USA > Iowa > Polk County > Des Moines > Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa, City Directory 1879 > Part 4
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THE COTTAGE HOSPITAL
a must beneficent and praiseworthy institution, was opened July, 1878, for the reception of patients.
The property which is located on Fourth street- above . . ... School, cost Sim, and is now valued at $15mm, and is free from debt with the exception of 875, which is provided for when. duc.
During the, past year 81400 have been raised by the citizens of Des Moines and the Friends of the enterprise toward paying for the property and caring for the sick.
Nopatients are received having contagious diseases, but any _ and all who are sick, and have nowhere else to go, are cordially "welcomed and kindly cared for. The medical treatment is given by the members of Polk County Medical Society. It is the desire of the present managers that the city should assume
the charge of the hospital and enlarge its capacity for usefulness. . Rev. J. S. Jenckes, President; Mrs. A. B. Tracy, Secre- tary.
Bushnell's Des Moines City Directory.
THE NEW STATE CAPITOL.
We are indebted to Hon. J. K. Powers, Register of the State Land Office, for the following very interesting description of - the-new State House:
"There are fow persons in the State who fully realize the
magnitude and grandeur of this building, nor of the amount of material and labor necessary for its completion.
In the spring of bil the excavation for this building was
begun, and since then it has slowly but surely risen until it now.stangs, on Capitol Hill, a lasting monument to Iowa's in- dustry, wealth and liberality.
The style of the building is the Corinthian order of architce- ture, three stories high above the basement. The ground plan is in the form of a Greek cross with a pavilion at each of the four corners, on the north and south ends. The extreme length north and south is Bn0 feet, and the extreme width is 240 feet. The width of the east and west projections are 11. feet, and the north and south wings are low feet wide. The height from the basement to the top of the cornice is 98 feet,
to the top of the roof 115 feet, and to the top of the main dome 275 fect. The basement walls are built of a strong ofvitaline limestone with a granite base course, and the walls above this are built of a but colored sand stone, with trimmings made of a light blue sand stone. The contrast in color's is not steht bus planis for the ore, and the walls are so broken by projet
times, and the window and door openings are so diversified ant verso harmonious, that there can be no criticism. From a distance the building Took - a little "lat" at present, but when
Bushnell's Des Moines City Directory.
the central and four corner domes are completed, the sky lier will be broken and much more pleasing; the four smaller . domes are now completed, and we begin to see the effect as : it appears in the "picture" or prospective drawing, which can. be seen at any time at the office of the architects, in a building on the capitol grounds. The roof of the building appears to I casual observer to be everlasting ; it is made of iron frame work, covered with porous terra cotta blocks, and on this is
laid the heavy slate, bedded in pure cement and najfed fast: the gutters and down spouts are of copper, and the root of the . domes will be covered with copper also. -
Thus it will be seen there is nothing in the top of this bi ing where most destructive fires originate, to burn, and as the floors throughout the building are made with iron holms amt brick arches covered with marble or eucostic tiling in most cases, the State will need to pay out nothing for fire insurance. Under the whole of the capitol is a cellar ten feet deep which will be used for the heating apparatus; the basement story, : which is above the ground line, will be used for- storage pur- poses: in the first story, which is 24 feet high, are all the apart- "ments for the State officers, including the Supreme Court room and private room for the judges; these rooms are made casthe accessible by a broad corridor running through the building
from east to- west, and one of less width from north to south. In the center of the intersection of these two corridors is the rotunda, under the dome, fis feet in diameter and open from this floor to the top, a distance of sith feet. There are four broad stairways front this floor to the basement, and four in the story above and leading on to the attic. In addition to thex there is the grand stairway in the east corridor leading to the. floor of the House and Senate chamber and State library room. There are also two elevators in the building extending from . the basement story to the attic.
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The doors in the corridor, the wainscoting and main sprit- way will be made of marble; the other two stairways will beof - iron, and the finish throughout be made as nearly fire-proof as possible. The second story will be devoted almost exclusively. to the General Assembly. On this Home is the Senate chamber. Exel feet and 42 feet high; the House of Representatives, Tox91 feet and Is feet high; the post office, and sundry rooms for clerks, committees, &e, besides the State Library, 52th lect, and capable of holding third floor are the galleries to the Blouse and Se chambers & Allof the interior work, we understand is the rd in keeping with that already done, which is good, and
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Bucknell's Des Moines City Directory.
will do credit to the State, and to those having the work in charge.
: The estimate for the completion of the work is $733,007.00, making the total cost of the building $2,250 000.
Thus far the work has been carried on by the State (for no contracts have been let except for material) without going in debt, and without increasing the levy of two mills on the dol- lar, which has raised the revenue of the State for so many years past __ It is expected that the four corner domes or turrets will be completed this year, and the building will be completed so : that the State officers can move in the fall of 1881, and the legislature meet there in Jan
RATEROADS.
There are about thirty different railroad companies in Town, ` some of which have several branches, and the number of miles traversed is about five thousand, so that our State has become a network of tracks in all directions, and the outlook for new fines is better at present than it has been for years. It is. estimated that there are about twenty thousand persons in the employ of the various companies in Town at this time: so there are about one hundred thousand of the population of lowa who.
-derive their support from the raffroads in the State, receiving about Ss, mnohem annually as wages.
It is plain to be seen then that our railroads sustain a very important relation in an industrial way to the people of Iowa, and contribute largely to the general prosperity.
In Quang binh the first railroad reached Des Moines; now we have five, and two more will be in operation within a few months. Others are partially graded and one-the St. Louis line, an extension of the North Missouri, by way of Albia~ will probably be in operation within a vous
No other city in the state is to-day so favorably situated as Des Moines so far as railroads are concerned. The growth of the city has been very rapid since the advent and opening of the railroads, which converge here from every part of the
Sinte, freighted with the various products of the richest agri- cultura region of the world ing the city the convenient that place for a large number of flourishing towns and
Del phine the a trong have have sought to become each the neat, and several cities of the State somed to be counting the glory; but today it is confidently
Hoved that Des Moines at no distant day will become the godt railroad center of the State; will be to lowasshat Indian- :
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Bushnell's Des Moines City Directory
apolis is to Indiana. Indeed, all portions of the State are look. ing to Des Moines as the future metropolis of the great State of Iowa."
CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND AND PACIFIC.
This road is one of the greatest (if not : the greatest) lines across our State, connecting, as it does, at Council Bluffs, with the Union Pacific. It will compete with the eastern roads in transportation of freight and merchandise. The growth of commerce and trade of the west demand that this road should rank among the first in the land.
The road is kept in excellent condition, the rolling-stock is
always up to the mark, and the comfort of its patrons is always carefully looked after.
The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad will this year" replace some forty wooden bridges on their -various branches with an equal number of iron ones.
The report of the president shows that the aggregate-num- ber of miles of road owned or controlled under lease by the company at the close of the fiscal year, was, including the Keo- kuk & Des Moines division, 1,231 miles, 825 miles of which are in Iowa .-
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The rapidly increasing passenger business has necessitated increased facilities and accomodations; and to meet the wants of travel, this Company are running a line of Palace Sleeping Cars between Chicago and Des Moines, in addition to their present system of through cars to Peoria, Council Bluffs, Leav- enworth and Atchison.
I. E. Royce, the Division Superintendent, office at Des Moines, is a gentleman of ability and experience, and looks .. well to the interests of the road, and is highly esteemed by the citizens and business men of our city. (See the card of the com pany )
DES MOINES, INDIANOLA AND MISSOURI.
Active measures are now in progress likely to lead to the speedy extension of this road across the east and west trunk lines of Southern Iowa to a speedy connection with the great railway system of Missouri. This is a branch of the Chicago, - Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, and may well be considered of importance to Des Moines.
DES MOINES, WINTERSET AND SOUTHWESTERN.
This is also a branch of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Its business has-been very large, and its advantages to Des Moines are everywhere recognized. It is expected this branch will soon be extended southwest.
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Bushnell: Des Moines City Directory.
KEOKUK AND DES MOINES.
This road is. in a better condition than ever ._ It is now a branch of Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, and is being put in first class order in every particular. It is doing a larger business this year than ever, and is very important to Des Moines:
CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN, AND THE DES MOINES AND. MIN- NEAPOLIS
The North Western, like the C., R. I. & P., is an immense corporation uns and controls as many, if not more miles of road than any other company-in-America, and everything is kept in perfect order, first class in every respect. The gentlemen having the management of this road are evi- dently men of experience in railroad business.
The Northwestern now operates 489 miles in Illinois, 425. miles in Iowa, 504 miles in Wisconsin, and 197 miles in Michi- gan, a total of 1,016 miles .. It also has a proprietary interest in the following roads: Winona & St. Peters Railroad and branches, till miles; Iowa Midland Railway, GS miles, and the North- western Union Railway, 62 miles. The whole number of miles now operated by this great corporation is 2, 154.
Des Moines is fortunate in this addition of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad_interests. The Northwestern have leased the Des Moines and Minneapolis narrow- sauge road, which will be reorganized, and the track from Ames to this city changed to broad-gauge, giving the North- western entrance to this city. "The northward narrow-gauge route will be extended, and the road built to Minneapolis as a feeder.
The result of the reorganization, on the whole, will be ben- oficial to Des Moines, and the cars of the Northwestern road will be in Des Moines before long.
A Broad-gauge" will be laid from Ames to this city, thirty- eight miles, giving the Capital a direct road to Chicago, in competition with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, and from present appear- ances the Northwestern will run cars in here before the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, although the ! Fare pushing abead fast from Knoxville. So that, if we lose the narrow gauge road sain one of the best and most extensive roads in the Union.
CHICAGO, BURLINGTON AND QUINCY.
The Des Moines and Knoxville road having passed into the hands of the C. B. & Q., men and teams are doing all that can
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Bushnell's Des Moines Stry Directory.
be done to complete the road to Des Moines early this next fall This is built as an extension of the C. B. & Q. road, and so brings that corporation, with its thousands of miles of road into the service of Des Moines. They can succeed in doing this and they will. Their efforts have been constantly directed to this end and they will not relinquish it. The line is a popular one, „and will be a trunk line to Des Moines that will always remain a competing line against any and all other roads we have now. The road will be built in a manner entirely protective of Des Moines interests; present and future. : This will be of itselt good news to Des Moines, for it settles the future greatness of the place as a railroad center and manufacturing point, and there will have happened to Des Moines the best thing that has hap. pened to it since it got its first railroad. The Company have already bought. depot grounds, on Elm street between First and Fourth, where they will erect the passenger and freight depots. The road in every way will be put on a first-class footing. Ex- press trains will be run from Des Moines to Chicago in full competition With the C., R. I. & P. and C. & N. W. railway lines. When this line is completed we can go to St. Louis as well as Chicago without charge of cars. See the card of the company elsewhere.
-DES MOINES AND F.T. DODGE
This is the most important north and south line in the State The business of the past year shows the wonderful advantage of the road, not only to Des Moines, but the entire State, as it connects with the lines running east and west. The above named road has been of most practical benefit to our city, and we must say that the citizens and business men realize it. The company proposes an extension of the road north to a connection with the Milwaukee and St. Paul road. This will open up the trade with the pineries, and also furnish a market for the immense coal mines of Des Moines and central Town. The company's general offices are in Des Moines. C. V. Gilmore general Superintendent, and Geo. W. Ogilvie, general ticket agent, know how to manage a railroad successfully, being men of ability and experience in railroading.
COMING TO DES MOINES.
SUGGESTIONS THAT APPEAL TO THE INTERESTS OF DES MOINES BUSINESS MEN AS WELL AS THE PRIDE OF OUR CITIZENS ... 1
The prospects of Des Moines in the railroad line this year are the most cheering, and it is not at all unlikely that by next
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Bushwelt's Des Moines City Directory.
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wai this city will have more railroads than any other city west of the Mississippi river .
The amount of railroad building actually going on in the Whiral, western and northern part of the State is immense, and the long needed facilities being supplied:
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There is no reason in the world why Des Moines, situated in the center of the foremost State in the west, should not be -- come-as great a city, in wealth and population, as either Indianapolis . of Indiana, or Columbus of Ohio, In order to attain such a position, it is only necessary that her whole people act in concert in securing railways leading out east, west, north and south, tapping other lines already con- structed that will bring them in connection with the markets of the Union. Situated in the valley of the Des Moines + river, which abounds in .timber and coal, it ought to be, and will be, if her business men say the word, and have sagacity 'enough to utilize the resources that nature has placed in her hands, a great manufacturing city, and then with a system of railways leading out in all directions, it would become one of the best distributing points of the northwest.
MINNEAPOLIS TO BE CONNECTED WITH" THIS CITY BY RAIL .THIS YEAR.
In the St. Paul Tumeer Press, is the following news of interest to Des Moines:
"We are enabled to make a very gratifying announcement this morning, and one of interest and importance to St. Paul as well as Minneapolis. The management of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway Company has fully decided upon the imme- diate extension of their road from . Albert Lea, the present southern terminus, to Ft Dodge, lowa, a distance of one hun- dred miles. The Minneapolis & St. Louis company have not only decided upon this extension, but have made all necessary prop- arations to crowd the work to an early completion this season. The necessary funds have been provided for, the iron has been purchased, and the entire work will be put under contract at once, with the determination that the It. Dodge extension shall be completed and the cars running between that point and Minneapolis before the show flies. This will bring the immense coal fields of Towa within 250 miles of Minneapolis and St. Paul, will Give the Minneapolis and St. l'au! rond connections at Fort Dodge with the Ilinois Central railway, and the Des Moines and Fort Dodge road leading to Des Moines. It is an, important gap to fill; and Minneapolis has every reason to con- gratulate herself upon the fact that it isto be done so speedily."
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Bushnell's Des Moines City Directory.
This will give Des Moines direct and speedy access to Min. neapolis and Minnesota, and enable us to establish a system of exchanges with that State-exchanging our coal for its lum- ber. This is something both States long have needed, and now that this is to be had both States will be the richer for it. All of which will be a further incentive to the Chicago, Mil- waukee and St. Paul to push its Western Union division to this city from Marion, a project now being worked up by able - and wide-awake people.
MILWAUKEE, MARION, MARSHALLTOWN AND DES MOINES.
The Marion Register says:
For some time the people of Des Moines and Marshalltown, the two principal cities of Central Iowa, have been quietly can- vassing a project for the extension of our Milwaukee railroad to the capital of the State, and, as will be seen by articles which we copy to-day from the papers of those cities a meeting has been held and preliminary steps taken to carry out the design -referred to. A glance at the map will show that it is the best - unoccupied field in the State" for a road,- and the interests that will be subserved by its building are certainly of sufficient im portance to at once attract the attention of the officers of the M. & St. Paul Company and secure from them a friendly and efficient cooperation in the speedy construction of the road. The country through which it will pass, between this city and Marshalltown and thence to Des Moines, as beyond question the finest agricultural section in the State, richly improved, densely populated, and will furnish the road when built with a far bet- ter paying business than was secured by the Northwestern or the Dubuque and Sioux City when those roads were constructed westward across the State.
The project is a good one, a feasible one, and could be worked up and made successful if the people interested would only take hold of it-and it would give to Des Moines and Cen- tral Iowa direct connection with Milwaukee and - another line .. to Chicago.
DES MOINES, ADEL AND WESTERN.
This line is finished to Adel and is being pushed rapidly for
ward. The company has purchased the right of way from Waukee to the Missouri river, and the outlook for the speedy completion of this road is now very flattering. The subscribed
stock has been assessed fifty per cent, and the money paid, so that the road is now assured_
Bushnell's Des Moines City Directory.
DES MOINES AND MISSOURI RIVER.
The organization of this railway company has now been .: fully perfected, -- the articles of incorporation having been filed with the Secretary of State. The Board of Directors is com- -posed of the following named gentlemen: J. M. Tuttle, W. M. Jones, S. D. Nichols, Thos. Hatton, Jr., E. M. Ford, J. B. Heart- well, J. W. Mills, L. A. Grant.
The following are the officers of the Company :-
President, J. M. Tuttle, Vice-President, W. M. Jones. Treas- urer, Thos Hatton, Jr., Secretary and Chief Engineer, C. J. Moore.
Surveys of the different routes will be commenced under the direction of President Tuttle and Engineer Moore. -- The work will be pushed forward with all possible despatch. Money has been contributed liberally to pay the expenses of the prelimi-
nary survey. . There is an intense anxiety throughout all the : country interested, and work will be very lively along all the proposed routes from this on. There are three routes talked of, and any one of them would be a good one.
Other projected lines are spoken of, and we would not be. prised to see them speedily pushed forward. All lowa is
anxious to reach Des Moines by rail, already the great railroad Center of the State.
IOWA STATE FAIR,
FARK
Main entrance to the State Fair Grounds. Substantially built of Wick aid stone, that's Tout high and eighty Your feet in length.
To be held on September 1st, 2d, 3d, hh and the Officers - President, F. L. Downing, Oskaloosa, Mahaska County; Vier- President, C. F. Clarkson, Des Moines, Polk County; Secre- tary, John R. Shaffer, Fairfield; Jefferson County, Treasurer, J. G. Rounds, Des Moines, Polk County. Address the Secre- tary at Des Moines, after Aug. 10th, 1879.
DES MOINES WILL DO HERSELF HONOR.
The State Fair for 199 will be the greatest industrial exhi- bition lowa has ever held; greatest in the arrangement and defrance of its grounds; greatest in the display of products, stock, machinery and arts, and greatest in its orators and attend ance. The executive committee are untiring. The city of Des. Moines has put her shoulder to the wheel, and all lowa must move.
The people of this great State ought to meet once a year, and there is an better place than on the fair grounds.
The location is extremely favorable for an exhibition of the best products of all the various department of agriculture, and for a full attendance of farmers from every locality with the best trophies of their skill.
The buildings being put up on the lowa State Fair Ground me of a class to last for ages, and not of the sort to fall to pieces by their own weight.
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Bushnell's Des Moines City Directory.
For the first time in the history of the State Agricultural Society is the annual fair to be hold within easy reach of all parts of the State. The people all over the State should make it a point to make calculations to attend this fair. " Already are the grounds in such a state of preparation as to warrant us in saying that for beauty and harmony of arrangement they are to far surpass any grounds ever used as fair grounds before in this State. All the halls are to be of the most beautiful and tasty models. The grounds themselves and the arrangements of the necessary buildings and offices will well repay the trip to see them alone, to say nothing of what they will contain.
"The grounds belong to Me. T. E. Brown, and be intends to make it so attractive that he can make it useful, and in various Ways remunerate, to recompense him for his large outlays. The grounds are artistically laid out with carriage ways and walks in good style, and ornamental-entrance and exit gates. The roadways are fenced to prevent trespass upon the lawns. The entire grounds have a tight board fence eight feet high. There are sixty acres in this enclosure, and there is to be ten acres of camping ground outside. There is already on the grounds a half-mile track which is to be fenced on both sides.
The grounds are ample, taste and convenient. Mr. Brown
has a first class architect, Mr. B. J. Bartlett, employed, and all the buildings are to be in artistic style, of which Mr. Brown has giv- en assurance to any one who has seen the improvements in his new addition of the city of Des Moines. It will be a desirable place of resort and recreation as a park.
MAIN HALLS.
There are five largo halls, as follows: Fine Art Hall, Floral .
and Fruit Hall, Vegetable Halt, Mechanical Hall and Power. Hall. These halls are to be of the following dimensions; Fine Art Hall, fort, with two wings, toxo feet each -in the shape of a Greek Cross. The Fruit and Floral Hall Bycie, with two wings Bevil feet. Veritable Hall :2x100, with one wing 22350. The Mechanical Hall of ample size. Power Hall, size and style to be under direction of Committee, but to con- HID CHONG, boller, Shafting and pulleys.
All the foregoing halls are provided with tables, platforms, mailings, etc.
There is a building on each side of the main entrance gate, one for the treasurer and the other for the superintendent of rates and makes The office on the grounds for the President and Vice-President, 1x30, in two rooms, with words in front
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