prepared during the financial 
 depression, and shows tlie institutions at their 
 worst, instead of their best. Yet, the available 
 funds for the surplus reserve averaged forty to 
 forty-four per cent, as compared with less than 
 twenty-five per cent in New York, and similar 
 percentages elsewhere. The number of banks 
 in St. Louis does not increase rapidly, but it is 
 observed that those already in operation increase 
 their facilities for doing business steadily, and 
 one after the other they secure more handsome, 
 commodious premises for the transaction of their 
 business. Some of the most desirable corners 
 in the city are now occupied by banks, and dur- 
 ing the last few months several important 
 changes of location have taken place. 
 
 In addition to banks proper, St. Louis has 
 three very large trust companies, which are 
 transacting a banking business of great impor- 
 tance, as well as acting as trustees and execu- 
 tors and filling in many other ways a want long 
 felt in financial circles. These institutions do 
 not at present make use of the Clearing House 
 directly in their transactions, and hence the 
 business of that institution is not increased to 
 the extent that the business done would appear 
 to indicate. This last-named institution was 
 oro-anized in 18()8, and has continued without 
 interruption since. The first president was 
 Mr. W. E. Burr, president of the St. Louis Na- 
 tional Bank, who was succeeded in 1873 by 
 Mr. Charles Parsons. In the same year Mr. 
 Edward Chase became manager, and for the 
 last twenty years he has conducted the vast 
 transactions of the Clearing House Association 
 with marked ability. In 1875 an amendment 
 was made to the constitution making the mini- 
 mum capital of meml)ers S 150,000, a conserva- 
 tive policy which is still maintained. 
 
 As already mentioned, the returns of the St. 
 Louis Clearing House do not adequately repre- 
 sent the financial transactions of the city. This 
 is largely because of the comparative diminutive 
 amount of speculation and dealing in options 
 
 in St. Louis as compared with other more reck- 
 less centers. Tliere is als.o an absence of any 
 attemiJt here to make the figures better than 
 they really are. Thus, in some centers checks 
 are issued with the endorsement that they are 
 pavable only through the clearing house, and 
 hence all purely local transactions become added 
 to the total. Also, in St. Louis it is the almost 
 invariable practice to pay wages in cash and 
 not by means of checks, as is a common prac- 
 tice in many industrial centers. In addition to 
 this, it is the practice of the St. Louis banks to 
 pay their daily balances to each other in cur- 
 rency. In many cities the certificate given by 
 the Clearing House to banks, showing the 
 amount coming to them on the balances from 
 otlier banks, are treated as checks and cleared 
 the following day, so that the amount of the 
 balances of one day is added to the total clear- 
 ings of the next. It is really a question of 
 arithmetic and book-keeping only, but the sub- 
 ject is worthy of mention, because it is impor- 
 tant St. Louis people should realize that every 
 dollar returned as being cleared represents that 
 amount of actual business. 
 
 In spite of this strictly conservative policy, 
 the bank clearings of New St. Louis have 
 steadily increased. They averaged considerably 
 less than $60,000,000 a month when the change 
 from the old to the new took place. In 18<S() 
 they averaged a little less than $70,000,000 a 
 month, from which year they gradually increased 
 until the year 1892, when they averaged atrifle 
 over $100,000,000 per month. The year 18!t3 
 opened up most auspiciously in the matter of 
 banking business. December, 1892, had broken 
 the record in the bank clearings, with a gain of 
 $7,000,000 over the preceding year; the re- 
 turns for the first month of the new year were 
 $l(i,000,000 larger than the preceding January, 
 and the returns for the first quarter were very 
 largelv in excess of the corresponding period of 
 anv preceding year, being more than forty-five 
 per cent greater than 1886. 
 
 The table on page 93 shows the bank clear- 
 ings for the current year, and for the seven pre- 
 ceding years. 
 
FINANCE AND BANKING. 
 BAXK CLEARANCES. 
 
 93 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 1886. 
 
 1887. 
 
 1888. 
 
 18S9. 
 
 1890. 
 
 1891. 
 
 1892. 
 
 1893. 
 
 January .-- 
 
 February 
 
 March 
 
 April 
 
 May 
 
 June 
 
 July 
 
 August 
 
 September -- 
 October 
 
 1 65,215,966 
 56,865,185 
 62,407,170 
 63,523,300 
 70,800,052 
 62,760,710 
 74,369,918 
 70,449,412 
 71,543,696 
 69,822,165 
 68,375,951 
 74,660,537 
 
 % 71. 441, .522 
 64.016,573 
 75,8:20,9.34 
 73,773,478 
 79,768,575 
 75,821,594 
 74,227,069 
 77,007.1.33 
 74,537,207 
 74,8.55,029 
 72,757,656 
 80,500,961 
 
 % 73,489,445 
 73,682,245 
 75,136.605 
 72,004,850 
 73.797,059 
 69,957,876 
 67,134,909 
 75,230,076 
 78,265,4,S4 
 83,430,317 
 72,291,801 
 86,054,204 
 
 « 84,199,804 
 72,500,9.89 
 79,774,733 
 71,892,175 
 83,738,646 
 83,333,370 
 82,207,885 
 81,869,6.57 
 80,511,10.5 
 95,6,3l',6S1 
 84,020,747 
 87,8-10,838 
 
 $987,522,629 
 
 « 94,715,140 
 83,143,841 
 87,236,790 
 93,455,536 
 100,925,642 
 92,250,636 
 92,940,902 
 88,342,008 
 93,532,926 
 99,714,641 
 94,534,031 
 97,781,118 
 
 5 97,620,745 
 82,018,043 
 89,648,649 
 89,499,582 
 90,605,844 
 87,120,315 
 95,688,688 
 97,504,202 
 97,411,603 
 
 104,433,739 
 97,808,462 
 
 110,239,721 
 
 $ 98,855,240 
 
 97,370,011 
 
 99,186,662 
 
 103,381,629 
 
 94,098,641 
 
 99,575,498 
 
 100,027,298 
 
 105,289,130 
 
 101,702,686 
 
 106, 99'.), ,568 
 
 108,090,990 
 
 117,662,598 
 
 $ 114,721,817 
 
 93,519,692 
 
 108,371,973 
 
 107,761,079 
 
 109,151,296 
 
 95,321,231 
 
 82,596,431 
 
 68.744,079 
 
 75,437,705 
 
 86.4.39,6.52 
 
 96,174,462 
 
 November 
 
 December 
 
 
 $810,759,062 
 
 $894,527,731 
 
 $900,474,878 
 
 $1,118,573,210 
 
 $1,139,599,573 
 
 $1,231,571,963 
 
 
 A most gratifj'ing event of the last four or five 
 years is the increased standing of St. Louis as 
 a money center. The stability of rates in vSt. 
 L,onis has attracted general attention. Manu- 
 factnring establishments in search of locations 
 have been largely induced to locate here because 
 of the certainty of obtaining accommodations 
 when required. More than that, the city's loan- 
 ing business has extended over a much larger 
 territory' . Boston has for years advanced money 
 for enterprises throughout the entire country, and 
 St. Louis recognizes with gratitude the assistance 
 the great New England town has rendered many 
 of its valuable enterprises. Now St. Louis is in 
 the habit of accommodating not only western 
 and southwestern cities, but also many of the 
 large eastern cities to which we used to look in 
 years gone by. During the year 1892 this busi- 
 ness gained very rapidly. During the prepara- 
 tions for the World's Fair a very large amount of 
 money was taken out of St. Louis for the pur- 
 pose, and more recently loans of large amounts 
 have gone to Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, Gal- 
 veston and other western and southern centers. 
 
 As a very powerful lever in raising New St. 
 Louis to its present position socially, commer- 
 cially and financially, the building and loan 
 associations deserve special notice. Philadel- 
 phia used to claim a monopoly of the distinction 
 of being a city of homes. New St. Louis com- 
 petes with it for a right to the name, and it 
 is probable that the percentage of inhabitants 
 owning their own homes is now fully as large 
 
 in the metropolis of the West and Southwest as 
 in the City of Brotherly Love. It was the build- 
 ing associations that helped thousands of Phila- 
 delphians to become home-owners, and it is the 
 same agency that has reduced the ranks of the 
 renters and increased the number of owners in 
 this favored city. It is unnecessary to devote 
 space to the origin of building as.sociations in 
 St. Louis. Some that were established during 
 the last years of Old St. Louis have recently ac- 
 complished their purpose, furnished a home to 
 each member who persevered in his effort to ob- 
 tain one, and more than kept faith with their 
 original members. It was not, however, until 
 New St. Louis had been thoroughly established, 
 and the new order of things had become gener- 
 ally accepted, that the number of building asso- 
 ciations became large enough to exert any very 
 important influence ujDon the growth and devel- 
 opment of the city. During the years 188fi, 
 l'S87 and 1888, associations were started in large 
 numbers, and a great majority of them have done 
 magnificent work, both for their members and 
 for the city. Some of the more recent ones 
 foriued have fallen into the error of promising 
 rather more than they can po.ssibly fulfill, but 
 they have, by the reduction of their charges, 
 made home-bu^'ing exceedingly easy, and to 
 their influence may be attributed the transfor- 
 mation of several districts within the city limits 
 and out in the country to settlements of com- 
 fortable homes and substantial, if not costly, 
 houses. 
 
94 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 ONE HUNDRED MILES OF STREET FRONTAGE BUILT UPON IN THREE YEARS.-HISTORY OF 
 
 THE FIRE-PROOF OFFICE-BUILDING ERA— INVESTMENTS IN IMPROVEMENTS 
 
 AND THEIR INFLUENCE UPON VALUES. 
 
 ENTION HAS already been made of 
 the influence of rapid transit and of 
 building associations in increasing 
 tlie area of the residence sections of 
 St. Louis, and although it is proba- 
 ble that the street railroads are en- 
 titled to the bulk of the credit, it is certain that 
 the expansion of the city's financial institutions 
 and the general work of the building associa- 
 tions have given to the building industry an im- 
 petus during the last five or six years which has 
 been much too general and far-reaching in its 
 character and operation to be described as a 
 "boom." The year 1892 was the banner 5'ear of 
 St. Louis' building, for during it the enormous 
 sum of -S 20, 000, 000 was expended on buildings 
 actually completed, to say nothing of those in 
 course of construction on January 1, 1893. The 
 total number of building permits issued during 
 the year was 5,497, and as evidence of the char- 
 acter of the improvements it may be mentioned 
 that only twenty per cent of the permits were 
 for frame buildings. The nominal value of the 
 improvements, as shown by the building com- 
 missioner's book, was about $17,000,000, but 
 this is no criterion of actual value because of the 
 invariable undervaluation. In St. Louis the cost 
 of a permit to build is calculated upon a percent- 
 age of the alleged value of the proposed building, 
 and the habit of underestimating is a natural 
 result of this rather inconsistent rule. It is 
 probable that the sale-price of the buildings 
 authorized to be erected during 1892 was 
 
 §25,000,000, so that the estimate of 120,000,000 
 actually expended on completed structures is 
 quite a reasonable one. The lot frontage covered 
 by new buildings in 1892'was 201,440 feet, 
 equivalent to a single row of buildings thirty- 
 nine miles long. This means that thirty-nine 
 miles of street frontage was actually built upon, 
 and the effect of the change on the aspect of the 
 city can easily be appreciated even by those who 
 have not been fortunate enough to go over the 
 ground for themselves. The lot frontage covered 
 in 1891 was thirty miles, and that of 1890 was 
 nearly as great, so that during the three seasons 
 the mileage of built-up streets in St. Louis was 
 increased nearly 100 miles, an achievement of 
 which the city is naturally proud and which it 
 will be hard for any other city to duplicate. 
 
 To grasp the real import of these astound- 
 ing totals, it should be remembered that' the 
 aggregate value of the buildings authorized to 
 be erected in 1.S78 was $2,432,5(i8, and even in 
 1882 the total was only $6,163,545. After 
 this the influence of improved streets, rapid 
 transit, building associations, and New St. Louis 
 ideas generally began to be more apparent, and 
 in 1889 the aggregate values mentioned in the 
 building permits ran into eight figures. Since 
 that time the increase has been very rapid, the 
 total being nearly $14,000,000 in 1891, nearly 
 $17,000,000 in ls;i2, and close upon $9,000,000 
 for the first six months of 1893. The values 
 given as rough — and it may be added parenthet- 
 ically, carefully undercalculated — estimates by 
 
BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 95 
 
 the projectors of new buildings on applying for 
 permits during the actual life of New St. Louis 
 exceed in the aggregate $120,000,000, and it is 
 believed by competent valuers that the buildings 
 erected under these permits have cost at least 
 $200,000,000. Little wonder, under these cir- 
 cumstances, that the appearance of New St. Louis 
 of 1893 is entirely different from that of Old 
 St, Louis in 1883. 
 
 Many old buildings of 
 RAPID INCREASE . , , , , f 
 
 considerable value nave 
 IN VALUE OF , J ^ 1 
 
 been removed to make 
 
 TAXABLE PROPERTY. r i 
 
 room for new ones, and 
 
 hence the increase in the assessed valuation is 
 not quite so large. But since 1878 the total has 
 about doubled. The 1894 valuation will cer- 
 tainly exceed $300,000,000, as compared with 
 $24r),000,000 iu 1890, and §l(i5,000,000 in 1880. 
 The city comptroller estimated the value of the 
 city's real estate in 1890 at $141,000,000 more 
 than the assessed valuation, and the estimate 
 was a conservative one. Upon this basis the 
 value of the real estate in the city is now nearly, 
 if not quite, $400,000,000, while it is doubtful if 
 that sum would purchase nearly all the realty in 
 St. Louis. These figures are too large to be easily 
 grasped, but they show as no argument could 
 demonstrate, how stupendous has been the city's 
 building growth since its second birth. 
 
 Reverting to the character of buildings, it 
 may be mentioned that the number of new 
 structures erected in 1890, 1891 and 1892 was 
 about 14,500, of which only 4,000 were frame. 
 The percentage of frame houses to brick has 
 been gradually decreasing. In the eighties 
 about one-third of the new buildings were con- 
 structed of lumber, as compared with little more 
 than a fifth at the present time. 
 
 The immense number of buildings constructed 
 since the census was taken is of special interest 
 as bearing upon the question of population, and 
 justifies the claim made by directory publishers 
 and canvassers, that the number of inhabitants 
 has increased much more rapidly during the last 
 three years than during any corresponding 
 period of time in the history of St. Louis. Be- 
 sides the activitv in the erection of new build- 
 
 ings, great enterprise has been shown in the 
 improvement and enlarging of existing struct- 
 ures. The real estate sales for the year 1892 
 reached, as shown in the records, a total of 
 $(;2,000,000, or a great deal more than 
 $1,000,000 a week. Upwards of 40,000 deeds 
 were filed at the ofifice of the recorder of deeds 
 during the year, and nearly 8,000 deeds of trust 
 were released. During the same j-ear 120,000 
 feet of land was subdivided, but the subdivision 
 did not keep pace with the building, and as a 
 result there were seven miles less of unbuilt-up 
 streets at the end of the year than at the com- 
 mencement. Acre property within the city 
 limits is getting very scarce, and the demand 
 for residence property has grown so rapidly that 
 values do not compare at all with those of a few 
 years ago. The extreme western district is now 
 very largely built up, and the price at which 
 lots are held is restricting improvements to those 
 of a very costly character. In the extreme 
 northwest, the extension of the Benton-Bellefon- 
 taiue road and its equipment of electricity, to- 
 gether with the construction of the Belt Railroad 
 has caused an awakening, and the sales iu this 
 section have been very large in consequence. A 
 number of New St. Louis men have made their 
 homes in the extreme south of the city, where 
 building has been carried on with great activity 
 and where the vacant lots are becoming more 
 and more scarce. 
 
 Another characteristic of the new buildings, 
 in addition to the more general use of brick and 
 stone, is the improved architectural excellence 
 and the increased value generally. In the resi- 
 dence portions of the city, which were more 
 especially referred to in the opening remarks 
 of this chapter, the change is remarkable. 
 About eighteen mouths ago a large delegation 
 from the National Press Association was enter- 
 tained in St. Louis, and the visitors were driven 
 over the city in carriages placed at their dis- 
 posal. They were not asked their opinions as 
 to the city, but voluntarily expressed them; and 
 the sentiment was unanimous that in no part of 
 the world were so large a uuml)er of architect- 
 ural styles represented as in St. Louis. Coming 
 
96 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 BIRTH OF THE 
 LOFTY OFFICE-BUILDING ERA 
 
 from men and women who have traveled from 
 Maine to California, and many of them from 
 New York to London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna 
 and Florence, an expression of opinion of this 
 kind natnralh' has weight; and when one of the 
 most inveterate Bohemians in the crowd said 
 that there was more home-pride in St. Lonis 
 than in any other city he had visited, the senti- 
 ment was warmly applanded by his companions 
 and api^reciated by his hearers. The greatest 
 ambition of a successfnl St. Lonis mannfactnrer, 
 merchant or professional man seems to be to 
 bnild for himself a palatial home and to snr- 
 round it with all the luxnr^' and beanty which 
 money can procnre. 
 
 "Ground costs 
 money and air 
 does not," re- 
 marked Jay Gould on one occasion when dis- 
 cussing the ntimber of stories of which buildings 
 should be composed. Old St. Louis did not 
 appreciate the importance of this fact, and the 
 buildings in the cit}- were seldom more than six 
 stories high, and very frequently only four or 
 five. New St. Louis, on the other hand, has 
 made high buildings a specialty, and although 
 sky-scrapers twenty stories high have not found 
 favor here, the most popular ofhce-buildings are 
 those which vary in height from ten to fourteen 
 stories. Both ty^DCS of St. Louis are still repre- 
 sented in its commercial and jirofessional build- 
 ings. In the extreme eastern section of the 
 business quarter, where at one time all the im- 
 jjortant transactions of the " Future Great " were 
 planned and carried out, there are still to be 
 found a number of substantial buildings four or 
 six stories high with few, if any, modern con- 
 veniences, with slow elevator service and with 
 a minimum of light. Many of these buildings 
 are still in good order, and hence the old-st}"le 
 office-building dies hard, although the competi- 
 tion of the new type of building is felt very 
 keenly. 
 
 Ten years ago this old-style ofhce-building 
 was regarded as the correct thing, although in 
 other cities the theory which Jay Gould subse- 
 quently expressed so concisely had been ap- 
 
 preciated and the air was being encroached upon 
 with considerable rapidity. Now, however, 
 New St. Louis is represented by more than 
 twenty office-buildings of absolutely the first 
 class, and these are not surpassed in any other 
 city, although, as already mentioned, extremes 
 of height such as are found in Chicago or New 
 York have not been attempted here. In addi- 
 tion to the score of buildings specially deserving 
 mention as types of the New St. Louis idea, 
 there are others of recent construction almost as 
 magnificent and embracing every improvement 
 calculated to increase the capacity of the struct- 
 ures and the convenience of the tenants. An 
 excellent municipal ordinance forbids the erec- 
 tion of a building in St. Louis more than 100 
 feet in height unless its interior construction is 
 absolutely fire-proof. Hence the new office-build- 
 ings are in no sense of the word fire-traps, but 
 are rather to be looked upon as safer than the 
 small buildings they have superseded, which 
 had but indifferent means of egress in case of 
 fire, and whose material was more or less com- 
 bustible — and generally more. 
 
 The era of the fire-proof office-building in 
 St. Louis dates back to about the year 1S85, 
 when the Equitable Building on Sixth and Lo- 
 cust streets was enlarged and heightened. This 
 fine structure was originally six stories high. It 
 was the pioneer of modern office-buildings in 
 St. Louis, and was regar<led by every one who 
 saw it as a distinct advance on anything yet at- 
 tempted in the Mississippi Valley. Being abso- 
 lutely fire-proof and exceptionally well arranged, 
 there was quite a run on its offices, and instead 
 of tenants being sought, the only difficulty the 
 management had to contend with was filling the 
 demands of applicants. It was decided to have 
 the foundation and walls carefully examined and 
 to increase the height from six to ten stories if 
 the plan were endorsed by competent engineers. 
 The examination proved that the structure was 
 strong enough to bear the weight of six addi- 
 tional stories easily, but the original plan was 
 carried out, and the Equitable Building raised its 
 head ten stories high, a monument to the enter- 
 prise of its owners and to the determination of 
 
BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 97 
 
 New St. Louis to have the best of everything 
 that science had perfected. To-day the Equi- 
 table Building does not rank among the very 
 highest St. L,ouis buildings, but in 1S85 and 188(5 
 it was looked ujdou with as much admiration as 
 the Union Trust Building is now. 
 
 The Laclede Building is generally regarded 
 as the pioneer of the lofty fire-proof buildings of 
 St. Louis. There were a great many projects 
 about the year 1885 looking to the erection of 
 buildings of this character, but the first scheme 
 of magnitude involved the erection of a ten-story 
 building, to be known as the Union Building, 
 on the southwest corner of Olive and Fourth 
 streets. In the winter of 1885 and 188(3 the old 
 improvements of this corner were torn down, 
 and it was announced that a large body of Chi- 
 cago capitalists were behind the scheme, and 
 were about to erect a building of gigantic pro- 
 portions. Fairy tales concerning the proportions 
 and decorations of the new building abounded, 
 but local suspicion was aroused when the exca- 
 vations were left untouched week after week, 
 and the final announcement that the wealth of 
 the capitalists had not materialized, caused 
 more regret than surprise. The unrealized hope 
 was not only an eye-sore, but also a source of 
 ridicule, and a number of St. Louis capitalists, 
 who did not boast of fabulous wealth but who 
 had a reputation for completing every project 
 with which they connected themselves, took 
 hold of the enterprise and erected the Laclede 
 Building. The Laclede Building is not the pal- 
 ace covered by the plans of the Union Building, 
 but is a first-class office structure, fire-proof 
 throughout, and constructed of Missouri granite, 
 iron and brick. The hall walls are of polished 
 Berdillo marble and plate glass, and the halls 
 and ceilings are of marble. The building was 
 watched with great interest while in course of 
 construction, and when it was finished its ele- 
 vator capacity, arrangements for ventilation and 
 for the transaction of business, as well as the 
 completeness of its furnishings, not only excited 
 the admiration of St. Louis people generally, but 
 encouraged the perfecting of projects for a 
 number of similar and even superior buildings. 
 
 EARLY WORK ON 
 FIRE-PROOF STRUCTURES. 
 
 At about the 
 same time the 
 Commercial Build- 
 ing was designed. In the early days of New 
 St. Louis the southeast corner of Sixth and 
 Olive streets was encumbered by improvements 
 of a very inferior character, many years behind 
 the times. A syndicate was formed and a lease 
 negotiated for ninety-nine years, at $20,000 a 
 year, with a clause that a building to cost not 
 less than $200,000 should be erected on the site 
 within the space of three years. As a result of 
 this undertaking, the Commercial Building was 
 designed and completed, the cost of construc- 
 tion being about three times the minimum stated 
 in the lease. 
 
 The Commercial Building has since been out- 
 classed in height, but it is still looked upon 
 as one of the most substantial and convenient 
 office-buildings in the West. Missouri granite 
 and St. Louis pressed brick, two of the best 
 building materials to be found in the world, 
 were used in the exterior construction, with the 
 columns, pilasters and lintels of iron. The 
 building is absolutely fire-proof, and has 192 
 office-rooms. Georgia marble was used largely 
 in the corridors and wainscoting, and a perfect 
 system of elevators, four in number, was put in. 
 Like the Equitable and Laclede, the Commer- 
 cial Building was in its early days visited by 
 hundreds of spectators, and e\'en now our best 
 office-buildings are regarded as an attraction by 
 sojourners in other cities. 
 
 It is not suggested that the three buildings 
 first mentioned were actually the th.ree first to be 
 completed and occupied, the order being rather 
 that of the negotiations which resulted in the 
 inauguration of a rule which has changed the 
 aspect of down-town St. Louis and attracted 
 the admiration of all. Olive street, in the neigh- 
 borhood of the Federal Building, was largely 
 reconstructed during the days of the fire-proof 
 office-building awakening. Work was com- 
 menced on the Odd Fellows' Building, at the 
 corner of Ninth and Olive streets, very early in 
 the revival. The building is almost faultless in 
 its construction, and the summit of its tower 
 
98 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 is 236 feet high. Missouri granite, both rock- 
 faced and polished, was used in the construction 
 of the first story, and the seven stories above 
 are of St. Louis pressed brick. Iron and steel 
 pillars and girders were freely used, and the en- 
 tire work is exceptionally massive and last- 
 ing. The foundations are so strong that they 
 would probably hold a building nearly twice as 
 high as the one now upon them. The corridors 
 are tiled with white marble, and the wainscot- 
 ing is of the best Georgia gray and white mar- 
 ble. The building, which cost over $iJ00,O()O, 
 was completed in the spring of 1889. A por- 
 tion of it is occupied by the Qdd Fellows' halls, 
 offices and library, but the offices available for 
 the public are occupied by professional and 
 business men, and are replete with every con- 
 venience. 
 
 Adjoining the Odd Fellows' Building, and 
 erected almost simultaneously with it is the 
 Fagin Building, unique in its features and a 
 structure which has been both praised and criti- 
 cised by experts. It is xiulike any other office- 
 building in the city, and the front is constructed 
 almost entirely of granite aud glass. It is ten 
 stories high, and the available space in the in- 
 terior is 1,0.')2,000 square feet. The building, 
 despite some early criticisms, is strong and at- 
 tractive. Its plan involves an abundance of 
 light, and, although its entrance is not as at- 
 tractive and handsome as a building of such 
 altitude and cost would seem to demand, it is a 
 grand building and has undoubtedly had its in- 
 fluence in a most important direction on the 
 office-building work of St. Louis. 
 
 On Eighth street, also opposite the Federal 
 Building and almost at the corner of Olive, is 
 the Turner Building, which, it is claimed, was 
 the first building erected in St. Louis fire-proof 
 in every part. It is less lofty than some of its 
 neighbors, but is a very handsome, substantial 
 structure, with every possible convenience for 
 its tenants. 
 
 The American Central Building, on Broadway 
 and Locust street, was reconstructed during the 
 same period, and the Bank of Commerce Building 
 and a large number of factories and what may 
 
 THE 
 HIGHEST OF THEM ALL 
 
 be termed individual business establishments 
 were also erected. The year l-SSi) found the 
 office-building question practically settled and 
 down-town St. Louis ecjuipped with structures 
 and offices handsome enough to do credit to any 
 city and apparently numerous enough to meet 
 every demand. It was even suggested that the 
 work had been overdone and that there would 
 be a difficulty in renting the offices in the new 
 buildings. Looked at from the standpoint of 
 St. Louis in 1893 the forecast appears ludi- 
 crous, for during the last three or four years the 
 activity of the fire-proof-lofty-structure-buikler 
 has more than redoubled, and on every side 
 there are to be seen grand edifices not then so 
 much as contemplated. 
 
 The highest of these 
 most recent office-build- 
 ings is the Union Trust 
 Building, at the corner of Seventh and Olive 
 streets. This building, which is now practically 
 completed, is fourteen stories high, or, if the 
 plan of counting basement and attic, common 
 in some cities, is adopted, there are really six- 
 teen stories. The building occupied about a 
 year aud a half in construction, including the 
 time devoted to tearing down the old improve- 
 ments and in digging out the foundations. Aluch 
 longer time would ha\-e been required but for 
 the adoption of what is known as the steel skele- 
 ton system of construction. Without this aid to 
 building, the walls and doors in the lower stories 
 would have had to be exceptionally thick 'and 
 massive to hold the weight, but the plan adopted 
 obviated this difficulty aud added immensely to 
 the floor-space of the building. Pillars of rolled 
 steel and iron are extended from the foundation 
 to the roof, and these are all sufficiently strong, 
 not only to hold the enormous weight resting 
 upon them, but also to stand the strain of high 
 winds and tempestuous v/eather. The floor- 
 beams and girders are also of rolled steel riveted 
 to the uprights, and the whole budding is thus 
 one united mass, the strain being divided over 
 an immense area. The precautions taken in 
 the design to secure rigidity have proven en- 
 tirely successful, aud the building is now as 
 
BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 99 
 
 solid and substantial as though it stood but two 
 stories high. 
 
 The building is fire-proof in fact as well as in 
 name. Hollow fire clay tile was used largely in 
 the construction, and the stair-cases and even 
 the elevator guide-posts are of incombustible 
 material, so that in the event of fire nothing but 
 desks, chairs, window-frames and doors w^ould 
 burn. The building has a frontage of 128 feet on 
 Olive street and 84 feet on Seventh street, with 
 the advantage of a wide alley, which practically 
 gives it three fronts. The internal court, front- 
 ing southward on Olive street, adds to the front- 
 age so much that, although there are 300 offices 
 in the building, the windows of each one opens 
 direct into the air, if not sunlight. Two hun- 
 dred and forty offices face the streets, and these 
 are being rapidly occupied by tenants. The 
 external construction is of buff terra cotta for 
 the two lowest stories, buff brick to the thir- 
 teenth and terra cotta at the summit. The ap- 
 pearance is unique and somewhat peculiar, and 
 the material used is of a character to withstand 
 the attacks of smoke and dust and retain its 
 color almost indefinitely. Two thousand tons 
 of iron have been used in the construction, and 
 there are more than seven miles of steam, water 
 and escape pipes in the building. Three miles 
 of electric wire were also used in the equip- 
 ments, and about 25,000 square feet of marble 
 and mosaic were required. The halls and cor- 
 ridors are richly decorated with marble, and the 
 windows are of polished plate glass. The ele- 
 vator service is exceptionally good, and in every 
 office there is a hot and cold water supply serv- 
 ice. A million dollars has been mentioned as 
 the probable price of this lofty and remarkable 
 structure, but, although a detailed statement 
 has not been published, there can be no doubt 
 that the outlay has been very largely in excess 
 of the sum named. 
 
 The Security Building, 
 on the southwest corner of 
 Fourth and Locust streets, 
 while not so lofty as the 
 Union Trust, is probably the most magnificent 
 fire-proof structure in the West. It is ten 
 
 SECURITY BUILDING 
 
 AND 
 
 NOONDAY CLUB. 
 
 stories high,* and its roof 15() feet inches 
 above the sidewalk. In its construction only 
 the most costly materials were used, and the 
 building cost considerably in excess of $1,000,- 
 0(10. The internal decorations are on a par 
 with the magnificent outside work, and the 
 building has a substantial, valuable appearance 
 which excites comment from every visitor. The 
 entrance to the elevators, from a most attractive 
 and unusually convenient rotunda, is artistic in 
 the extreme; and the mosaic floors are aesthetic 
 enough for an art museum or a picture gallery. 
 The offices are replete with every possible con- 
 venience, and are as elegant as money could 
 possibly make them. The tenth floor is occu- 
 pied entirely by the reception and dining-rooms 
 of the Noonday Club, one of the latest additions 
 to the commercial clubs of St. Louis. It was 
 established in 1893, with 300 members, consist- 
 ing of presidents and leading members of some 
 of the largest and most wealthy firms of the 
 city. 
 
 The Security Building fronts on Locust street, 
 with two wings extending south, one on the east, 
 and one on the west side. The club rooms 
 are thus divided into three divisions. The 
 central portion contains the restaurant, which 
 on special occasions is converted into a banquet- 
 ing hall. This room is finished in light colors, 
 verging to a very pale brown and cream white. 
 The west wing contains a regular lunch-room, 
 with the kitchens overhead, in what may be 
 described as the attic addition to the building. 
 Tlie lunch-room is finished in harmonious colors, 
 and has windows on three sides. The billiard 
 hall is equally well provided with light. The 
 floors have been varnished into a glossy cherry 
 color, and the walls are painted a deep wine- 
 red, the ceiling being pale green. The appoint- 
 ments of the club, generally, are thoroughl}- 
 in keeping with the design of the organization, 
 and with the general elegance and excellence of 
 the building in which it is situated. 
 
 *Only complete and full-sized floors are counted. The 
 Security Buildiug has also a basemeut and an attic, and 
 hence might be spoken of as a twelve-storv buildiug. It 
 is alwaj's the rule iu St. L,ouis to uuderstate, rather thau 
 exaggerate. 
 
100 
 
 OLD AND NFAV ST. LOUIS. 
 
 TWENTY-StX BVILDINOS 
 
 COSTING MORE 
 
 THAN $500,000 EACH. 
 
 Mention has alreach- 
 been made of the three 
 exceptionally magnifi- 
 
 cent new strnctnres of 
 St. Lonis — the Union Depot, the City Hall and 
 the New Planters' Honse. In this chapter a 
 few representative bnildings of the New St. 
 Ivouis t}pe have been selected. It has not been 
 attempted to refer to every large building con- 
 structed during the last five or six years, because 
 even a brief description of these would occupy 
 the space allotted to several chapters. Only 
 those who have given the question careful atten- 
 tion realize the stupendous nature of the work the 
 local builder and contractor has done. It is im- 
 portant to bear in mind that early in the present 
 year there were actually in course of construc- 
 tion more than twenty-six buildings, each aver- 
 aging in cost more than §.'>()(), ()()(). These 
 included an immense number of new factories 
 to take the place, in some instances, of build- 
 ings which had ceased to be available for the 
 purposes desired, and also to provide accommo- 
 dation for increased business and new firms. 
 Prior to this date there had been erected, in ad- 
 dition to those already mentioned, such magnifi- 
 cent structures as the Bell Telephone Building, 
 in which the Builders' Exchange has its head- 
 quarters; the new Globe-Democrat Building, 
 and the Roe, Houser and Oriel buildings. The 
 twentv-six buildings referred to as being either 
 in course of construction or having contracts 
 completed at the commencement of iy!l3 were 
 as follows, the prices given being those named 
 in the building permits, which, it will be seen, 
 aggregate about $14,000,000: 
 
 New Planters' House, twelve stories. Fourth 
 street, between Pine and Chestnut streets, 
 11,000,000; the Colonnade, ten stories, com- 
 prising a hotel, theatre and arcade, an ofiice- 
 building and a Turkish bath estal^lishment, to 
 occupy a half block on Ninth street, between 
 Olive and Locust streets, $1,100,000; a hotel, 
 not yet named, ten stories, on Ninth street, cor- 
 ner of Pine street, $500,000; Imperial Hotel, 
 ten stories, corner of JMarket and Eighteenth 
 Streets, $1,200,000; City Hall, in old Wash- 
 
 ington Park, fronting on Market, between 
 Twelfth and Thirteenth streets, $2,000,000; new 
 Union Depot, IMarket street, south side, between 
 Eighteenth and Twentieth streets, $1,000,000;* 
 Hammett- Anderson-Wade's Columbia Building, 
 southeast corner of Eighth and Locust streets, 
 $300,000; Mills & Averill's building, on Chest- 
 nut street, twelve stories, $()00,00(_); Patterson 
 Building, southeast corner of Olive and Twelfth 
 streets, ten stories, $250,000; Fair Building, 
 southwest corner of Seventh and Franklin ave- 
 nue, $150,000; Nelson Building, south side of 
 vSt. Charles, east of Twelfth, eight stories, 
 $100,000; Hoyle Building, southwest corner of 
 Third and Locust streets, $75,000; McCormack 
 Building, north side of Chestnut, between 
 Eighth and Ninth streets, $75,000; Interstate 
 Investment Co.'s Building, southeast corner of 
 Ninth and Washington avenue, $100,000; Ben- 
 oist Building, southeast corner of Eleventh and 
 Olive streets, $75,000; F. A. Drew Building, 
 southeast corner of Twelfth and St. Charles 
 streets, $125,000; Culver Building, southeast 
 corner of Twelfth and Locust streets, $90,000; 
 new Board of Education Building, northwest 
 corner of Locust and Ninth streets, $400,000; 
 Rialto Building, ten stories, southeast corner of 
 Fourth and Olive streets, $500,000; Security 
 Building, ten stories. Fourth and Locust streets, 
 $1,500,000; Wainwright Building, nine stories, 
 northwest corner of Se\-enth and Chestnut 
 streets, $(;00,000; Union Trust Company Build- 
 ing, fourteen stories, northwest corner of Sev- 
 enth and Olive streets, $1,000,000; Puritan 
 Building, north side of Locust, between Sev- 
 enth and Eighth streets, nine stories, $150,000; 
 Meyer Building, southeast corner of W'ashing- 
 ton avenue and Eighth street, §100,000; new 
 ]\Iercantile Club Building, southeast corner of 
 Locust and Seventh streets, $500,000; Famous 
 Building, west side of Broadway, between 
 Franklin avenue and ^Morgan street, $400,000. 
 
 *A comparison of tlie permit price of this structure 
 with the actual expeuditure, as outlined on page (57, shows 
 better than any argument in words how inadecjuateh- the 
 building permit returns set forth the actual building ex- 
 penditure. 
 
B UILDING IMPRO I 'EMENTS. 
 
 101 
 
 LIBRARY AND 
 SCHOOL BUILDING. 
 
 The Mercantile Library 
 Building; was completed too 
 soon to be included in this 
 list. It is a fire-proof structure, on the corner 
 of Broadway and Locust street, with the upper 
 floors devoted to the library. Its reading-room 
 is one of the largest and best equipped in the 
 country, and it is a great ad\-ance on the old 
 structure which made the library famous in for- 
 mer years. The Public Library Building, or, 
 more correctl)' speaking, the Board of Education 
 Building, four blocks west of this, is another 
 lofty and valuable building, as different from 
 the old Polytechnic, in which the Public School 
 Library was situated, as New St. Louis dif- 
 fers from Old. Among the strictly 1893 build- 
 ings not already described, but which must be 
 mentioned as remarkable evidences of the build- 
 ing activity of New St. Louis, is the new High 
 School on Grand avenue. This building has a 
 front facade 300 feet in length and 147 feet 
 deep. Brick, ornamented with red sandstone, 
 forms the outer walls, the front and two towers 
 being faced with stone up to the second floor. 
 There is an interior court 4r)xl30 feet for light 
 and ventilation, and the building contains, in 
 addition to an immense number of class and 
 study-rooms, an assemlily-rooni about eighty 
 feet square. Another is the new Mercantile 
 Club Building, to which reference has already 
 been made. This building has been erected on 
 the site of the old club house and of Mr. Henry 
 Shaw's mansion, at the corner of Seventh and 
 Locust streets. It has a frontage of 127 feet on 
 Locust street, and 90 feet on Seventh street. 
 It is six stories high, and is constructed of Lake 
 Superior red sandstone, resting on a granite 
 base. The upper floors are of red brick, with 
 sandstone trimmings. The design includes lofty 
 balconies, and a gabled Spanish roof, giving the 
 building a unique effect, very pleasing to the 
 eye, as compared with the flat roof so universal 
 in the modern lofty structures. 
 
 A block west of this club, the St. Nicholas 
 Hotel is in course of construction and will soon 
 be ready for occupation. This is another build- 
 ing in which the style of architecture differs 
 
 materially from that in general use, and its 
 appearance is sufirciently handsome and even 
 antique to give quite a name and reputation 
 to both Locust and Eighth streets. The esti- 
 mated cost of the building is about $300,000. 
 It is eight stories high with a balcony and a 
 slanting red tiled roof with curved brick gables. 
 These gables are already a source of admiration 
 and by the time the finishing strokes have been 
 put to the work the building will certainly be 
 an ornament to the city. Among the peculiari- 
 ties of the internal structure may be mentioned 
 the ball-room, which is to occupy the upper- 
 most floor. This will be one of the most gor- 
 geous ball-rooms in the country, and is likely to 
 be used very largely for entertainments of a 
 public and semi-private character. 
 
 No reference to the buildings of 1893 can be 
 complete without something more than a pass- 
 ing mention of the Rialto Building on the south- 
 east corner of Fourth and Olive streets, a 
 thoroughfare which in years gone by was the 
 center of commerce of the city, but which in 
 the early days of New St. Louis was rather out- 
 classed by streets slightly more western. The 
 new hotel, the Security and Laclede buildings 
 and the Rialto are only four evidences of the 
 determination of property owners to restore the 
 street to its former commercial precedence and 
 grandeur. The Rialto Building is ten stories 
 high and is constructed of steel and iron, encased 
 in massive blocks of granite and red sandstone. 
 It fronts ninety feet on Fourth street and rather 
 less on Olive street, and its cost was consid- 
 erably in excess of $.300,000. The external 
 appearance is rendered attractive by the archi- 
 tectural device to increase the light and capacity 
 of the offices, and the internal arrangements are 
 complete in the extreme, the elevator plan being 
 remarkable for its simplicity and good service. 
 Adjoining, and in the shadow of this building, is 
 the Bank of the Republic structure. This bank 
 was established on Ninth and Olive streets, 
 where it has built up a large and lucrative con- 
 nection. It has, however, decided to move on 
 Fourth street, and has erected a building one 
 story high and remarkably attractive in its ap- 
 
102 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 IN THE 
 
 WHOLESALE SECTION 
 
 OF THE CITY. 
 
 pearance. The front is of Italian marble ex- 
 quisitely carved in draped figures, and the entire 
 roof is of heavy glass. Instead of erecting 
 a high building and renting the upper offices, 
 the bank preferred the more costly plan of a 
 one-story building devoted entire!)' to its own 
 use. The structure is thirty-five feet high, and 
 each foot cost about $1,000 to construct. 
 
 Among the buildings 
 costing upwards of 
 $500,000 and erected in 
 18!I3, was the Martin 
 Building, on Tenth street, between Washington 
 and Christy avenues. This is right in the 
 center of what may be termed the wholesale 
 district of St. Louis, and the building is designed 
 exclusively for wholesale purposes. It occujiies 
 a space of 70x205 feet, and is eight stories high. 
 The two first stories are in blue Bedford stone, 
 the remainder being in light colored Roman 
 brick with terra cotta trimmings. There is a 
 court in the center entered through an arched 
 gateway on Tenth street. The Collier Block is 
 on Washington avenue. Fourth, and St. Charles 
 streets, and when completed will occupy an en- 
 tire half block, with side frontages of 150 feet on 
 both Washington avenue and St. Charles street. 
 The main floors are of iron columns filled in with 
 plate glass, and the upper floors are of dark gray 
 brick with terra cotta trimmings, surmounted 
 above the sixth floor by a Florentine cornice. 
 
 The Columbian Club House and the new 
 Good Shepherd Convent, although not strictly 
 commercial structures, were in course of erec- 
 tion during 18113 at a total cost approximating 
 $750,000. The Columbian Club House is sit- 
 uated at the corner of Lindell boulevard and 
 Vandeventer a\-euue. It is a good type of the 
 Italian renaissance style of architecture, with a 
 facade of buff Roman brick and buff Bedford 
 limestone. The building is four stories high 
 and has a frontage of 114 feet. The new Good 
 Shepherd Convent, costing nearly $50t),000, is 
 in course of construction on Gravois avenue, a 
 little west of Grand. The tract of land was 
 presented by Adolphus Busch, and upon it is 
 being constructed a building in Romanesque 
 
 style, with little unnecessar}' ornamentation but 
 of large capacity. The principal facade is 400 
 feet long, and the building is three stories high. 
 Space prevents a detailed description of all 
 the elegant buildings in course of construction 
 at the present time, or which have been built 
 during the last three years, but enough has been 
 written to show that capitalists have an un- 
 limited confidence in the future of New St. Louis 
 and are willing at all times to invest freely in 
 buildings of the better class. And it is very 
 important to emphasize the fact that, although 
 the year 1893 has been in ever)' way unfavor- 
 able for new enterprises and generally discourag- 
 ing for mercantile interests, there has been no 
 difficulty in renting the rooms and offices in the 
 new buildings, although the apartments now 
 luimber several thousand. Favorite offices in 
 the best buildings luuing the very best sites 
 and locations have been secured long before 
 work was completed, and the rapidity with 
 which the new buildings have filled up is a 
 striking testimony to the expansion of St. Louis 
 and its manufacturing, commercial and finan- 
 cial interests. No city on the continent has 
 been transformed more completely by aid of the 
 builder and contractor during the last six or 
 eight years, yet the percentage of vacant offices 
 in St. Louis is smaller than in any other large 
 city. In other words, phenomenal as has been the 
 increase in building, the demand has more than 
 kept pace with that increase; and from every 
 appearance it is still continuing to grow. 
 
 The growth of the city, 
 and the immense expendi- 
 ture on improvements, has 
 had a marked effect on the 
 value of real estate. There has never been any 
 wildcat speculation in the city, and, although 
 the transactions have frequently shown a total 
 consideration money exceeding on an average 
 $1,000,000 a week, and continuing for many 
 weeks, the bulk of the investing has been for the 
 purposeof improvement, and not for mere specula- 
 tion. It is on record that the ground now bounded 
 by Market and Wash streets, and by Broadway 
 and Jefferson avenue, w-as once sold for $4,000 
 
 A COMPARISON 
 
 OF 
 
 REALTY PRICES. 
 
BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 103 
 
 in cash and 2,400 levies of furs. The vahxe 
 of this property to-day exceeds $250, 000, 000, 
 and it inchxdes some of the most costly front- 
 ages in St. Louis. There are several frontages 
 worth more per foot than was paid for this 
 entire tract in the city's early days. Thus, the 
 corner of Broadway and Olive street is esti- 
 mated to be worth more than $10,000 a foot; 
 passing up Olive street the value decreases 
 slightly going west. Thus, Seventh and Olive 
 ground is worth about $8,000 a foot, while at 
 Twelfth and Olive it is worth $2,r)00. West of 
 Jefferson avenue the value decreases less rap- 
 idly, and even as far west as Jefferson avenue 
 available corners sell at $1,.")00 a foot front. 
 The average value of Olive street property, be- 
 tween Twelfth street and Broadway, is $6,834; 
 and between Twelfth street and Jefferson avenue 
 it is $2,000. There are about 14,(;00 feet of 
 ground on Olive street, between Broadway and 
 Jefferson avenue. The value of the property 
 between Twelfth street and Jefferson avenue is 
 $19,466,000; and between Twelfth street and 
 Broadway it is $33,249,378. 
 
 These figures, of course, do not include the 
 value of any building impro\-ements on the 
 property. Olive street frontage, in the busi- 
 ness part of the city, is regarded as the most 
 valuable property in the city at present. Lo- 
 cust street and Broadway is worth $6,000 a foot. 
 At Seventh street, Locust street property is 
 worth $2,000 a foot; at Twelfth street, $1,500; 
 and at Jefferson avenue, $300. The average 
 value per foot, west of Twelfth street, is $3,166. 
 Between Twelfth street and Jefferson avenue it 
 is $900 a foot. The estimated value of the 
 property on Locust street, between Broadway 
 and Twelfth street, is $15,399,156, and be- 
 tween Twelfth street and Jefferson avenue it is 
 $8,758,800. St. Charles street at Broadway is 
 worth $4,000 a foot. At Seventh street it is 
 worth $1,200 a foot; at Twelfth street, $1,500 
 a front foot. West of Twelfth street, vSt. Charles 
 street is practically no street. The average 
 value of St. Charles street property, between 
 Twelfth street and Broadway, is $2,233 a front 
 foot, or $10,865,778. 
 
 The corner of Washington avenue and Broad- 
 way is worth $6,000 a front foot. At Seventh 
 street, Washington avenue property is worth 
 $3,000 a front foot ; at Twelfth street, $2,000; 
 and at Jefferson avenue, $1,000. The average 
 value per foot, east of Twelfth street and west of 
 Broadway, is $3,667 a foot, and between Twelfth 
 street and Jefferson avenue the average value is 
 $1,500 a foot. The property east of Twelfth 
 street, on Washington avenue, is worth about 
 $17,596,800. The property on Washington 
 avenue, between Twelfth street and Jefferson 
 avenue, is worth, approximately, $14,400,000. 
 Lucas avenue and Broadway is worth about 
 $3,000 a foot. At Seventh street, Lucas avenue 
 property is valued at $1,000 a foot ; at Twelfth 
 street, $800; and at Jefferson avenue, $200 a foot. 
 The average value per foot between Twelfth 
 street and Broadway is $1,600 a foot; and be- 
 tween Twelfth street and Jefferson avenue it is 
 $500 per foot. The property on Lucas avenue, 
 between Twelfth street and Broadway, is worth 
 about $7,680,000; and between Twelfth street 
 and Jefferson avenue it is worth $4,800,000. 
 The corner of Morgan street and Broadway is 
 worth about $2,000; Seventh and Morgan is 
 worth $800 a foot; Twelfth and Morgan, $1,000; 
 and Jefferson avenue and Morgan, $300 a foot. 
 The average value of Morgan street property, 
 between Twelfth street ancf Broadway, is $1,266; 
 and the average value of Morgan street property, 
 between Twelfth street and Jefferson avenue, is 
 1650 a foot. The total value of Morgan street 
 property, between Twelfth street and Broadway, 
 is 12,560,356; and between Twelfth street and 
 Jefferson avenue it is $6,325,800. The corner 
 of Broadway and Franklin avenue is worth 
 $4,000 at foot. At Seventh street, Franklin av- 
 enue property is worth $1,500 a front foot; at 
 Twelfth street, $1,500; and at Jefferson avenue, 
 $750. The average value per foot east of 
 Twelfth street is $3,333; and between Twelfth 
 street and Jefferson avenue it is $ 1 , 1 25. The esti- 
 mated total value of the ground between Twelfth 
 street and Broadway, on Franklin avenue, is 
 $15,408,689; and between Twelfth street and 
 Jefferson avenue it is $11,099,250. 
 
104 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 ST. LOUIS REAL ESTATE 
 AS AN mVESTMENT. 
 
 These figures are 
 
 selected as evidence 
 of the growth in val- 
 ues. It will be noticed that they are not specu- 
 lative in any way, because nearly all of the 
 property mentioned is in:pro\-ed with substan- 
 tial buildings, and has not been bought and sold 
 for speculation at values based upon surmises 
 and possible growth. In the neighborhood of 
 the new Union Station the increase in values 
 has been more phenomenal and more specula- 
 tive. Within four years prices have increased 
 from five to ten-fold, although purchases are 
 made without regard to the value of existing 
 improvements. The influence of the enterprise 
 of the Terminal Association has been felt to so 
 marked an extent that the neighborhood within 
 a few blocks of the depot is being completely 
 reconstructed, and elegant hotels, boarding- 
 houses, stores and mercantile establishments are 
 taking the place of the comparatively small 
 dwelling-houses which monopolized the frontage 
 during the last decade of Old St. Louis and the 
 first five or six years of New. The heavy ex- 
 penditure in railroad improvements in the North 
 End has had a similar influence on values, 
 and, indeed, at the present time, it is almost 
 impossible to obtain property at prices approx- 
 imating those that were asked five or six years 
 ago, and even more recently. The sudden with- 
 drawal of capital from investment during the 
 summer and fall of 1893 did not have any ma- 
 terial effect on values in St. Louis. The num- 
 ber of purchasers, of course, was greatly reduced, 
 and sales were much harder to consummate; but 
 holders had such tmlimited faith in both the 
 present and future greatness of St. Louis that 
 they declined to sacrifice, and the number of 
 "hard times" sales at cut prices was very 
 small. St. Louis real estate was the last to feel 
 the influence of the depression, and the first to 
 benefit by the restoration of confidence, and the 
 business during the winter has not been far be- 
 low the average. These facts show that St. Louis 
 is not a "boom" town, and that, as an invest- 
 ment for large and small sums, its real estate 
 offers advantages not to be equaled elsewhere. 
 
 Immense fortunes have been made out of 
 judicious investments in the city; and in still 
 more instances substantial and satisfactory re- 
 turns have been received. The reputation for 
 solidity and conservatism in finances has helped 
 the real estate interests of St. Louis to a marked 
 extent. The amount of loanable capital from a 
 distance has always been large, and one com- 
 pany alone, the Connecticut Mutual Life In- 
 surance Company, has loaned upwards of 
 $20,000,000 in St. Louis since its general 
 awakening and revival. Mr. E. S. Rowse, who 
 has negotiated the loans, rejoices in the fact 
 that his books show an absolutely clean rec- 
 ord, not a single case of foreclosure marring 
 their pages. This company has loaned about 
 $35,000,000 in the State, and its success and 
 enterprise is merely quoted because of the very 
 profitable faith in St. Louis and in Missouri 
 which the vastness of its operations demon- 
 strates so conclusively. 
 
 At the time of this writing millions of dollars 
 are known to have been withdrawn from specu- 
 lative investment and placed in deposit vaults, 
 where the money is unproductive. The loss of 
 thousands of dollars a year in interest this way 
 naturally arouses capitalists of every grade to a 
 sense of the error they are committing, and the 
 indications are that a greater portion of the 
 money will be taken from the "stockings" 
 without further delay and invested where it is 
 quite as safe and a thousand times more produc- 
 tive — St. Louis real estate. The natural conse- 
 quence will be renewed and increased activity 
 during the coming year, with countless jjrojects 
 of improvements and hundreds of new buildings. 
 If this work partook of the nature of advice to 
 investors, there would be no better ending to 
 this chapter than a recommendation to investors 
 to take time by the forelock and make their 
 selections and purchases before the enhancement 
 of values which the increased demand of the 
 coming spring is certain to create. The specu- 
 lator is not very likely to make a mistake if he 
 selects New St. Louis as the field of his opera- 
 tions; while the investor has a still greater guar- 
 antee of satisfactory returns. 
 
MUNICIPAL DE I 'EL OPMENT. 
 
 105 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT. 
 
 THE NEW WATER-WORKS.-NEW CITY HALL. -NEW ST. LOUIS, THE PIONEER IN STREET 
 
 SPRINKLING AND ELECTRIC LIGHTING. 
 
 ^ "VHE PROGRESS made iu municipal iiisti- 
 
 \ / tutions and features during the last ten 
 
 (g) (g) years has been enormous, and the New 
 
 St. Louis idea has been warmly supported 
 
 la 
 
 and fostered by the city authorities. 
 
 In the first chapter the cit\'s incor- 
 poration and the extension of the city limits 
 from time to time are briefly recorded, and in 
 pursuance of the plan on which this work is 
 based, only those features which have a strong 
 bearing on the city's new growth will be dealt 
 with at any length, while nothing in the shape 
 of a municipal history of Old St. Louis will be 
 attempted. It is impossible, however, to omit 
 a tribute to the genuine integrity and zeal of the 
 men who have been placed at the head of the 
 city go\'ernment from time to time. The earlier 
 mayors were not assisted by commissioners, as 
 now, and all the detail work passed through 
 their hands. At this stage of the city's history 
 the mayor is at the head of an immense body of 
 workers, and the Board of Public Improvements 
 has a president whose duties are as numerous as 
 the sands on the sea-shore. The other members 
 of the board are the street, water, sewer, harbor 
 and park commissioners, each in control of the 
 department from which he takes his name. 
 The health department is managed by a com- 
 missioner who has no seat in the "B. P. I." 
 cabinet, and among the other heads of depart- 
 ments are the city register, the supply commis- 
 sioner and the building commissioner. 
 
 The following table, giving the names of the 
 mayors of St. Louis since the city's incorpora- 
 
 tion, and data as to population, will be of inter- 
 est, and will also show concisely how rapidly 
 the citv has grown: 
 
 Period of 
 Atliuiniytratioii 
 
 Mayor, 
 
 1823-28 . 
 
 1829-32 
 
 1833 
 
 1833-34 
 
 1835-37 
 
 1838-39. 
 
 1S40 .. 
 
 1841 .. 
 
 1842 .. 
 1843 
 1844^5 
 1846 
 1847 .. 
 1848 
 1849 .. 
 1850-52 
 1853-54 
 1855 
 1856 
 1S57 
 1858-60 
 1861-62, 
 1863 
 1864-68 
 1869-70 
 1871-74 
 1875 
 
 1875 -, 
 1876 
 
 1877-81... 
 1881-85.. 
 1885-89.. 
 1889 
 
 1889-93 .. 
 1893 ... 
 
 Wm. Carr Laue 
 
 Daniel D. Page 
 
 Samuel Merry* 
 
 J. W. Johnson 
 
 John V. Darby 
 
 Wm. Carr Lane 
 
 John F. Darby 
 
 John D. Daggett ... 
 George Maguire .... 
 
 John M. Wimer 
 
 Bernard Pratte 
 
 P. G. Camden 
 
 lirjan Mullanphy. 
 
 John 1\L Krum 
 
 James G. liarry 
 
 L. M. Keunett 
 
 John How 
 
 Washington King - 
 
 John How 
 
 John IL Wimer 
 
 Oliver D. Filley . . 
 
 Dan. G. Taylor 
 
 Chaun. I. Filley .... 
 
 Jas. vS. Thomas 
 
 Nathan Cole 
 
 Joseph Brown 
 
 Arthur Barrettf 
 
 James H. Britton 
 Henry OverstolzJ .. 
 Henry Overstolz.... 
 
 Wm. L. Ewing 
 
 D. R. Fraucisfi 
 
 Geo. W. Allen II 
 
 F. A. Noonan 
 C. P. Walbridge . 
 
 Dntc of 
 Census. 
 
 1820 
 1S3(.I 
 
 1835 
 1840 
 
 18.50 
 
 1860 
 
 1870 
 
 1880 
 
 1890 
 1893 
 
 I'opulHLion. 
 
 4,928 
 
 5,832 
 
 8^316 
 16,469 
 
 74,439 
 
 160,773 
 
 310,963 
 
 350,518 
 
 3451,770 
 (5620,000 
 
 ^■^ Disquiilififd ill consequence of holdiiif;; ottice under general gov- 
 ernment. J. \\ . .lohnson elected in his place. 
 
 t Died April ;."3, 187.5. J. II. Britlon elected to fill vacancy. 
 
 X Declared elected by City Council February 9, 1870, instead of 
 .lames H. Hritton. 
 
 S I). R. Francis elected Governor of Missouri, and resigned .Jan- 
 uary ■->. 1889. 
 
 ]| Geo. \S . .\IIen. being President City Council, became mayor. 
 
 a Federal census, generally (conceded to be at least 30,000 too small. 
 
 b Directory census early in year. 
 
106 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 I^AYOR EWING, 
 1881—1885. 
 
 It was during the mayor- 
 alt)- of ^Ir. W. L. Ewing that 
 New St. Louis commenced to 
 exist. The pen with which Mr. Ewing signed 
 his approval of the ordinance authorizing the 
 construction of the first rapid-transit street rail- 
 road in St. Louis ought to have been preserved 
 in the city archives, for, as we have seen, that 
 ordinance enabled a complete change to be 
 made, not only in the street railroad facilities, 
 birt also in the city itself. The next event of 
 importance, or perhaps an event of equal im- 
 portance, during Mayor Ewing's administration 
 was the commencement of the repa\-ing of the 
 down-town streets with granite. This was done 
 under the fostering guidance of ]\Ir. J. W. Tur- 
 ner, who was street commissioner at the time, 
 and whose work was of so high an order that his 
 name has since been mentioned as a desirable 
 candidate for almost every municipal office of 
 importance from the mayoralty down. Mr. Tur- 
 ner found the streets in but an indifferent condi- 
 tion, not worse, perhaps, than those of other 
 cities, but in no way suited for the heavy traffic of 
 a busy manufacturing district. The soft road- 
 ways gave way under heavy loads, and in many 
 instances extra teams had to be obtained to pull 
 wagons out of holes and ruts. Reference has 
 already been made to the opposition with which 
 the proposal to pave the down-town streets with 
 granite was received, but the authorities held 
 their own, and finally the good work was com- 
 menced in earnest. In the spring of 1883 there 
 were little more than three miles of granite 
 paving in the city, but during the years 
 1884 and 1885 reconstruction on a wholesale 
 scale was completed, and at the end of the lat- 
 ter year there were over twenty-two miles of 
 granite streets in the city, with about a mile of 
 limestone blocks, a little over two miles of 
 wooden blocks, four miles of asphalt, five of 
 telford and about 285 of macadam. 
 
 In his report for the year 1885, Mr. Turner 
 went very fully into the granite pavement ques- 
 tion. "It is needless to say," he remarked, 
 "that the granite pavements have gi\-en great 
 satisfaction. They have facilitated and thereby 
 
 decreased the cost of transportation o\er our 
 streets very largely. Houses handling large 
 amounts of heavy goods report that it has 
 reduced the cost of transportation two-fifths. 
 A great deal of the objection that was raised at 
 first against these pavements in anticipation of 
 excessive noise has subsided; either the noise 
 was not so great as was expected or the people 
 ha\-e become accustomed to it. Doubtless, in 
 narrow streets on which the traffic is very great, 
 the noise is quite objectionable, but we have few 
 of these; and taking the immense advantage 
 gained by having solid and enduring pavements 
 facilitating the operations of the commerce of the 
 cit\-, we can tolerate a few disadvantages arising 
 from our new pavements. The character of our 
 work can be considered first-class in e\ery re- 
 spect; the quality of the stone is good. We have 
 now several varieties to select from, and the 
 supply on the line of the Iron Mountain Rail- 
 road, within a haul of one hundred and fifty 
 miles of the city, is inexhaustible. The price 
 of these pavements has been gradually falling; 
 our last lettings show a very great reduction, 
 due to competition, resulting from new parties 
 opening new quarries, thereby increasing the 
 supply of stone in the market; and also due to 
 increased capacity of and facilities for operating 
 old quarries." 
 
 The wear and tear of eight 
 years has more than borne out 
 Mr. Turner's estimate of the 
 high character of the Avo-rk. 
 The best laid of the down-town streets are still 
 in perfect order, and show little or no signs of 
 wear. The mileage of the granite streets has 
 increased steadily every year, and Mr. Turner's 
 successors, Messrs. Burnett and Murphy, have 
 evinced as much enthusiasm on the subject as 
 Mr. Turner himself. There are now some forty- 
 six miles of granite-paved streets in the city, in 
 addition to nearly five miles of granite-paved 
 alle)-s. Limestone blocks for streets have not 
 proved entirely satisfactory, but there are up- 
 wards of eight^•-four miles of alleys paved this 
 way, and giving good service. The mileage 
 of telford pavement has been increased since 
 
 THE STREETS 
 
 AND 
 THEIR PAVING. 
 
MUNICIPAL DE I 'EL OPMENT. 
 
 107 
 
 the revival, and there are now some thirty-three 
 miles pa\ed in this way, with a total mileage of 
 improved streets and alle}'s exceeding 450. The 
 streets of the city, and more especially the side- 
 walks, are now on the whole far better paved 
 than those of the average American city, 
 althongh the rapid increase in territory has made 
 it impossible to keep up with the city's growth. 
 In order to expedite improvements, the law con- 
 cerning the apportionment of cost was revised in 
 1892, and it is now enacted that the entire 
 cost of reconstrnction shall be charged against 
 adjoining property, regardless of its assessed 
 valnation. As the resnlt of this enactment, 
 known as the "Stone law," a large quantity of 
 improvement work has been commenced and is 
 under contemplation, and the splendid reform in 
 Mayor Ewing's term will soon be so developed 
 and bronght to such perfection as to canse delight 
 to St. Louis citizens generally. 
 
 When St. Louis was first settled, the high 
 o-round on the bluffs was what attracted the 
 
 o 
 
 pioneers, who knew nothing and cared less 
 about the magnificent location beyond the bluffs, 
 and how admirably the site was adapted for a 
 great city. After the abrupt rise from the river, 
 there is a table-land with just sufficient grade to 
 make drainage easy, extending se\eral miles 
 north and south, and about three-quarters of a 
 mile west. Beyond this right out to the city 
 limits the ground is rolling, a succession of hills 
 and vallej'S with a gradual tendency upwards, 
 affording admirable opportunities for street 
 laying and general draining. Had our ances- 
 tors been less conservative in the matter of 
 extending the city limits and had they taken in 
 fresh territory before instead of after it was 
 platted out and built up, we should have had in 
 St. Louis a magnificent system of rectangular 
 streets. As it is, St. Louis is really made up of 
 a large number of incorporated towns and vil- 
 lages, and as many of these had a complete 
 system of streets before being absorbed, there 
 are several irregularities which have given 
 trouble to the authorities from time to time in 
 the way of street-naming. The trees to be 
 found in the forest around the cit)- in its early 
 
 days suggested- names for the principal streets 
 running east and west; and to a great extent the 
 streets running north and south ha\e been from 
 time to time numbered consecutively instead of 
 being named. East of Jefferson avenue the 
 numerical system of nomenclature is fairly 
 regular, but west of that thoroughfare most of 
 the north and south streets are known as 
 avenues, and aregiven distinctive names, consid- 
 erable confusion being caused thereby. Shortly 
 after the adoption of the scheme and charter, 
 there was a general overhauling of names, and 
 at the present time a motion is before the Mu- 
 nicipal Assembly to further simplify the system. 
 Market street has always been the dividing line 
 between north and south, and all numbers 
 north and south commence from this historical 
 thoroughfare. The numbers on the streets run- 
 ning east and west commence from the river, 
 and each block has its distinctive number. The 
 plan, on the whole, works well; and a reform 
 now being perfected whereby street signs will 
 be made more numerous and conspicuous, will 
 do away with nearly every complaint. 
 
 Since Street Commissioner 
 Turner commenced his cru- 
 sade against unpaved streets 
 in the business section, the boulevard idea has 
 gained nuich strength in St. Louis. The first 
 boulevard to be constructed was the Lindell, 
 which is still looked upon as one of the finest 
 driveways in the West. It connects Grand 
 avenue with Forest Park, and is a popular 
 driveway as well as a most desirable promenade. 
 It is adorned with some of the most magnificent 
 houses in the city, and is regarded by visitors as 
 a great credit, not only to St. Louis but to the 
 West generally. Forest Park boulevard, a few 
 blocks south of the Lindell is, in some respects, 
 even more elaborate than what is generally known 
 as "TheBoidevard." It has a park-like reserva- 
 tion in the center of the street, and when more 
 thoroxighly built up will be a strong competitor 
 for public fa\-or. The present street commis- 
 sioner, Mr. M. J. Murphy, is responsible for a 
 comprehensive plan of boulevards, which will 
 add some sixty miles to those already in exist- 
 
 THE BOULEVARD 
 SYSTEM. 
 
108 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOU/S. 
 
 ence. In March, INIH, an act was passed by 
 tlie State Assembly antlioriziiig cities of more 
 than 300,000 inhabitants — or, in other words, 
 St. Louis, there being no other city in the State 
 with even half that number of inhabitants — to 
 establish boulevards with special building-line, 
 and restricted as to the nature of the travel. 
 The boulevards will vary in length and will 
 provide a system of driveways unsurpassed in 
 any city in the country. Among those already 
 dedicated under the act may be mentioned the 
 boulevards already described, Delmar boulevard, 
 from Grand avenue to city limits, a distance of 
 four miles; and Washington boulevard, a par- 
 allel street. Among those comprised in the sys- 
 tem will be Columbia boulevard; Florissant 
 boulevard, from Hebert street to the city limits, 
 a distance of five miles; King's Highway, from 
 Arsenal street to Florissant avenue, six miles; 
 Union avenue, from Forest Park to Natural 
 Bridge road; Skinker boulevard, skirting the 
 city limits some six miles, and se\'eral other 
 shorter but scarcely less important lengths of 
 thoroughfare. 
 
 The boulevard system, when completed, will 
 add some fifty or sixty miles to the most beauti- 
 ful thoroughfares of St. Louis, which in them- 
 selves are far more attractive than the average 
 citizen is apt to realize. A visitor from the dis- 
 tance seeing Vandeveuter, Westmoreland or 
 Portland place, for the first time, is enchanted 
 with the delightful combination of urban wealth 
 with rural beauty. The park reservations in 
 these places, which are selected as types of 
 others either in contemplation or in course of 
 construction, are kept in the highest stage of cul- 
 tivation. The roadways on either side of them 
 are almost perfect, and the houses which have 
 either been constructed or are being erected 
 are models of architectural excellence. Taken 
 altogether, the streets, avemres, boule\'ards and 
 private places of St. Louis are unequaled, and 
 they are an honor to New St. Louis and to the 
 men who in the early days of the revival lent 
 their influence and ability to a mo\-emeiit which 
 has resulted so ad\'antageously, and which prom- 
 ises to attain far greater excellence. 
 
 MA YOR FRANCIS, 
 I88S-I889. 
 
 The administration of 
 Mayor David R. Francis ex- 
 tended over a period of great 
 importance to New St. Louis. Mr. Francis was 
 elected in the spring of 1885, and he continued 
 at the head of the city government until the end 
 of 1888, when he resigned in consequence of his 
 election to the highest office within the gift of 
 the State of Missouri. Politicians of everv grade 
 give him credit for encouraging every movement 
 calculated to add to the city's greatness, and also 
 for originating and recommending a large num- 
 ber of reforms and new enterprises of the utmost 
 importance. If the ex-mayor and ex-governor 
 were asked what was the most vital question 
 with which he was called upon to deal while 
 occupying the mayoralty chair, it is probable 
 he would reply that it related to the city's water 
 supply, which, when he took charge, was being 
 rapidly overtaken by the city's great increase in 
 population. The growth in population during 
 the eighties exceeded 100,000, and it is generally 
 conceded that the bulk of this increase took 
 place after 1884, or during the latter half of the 
 decade. The danger, or at least the possibility, 
 of a water famine in the event of the slightest 
 break-down in the machinery of the existing 
 plant so impressed the mayor that he cordially 
 endorsed the recommendations of Water Com- 
 missioner Whitman and lent his influence to the 
 movement, which resulted in work being com- 
 menced to entirely reconstruct the system and 
 furnish water settled and filtered in sufficient 
 quantity to supply the demand of 1,000,000 
 people. 
 
 The history of the water supply of St. Louis 
 is one of contimial expenditure and improve- 
 ment. So rajMd has been the city's growth 
 that no sooner has one system been perfected 
 than new works have been discussed. In the 
 early days of the city water was procured by 
 means of wells; and about seventy years ago 
 the problem of water-works construction began 
 to be discussed. Work was conuneuced on the 
 first water-works in 1830. They were situated 
 in the neighborhood of Ashley, Collins and 
 Bates streets, and the first reser\'oir was on 
 
MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT. 
 
 109 
 
 Little AIouiul. Engine-houses were built at the 
 foot of Bates street, and a six-inch main laid. 
 The enterprise was a private one, but did not 
 prove very profitable to the investor, and the 
 city was compelled to render financial assist- 
 ance. In 1835 the works were purchased for 
 $l<S,0O(), and before three years had expired 
 they had proved to be altogether inadequate. 
 Complaints are heard at the present time of 
 the water rates being higher than necessary, 
 but they are small compared with the early 
 charges, despite the fact that money at that 
 time was much less plentiful than now. Pri- 
 vate families were charged §10 or $20, ac- 
 cording to the number of children, and the 
 charges for stores, offices and factories varied 
 from §10 to $500. Early in the forties consid- 
 erable improvements were made, and in 184(5 a 
 third engine was put up by Kingsland & Light- 
 ner. In 18.")2 the Hercules engine was put up 
 by Gaty & :\IcCune. In 1.S.J4 the Benton Reser- 
 voir, with a capacity of 40,000,000 gallons, was 
 constructed, and in 18;');) there were seventy 
 miles of iron pipe, and it was announced that the 
 water supply was abundant. 
 
 In 1865 tlie State Legislature passed a law 
 creating a Board of Water Commissioners for 
 St. Louis, and to the credit of this commission 
 it should be stated that one of its first recom- 
 mendations was the construction of a reser- 
 voir and filtering-beds at the Chain of Rocks, 
 with a conduit to Baden. The plan was re- 
 jected in Alarch, LSCii, and was severely criti- 
 cised on the ground of its being experimental 
 and even visionary in character. Time justifies 
 a great many projects, and after the lapse of 
 twenty years the Chain of Rocks was finally 
 selected as the most appropriate point for the 
 construction of an inlet tower. Had the recom- 
 mendations of the commissioners been accej^ted 
 in 18()5 and 1806 the city would have been 
 richer by several million dollars and its record 
 for healthfulness, good as it has been, would 
 have been far better. Bissell's Point was se- 
 lected as the site for the works which were 
 necessary and work was commenced upon them. 
 The buildings, which are still in existence and 
 
 THE 
 
 WATER-WORKS 
 
 TWENTY YEARS AOO. 
 
 in use, comprise two series of structures, one 
 for the high-service and the other for the low- 
 service system. The reservoirs have each a 
 capacity of 23,000,000 gallons, and before the 
 demand for water became so great that it was 
 impossible to allow sufficient time for settling, 
 the supply was clear as well as abundant. The 
 Compton Hill Reservoir was also constructed, 
 with a capacity of 56,000,000 gallons. This 
 reservoir, being 176 feet above the city direct- 
 rix, practically commands the entire city. 
 
 In 1871 the system was 
 practically completed. 
 Accounts prepared at the 
 time show that its capac- 
 ity was, although large, far less than the de- 
 mand it has been called upon to supply during 
 recent years, and it has only been by incessant 
 care that the wants of the people have been sup- 
 plied. The new water-works, as they were 
 called in 1871, cost the city about S4,000,()()0, 
 and the valuation of the entire system and 
 grounds was a little in excess of $7,000,000. 
 In 1881 contracts were let for a fourth high- 
 service engine, and during that year Water 
 Commissioner Whitman, in his report, said: 
 "Another question requiring consideration and 
 the official action of the municipal authorities, 
 is as to whether we shall continue to take the 
 water from the river at Bissell's Point, or, in 
 the extension of the works, they shall be planned 
 with a view to taking the water higher up the 
 ri\er to the Chain of Rocks." Recommenda- 
 tions, such as this, followed, and Mayor Fran- 
 cis, as already stated, became thoroughly 
 impressed with the importance of strengthening 
 and increasing the ser\-ice, and also of obtaining 
 a supply from the Chain of Rocks, so as to 
 avoid the danger of contamination b)' city sewers. 
 Not only had the ijopulation of the city 
 increased very rapidly, but the consumption of 
 water, per inhabitant, had also nearly doubled 
 in ten years, increasing from fourteen and a 
 half gallons per head per day in 1.S72 to about 
 twenty-eight gallons in 1882. The collections 
 for water license showed a still more remark- 
 able growth, in spite of the frequent reductions 
 
110 
 
 OLD AND NFAV ST. LOUIS. 
 
 in the charges, which enabled manufacturers to 
 obtain water more cheaply than was possible 
 elsewhere. In 1836 the annual collections were 
 about $4,.")00, and it was not until the year 18-40 
 that the total exceeded $20,000. In 1851 it was 
 $30,000, and in 18(30 it nearly reached $100,000. 
 The collections since then have been as follows, 
 the calculations being made to the months of 
 April or May in each year: 
 
 Year. 
 
 Amount. 
 
 Year. 
 
 Amount. 
 
 1861 
 
 $ 114,760 35 
 123,090 25 
 147,120 95 
 170,313 30 
 208,340 90 
 248,268 33 
 248,575 30 
 288,910 07 
 321,412 50 
 323,102 00 
 335,626 91 
 373,194 60 
 426,922 59 
 444,622 35 
 414,870 44 
 456,163 39 
 445,041 14 
 
 1S78 
 
 % 512,053 19 
 550,140 60 
 
 1862 
 
 1879 
 
 1863 
 
 1880 
 
 620,280 30 
 
 1864 
 
 1881 
 
 660,024 75 
 
 1865 
 
 1S82 
 
 700,145 65 
 
 186G 
 
 1883 
 
 719,686 37 
 
 1867 
 
 1884 
 
 736,694 26 
 
 1868 
 
 1885 
 
 759,265 53 
 
 1869 
 
 1886 
 
 800,325 70 
 
 1870 
 
 1887 
 
 868,043 25 
 
 1871 
 
 1888 
 
 919,975 18 
 
 1872 
 
 1889 
 
 952,689 25 
 
 1873 
 
 1890 .... 
 
 1,017,016 20 
 
 1874 
 
 1891 
 
 1,132,088 40 
 
 1875 
 
 1876 
 
 1,S92 
 
 1893 .. 
 
 1,173.998 30 
 1,235,933 30 
 
 1877 
 
 
 
 
 THE NEW WORKS 
 
 AT THE 
 CHAIN OF ROCKS. 
 
 Although the projectors 
 of the new water-works 
 were not aware that in 
 the year ending April, 
 1893, more than .$1,200,000 would be collected 
 in water rates, they realized the impending 
 growth of the city and predicted an enormous 
 increase in consumption as a result both of the 
 gain in population and in manufactures. The 
 usual opposition was forthcoming, but with the 
 aid of the mayor's influence a thoroughly com- 
 prehensive scheme was finally adopted, and in 
 the year 1888 contracts began to be let for the 
 new works. They are situated at the Chain of 
 Rocks, about twelve miles north of the business 
 section of St. Louis, the plan being to secure 
 pure water by aid of an inlet tower in the river, 
 and to draw it through a gigantic conduit to the 
 city proper. Among the appointments made by 
 ]\Iayor Francis, was that of Mr. M. L,. Holman 
 to succeed Mr. Whitman as water commis- 
 sioner, and upon him has devolved the great 
 work of construction. At the present time the 
 
 works are nearly completed, and the city will 
 soon have a water supply "beyond criticism. 
 Perhaps the most magnificent feature of the 
 new water-works and their connections, is the 
 seven-mile conduit between the Chain of Rocks 
 and Bissell's Point. This conduit is one of the 
 finest in the country, and has been constructed 
 in the most substantial manner. 
 
 The inlet tower stands well out from the 
 shore, with which it is connected by an intact 
 tunnel cut from the solid rock. About midway 
 in the depth of the stream the water is let into 
 the tunnel by means of six iron gates operated 
 by hydraulic lifts. At low water eighty feet of 
 the tower is visible, but at high water only about 
 fifty feet. The tower cost about $100,000. A 
 technical description of the works would occupy 
 several j^ages, and would only be of limited 
 interest to those uninitiated into the mysteries of 
 engineering. It is important, however, to note 
 that the new basins and filter-beds will suffice to 
 settle and filter suffrcient water to supply the 
 needs of the city for the next ten years at least, 
 and if the new works are overtaxed to the same 
 extent as the old works, a sufficient supply will 
 probably be forthcoming for ten years longer. 
 Five years have already been occupied in the 
 work, and the total cost will be in the neighbor- 
 hood of $4,000,000. 
 
 We have already anticipated somewhat, as 
 the works were only commenced during the ad- 
 ministration of Mayor Francis. But the de- 
 cision to obtain a supply several miles north of 
 the city's sewer outlets, and to erect new works 
 on a generous scale, marks such an epoch in the 
 municipal growth of the city as to be deserving 
 of more than passing mention. St. Louis is 
 fortunate in being situated on the banks of a 
 river which furnishes an unlimited supply of 
 water of an exceedingly healthy character. 
 Since it has been necessary to overtax the works, 
 the water has not been so clear as desired, but 
 when filtered the water of the Missouri river 
 is at least as good as that furnished in any city 
 in the country. Although the Missouri and 
 Mississippi rivers reach each other in their 
 course several miles above St. Louis, they do 
 
MUNICIPAL DE I ^EL OPMENT 
 
 111 
 
 not thorono;h]y unite until they have passed the 
 city, the denser water of the Missouri being 
 easily distinguished from the brighter Missis- 
 sippi water as the two flow side by side between 
 Alton and St. Louis. The Missouri water is far 
 more suitable for drinking purposes and is freer 
 from deleterious matter, and, although it has 
 been criticised from time to time, the best an- 
 swer to such criticisms is the exceptional health- 
 fulness of St. Louis. The following table, taken 
 from the Scientific American of December 9, 
 1893, shows the death-rate in the cities of the 
 world credited with a population exceeding, or 
 approximating, 500,000, the estimated popula- 
 tion being that of 189:^: 
 
 London 
 
 Paris 
 
 New York 
 
 Berlin 
 
 Chicago 
 
 Vienna 
 
 Philadelphia 
 
 Brooklyn 
 
 St. Louis 
 
 Brussels 
 
 Boston 
 
 Baltimore 
 
 Dublin 
 
 Population. 
 
 Deaths. 
 
 Death-rate 
 per 1,000. 
 
 5,849,104 
 
 55,895 
 
 19.11 
 
 2,424,705 
 
 28,675 
 
 23.61 
 
 1,801,739 
 
 23,856 
 
 26.47 
 
 1,069,124 
 
 17,181 
 
 20.58 
 
 1,458,000 
 
 13,590 
 
 18.95 
 
 1,435,931 
 
 18,005 
 
 25.07 
 
 1,115,562 
 
 12,249 
 
 21 .95 
 
 978,394 
 
 10,682 
 
 21.84 
 
 520,000 
 
 4,802 
 
 18.47 
 
 488,188 
 
 4,3.59 
 
 17.86 
 
 487,397 
 
 5,816 
 
 23.88 
 
 455,427 
 
 4,806 
 
 •Jl.lO 
 
 349,594 
 
 4,735 
 
 27.05 
 
 THE HEALTHIEST 
 
 LARGE CITY 
 l!\! THE WORLD. 
 
 From this table it will be 
 seen that St. Louis is the 
 healthiest large city in the 
 world. Countless millions 
 have been spent in sanitary work in London, 
 the death-rate in which city has been reduced 
 rapidly, but it still stands higher than that of 
 St. Louis, whose record of 18.47 to the thousand 
 speaks volumes for the purity of its water supply 
 and the efficiency of its sewer system. More- 
 over, a death-rate of 18.47 is somewhat high for 
 St. Louis, which has begun to look at anything 
 much above 18 as exceeding the normal. 
 
 Among the other strictly municipal reforms 
 effected during the administration of IMayor 
 Francis, the sprinkling of the streets by munici- 
 pal contracts may be mentioned, partly be- 
 cause St. Louis in this, as in many other things, 
 set an example to the entire country, and partly 
 
 because of the phenomenal success which has 
 been achieved. It is not to be suggested that 
 Old St. Louis allowed the dust to blow as it 
 pleased during the summer months. There 
 were sprinkling contractors in abundance, but 
 they did their work in quite a primitive style. 
 They made a contract with the owner of a house 
 or lot to sprinkle in front of his premises, and 
 when every property holder on a block entered 
 into the arrangement, fairly satisfactory but very 
 costly service was rendered. What generally 
 happened, however, was the omission of enough 
 street frontage to spoil the entire work. Owners 
 of vacant property were necessarily averse to 
 paying large sums for sprinkling, and, hence, 
 the peculiar phenomenon of streets sprinkled in 
 sections and patches was common. Early in 
 the term of Mayor Francis, the question of a 
 comprehensive system of street sprinkling be- 
 came a live subject, and a charter amendment 
 having been obtained, a sprinkling department 
 was formed and contracts were let for sprinkling 
 most of the streets of the city. From the first 
 the change was popular. The saving of ex- 
 pense was enormous and the work far more 
 satisfactory. In his message to the Municipal 
 Assembly in May, 1888, Mayor Francis claimed 
 that the problem of abating the dust nuisance 
 had been met and solved; and the experience of 
 the last five years shows that he was correct. 
 A large number of delegations have visited St. 
 Louis from other cities to inspect the street 
 sprinkling and investigate the system, and as 
 a result many cities have already followed 
 in the foot.steps of the metropolis of the West 
 and Southwest. A mileage of streets covering 
 about 450 miles is now sprinkled, and the cost 
 is but little in excess of $150,000. It is prob- 
 able that in the old system quite as much, if 
 not more, was paid, although the service was 
 not one-fourth as complete or satisfactory. 
 
 Space makes it impossible to mention in detail, 
 or even in the abstract, the countless interesting 
 and important events which transpired during 
 the administration of Mayor Francis. The visit 
 of President Cleveland and the general decoration 
 and illumination of the city in his honor may be 
 
112 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 MA YOR NOONAN, 
 1889-1893. 
 
 mentioned as the grandest spectacular event; 
 and among the more strictly useful ones the 
 completion and opening of the Grand Avenue 
 Bridge is suflficiently important to deserve re- 
 cording. Prior to the building of the bridge, 
 Grand avenue, one of the best and most im- 
 portant of the north and south streets, was 
 divided into two parts by the Mill Creek Valley 
 tracks, the crossing of which at grade practi- 
 cally ruined that section of the avenue as a 
 driveway. The new bridge, or viaduct, is a 
 costly and handsome structure, and it has popu- 
 larized Grand avenue as a driveway far more 
 than even its projectors anticipated. 
 
 The unexpired period of 
 Mayor Francis' term was 
 filled by Mr. George W. 
 Allen, the president of the Council. Mr. Allen 
 was succeeded in April, 1889, by Mr. Edward 
 A. Noonan, whose administration was made 
 conspicuous by an immense amount of munici- 
 pal enterprise. Aside from the reconstruction, 
 with electricity as the moti\-e power, of at least 
 two-thirds of the street railroad mileage, the 
 most important event of the Noonan administra- 
 tion was, probably, the commencement of work 
 by the Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Railroad 
 to secure an entrance to the city from the north, 
 and to construct an independent system of ter- 
 minals for its own use and for the convenience 
 of roads with running powers over its tracks. 
 This was a special hobby of Mr. Noonan, who 
 recognized the tremendous importance of the 
 work and who gave to it all the influence and 
 weight the city government could lend. Scarcely 
 less important was the final start on the new 
 City Hall, which project had been talked of 
 for a generation. While St. Louis had been 
 outgrowing its water-works, it had completely 
 outgrown the City Hall, which, although it 
 answered the purpose for Old St. Louis, was 
 absurdly inadequate for New vSt. Louis. As 
 some indication of the growth of public senti- 
 ment, it may be mentioned that in 1849 the 
 City Council was authorized by legislation on 
 the part of the State to "erect a City Hall on 
 the square of land belonging to said city, sit- 
 
 uated east of Main street, between Market and 
 Walnut." The attemi^t was referred to in the 
 Missouri Rcpitb/ican as " a foolish effort to ar- 
 ray some feeling about the erection of a new 
 market-house, stores, town hall and offices for 
 the city officers on the square occupied by the 
 old market and town hall." The "foolish 
 effort" met with doubtful success, for four years 
 later the same journal announced "with regret 
 that nearly all prospects of the purchase of a lot 
 on which to erect the new town hall had been 
 al:)andoned for at least the present session of the 
 City Council. A bill, drafted with a view to 
 the proposed edifice, and allowing Mr. James H. 
 Lucas $1)8,000 for the greater portion of the 
 square bounded by Eleventh, Twelfth, Olive 
 and Locust streets, has been under considera- 
 tion of the Council for the past month or more, 
 but was definitely killed at the session of Tues- 
 day." 
 
 Temporary accommodation was obtained in 
 the new County Court House, and it was not 
 until the year 18(38 that the subject of building 
 a City Hall was revived. Four years later work 
 was commenced on the building now generally 
 condemned as inadequate, on Eleventh street, 
 between Market and Chestnut. Mayor Brown, 
 in a message to the Council shortly after work 
 was commenced, expressed his regret that the 
 city finances did not warrant the erection of a 
 City Hall commensurate with existing needs 
 and future growth, but he expressed satisfaction 
 in the fact that the new building would do 
 "indifferently well." It seems strange that 
 only twenty years ago a building first designed 
 to be two-stories high and to cost $48,750 
 should have been deemed sufficient for the 
 city's needs, and even when the plans were 
 changed and a third story added, the total ex- 
 penditure was only $70, 000, and the actual re- 
 sult a building which even the most loyal citizen 
 is compelled to look upon with feelings of re- 
 gret, if not contempt. In 1880 Mayor Overstolz 
 criticised the City Hall severely. "The build- 
 ing now occupied by the municipal depart- 
 ments," he said, in his annual message, "was 
 not intended to be permanent, was not built in 
 
MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT. 
 
 113 
 
 THE 
 NEW CITY HALL. 
 
 a substantial manner, and does not afford the 
 necessary accommodations. It has stood the 
 test of use and time very indifferently, and for 
 several years past it has cost a considerable 
 amount annually for repairs, and its condition 
 to-day is certainly not favorable for the safety 
 of the valuable archives, records and other prop- 
 erty stored therein. In character and size it is 
 inadequate to the wants of the government, and 
 its appearance is discreditable to a city of the 
 reputation, vi^ealth and influence of St. Louis." 
 The suggestion of the 
 mayor was not acted upon, 
 and possibly it is well that 
 further delay was caused, because the idea at 
 that time was to enlarge the Court House and 
 make it do both for a Court House and City 
 Hall, an arrangement which would ha\'e been a 
 poor makeshift and a further source of regret. 
 All through the eighties the question of a new 
 City Hall was a live one, and shortly after Mayor 
 Noonan's inauguration , the agitation was brought 
 to a head and work was commenced on what 
 promises to be one of the finest city halls in the 
 world. The building is now nearly under roof 
 and is being pushed forward as rapidly as pos- 
 sible. It is situated in Washington Square, a 
 block and half southwest of the old hall, and two 
 blocks north of the old Union Depot. The 
 square had for some ^-ears been used as a park, 
 and when the fence around it is removed, there 
 will be enough space left on all sides of the City 
 Hall to provide a very handsome public square. 
 The building has a frontage of 380 feet with a 
 depth of about 220, and will have a floor surface 
 of 500 square feet on each of its stories. It is 
 five stories high, and a handsome bell-tower 
 about 200 feet high is to surmount it. The 
 general style of architecture is of the Louis XIV. 
 order, and the building will be similar in appear- 
 ance, although much more massi\-e and costly 
 than the very attractive town halls to be seen in 
 Normandy and Northern France. The basement 
 and first story of the building are constructed of 
 j\Iissouri granite, the material of the upper 
 stories being buff Roman brick, with sandstone 
 trimmings. 
 
 The roof, upon which work is now in prog- 
 ress, will be of black glazed Spanish tile, lend- 
 ing a very handsome finish to a building which 
 will be a distinct ornament to the cit}'. The 
 interior courts are being lined with white glazed 
 brick, and the entire structure will be fire-proof 
 throughout. In addition to the apartments in 
 the basement, there will be 150 rooms in the 
 hall. The Council Chamber and the House of 
 Delegates, will each cover 4,500 square feet, and 
 the Treasury and Collector of Water Rates 
 departments, now so inadequate for the conven- 
 ience of the public, will be even larger than 
 these two debating chambers. The arrange- 
 ments for the interior decorations are very elab- 
 orate, and as at present arranged will consist of 
 granitoid floors for the store and filing-rooms in 
 the basement; mosaic and marble tile flooring 
 for corridors and the public spaces of oiifices; 
 the placing of fire-proof arches between the 
 iron joints to the building and marble flooring in 
 working spaces of the ofKces. Under the head 
 of interior finish is also included the entire 
 plumbing of the building, including marble 
 walls and partitions of lavatories. The general 
 scheme of decoration consists of treating the 
 first-story corridors of the building, the central 
 rotunda, the Council Chamber, the House of 
 Delegates and the Mayor's office in quite an 
 elaborate manner, as those parts of the building 
 are the ones seen by the casual visitor, and it 
 was thought that they should be made more dec- 
 orative than the general oflSces of the building. 
 The finish in those cases will consist of scagliola 
 art marble, and will be dignified and monu- 
 mental. The working rooms of the building are 
 treated in a strictly utilitarian manner, and, 
 while the large amount of wainscoting necessary 
 makes it expensive, it is strictly for the better- 
 ment of the building, there being no waste in 
 the way of an elaborate treatment that is purely 
 ornamental. The absence of wood finish and 
 the substitution of marble makes the building 
 more strictly fire-proof, and also saves the ex- 
 pense of keeping the woodwork presentable. 
 
 The ceilings of the first-story corridors will be 
 a succession of flat domes. These will be 
 
114 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 ELECTRIC 
 STREET LIOHTINO. 
 
 treated in fresco, using a dead gold finish, and 
 the under parts of the rotunda will be painted 
 an old ivory tint, with the ornamental panels and 
 plaster decorations picked out with gilt. The 
 chambers of the Council and House of Delegates 
 are wainscoted fifteen feet high, above which is 
 a wide jjlain belt of plaster, which is to be 
 painted a flat tint of old ivory. Above this belt 
 is an elaborate frieze of plaster, the ornaments 
 of which are picked out with gilt. All the 
 above decorations will be done in the style of 
 Louis XIV. All the walls above the marble 
 wainscoting and the ceilings of oflSces are 
 frescoed in flat tones. The cost of the building 
 and the internal decorations, with the furniture, 
 will exceed $],r»()0,000 and may ajjproximate 
 $2,000,000. 
 
 Another event of special 
 importance from a munici- 
 pal standpoint during Mr. 
 Noouan's administration was the lighting of the 
 city streets and alleys by electricity. St. Louis 
 was the first city in the United Spates to illumi- 
 nate its alleys throughout by electric light, and 
 it was really the first city in the world to make 
 arrangements for lighting the whole of its 
 streets in the same way. It is scarcely neces- 
 sary to speak of the earliest attempts to light 
 the streets of St. Louis. In 1837 the State 
 Legislature authorized the St. Louis Gas Light 
 Company to erect works for lighting St. Louis 
 and suburbs with gas. The charter was amended 
 in 1839 and again in 184.3, but the clause in the 
 charter which was first taken advantage of was 
 the one which authorized the company to do a 
 banking business. In 184(3 a contract was en- 
 tered into between the city and the company, 
 and in November, 1847, the city was first lighted 
 with gas. For forty-three years gas lamps held 
 undisputed sway in St. Louis, but in the year 
 188y a new department was added to the city 
 government, under the management of a super- 
 visor of city lighting. The contracts with the 
 gas companies expired on January 1, 18!)0, on 
 which day the alleys were for the first time 
 lighted throughout by means of the incandes- 
 cent system. The electric company which had 
 
 the contract for arc lights for the streets was 
 not ready to commence on the same date, but 
 on May 1st the entire city was lighted by elec- 
 tricity. 
 
 During the early part of ISl^lO there were 
 erected 1,552 arc lights for the streets, 1,4152 
 incandescent lights for the alleys, and 3,442 in- 
 candescent lights for public buildings. The 
 work was rapidly increased, and early in 1891 
 35(3 miles of streets and 81 miles of alleys were 
 thoroughly illuminated by electricity. To do 
 this more than 2,000 arc lights were required, 
 and about 5,000 incandescent lights were in use 
 in the alleys and in public buildings. The sys- 
 temhassincebeenlargely increased, and St. Louis 
 is certainly the best lighted city on the conti- 
 nent to-day. 
 
 During the last eight or ten years great prog- 
 ress has been made with the la\ing of pul)lic 
 sewers, and St. Louis, in addition to being 
 favored with good streets and excellent lighting, 
 has also a sewerage system which has conduced 
 largely to the preservation of health and the 
 general comfort of the inhabitants. The Mill 
 Creek Valley forms not onh' an excellent means 
 of entrance for the railroads from the west, but 
 also an unsurpassed center for a sewerage sys- 
 tem. The IMill Creek sewer is the largest in the 
 world, and it receives and discharges into the 
 Mississippi river from the southern portion of 
 the city the sewerage and strong water of an 
 area comprising 12,300 acres. The rapid growth 
 of the city in every direction has made it neces- 
 sary to lay off new sewer districts and to carry 
 on an immense quantity of new work, but the 
 demand has been fairly kept up with and there 
 are now in the city nearly 400 miles of public 
 and district sewers, with some twenty or thirty 
 additional miles constructed every year. 
 
 The city's finances are in a very 
 
 healthy condition. The bonded 
 FINANCES. ^|g,j^ Qj^ ,^j^j.ji 1^)^!^^ ;^gf)2^ ^^^ 
 
 821,524,680, which was reduced duringtheyear 
 by about $150,000.* Of this sum $135,000 was 
 
 *Since the above was written the bonded ind' btedness 
 has been still further reduced, and now amounts to about 
 $21,200,000. 
 
SOCIAL ADVANTAGES. 
 
 115 
 
 furnished by the sinking fund, and more than 
 $ i;3/)()0 by premiums on the four per cent renewal 
 bonds, wliich were placed in Loudon. These 
 bonds, redeemable in twenty )ears and bearing in- 
 terest at four per cent, were placed at §101.15, and 
 during this year ( 1893 ) bonds of similar charac- 
 ter to the extent of |!l,250,000 were placed in 
 London at par. This latter transaction was, 
 taking into account the condition of the money 
 market, even a greater achievement than that of 
 1892, and shows dearly how the credit of St. 
 Louis stands abroad. The total reduction in 
 the bonded debt within the last five years has 
 amounted to over $600,000, and the annual in- 
 terest charges have been reduced during that 
 period from $1,131,099 to less than $1,000,000. 
 
 The credit of New St. Louis is shown by the 
 rapid decrease in the interest it is compelled to 
 pay on its debt. In 1888 the interest paid 
 varied from seven to four per cent, and averaged 
 nearly six per cent. The average in 1889 was 
 five per cent, and now it is about four and a half 
 per cent. The city taxation is at the rate of 
 forty cents per $100 for the payment of debt and 
 interest, and varies from one dollar to sixty cents 
 for general purposes. Considering the immense 
 amount of new public work made necessary by 
 the city's growth and now actually in hand, the 
 rate of taxation is exceedingly low, and may be 
 mentioned as one of the inducements offered to 
 manufacturers and others on tlie lookout for a 
 location. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 SOCIAL ADVANTAGES.* 
 
 A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH AND ITS CAUSES.-EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES.-ART.-LIBRARIES.- 
 CHURCHES.-MUSIC.-THEATERS.-CLUBS.-HOTELS.-BENCH AND BAR.— 
 
 MEDICAL.-JOURNALISM. 
 
 E\V ST. LOUIS is a cosmopolitan city, 
 not only in regard to its population, but 
 also in the matter of its achievements. 
 If this history has accomplished its pur- 
 pose, it has established the fact that 
 New St. Louis is one of the most im- 
 portant manufacturing centers in the world; that 
 it is the center of the most fertile region in Amer- 
 ica; that its railroad facilities are tmsurpassed 
 and in many respects unapproached; that it has 
 the best rapid transit street car service in America; 
 that its financial institutions are absolutely be- 
 yond suspicion and reproach; that it has prac- 
 tically reconstructed itself by wholesale building 
 
 *The reader is also referred to the Chapters on Mu- 
 nicipal Achievements and ou New Biiildiutjs. Only those 
 social advantages not included in preceding chapters are 
 dealt with here. 
 
 and rebuilding, and that in municipal matters 
 generally it has been the pioneer in almost 
 countless reforms and improvements. The 
 space allotted for a historical sketch of New 
 St. Louis has already been exceeded, but the 
 subject cannot be left without a passing refer- 
 ence to the social advantages, which are quite as 
 conspicuous as those of a strictly mercantile and 
 financial character. The city has fully appreci- 
 ated the philosophy contained in the couplet: 
 
 111 fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, 
 Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. 
 
 Hence it has not overlooked movements which 
 are calculated rather to make men healthy and 
 wise than strictly wealthy; and a large measure 
 of success has attended the efforts thus made. 
 There are still many reforms needed, and it 
 
116 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 would be idle to attempt to argue that New 
 St. Louis is a model city. At the same time it 
 compares most favorably with auy other large 
 city in the world, and although the pessimist is 
 always abroad, many of his complaints and 
 laments result rather from the expectation of the 
 impossible, than any serious neglect or omission. 
 We have already seen that St. Louis is the 
 healthiest large city in the world. Various 
 causes have combined to curtail its death-rate 
 and to give it a clean bill of health. In the 
 first place, the location of the city is favorable in 
 the extreme. Scientists have of late derived 
 much satisfaction from calling attention to the 
 fact that the Mississippi river runs up hill, its 
 source being nearer the earth's center than its 
 mouth. If this is so, all the hill-climbing is 
 done before St. Louis is reached, because the 
 city directrix is 412 feet higher than the mean 
 tide-mark of the Gulf of Mexico. The city is 
 built on rising ground averaging many feet 
 higher than the directrix, and hence although 
 St. Louis cannot be described as a mountain 
 city, it is certainly not a lowland town. 
 Its climate is delightful in the extreme, the 
 friendly shelter of mountains and hills pro- 
 tects it from cyclones and other dangerous wind 
 storms, and its location seems to guarantee to it 
 immunity from the intense heat of the South 
 and bitter cold of the North. The mean tem- 
 peratures for the last half century are eighty de- 
 grees for July, seventy-six degrees for August, 
 and thirty-one degrees for January. The max- 
 imum temperature for a year rarely exceeds 
 ninety-five, and very seldom approaches a hun- 
 dred. The average daily maximum for July, the 
 hottest month in the year, has been about eighty- 
 eight during the last six or eight years; while the 
 average minimum for the same month has been 
 about eighteen degrees lower. It is important to 
 bear these figures in mind, because during ex- 
 ceptionally warm spells a great deal is apt to be 
 said about excessive heat, although it is a 
 remarkable fact that the maximum temperature 
 of St. Louis for a year is generally lower than 
 that of cities some hundreds of miles further 
 north, just as the minimum temperature is gen- 
 
 erally higher than that recorded for cities much 
 more southern. In other words, the climate of 
 St. Louis, as a rule, is equable and healthy, and 
 as a health resort the city is entitled to more 
 than a passing word of praise. 
 
 The health of the city has 
 also been maintained by the 
 
 aOOD WATER 
 AND PURE AIR. 
 
 excellence of the water supply. 
 Efforts which can only l)e described as superhu- 
 man have been made from time to time to show 
 that St. Louis water is contaminated and unfit 
 for drinking purposes. These efforts have been 
 crowned with uniform and signal failure, and the 
 fact has also been established that in the rare 
 event of an epidemic the greatest suffering is 
 always in houses which depend for their water 
 supply on cisterns and wells. Even now, over- 
 taxed as are the water-works, the supply of 
 water is more than satisfactory; and when the 
 new settling-tanks and filter-beds are in opera- 
 tion, St. Louis will have a water supply as good 
 as that of any large city in the world and above 
 the possibility of suspicion. 
 
 Like all manufacturing cities, St. Louis suffers 
 from the emission into the ai,r of large volumes 
 of what is known to the law as "dense black" 
 and "thick gray smoke." A writer in the 
 AVrf England Magazine for January, 1892, says 
 that "within ten years the temporary and ex- 
 asperating evil of smoke from bituminous coal 
 will be in a great part removed." The writer 
 overlooked the fact that Old St. Louis has given 
 place to New, and although only two years have 
 elapsed since the able article from which the ex- 
 tract is taken was written, the smoke nuisance 
 has already been very largely remedied and re- 
 moved. Too much credit can scarcely be accorded 
 the Citizens' Smoke Abatement Association for 
 its work in this direction. The leading spirits in 
 the movement, to which reference has already 
 been made, have been Messrs. L. D. Kingsland, 
 Clark H. Sampson, Samuel M. Kennard, A. D. 
 Brown, E. D. Meier, C. H. Huttig, and other 
 manufacturers and merchants, while Prof. W. 
 B. Potter, one of the best known mining en- 
 gineers and metallurgists in the United States, 
 has lent to the movement the knowledge gained 
 
SOCIAL ADVANTAGES. 
 
 117 
 
 by many years' experimenting and testing. The 
 first step taken by the association was to satisfy 
 itself that smoke can be abated, even when bi- 
 tuminous coal is used, without the slightest 
 hindrance to manufacture or commerce. This 
 fact being finally established, it obtained leg- 
 islation and inaugurated a canvass of the smoke- 
 reducing plants of the city. Excluding hotels 
 and private houses, several hundred offenders 
 were listed, and moral suasion was brouglit to 
 bear to prevail upon these to put in smoke- 
 abatement devices without waiting for legal pro- 
 ceedings. 
 
 Already more than 500 grossly offending 
 chimneys have ceased to deluge the air with 
 smoke, and of the first 200 cases in which no- 
 tice of prosecution was given, 195 secured a 
 continuance, or rather a postponement, by pro- 
 ducing satisfactory 'evidence that they had either 
 abated the smoke or signed contracts to enable 
 them to do so. Other experiments are being 
 made with coke and smokeless coal; and al- 
 though, as previously remarked, it is scarcely to 
 be expected that St. Louis will ever be abso- 
 lutely free from smoke, it is certain that long 
 before the ten years aforesaid have expired, the 
 city's attractiveness and healthiness will have 
 been increased by the reduction of what has 
 hitherto been almost a scandal, to nothing more 
 than a sentimental grievance. 
 
 During the New St. Louis pe- 
 riod great progress has been made 
 in the laying out and improving 
 of the city parks. Thanks to the forethought 
 of legislators in years gone by, the city has a 
 better devised park system than that of any 
 large city in the world. There are upwards of 
 2,000 acres reserved for breathing grounds, and 
 the best possible use is made of them. Forest 
 Park, consisting of 1,371 acres, was purchased 
 in 1874, and during the last few years it has 
 been made far more attractive by the addition 
 of a zoological department, while at the present 
 time the project of raising a private fund for the 
 erection of a museum in it is being seriously dis- 
 cussed. The financial stringency of LSlt3 has 
 naturally retarded the enterprise, but New St. 
 
 THE CITY'S 
 PARKS. 
 
 Louis has never been known to fail in good 
 work of this character, and there seems no doubt 
 that in the early future the project will materi- 
 alize satisfactorily. The eastern portion of 
 Forest Park is laid out with delightful drive- 
 ways, while the western portion is less culti- 
 vated and possesses rural charms very attractive 
 to the visitor. 
 
 Tower Grove Park, consisting of some 26(5 
 acres, is a more highly improved recreation 
 ground. It is not only a favorite driveway, but 
 it has some magnificent statues, presented to 
 the city by Mr. Henry Shaw. These include 
 the first bronze statue of Columbus ever erected 
 in this country, and also other works of art of a 
 costly and attractive nature. Adjoining Tower 
 Grove Park is the Missouri Botanical Garden, 
 known generally as Shaw's Garden, which was 
 laid out by the deceased millionaire and be- 
 queathed by him to the city. The garden cov- 
 ers a space of about fifty acres, and is regarded 
 as one of the finest botanical gardens in the 
 world, attracting visitors from all sections. It 
 was laid out without regard to expense, and is so 
 richly endowed that it will be preserved for all 
 time to come in its present magnificence. Its 
 principal features are the main turf walk to the 
 conservatory, the statue of Victory, the mauso- 
 leum containing Henry Shaw's remains, the 
 grand parterre, ornamented with flower-beds and 
 statuary, the lotus ponds, water-lily ponds and 
 show of water plants, the lodge for the garden 
 pupils, a grand display of cacti, palms and 
 exotics, the Linnean house, the summer house 
 in the fruticetum, the willow pond in the arbo- 
 retum grove and herbaceous grounds, the late 
 residence of Henry Sliaw in the garden, the 
 grape arbor in the fruticetum, and labyrinth. 
 
 The other city parks include recreation grounds 
 in every section of the city, easily accessible by 
 street cars. They are not described at any 
 length here, because most of them were acquired 
 before New St. Louis commenced to assert its 
 influence and displace the old regime. For the 
 same reason but a passing tribute can be paid to 
 the police department, wh.ich is admitted to be 
 one of the most efficieut in the country, or to the 
 
118 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 WASHINQTON UNIVERSITY 
 AND ITS WORK. 
 
 fire department, wliich has no rival, and which 
 has won praise from the chiefs of departments vis- 
 iting St. Lonis from cities in almost every section 
 of the world. 
 
 In e d n c a t i o n a 1 
 
 ma 1 1 e rs New St. 
 
 lyonis has been as 
 conscientionsly active as in those relating to 
 wealth, health and comfort. It is a pleasing 
 characteristic of the West that, no matter how 
 rapid or spasmodic the growth of cities has been, 
 the rights of the rising generation, in the matter 
 of educational facilities, ha\e never been over- 
 looked. This has been the case in a most 
 marked degree in St. Louis, where the growth 
 of the school system has fully kept pace with 
 the phenomenal advance in other directions. 
 The grandest educational institution in the 
 city is the Washington University, which 
 ranks among the very best colleges in the 
 country. The charter under which the uni- 
 versity was operated was signed by the gov- 
 ernor of the State in 1853, on Washington's 
 birthday. In the charter the institution thus 
 formed was described as the Eliot Seminary, and 
 later the name was changed to O' Fallon In- 
 stitute. The constitution declared that the 
 institution should comprise a collegiate depart- 
 ment, a female seminary, a practical and scien- 
 tific department, an industrial school, and such 
 other departments as the board of directors 
 might determine. It was also very discreetly 
 ordained that there should be no instruction 
 sectarian in religion or partisan in politics, and 
 that no sectarian or partisan test should be used 
 in the selection of professors or officers of the 
 institute. It was specially desired by the sev- 
 enteen men who formed the first board of direct- 
 ors that the university should be known by the 
 name of the first president, but Dr. Eliot ob- 
 jected strongl}', and after considerable wavering 
 the board adopted his view and the university 
 was given the name by which it always has 
 been known during its forty years of extreme 
 usefulness. 
 
 Dr. Eliot outlived nearly all of his colleagues 
 on the original board of directors, remaining 
 
 president of that body until'the year 1887, when 
 his illustrious career was terminated by death. 
 It is probable that if a vote could be taken on 
 the question, a majority of the inhabitants of 
 St. Louis would favor the name being changed 
 back to the original appellation. The name 
 "Washington" has been so largely adopted 
 throughout the country for various purposes 
 that it does not retain sufficient distinctive qual- 
 ities to be a proper name for a large university 
 in a central western city. There has, however, 
 been little agitation of late on the question of 
 name, the more important question of the possi- 
 bility of having to move further west in order 
 to obtain more accomurodation, having received 
 more attention at the hands of the directors. 
 The university is at present located on Wash- 
 ington avenue at the summit of the first hill 
 above the actual bluffs. The southern wing of 
 the building and the chemical laboratory were 
 erected in IS.")."), and about the same time the 
 Polytechnic Building was erected on the corner 
 of Seventh and Chestnut streets for further 
 work in connection with the university, espe- 
 cially in its industrial department. The Poly- 
 technic Building still stands, though it has 
 passed out of the hands of educational directors 
 and is now occupied by the Real Estate Ex- 
 change and by real estate firms. At a compar- 
 atively early date the building is likely to be 
 torn down and replaced by a more lofty and 
 more modern structure, better adapted for the 
 purposes of commerce and finance. 
 
 The Polytechnic Building was nearly nine 
 years in erection, and its final cost, including 
 the site, was $400, (MX). In the meantime the 
 outbreak of the war had hampered the univer- 
 sity's finances, and the institution found itself in 
 delit with a building on its hands entirely un- 
 suited for the purpose for which it was con- 
 structed. In 18(J8 the building was sold to the 
 St. Louis Board of Education for $280,000, and 
 with the money thus obtained the university 
 proper began to make up for the time lost by 
 the war and the mistake made in the designs of 
 the Polytechnic. Mr. William Chouvenat was 
 then chancellor, and during his administration 
 
SOCIAL ADVANTAGES. 
 
 119 
 
 the university made great progress. The Mary 
 Institute, organized in 185!l, had already been 
 established on a firm footing, and the Poly- 
 technic School, with technical courses in engi- 
 neering and chemistry, was formed. In 1870 
 Chancellor Chouvenat died, and Dr. Eliot as- 
 sumed the duties of chancellor as well as presi- 
 dent. He lived to see the dream of his youth 
 very largely carried out. The Swift Academy 
 Ijecame separated from the undergraduate depart- 
 ment and was established in a buiklingof its own. 
 
 The Manual Training School, admitted to be 
 one of the finest of its class in the world, was 
 established on a firm footing, and has since 
 attained popularity which has made it more 
 than famous. The St. Louis Medical School is 
 one of the many branches of the university; 
 and by the will of Henry Shaw a school of 
 botany has been endowed with facilities for 
 studying botany unexcelled in any institution in 
 the world. As already stated, Dr. Eliot died in 
 1SS7. He was succeeded by Mr. G. E. Leigh- 
 ton as president, and by Prof. W. S. Chapman 
 as chancellor. There are between 1,000 and 
 1,<500 students enrolled in the university, and 
 there is every probability of a scheme material- 
 izing at an early date whereby the institution 
 will move out in the suburbs and build for itself 
 a larger home, more suitable in every way for 
 the carrying out of the great work inaugurated by 
 some of St. Louis' greatest men forty years ago. 
 
 The Washington Observatory in connection 
 with the university is one of the most impor- 
 tant in the world. It gives time, to use the 
 technical expression, to thousands of public, 
 railroad and other clocks, regulating the official 
 time and correcting it to actual time over a laro;er 
 area than any other observatory i^i the world, 
 with the single exception of that of Greenwich, 
 near London, England, from which the degrees 
 of longitude are calculated. 
 
 The School of Fine Arts in 
 connection with the university 
 has its home in a very appropriate 
 and attractive building situated 
 at Eighteenth and Locust streets. A histor)' 
 of the early strugo'les of art and artists in this 
 
 THE MUSEUM 
 
 OP 
 
 FINE ARTS. 
 
 city would be of great interest, but it is impossi- 
 ble to handle it in this place in a manner satis- 
 factory to experts. Just before the war the 
 Western Academy of Arts was established, with 
 ]\Ir. Henry T. Blow as its first president. The 
 outbreak of hostilities put a stop to the career 
 of the academy, and it was not until 1872 that 
 another attempt was made. In the latter year 
 the Art Society was established, with Mr. 
 Thomas Richcson as president. By this society 
 many of the unique specimens on view in the 
 reading-room of the Public Library were col- 
 lected and donated. The society ceased to have 
 any practical influence after 1878. In 1877 the 
 St. Louis Sketch Club was established, and in 
 1878 Mrs. John D. Henderson formed and opened 
 a school of design. 
 
 In 1881 the School of Fine Arts in connection 
 with Washington University was finally estab- 
 lished, in pursuance of the plan originally de- 
 termined upon by the founders of the institution. 
 Prior to this date the School of Fine Arts had 
 been announced, but the year 1881 saw it located 
 in a permanent home. On the 10th of May, 
 1881, Mr. Wa}-man Crow, than whom a more 
 loyal St. Louisan never lived, donated to the 
 university the magnificent structure known as 
 the St. Louis Museum of Fine Arts. When this 
 home for the preservation of the beautiful was 
 constructed, Lncas place, as it was then called, 
 was exclusively a residence locality. Since then 
 its name has been changed to Locust street, and 
 factory after factory has been erected on its 
 frontage lines. In the midst of these monu- 
 ments to commercial progress the museum 
 stands out in bold relief as an exponent of an 
 entirely different idea, and also a different style 
 of architecture. The auditorium will seat nearly 
 1,000 people, and the five galleries are graced 
 with many works of art which would have been 
 lost to St. Louis but for the princely generosity 
 of Mr. Wayman Crow and the zeal of those who 
 have watched over the museum with almost 
 tender solicitude. Prof. Halsey C. Ives, who 
 has been connected with art movements in 
 St. Louis for many years, is now at work on a 
 project of far greater magnitude than any he has 
 
120 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 yet identified himself with, and stndents and 
 lovers of art will have no canse to consider 
 themselves neglected or overlooked. 
 
 The influence of Washington University and 
 the numerous institutions connected with it has 
 been of immense value to St. Louis in every 
 way. Mention has been made in the mercantile 
 chapters of this work of the importance of ce- 
 menting the relations between St. Louis and the 
 Spanish-American republics. This work is be- 
 ing done, not only by the agency of St. Louis 
 business men and their representatives traveling 
 throughout the countries named, but also by the 
 education of quite a large number of Mexican 
 young men at Washington University. Al- 
 though there are no arrangements for students 
 to board in the institution, a very large number 
 of non-resident students are alwa\'s enrolled, 
 and these find convenient board accommodation 
 close to the great seat of learning. Among the 
 prominent business and professional men of St. 
 Louis a singularly large percentage graduated 
 from the University on Washington avenue, and 
 this is also the case of many of the leading men 
 of Missouri and adjoining States. The exact 
 location of the future home of the university is 
 in doubt at the present time, but its future is 
 assured. No institution of St. Louis has done 
 more to make the city famous and respected. 
 
 The public school system 
 of St. Louis ranks among 
 the very best in the world. 
 At the Columbian Exposition exhibits from these 
 schools obtained eleven highest awards, and the 
 exhibits attracted so much attention that a large 
 number of visitors to the Fair, including officials 
 from several States, visited St. Louis before 
 returning to their homes for the express purpose 
 of familiarizing themselves with the methods 
 which had so excited their admiration. The 
 triumph at the World's Fair was by no means a 
 surprise to those who have taken an interest in 
 the St. Louis schools, because the city has been 
 looked upon for years as the pioneer in advanced 
 studies for the masses, and the St. Louis system, 
 as it is frequently called, has been adopted by a 
 large number of the best cities in the country. 
 
 THE PUBLIC 
 SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
 
 Without attempting a detailed history of the rise 
 and progress of the public schools of St. Louis it 
 may be said that their earliest triumphs were 
 achieved during the administration of Dr. Wm. 
 T. Harris, who was for twenty years connected 
 with our public schools, and who has since made 
 an international reputation as United States edu- 
 cational commissioner. His work in connection 
 with the public schools was of the noblest possi- 
 ble character, and the excellent plan that he 
 formulated and popularized, has not been mate- 
 rially varied since he left the city. 
 
 The chief difficulty with which his successors 
 have had to contend, has been in the rapid 
 increase in the number of applicants for admis- 
 sion. In 1875 there were fifty-six school-houses 
 in St. Louis, with about 30,000 seats. In 188G 
 the number of houses had increased to 103, and 
 the accommodation to a little over 42,000. In 
 the last days of Old St. Louis, the sitting accom- 
 modation of the public schools was about 4.j,000, 
 which was increased very rapidly to 50,000, 
 which was the return in the early part of 1889. 
 In 1890 there were 111 school-houses with 51,()45 
 seats. In 1891 additions to the existing schools 
 provided accommodation for nearly 2,000 more 
 scholars, and in 1892 the opening of new 
 schools increased the seats to nearly 57,000. At 
 the present time the demand for new schools is 
 being met as rapidly as possible, and during the 
 first quarter of the school year 1893-94, the 
 attendance reached 61,252, an increase of 3,400 
 on the preceding quarter. Despite the efforts of 
 the authorities, 365 children were unable to find 
 sitting accommodation at the schools when the 
 last report was issued, and although work is 
 being continued in school building and enlarge- 
 ment, the number of children grows so rapidly 
 that great diflSculty is experienced in keeping 
 up with the demand. 
 
 It will be observed that during the last twent)- 
 years the accommodation has been more than 
 doubled, notwithstanding the fact that during 
 that period a very large number of very excel- 
 lent private schools have been established. 
 Even during the New St. Louis era there has 
 been an increase in school attendance of more 
 
SOCIAL ADVANTAGES. 
 
 121 
 
 FROI^ KINDERGARTEN 
 
 TO 
 
 THE "HIOH." 
 
 than thirty-three per cent. It now costs more 
 than $1 ,000, 000 a }-ear in teachers' salaries alone 
 to maintain the teachers' staff; and it is notorious 
 that St. Louis pays a higher grade of salaries 
 for teachers than any other city, the desire be- 
 ing to obtain the best possible tuition for chil- 
 dren. The salaries range as high as $3,000 a 
 year, and the system of advancement as a re- 
 ward of merit has had the effect of keeping the 
 best teachers in the city, and encouraging tal- 
 ented instructors from every point to come to 
 St. Louis. 
 
 Commencing with the 
 youngest children, refer- 
 ence may be made to 
 the kindergarten classes, 
 at which the attendance exceeds 5,000. Kin- 
 dergartens are established in nearly all the dis- 
 trict schools, and it is about twenty years since 
 the experiment was commenced. The kinder- 
 garten, as found in St. Louis, is not a nursery, 
 but is an attempt to instruct the little people in 
 necessary study, and to lay the foundation of the 
 education they will require in later years. Froe- 
 bel's idea was to develop in each child the germ 
 of intelligence, and the leading fundamental 
 principle of his method is developed. " I see 
 in every child," said he, "the possibilities of a 
 perfect mind;" and this is the underlying prin- 
 ciple of the kindergarten course in the St. Louis 
 schools. The adoption of games makes it pos- 
 siljle to accomplish the object without difficulty; 
 and this is done with invariable success. The 
 child is not only taught to distinguish between 
 the colors and the different letters, figures and 
 words, but it is also instructed in manners and 
 polite habits, and to practice the etiquette and 
 amenities of polite life. Prof. Long, who is now 
 superintendent of the schools, entered very 
 heartily into the spirit of his eminent predeces- 
 sor, and the interest Mr. Long takes in the kin- 
 dergarten department is largely responsible for 
 the high state of efficiency which has been 
 maintained. 
 
 Children enter the kindergarten class at six, 
 though they are often found as 3-ouug as five. 
 The age at which they enter upon other depart- 
 
 ments necessarily varies, but it is found that the 
 influence of this early tuition remains through- 
 out their entire educational period. The enroll- 
 ment in the kindergarten schools now exceeds 
 8,000, and it has been suggested frequently that 
 a change should be made in the law so as to let 
 the children commence at four, instead of six. 
 Forty-iive schools have kindergartens connected 
 with them, in six of which the children are al- 
 lowed to attend all day, while in the remainder 
 the children attend half a day only and thus 
 increase the number of children able to obtain 
 education in this preliminary but important 
 branch. 
 
 Li the intermediate and higher grades, a high- 
 class education, fully equal to that obtained in 
 comparatively costly academies and colleges is 
 given. It is the desire and policy of the School 
 Board that every pupil shall pass right through 
 the course of study from the Kindergarten to 
 the High, but when owing to accident or other- 
 wise, a child has to leave school after passing 
 through the early grades, he can fill a position 
 often nearly as well as his more fortunate broth- 
 ers. In addition to a full course in reading, 
 writing, arithmetic and national history, each 
 child has the benefit of a complete system of 
 calisthenics and enlightened control of discipline, 
 and a comprehensive arrangement of those lines 
 of instruction indispensable to people who ha\e 
 to make their own way in life. As in all manu- 
 facturing cities, the children are apt to lea\'e 
 school at too early an age, and one of the difficul- 
 ties which has beset not only Prof. Harris, but 
 also his successors, is how to crowd a full course 
 of training which ought to occupy eight or ten 
 years into five or six. Difficult as the task 
 necessarily appears, it has been accomplished 
 with great success, and the teachers deserve 
 great credit for their triumphs in this direction. 
 For those who are compelled to leave school 
 prematurely, an excellent system of night 
 schools is in operation, and some of the very 
 best business colleges in the United States en- 
 able young men and ladies to put the finishing 
 strokes to what may be termed a commercial 
 training. 
 
122 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS 
 AND COLLEGES. 
 
 The Normal and the High schools are uni- 
 versities in ever^'thing but name, and those who 
 are fortunate enough to be able to graduate from 
 either can hold their own in almost any com- 
 pany. A St. Louis Normal diploma gives an 
 aiDplicant for a teacher's position exceptional 
 advantage over his or her competitors, and many 
 of the most successful principals in the country 
 graduated from this favored city. There is 
 also a Normal school for colored children who 
 desire to adopt teaching as a profession; and edu- 
 cation's good influence is felt in every class and 
 by all people. 
 
 In addition to the ad- 
 miraljje public schools 
 of the city, St. Louis 
 has a parochial school system which does ex- 
 cellent work. The city has grown so rapidly 
 that the financial resources of the Board of Edu- 
 cation have been taxed to the uttermost to keep 
 pace with the growth in the number of children 
 of school age, and were it not for the fact that 
 the parochial schools take care of more than 
 20,000 children, and give them a high-class 
 education, it would have been impossible to 
 make both ends meet. The Catholic population 
 of St. Louis has not neglected its duty towards 
 the rising generation, and the amount of money 
 it has raised for the maintenance of parochial 
 schools reflects the greatest credit upon its sin- 
 cerity and liberality. 
 
 There are more than forty parochial schools, 
 employing nearly 200 teachers, and the average 
 attendance is between 22,000 and 23,000. When 
 parents are in a position to pay, a small tuition 
 fee is charged, but a large percentage of the 
 children are taught entirely free of charge. The 
 teachers in the Catholic schools are taken from 
 the ranks of the Christian Brothers, Sisters of 
 Charity, Sisters of Mercy, and the members of 
 various orders, and they are hence excep- 
 tionally competent in the performance of their 
 duties. The parochial school buildings are of 
 an improved character, and are generally well 
 ventilated and appointed. Children are received 
 between the ages of six and fifteen, and when 
 they have graduated they have an oiDportunity 
 
 of entering one or another of the numerous 
 Catholic colleges in the city. 
 
 Without attempting to give a list of these col- 
 leges and universities, one or two nuist be men- 
 tioned as deserving of special praise. The 
 Christian Brothers' College is perhaps the most 
 prominent. The Christian Brothers came here 
 from France nearly half a centiiry ago and 
 established themselves at Eighth and Cerre 
 streets. With the birth of New St. Louis the 
 Brothers went west and purchased a ten-acre 
 tract at the corner of Easton avenue and King's 
 Highway, where they erected a building of 
 brick and stone, designed in the shape of a cross, 
 consisting of a central edifice and four wings. 
 It has a frontage of 370 feet, a depth of 200 
 feet and an elevation of 110 feet. In the center 
 is a fine rotunda (30 feet square. Every modern 
 convenience is provided. The college is a com- 
 munity in itself, aiul its location, buildings and 
 grounds are not excelled for educational pur- 
 poses in the Mississippi Valley. It is easily ac- 
 cessible by the Easton a\'enue cars fron: the 
 heart of the city, and is just far enough out to 
 combine rural and city life,. The curriculum 
 comprises preparatory, commercial, collegiate, 
 literary and scientific courses. There are gener- 
 ally from 300 to 400 students at the college, and 
 a corps of thirtv-three professors, all of whom 
 with the exception of three are Christian Broth- 
 ers, is engaged. 
 
 The St. Louis University has been identified 
 with St. Louis for nearly seventy years. It was 
 originally located in a home constructed in the 
 thirties on what is now known as Ninth and 
 Christy avenue, but what was then looked upon 
 as out in the woods. In 18()7 a much more 
 suitable site was purchased on Grand avenue 
 and Pine street, where there has been erected 
 one of the grandest educational buildings in the 
 United States. It has the form of a reversed L, 
 the base line being on the left instead of the 
 right side of the perpendicular. The front on 
 Grand avenue measures 270 feet, and all that 
 portion of the building is devoted to college 
 purposes. The resident portion is further 
 west. The immense structure is built of brick 
 
SOCIAL ADVANTAGES. 
 
 123 
 
 and stone, and its arcliitectnre is early decorated 
 English Gothic. It has a magnificent museum, 
 fine laboratory and library, and all the adjuncts 
 of a thoroughly equipped college, including a 
 lecture-room with seating capacity of 500. The 
 college has an attendance of about 350, and its 
 instructors are Jesuit Fathers. 
 
 It would be interesting, if space permitted, to 
 mention in detail the various schools and edu- 
 cational institutions of St. Louis; but this 
 being impossible, the subject must be dismissed 
 with the statement that few cities in the world 
 are more thoroughly equipped for educational 
 purposes than St. Louis. Men can be trained 
 for the highest professions; and the higher 
 education of women has been remembered and 
 provided for in a manner which disarms criticism 
 at the threshold. 
 
 The libraries of St. 
 LIBRARIES, ^ . ., 
 
 Louis, II not so numer- 
 
 PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. . ,, ^ ^.^ 
 
 ous as some of those to 
 
 be found in the older cities of the East, make 
 up in efficiency and completeness what they 
 lack in numbers. Many of the city's promi- 
 nent men have private libraries of the grandest 
 type, and the city has two public lil^raries which 
 are an honor to the municipality and a constant 
 source of profit and entertainment to the stu- 
 dent and searcher after knowledge. The Mer- 
 cantile Library will soon celebrate its semi- 
 centennial. It has now nearly, if not quite, a 
 hundred thousand valuable volumes, although 
 its first report speaks with gratification of the 
 possession of less than two thousand. Under 
 the al)le management of Mr. John M. Dyer, 
 one of the best librarians the country has seen, 
 the lil^rary grew and prospered, and the dream 
 of that gentleman's life was realized some 
 four or five years ago when the new fire-proof 
 building at the corner of Sixth and Locust 
 was erected as a safe home for the priceless 
 treasures owned by the association. A statue of 
 Mr. Dyer in the library serves as a painful re- 
 minder that he died of overwork in connection 
 with moving and rearranging the books in their 
 new home. 
 
 Forty years ago the library built what was 
 
 then regarded as a very fine hall, which was 
 used for con\ention purposes again and again. 
 It became out of date with the birth of New St. 
 Louis, and the present building is more in keep- 
 ing with the demands of the times. It is a very 
 handsome six-story building of Romanesque 
 character. The library halls are twenty feet in 
 height, and the arrangements are complete in 
 every detail. 
 
 The Public Library, which in the year 1894 
 will be made a free library in the full sense of 
 the term, is a child of the School Board. For 
 many j'ears it was known as the Public School 
 Library, but more recently it has been known as 
 the Public Library, and greater effort has been 
 made to popularize it with the public. It had 
 its home for twenty-five years in the Polytechnic 
 Building, purchased, occupied and finally sold 
 by the School Board after a series of blunders 
 which w'ill be remembered as long as St. Louis 
 remains a city. The library is now located in a 
 lofty building at the corner of Ninth and Locust 
 streets, which has already been described in this 
 work. The number of books on its shelves does 
 not differ materially from that at the Mercantile 
 Library. 
 
 The St. Louis Law Library contains the best 
 collection of legal works to be found in the West. 
 More than tweh-e thousand volumes of standard 
 legal authors, as well as other works, are to be 
 found, and the records of decisions in different 
 States is complete in the extreme. The libra- 
 ries at the St. Louis and Washington universi- 
 ties have a reputation extending over the entire 
 country; and the Odd Fellows' Library contains 
 • a collection of books of inestimable value. 
 
 St. Louis, while it 
 CHURCHES AND ' . , 
 
 cannot compete with 
 RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS. ^ , . . ,, ,.,, 
 
 Brooklyn for the title 
 
 of the "City of Churches," is still admirably 
 
 equipped with religious edifices of all characters 
 
 and denominations. The gradual tendency of 
 
 recent years has been to go west, and church 
 
 after church has found a new location and anew 
 
 home on the suburban side of Grand avenue. 
 
 There are now about three hundred churches in 
 
 St. Louis, many of them most magnificent in 
 
124 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 character. The old Catholic Cathedral on Wal- 
 nut street, between Second and Third, is in a 
 wonderful state of preservation. Its corner-stone 
 was laid sixty-two years ago, and the Cathedral 
 was opened fifty-nine years since. The exterior 
 shows evidences of the ravages of time, but it is 
 still in excellent condition, and the interior is as 
 beautiful as ever. When first erected it was by 
 far the finest structure devoted to religious pur- 
 poses west of the Alleghany mountains, and it 
 is still among the most interesting, if not the 
 most magnificent, religions edifices in the coun- 
 try. The interior is di\-ided into a nave and 
 two aisles, the double row of dividing columns 
 being in Doric style and built of brick covered 
 with stucco. 
 
 The Rock Church, or, more properly, St. Al- 
 phonsus', on Grand avenue and Finney, is really 
 a second cathedral. It was erected by the Re- 
 demptorist Fathers, many of whom actually 
 performed manual labor on the structure while 
 in course of erection. It is one of the special 
 features of the city to which the attention of 
 visitors is called, and it is one of the most hand- 
 some cathedral churches in the West. 
 
 The Episcopal Cathedral is also a credit to the 
 city. The first parish of the Episcopal Church 
 west of the Mississippi river was organized in 
 l<Siy, when the population of St. Louis was only 
 abont 4,000. From that time the Episcopal 
 Church in St. Louis has grown both in the num- 
 ber of its edifices, in its influence and in its 
 church membership. In ISd? the present ca- 
 thedral, on Fourteenth and Locust streets, was 
 erected, and about five years ago it became the 
 spiritual home of the diocese of Missouri. Aided 
 by a magnificent endowment from an unknown 
 source the church has been placed in a sound 
 financial condition, and subsequently a donation 
 of $1'),00U has been made for the purpose of 
 erecting a cathedral home or mission. The 
 conditions of this latter donation ha\'e just been 
 fulfilled. 
 
 Among the numerous Episcopalian churches 
 in the city may be mentioned the Holy Com- 
 nmnion, St. George's and St. Mark's Memorial 
 and St. Peter's, although this is but a very par- 
 
 S ACRED EDIFICES 
 
 WITH 
 
 INTERESTING HISTORIES. 
 
 tial record and does not atteinpt to particularize. 
 The Presbyterian churches are also numerous. 
 The First Presbyterian Church of St. Louis was 
 the first church of that denomination established 
 west of the Mississippi river. This church was 
 erected in 182.'j, and has only recently been de- 
 molished. Its successor has its home on Wash- 
 ington avenue and Sarah street, in a much more 
 pretentious building erected five years ago. The 
 Second Presbyterian Church, on Seventeenth and 
 Locust streets, is a comparatively old building, 
 ha\-ing been erected prior to the war at an ex- 
 penditure of $;)0,0()0. It is in an excellent 
 state of preservation, and is looked upon as a 
 very representative church. The same denom- 
 ination has a splendid structure on Grand ave- 
 nue, near Olive street, and a number of other 
 churches. 
 
 The :\Iethodist- 
 Episcopal denomina- 
 tion made a splendid 
 showing in a religious 
 census recently taken. The Trinity Church, 
 erected in llS.")?, and originally known as the 
 Simpson Chapel, holds the record of having 
 been the only Northern Methodist church which 
 held services regularly throughout the war. 
 This was not the first church in St. Louis of the 
 denomination, whose record goes back as far as 
 the eighteenth century. The Rev. John Clark 
 preached in St. Louis in 17i»<S, and about twenty 
 years later the Rev. Jesse Walker established a 
 Methodist-Episcopal church in the city. This 
 church eventually connected itself with the 
 Southern branch of the denomination. The 
 other Methodist churches in St. Louis include 
 some edifices, not only of great influence, but 
 also of interest in historical records. Among 
 them may be mentioned the Centenary, at Six- 
 teenth and Pine streets; St. John's, at Locust 
 street and Ewing avenue, and others, some be- 
 longing to the Methodist-Episcopal Church, 
 North, and others to the Methodist-Episcopal 
 Church, South, both denominations being sup- 
 ported by prominent and influential citizens. 
 
 The Second Baptist Church, on Locust and 
 Beaumont streets, ma)- be regarded as the home 
 
SOCIAL ADVANTAGES. 
 
 125 
 
 of the earliest Baptist congregation of St. Louis. 
 The present magnificent structure, with its ex- 
 cellent appointments, dates only from 187!*, but 
 the congregation which worships in it claims 
 nnich greater antiquity. The Baptists enjoy the 
 honor of having been the first to build a Prot- 
 estant church in this country west of the Mis- 
 sissippi river, they having completed a sacred 
 edifice near Jackson, in Cape Girardeau county, 
 nearly ninety years ago. The same denomina- 
 tion has in St. Louis a church on Grand avenue 
 at the corner of Washington, and another on 
 the same avenue, but much farther north. It is 
 also well represented elsewhere in the city. 
 
 The oldest religious Hebrew association in 
 the city is the United Hebrew Congregation, 
 which erected a s^-nagogue just before the war 
 on Sixth street, between Locust and St. Charles. 
 The building was subsequently sold and con- 
 verted into a commercial establishment, the 
 congregation moving to Olive and Twenty-first 
 streets. More recently it, or rather members 
 originally connected with it, have erected Temjjle 
 Israel and Shaare Emeth, both known as repre- 
 sentative and handsome churches. 
 
 The Church of the Messiah, presided over by 
 one of the ablest orators and writers in the West, 
 represents the Unitarian idea in St. Louis. This 
 church was erected in 1879 and 1880, the build- 
 ing being finally dedicated in December, 1881. 
 In style it is early English Gothic, the blue 
 limestone being relieved by horizontal strands 
 of sandstone, which material is also used for the 
 window and door trimmings. 
 
 Such is a brief record of the churches con- 
 nected with the leading denominations in St. 
 Louis. All that has been attempted has been 
 to show that the social advantages include ample 
 provision for spiritual training. 
 
 The value of good music 
 has been thoroughly appreci- 
 ated in New St. Louis, and the 
 best of conscientious music as compared with 
 the purely commercial article is rapidly obtain- 
 ing the appreciation it deserves. The old Phil- 
 harmonic Society spent several thousand dollars 
 in its efforts to revolutionize music and to send 
 
 NEW ST. LOUIS 
 AND MUSIC. 
 
 out missionaries into the homes, churches and 
 institutions of the city and give a higher tone to 
 instrumental and vocal music generally. 
 
 The Choral Society is more strictly a New 
 St. Louis organization, and it has done splendid 
 work for St. Louis, although it is to be regretted 
 that much of the expense has been borne by 
 private individuals, whose modesty lias prevented 
 the public becoming acquainted with the debt it 
 owes them. During the last fourteen years the 
 society has spent sufficient money to bring to 
 St. Louis the very best soloists in the country, 
 and its work has been so successful that the 
 production of the " Messiah " in Christmas 
 week of 18I»;i, with Miss Enrma Juch and other 
 singers of national reputation as soloists, is ex- 
 pected to be one of the finest productions of this 
 great oratorio ever heard in this country. This 
 will be the twelfth production of the " Messiah" 
 in St. Louis; and it is safe to say that for many 
 years to come this magnificent inspiration will 
 be heard in the western and southwestern metrop- 
 olis during Christmas week. The society is 
 educating public tastes so rapidly that it is be- 
 coming self-supporting. In 18!>1 the sum of 
 $r),4()0 had to be raised to meet the deficiency 
 caused by the engagement of high-class talent. 
 In the season of 1892-93 the deficit was only 
 $3,(iOO, which was promptly made up, and the 
 indications are that the season of 1893— 94 will 
 be about self-supporting. 
 
 The influence of the society has been felt in 
 public institutions of every character. The 
 singing in the churches in St. Louis is now ex- 
 ceptionally fine, and the same may be said of 
 several of the local institutions. In another 
 way the Philharmonic and Choral societies have 
 shown their influence. Old St. Louis had a 
 reputation among advance agents as being an 
 excellent town for concert companies to miss. 
 New St. Louis, thanks largely to the Choral 
 Society, has a very different reputation, for any 
 good company can secure a crowded house. 
 During the thirty days between April 12 and 
 May 12, 1893, there were eleven high-class con- 
 certs in St. Louis, and these received the sum of 
 $15,000 as a reward for their excellence. 
 
126 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 THEATERS 
 
 AND 
 
 CONCERT HALLS. 
 
 As an ainusement center 
 generally St. Louis has a 
 high reputation. IMention 
 has alread)- been made of the 
 special attractions provided during the autum- 
 nal festival period, and a record has been made 
 of the early struggles of the first theater con- 
 structed in the city. There are now six thor- 
 oughly equipped first-class theaters in the city, 
 with a seating capacity of more than 12,000, 
 independent of the (J, 000 seats in the two halls 
 within the Exposition Building. For six sea- 
 sons in succession five of these theaters have 
 been well supported, and the best theatrical tal- 
 ent of the country has lieen seen at them. St. 
 Louis' patronage has been also liberal enough to 
 attract the best actors of foreign countries tour- 
 ing in America, and the appreciation of high- 
 class histrionic work is proverbial. At the 
 Olympic Theater, on Broadway, opposite the 
 Southern Hotel, Joseph Jefferson, Edwin Booth, 
 Lawrence Barrett and Fanny Davenport may be 
 mentioned among leaders in the profession who 
 have played very successful engagements. The 
 Grand Opera House, is equally popular, and 
 here also some of the greatest performers of the 
 day have been seen. In addition to the best 
 American actors and actresses, such consi^icuous 
 figures in the theatrical world of other nations 
 as Sarah Bernhardt and Wilson Barrett have 
 been seen repeatedly. The orchestra of the 
 Grand is exceptionally good, and, like the Olym- 
 pic, the theater is first-class in every respect. 
 
 Among the newer bids for the support of the 
 theater-going fraternity may be mentioned the 
 Hagan Opera House, erected about two years 
 ago. The Hagan is a novelty in more ways 
 than one. The construction and plan invoh'ed 
 a maximum of common sense and convenience, 
 while the management, in going as far west as 
 Tenth street, showed an ability to read the signs 
 of the times, which subsequent patronage has 
 proved to have been exceedingly valuable. The 
 newest of St. Louis' first-class theaters is the 
 Germania, which is still farther west, being sit- 
 uated at the corner of Fourteenth and Locust 
 streets. Here are represented German plays of 
 
 high character, and the patronage of the house 
 is a tribute to the power of appreciation of the 
 German element in St. Louis' population, an 
 element which has done so much to maintain the 
 stability of the city. 
 
 St. Louis is also exceedingly well cared for in 
 the matter of summer opera. The oldest sum- 
 mer-garden theater in St. Louis is LHrrig's Cave, 
 which dates from six or seven years prior to the 
 war. During the summer evenings light opera 
 is produced here by companies of established 
 reputation, and empty seats are seldom seen. 
 Close to the Cave is the Pickwick Theater, a 
 favorite house of the numerous amateurs of 
 promise of St. Louis. On the south side Schnai- 
 der's Garden, with its commodious and indeed 
 luxurious sunnner theater, provides entertain- 
 ment for dwellers in the southern wards. The 
 new Sportsman's Park is also so arranged as to 
 make it available for operatic and spectacular 
 performances during the summer evenings. In 
 the southern portion of the city Liederkranz 
 Hall is very popular for high-class entertain- 
 ments, and there are now in course of construc- 
 tion several additions to the entertainment halls 
 and ball-rooms of the city. 
 
 New St. Louis is rich in the 
 
 extreme in the matter of clubs. 
 
 Of the Commercial, the ]\Iercan- 
 tile and the Noonday clubs mention has already 
 been made. The two latter have been spoken 
 of more in their business or commercial aspects, 
 but thev are also important factors in the society 
 appointments of this great city. Since moving 
 into its new building the Mercantile has carried 
 the war into Africa in a most dexterous manner. 
 From time, the memory whereof man knoweth 
 not, ladies Iiave looked upon clubs as their natural 
 enemies, and ha\-e censured their sweethearts 
 and husbands in no mild terms for allowing the 
 luxuries of the smoking and billiard-room to 
 lure them frum the fireside in winter, or the 
 front-door step in summer. The directors of 
 the Mercantile, who it is not suggested have 
 been censured in like manner as the immense 
 majoritv of their fellow-men, decided to disarm 
 the criticism of the ladies by making them, 
 
 CLUBS AND 
 CLUB LIFE. 
 
SOCIAL ADl'ANTAGES. 
 
 127 
 
 as it were, particcps criim'iiis. To do this, they 
 fitted up ladies' rooms in the most hixurious 
 style, and not only made it admissible for mem- 
 bers to bring their own, or other men's, sisters 
 to the club, but even encouraged them to do so. 
 Hence, the Mercantile Club, in addition to being 
 one of the most influential commercial organiza- 
 tions in the West, is also one of the most de- 
 lightful society and social clubs in the world, as 
 popular with the wives and daughters of mem- 
 bers as most clubs are unpopular. Mr. George 
 D. Barnard, the president of the club, has 
 earned much praise by his able completion of 
 the work of reconstruction which was com- 
 menced and carried on so zealously by his pred- 
 ecessor, Mr. J. B. Case. 
 
 The St. lyouis Club is luxurious in its appoint- 
 ments, and has an air of exclusiveness about it 
 which is in accordance with the ideal of high- 
 toned club life. Its home is in a magnificent 
 building on the southwest corner of Ewing ave- 
 nue and Locust street, and its four hundred 
 members include representative men of every 
 type which can be regarded as consistent with 
 the requirements of the upjier-ten. 
 
 The Fair Grounds Jockey Club has its home 
 inside the Fair Grounds, and is a popiUar resort, 
 especially in the summer-time. Its membership 
 is very large, and its banqueting hall is taken 
 advantage of frequently for the purposes of en- 
 tertaining strangers. Had a phonograph been 
 inserted in the walls of this hall it could have 
 bottled up enough eloquence to have educated 
 the rising generation from time to time on 
 almost every point of interest and importance. 
 
 The University Club was erected by scholars 
 for scholars, and all the learning and erudition 
 of the city is represented within its walls. Its 
 nrembers can talk in a greater number of lan- 
 guages than the men who commenced to erect 
 the Tower of Babel. Of recent years the quali- 
 fications of members, so far as University gradu- 
 ation is concerned, has been relaxed, and there 
 are now several members who confess to knowing 
 little Latin and less Greek. The club continues 
 to be a high-toned social organization, popular 
 in the extreme with gentlemen of refined tastes. 
 
 EXCLUSIVE 
 ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 The Marquette Club has 
 its home in a very attractive 
 and suitable building on 
 Grand avenue and Pine street. The constitu- 
 tion of the club states that its primary objects 
 are to unite the prominent Catholic gentlemen 
 of St. Louis and vicinity in bonds of social union ; 
 to organize them into a body that shall repre- 
 sent, watch over, vindicate and further Catholic 
 interests; to establish it in an unobjectionable 
 club-house, and by placing the club on a lasting 
 basis to perpetuate a union of Catholics in the 
 city of St. Louis. The club has carried out its 
 original object very successfully. 
 
 The Harmonic Club was established in the 
 forties by several of the then prominent Hebrew 
 citizens of St. Louis. The club is still some- 
 what of a religious institution, though it is a very 
 high-class social club. It rents a fine building 
 on the corner of Eighteenth and Olive streets, 
 and it is its proud boast that bonds and in- 
 debtedness of any kind are absolutely unknown 
 to the club or its management. The Columbia 
 Club has just completed a very handsome build- 
 ing on Lindell boulevard, just west of Vande- 
 venter avenue, in which l^i-') members will 
 establish themselves and run a club similar in 
 every respect to the Harmonie. 
 
 The Union Club has a home on the south side, 
 at Lafayette and Jefferson avenues, in which 
 there is crowded more provision for home com- 
 fort than has perhaps ever been seen under one 
 roof before. Every club is established to fill a 
 long-felt want, but few of them have done their 
 work so thoroughly as the Union, wdiich in its 
 new location is a distinct boon to residents 
 on the south side. The new building is quite 
 unique, both externally and internally, and every 
 memljcr is individually proud of it. 
 
 The Liederkrauz is also a south side club. 
 It owns a very handsome building on Chouteau 
 avenue and Thirteenth street, and its member- 
 ship of 6.")0 includes some of the most able 
 singers in the city. The German element pre- 
 dominates strongly, and there are in addition to 
 large and small entertainment and rehearsal 
 halls, dining-rooms and club apartments of every 
 
128 
 
 OLD AND NEW ST. LOUIS. 
 
 HOTELS AND 
 
 A ccommoDA tions 
 
 FOR GUESTS. 
 
 character. Liederkranz concerts and entertain- 
 ments are ahva\s leading social events. 
 
 Only members of the Order of Elks are eligi- 
 ble for the Elks Clnb, which has its home in 
 the Hagaii Opera Bnilding, on Pine and Tenth 
 streets. There are about a hundred members 
 who make use of the club, both for business and 
 social purposes. Athletics of every description 
 are encouraged by the management, and the 
 club has also a special reputation for hospitality, 
 very elegant suppers being tendered to visitors 
 to the city, especially those who have made a 
 reputation elsewhere in their respective pro- 
 fessions. 
 
 There are also several very successful ladies' 
 athletic and c^xling clubs and semi-religious 
 associations. 
 
 The autumnal festivities 
 attracts so inany visitors 
 that during the fall season 
 the hotel accommodations 
 of St. I^ouis of recent j-ears have been found 
 scarcely adequate, and in order to increase the 
 facilities for taking care of large carnival and 
 convention crowds, the $2,000,000 hotel al- 
 ready described is being constructed. It will be 
 opened in the course of a few months, and will 
 make«the down-town hotel facilities very com- 
 plete. The Southern Hotel, a substantial fire- 
 proof structure, has for many years been re- 
 garded as the leading hotel in the city and 
 among the foremost in the West, its rotunda 
 being one of the most extensive in existence. 
 The Lindell Hotel, a few blocks farther north, 
 is another establishment first-class in every re- 
 spect. The Laclede Hotel is looked upon as an 
 ideal family hotel, and is also exceedingly popu- 
 lar with politicians of every shade. The num- 
 ber of caucuses that have been held in and 
 around it is very large, and the hotel manage- 
 ment has a reputation extending from Maine to 
 California for going out of its way to accom- 
 modate individual visitors and delegations in 
 every conceivable manner. Adjoining the La- 
 clede is Hurst's new hotel, another very fine 
 structure; and nearly opposite the Lindell is the 
 Hotel Barnum, a very popular house. 
 
 The tendency to move westward, which has 
 resulted from the rapid transit facilities, has 
 also been marked in the hotels. A few years 
 ago the idea of first-class hotels west of Twelfth 
 street would have been ridiculed, but now there 
 is on Fortieth street, or Vandeventer avenue, a 
 hotel known as the West End, whose appoint- 
 ments are first-class in every respect, and which 
 is very popular both as a hotel proper and a 
 family boarding-house. On Grand avenue the 
 Hotel Beers and Grand Avenue Hotel are further 
 exponents of this western idea; and early in the 
 ensuing spring another very handsome edifice 
 for hotel jDurposes is to be erected on the same 
 thoroughfare. Li the vicinity of the New Union 
 Station, also far west of what has up to recent 
 years been regarded as out of the way of busi- 
 ness and travel, two and probably three very 
 fine hotels are about to be erected, sites having 
 been obtained for that purpose. When they are 
 added to the present hotel equipment of the city, 
 St. Louis will be able to handle a convention 
 crowd of almost any magnitude without the 
 necessity of special bureaus for the placing of 
 guests in boarding-houses and private residences. 
 St. Louis is not a litigious 
 cit)-, and arbitration for the 
 
 BENCH AND BAR 
 OF ST. LOUIS. 
 
 settlement of commercial dis- 
 putes has always been very popular. There are, 
 howe\-er, in the city a large number of lawyers 
 and attorneys who find sufficient employment 
 to yield them good incomes and who display 
 marked ability in the exercise of their profes- 
 sion. Tlie bar of vSt. Louis to-day knows no 
 superior in the West, and among the gentlemen 
 practicing law there are several whose fame ex- 
 tends to distant points. In the early history of 
 vSt. Louis the laws of England, France and Spain 
 were all partly enforced, and there were many 
 complex questions in regard to titles which 
 called for the exercise of the greatest possible 
 care and ingenuity. Those days have passed 
 now, and the business falling into the hands of 
 the attorneys of the city is of an entirely differ- 
 ent nature. On the bench there are to be found 
 many lawyers of exceptional experience, and 
 manv decisions have been made here which 
 
SOCIAL ADl-ANTAGES. 
 
 129 
 
 have been recognized as irreproachable law. 
 Quite recently the city gave to the nation for a 
 cabinet office one of its prominent attorneys; 
 and other members of the St. Louis bar have 
 distinguished themselves in various parts of the 
 country. In another part of this work there 
 will be found records of the careers of some of 
 the most prominent members of the St. Louis 
 bar, including sketches of some of the judges 
 whose ability and integrity has made them more 
 than fanicus. 
 
 The Bar Association of St. Louis was estab- 
 lished in 1874. Col. ThomasT.Gantt was tempo, 
 rary chairman of the meeting called to "consider 
 the propriety and feasibility of forming a bar 
 association in the city of St. Louis." A com- 
 mittee of five was appointed, consisting of 
 Alexander Martin, Henry Hitchcock, R. E. 
 Rombauer, George M. Stewart and Gi\'en Camp- 
 bell. The first president was Mr. John R. Shep- 
 lev, who in his first address emphasized the fact 
 that the object of the association was to " main- 
 tain the honor and dignity of the profession of 
 law, to cultivate social intercourse among its 
 members, and for the promotion of legal science 
 and the administration of justice." It would be 
 difficult to overrate the good influence of this 
 association, or its effect on the tone of the bar 
 and its members. 
 
 St. Louis is such a healthy 
 citv that it is anything but a doc- 
 tor's paradise, and the number 
 of physicians in the city is not large, when the 
 population is taken into account. Among the 
 physicians who have made their home in St. 
 Louis, there are several whose reputation ex- 
 tends beyond the confines of Missouri and Illi- 
 nois, and even beyond the boundaries of the 
 United States. Some of our surgeons are requi- 
 sitioned from very distant points, when excep- 
 tionally complicated cases call for exceptional 
 skill; and the city has also specialists who rank 
 so high in the medical world that they are smn- 
 moned for consultation to cities 1,000 miles dis- 
 tant. It would be interesting to trace the early 
 history of medicine in the city, but it must suf- 
 fice to say that at the present time nothing is 
 
 DOCTORS OF 
 MEDICINE. 
 
 NEWSPAPERS 
 
 OF 
 
 NATIONAL INFLUENCE. 
 
 needed in this respect, and that all that science 
 and skill can do to ameliorate suffering and to 
 prolong life can be and is done in St. L,ouis. 
 The medical press is well represented, and the 
 medical journal which has the largest circulation 
 in the world is published from this city. 
 
 Almost every known school of medicine is 
 represented, not only by practitioners, but also 
 by medical colleges. The number of these latter 
 is very large, and the work they do in educating 
 and preparing young men for the profession is 
 influential for much good. There are several 
 hospitals in the city, some of them connected 
 with religious and other bodies, and others which 
 are entirely independent and catholic in their 
 work. It is to be regretted that the exigencies 
 of space prevent a detailed description of the 
 hospitals and medical colleges, but such would 
 require an entire volume to even do the subject 
 partial justice. 
 
 The newspapers of 
 St. Louis speak for 
 themselves, two, at least, 
 of them having national 
 influence and importance. Following the plan 
 generally adopted in this book, the early history 
 of the newspapers will be but very briefly men- 
 tioned. The Globe- Democrat is probably the 
 best newspaper in the United States west of 
 New York, and it is certainly by far the best 
 newspaper in the country west of New York and 
 south of Chicago. It is the survival of the 
 Globe and the Democrat^ which papers were 
 consolidated in 187.5. Two years ago the Globe- 
 Democrat moved into the magnificent building 
 on the corner of Sixth and Pine streets, which 
 it erected for its own home. The building is a 
 model newspaper office in almost every respect, 
 and it has few equals and still fewer superiors in 
 the United States. The policy of the Globe- 
 Democrat politically is Republican, but national 
 affairs are looked upon in a very liberal manner, 
 and measures, rather than parties, are analyzed 
 and discussed from a critical standpoint. Mr. 
 Joseph B. McCullagh is the editor-in-chief of 
 this great newspaper, which, during the eight- 
 een years which have elapsed since its publica- 
 
ibO 
 
 OLD AND N1-:\V ST. LOUIS. 
 
 tion under ils present name, has been edited 
 daily under his personal supervision, the aggre- 
 gate number of days of his absence from the 
 ofTice during that period being about equal to 
 the time occupied by the summer vacation of 
 the ordinary professional or business man. The 
 Globe- Democrat is conspicuous for the absence 
 of trumpet-blowing of its own achievements, 
 and when it moved into the "Temple of Truth," 
 the only announcement made in its columns of 
 its change of location was included in the single 
 sentence: ' ' We have moved. ' ' 
 
 The early history of the St. Louis Rcpiif)/ic 
 has already been given in these columns. It is 
 now one of the most influential Democratic 
 newspapers in the United States, and although 
 old in years and experience, it is still young in 
 enterprise and vigor. In addition to an excel- 
 lent telegraphic and news service from outside 
 the city, it makes a specialty of local news, 
 which it covers with great accuracy and judg- 
 ment. Since it changed its name and reorgan- 
 ized, its circulation has increased with great 
 rapidity, and the growth of its influence has 
 been quite on a par with its financial boom. 
 
 There are three evening newspapers in St. 
 Louis published in the English language — the 
 Post-Bispatc/iy the Star- Sayings and the C/iron- 
 icle. The Post-Dispatch is the largest of these, 
 and it publishes a Sunday issue which is really 
 a magazine and compendium of current litera- 
 ture in addition to a first-class newspaper. It 
 is edited by Mr. Florence White, and both the 
 daily and Sunday issues are bright exponents of 
 the New St. Louis idea. 
 
 The Star-Sayiugs is edited by Mr. John 
 Manner, an able and conscientious journalist, 
 who has succeeded in largely increasing the in- 
 fluence and importance of the paper. The Star- 
 
 Sayings is enjoying a great renewal of ])rosperit'. . 
 and makes itself heard on all questions of ini 
 porta uce. 
 
 The C/iro/iictc is the only one-cent daily 
 paper in the city. Its editor, General Hawkins, 
 has completely remodeled and rejuvenated the 
 paper, which is popular in the extreme, and 
 which claims to ha\'e a larger local sale than 
 any other paper published. 
 
 The German papers are almost as prominent 
 as those printed in English. The Westliclie 
 Post and the Aiizeigrr dcs JJ^cstats are quoted 
 as authorities in all parts of the United States; 
 and the Aiiicrilca^ Tribune and Tagcblatt have 
 each their own field to fulfill in a satisfactory 
 manner. 
 
 The magazine press of St. Louis is less con- 
 spicuous than the daily, and although there are 
 several publications, there are none of s\ifficient 
 national repute to make a detailed reference to 
 them necessary. 
 
 The immense size of the Sunday newspapers 
 and the large amount of space devoted to liter- 
 ary and scientific questions, has made it difficult 
 to establish weekly papers on a paving basis in 
 St. Louis. For many years the Spectator pros- 
 pered and contributed to local literature a great 
 deal of valuable and interesting matter. Its 
 long career has, however, terminated, and the 
 Sunday Mirror is now* practically in exclusive 
 control of the weekly press. The Afirror 
 differs in its make-up and character from any 
 other western publication. It knows neither 
 friend nor foe in its columns, and is original and 
 fearless in its st)le and policy, supplying, in 
 a wav never filled before, a field which ought 
 not to be overlooked in a city of t)00,000 in- 
 habitants. 
 
 •Decemlier, 1S93. 
 
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