USA > Iowa > Des Moines County > The history of Des Moines county, Iowa, containing a history of the country, its cities, towns, &c., a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers > Part 65
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524
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
service in the spring of 1874. It was named the "John Taylor," in honor of one of Burlington's oldest and highly-respected citizens, long identified with the river interest.
THE LEVEE.
The Burlington levee has been gradually extended until now it embraces one-half a mile, the most of which is well paved to low water-mark, being a gradual slope, making the river landing easy of access, and is well adapted to the general business of the river commerce. The Keokuk & Northern Packet Company has a substantial warehouse on the levee. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company have a large brick freight-house on the levee, built in 1877, 40 feet wide and 500 feet long. The Burlington & Cedar Rap- ids Railroad Company also have a freight-house on the upper levee. A large coalhouse is erected near the Packet Company's warehouse for the convenience of the river business. The arrangements for conjunction of river and railroad business are ample and well adapted for transferring from railroad to river, or vice versa.
STOCK-YARDS.
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company built extensive stock- yards at East Burlington in 1867, which were largely increased in 1876. There are 150 pens, which are so arranged that some eighteen cars can be loaded and unloaded at the same time. These yards cover about eight acres of ground, which has been filled about eight feet to bring it above high-water mark. The capacity of the yards is 200 cars per day. Connected with the yards is also a rendering establishment, for rendering dead hogs and animals. During the past six months, several improvements have been made. A water-tank, with a capacity of 60,000, an icehouse, corn cribs have been added, also a new engine- house built and a new engine put in. These are the most extensive yards west of Chicago. They are under the supervision of R. S. Hosford, from whose books we give below a comparative statement of the business transacted for the month of January, 1878 and 1879.
BURLINGTON STOCK-YARDS, FEBRUARY 1, 1879. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT.
January. 1879. |1878.
Number of cars of stock received.
530
370
Number of head of cattle received.
3982
3400
Number of head of horses received
26
Number of head of sheep received.
456
Number of head of hogs received.
17044
12260
Number of pounds of hay sold.
45275
30000
Number of bushels of corn sold
1019
606%
Amount received for sand bedding
$2 75
Amount received for partitions.
9 00
Debit.
Credit.
Debit.
Credit.
To cash for hay sold.
$162 99
$
123
22c per bu.
25c per 100.
To cash for corn sold.
$224 18
$151 62
To expense vouchers.
51 88
7 50
To pay-roll Jannary
371 20
312 90
By receipts ..
$1228 75
$ 777 70
Balance net earnings
418 50
182 68
Totals
$1228 75 81228 75 $ 777 70
$777 70
To average receipt per car
2 32
2 10
To average cost of labor per car
70
85
...
36c per 100.
41c per 100.
527
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
EXPRESS COMPANIES.
Ever since the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway reached Burlington the American Express, with M. C. McArthur for agent, has been one of its institutions. Its history has been one of uninterrupted prosperity. Its routes now extend over all the lines of railway entering and departing from Burling- ton, except the T., P. & W. road, on which the United States Express carries packages and freight. At present, the two Express Companies occupy the same premises and are jointly managed by M. C. McArthur.
THE TELEGRAPH.
The Western Union Telegraph Company's Burlington office is located at the corner of Second and Washington streets.
The Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company have their office in the Gor- ham House Block.
POST OFFICE.
The delivery of mail matter within the original limits of the city of Bur- lington, was first effected in 1834, by the private enterprise of Dr. William R. Ross, who afterward became first Postmaster-in 1835.
In the spring of 1834, Mr. Ross wrote to Hon. William T. Barry, Post- master General, asking that a post office be established at Burlington (Flint Hills). The request was granted, and Mr. Ross was commissioned Postmaster and mail-carrier, with a route from " Flint Hills, Ill., to Sho-ko-kon Post Office, seven miles southeast of Burlington, once a week." The mails were to be car- ried on horse-back, and the compensation was the proceeds of the office, until a regular route was established. Mr. Ross carried the mails for six months, at his own expense. He relates the following : "When I called for the blanks, saddle-bags, etc., that pertained to the office, Col. Redmon, Postmaster at Sho- ko-kon, would not deliver them up, as it would be ' malfeasance in office to send the mail out of the United States,' he said. I offered him a bond of $3,000 and agreed to turn over the proceeds of the office to him, but he would not deliver up the articles until the Postmaster General threatened to remove him from office unless he complied."
Dr. Ross succeeded in getting all letters and papers addressed to the res- idents of " Flint Hills " (which at that time comprised only two or three fam- ilies), intrusted to his care by the mail agent at "Reddings," Ill. (in the vicinity of the Curts farm), distant some seven or eight miles east from this point, at which place the mail arrived once a week from Rock Island. It was his habit to keep the matter so received about his person until the parties for whom it was intended came across him, and the saying became popular that " Dr. Ross carried the post office in his pocket."
After Dr. Ross was appointed Postmaster, the post office was kept in the store of S. S. Ross, on the corner of Water and Court streets, and was after- ward removed to a small log house on the same lot, fronting on Water street. At this time the business of the post office did not amount to much, and the office was contained in a large dry goods box, on the top of which was a plain desk on which the letters could be directed. The mails were small at this period and for quite a long time there were no boxes for the letters, though subsequently the Postmaster made some small partitions in the old dry goods box, in which the letters were arranged alphabetically. At this time, the mails arrived at Burlington by way of Peoria and Sho-ko-kon, being brought from the latter place in skiffs.
N
528
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
In a short time, the mail-route was changed direct to East Burlington. There was a mail-route to the south established soon after this, and Burlington was put in direct communication with St. Louis, the route at this end of the line extending from Burlington to St. Francisville, Mo., a small town on the Des Moines River, a few miles west of where Keokuk is now located. There were no envelopes used in those days, but the letters were folded up and sealed with wafers, the direction being on the blank side. The postage being 25 cents for each piece of paper, made the letters fewer than at present, and may have been one of the reasons why envelopes were not used, as they would have made it necessary to pay an extra quarter. Some of those old letters were marked prepaid, showing that it was optional with the sender whether to pay postage in advance or require the Postmaster to collect the amount from the person to whom it was addressed.
The second Postmaster of Burlington was Dr. E. Lowe, who was a prom- inent citizen of the Territory, and who was afterward President of the Consti- tutional Convention which framed the Constitution that was adopted before Iowa was admitted as a State. The post office was in a small building on Main street, where the Burlington Furniture Company's store-room now stands. Dr. Lowe held the post office during Van Buren's administration, until he was appointed Register of the United States Land Office, when he resigned and was succeeded by Maj. George Temple.
Maj. Temple, who was the third Postmaster, removed the office to the east side of Main street, in a small frame building on the lot where the furniture store of Franken & Gnahn now stands, in Coolbaugh's building, and afterward to a room where Kriechbaum's stove store now is. He held the office until Tyler's administration, when Levi Hager was appointed. Mr. Hager's office was in a frame building at the southeast corner of Jefferson and Third streets, where Wesley Jones' book store is now situated.
The fifth Postmaster was Oliver Cock, who was appointed during Taylor's administration, and who removed the office to the Barret House corner, where Gall's tobacco store now stands. By this time the population and business of the city had made considerable increase; and the business of the post office increased in proportion. The office contained a sufficient number of boxes for all customers and was well fitted up for the purpose for which it was intended. The rates of postage had been reduced in the mean time, and the post office was an important one. Mr. Cock held the office until Pierce's administration, when James Tizzard was appointed.
Mr. Tizzard had been editor of the Gazette, and was appointed as a com- promise between two applicants for the position. In the year 1856, Mr. Tiz- zard removed the office to the northwest corner of Washington and Third streets, where Woelhaf & Mason's merchant tailoring establishment is now situated. It only remained in this room a short time, and was then removed to the east side of the street where the Central Meat Market now stands. During the time Mr. Tizzard was Postmaster, the business increased rapidly. The C., B. & Q. road was finished to East Burlington. and the B. & M. road was commenced, extend- ing westward through Iowa. The mails were received by rail, and the daily line of steamers on the Mississippi River also gave us communication with the north and south. The old-fashioned stage-coach was not looked upon as of much importance, although the mail was sent by stages to some of the points in the vicinity for several years later. The old stage-coaches were used to carry the mails to Wapello until the Cedar Rapids road was built, and to Fort Madison, until the Keokuk branch of the C., B. & Q. was completed. Now
529
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
the only mail that is sent from Burlington by horse-power is the mail to Augusta and Denmark, but on this line a new style of hack is used, and the old stage- coach is entirely a thing of the past.
While the post office remained at the corner of Washington and Third streets, and at the beginning of Lincoln's administration, J. Fox Abrahams was appointed Postmaster, succeeding Mr. Tizzard. He held the office until Andrew Johnson became President. when Thomas French was appointed. He was not confirmed by the Senate, and Clark Dunham was appointed to the position. In 1868, while Mr. Dunham was Postmaster, the office was removed to Bar- hydt's Building, at the southeast corner of Main and Valley streets. Mr. Dunham held the office until 1870, when President Grant appointed the present Postmaster, N. P. Sunderland. This year the office was removed to Bodeman's Block. Mr. Sunderland is now serving a third term, and under his adminis- tration various improvements have been made in the office and the efficiency of the service. One of the oldest employes of the Burlington post office is W. D. Morton, who has charge of the general delivery. For twenty years he has held the position.
The different departments in the Burlington office of to-day are, the register- ing, the mailing and distributing, the money-order and stamp, and the letter- carrier department, introduced by act of Congress, October 1, 1873, giving carriers to all cities of 20,000 or more inhabitants. The names of the first carriers are C. W. Lemberger, J. S. Abercrombie, M. T. Ischoepe, B. F. Ayers, G. B. Pierson, C. H. Gardner. The annual Board of Trade report gives a full account of the business done at this office.
The following interesting reminiscences were recently furnished the Hawk- Eye by the gentleman who was the clerk referred to in the sketch. The writer is now a resident of Jackson, Tenn.
" If you will pardon the free use of the personal pronoun, I will tell you something of the Burlington post office from 1851 to 1853, 'all of which I saw and part of which I was.' July 1, 1851, Oliver Cock was Postmaster and A. H. Burhans was the only clerk. 'Gus,' about that time, contemplated step- ping out and going into the 'match business ;' in fact, he had one very fortu-
hate 'match' already arranged, which was shortly after consummated. An application for the place resulted favorably. The post office then occupied the large and spacious room (12x16) where the cigar store now is in the Barrett House, it having been removed the previous year from a one-story frame build- ing on the diagonal corner. The same building is now located just across the alley, in the rear of the Hawk-Eye, and within easy range of editorial vision. The salary for a clerk was not extravagant, and the new incumbent found that to make both ends meet it would be necessary to sleep in the office on the soft side of a plank, where for two years he found literally bed and board.
"The Eastern mail arrived daily, about noon, from Peoria, by Frink, Walker & Company's stages. Of letter mail, it brought one through and one way pouch, and generally a paper sack. Keokuk and the South came in at 6 in the evening, with about the same number of sacks, but less in quantity. The West, from Fairfield, was due at the same time, bringing one through and one way sack. From Muscatine it came at midnight, with one sack, looking as though an elephant had stepped on it. These comprised the daily mails from all directions, and would aggregate, in numbers, seven pouches and two paper bags, all of which could have been put into two leather pouches. In addition, was a tri-weekly to Rushville, and a weekly to Keosauqua. via Lowell, and a horse-back weekly to Toolsboro, via Bluff Dale, now Kingston. Augusta and
530
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
Denmark were supplied by a 'saddle-bag,' made up in the Burlington office, and sent on the Keokuk stage to Walker's Ferry. Occasionally this would be forgotten, and then the good people of Denmark would - ; they were not pleased. The entire mail received in a day would probably weigh 300 pounds, the only exception being when our worthy Senators, Messrs. Dodge and Jones, and Representatives Clark, Henn, Leffler, and Uncle Daniel Miller, remem- bered their constituents with . Pub. Docs.' These bags, being a little heavy, would sometimes provoke remarks, but the profanity was always confined to the stage-drivers.
" The ontgoing mails were lighter, except on publication days of the weekly Hawk- Eye, Telegraph and Gazette. The mail edition of the daily Tele- graph probably reached a hundred papers, and the boys at the office had a leather strap, about like a . throat-latch ' for a bridle, that they fastened round the bundle and would hang it on the knob of the post office door, from which it would be taken in the morning, in time for the outgoing mails. If the post office clerk happened to be down at the printing office on the night before, he would carry the package up, as they went to press with the 'morning' paper about 9 o'clock the evening previous. The tri-weekly Hawk-Eye was a trifle larger edition, but not much ; the Gazette was only weekly.
"Some years before, there had been a contest between Keokuk and Bur- lington as to which should be designated a 'distributing post office.' (This was before the United States Court contest.) As usual, Keokuk won, being the ' Gate City.' The stupidity of the arrangement will be apparent when it is remembered that the bulk of the Eastern mail for Keokuk, local, passed through the Burlington office, and very often the Keokuk 'D. P. O.' package would burst open, and in it invariably would be found letters for Burlington merchants, which had to go to Keokuk to be distributed, and returned next day. In ac- cordance with a regulation at that time, we had to keep a register of all newspapers coming to regular subscribers, giving name, place of publication and number of subscribers, and, if my memory is not at fault, there was but one daily paper taken at Burlington (outside of the newspaper exchanges) a copy of the New York Herald to Gen. Dodge. The leading paper with the 'Whigs ' was the St. Louis tri-weekly Republican. The Democrats scattered their patronage.
" My recollection of the gross receipts of the office is that they amounted to about $500 per quarter.
" The telegraph, as source for news, was not very reliable. The old 'Atlantic & Mississippi' had a sickly single wire from Davenport to Keo- kuk, and when it worked, our worthy townsman, A. T. Hay, slung the lightning. He was succeeded, in the fall of 1851, by J. J. S. Wilson, the present able and efficient General Manager of the Western Union lines in Chicago, who, in his deserved promotion, does not forget the pleasant winter spent in Burlington. In the spring of 1852, the line 'petered out,' and Hay rolled up the wire.
"The Presidential election of 1852 came off, and, having no telegraphic communication, we had to wait for two days for news. Peoria being in con- nection with the outside world, I arranged with Harry King, whose father was Postmaster there, to send me the latest news. The election occurred on Tuesday, and we got the result Thursday noon. When the stage arrived, a large crowd had gathered about the post office steps. The brass-lock sack was opened at once, and on the outside of the Peoria package was written : . Dear P -: The Whig Party's gone to h-1. Old Scott only got four States-Tennessee. Kentucky, Massachusetts and Vermont. Good by post office. Pack up your duds and come to Peoria.'
531
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
"I read the laconic message at the door and the crowd dispersed with a shout, and by 3 o'clock that afternoon a half-dozen petitions were in circula- tion for parties who wanted the post office. In due time, James Tizzard was appointed Postmaster, with William C. Saunder as clerk, and expressed a desire to retain, in addition, the former assistant. Gen. Dodge very kindly (which will ever be remembered with gratitude) interested himself in the mat- ter, and tried to get an allowance from the Department for additional help, but word came back from Washington that the 'magnitude of the business at the Burlington Post Office did not seem to warrant two clerks.'
" A quarter of a century has brought a wonderful change. Then, the total arrivals by public conveyance, of all kinds, would not reach fifty people a day ; now, it is probably forty times that. From a single telegraph wire, it has increased to the present perfect system ; the daily papers, from a small bundle, to cart-loads ; and mail matter, from two or three hundred pounds daily, until now it is reckoned by tons and car-loads.
BOARD OF TRADE.
In accordance with the provisions of Article I, Chapter 52 of the Code of Iowa, Revision of 1860, the following persons associated themselves into a cor- poration, to be known as the Board of Trade of the City of Burlington, Iowa, to have succession for twenty years, from February 1, 1873, to February 1, 1893 : E. M. Burt, J. C. Peasley, Thomas Duncan, J. I. Gilbert, William Bell, James Morton, J. W. Barnes, Charles O'Brien, Charles Starker, James Putman. The capital stock of the association is $50,000, divided into 5,000 shares of $10 each. The Board of Trade has now a membership of about seventy-five business men. The present officers are : Charles Mason, President ; Charles O'Brien, First Vice President; M. Simpson, Second Vice President ; E. A. Brenizer, Secretary. Each year the Secretary of the Board of Trade issues a report embracing a statistical review of the business of the city. However, as this book does not partake of the nature of a gazetteer, we omit giving an itemized statement, but will quote from the last report, published January 1, 1878, the business of 1876 and 1877 in general terms. The annual report of the Board of Trade for 1878 will in all probability be published soon after this work, and those desiring more accurate or detailed information, can secure it by applying to the Board of Trade :
STATISTICS COMPILED FROM BANK STATEMENTS, 1877.
Their united capital and surplus.
$ 652,980 00
average deposits.
1,008,705 50 1,088,958 28
average loans.
average reserve to deposits, 43 per cent.
66 exchange drawn on New York, Boston and Philadelphia ..
6,752,428 00
66 .6 Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati ..
9,462,752 00
66 Europe. 64,551 00
In 1877, according to the books of the U. S. Collector of Internal Revenue for this District, Burlington paid into the U. S. Treasury
125,265 16
The Wharfmaster's report for 1877 shows the amount of money collected during the season of navigation that year to have been
738 00
The Burlington Post Office issued, in 1877, foreign and domestic money orders in the sum of ..
72 432 07
and paid money orders in the sum of.
190,238 43
The sale of stamps and postal cards amounted to.
19,874 44
The sale of envelopes, wrappers, etc., amounted to.
9,871 40
The various wholesale and retail houses of the city sold goods, dur- ing 1876, amounting to.
The miscellaneous manufacturers did a business in 1876 of.
15,802,000 00 2,959,960 00
532
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
In the forthcoming annual report of the Board of Trade, tabular statistical reviews will be given of the business transacted by the different railroad companies.
BANKS.
First National Bank was organized February 2, 1864, and authorized to commence business March 29, 1864. The first Directors were Lyman Cook. D. M. Ewing, G. C. Lauman, E. Chamberlain, J. L. Corse, A. W. Car- penter, M. S. Foote, D. Denise and Joseph Norton. The first officers were : Lyman Cook, President ; A. W. Carpenter, Vice President ; and G. C. Lauman, Cashier. The present Directors are G. C. Lauman, Joseph Norton, Thomas Hedge, E. Chamberlain, J. G. Foote and Lyman Cook. The present officers are : Lyman Cook, President; G. C. Lauman, Vice President; W. P. Foster, Cashier. The capital stock is $100,000; surplus fund, $9,500.
National State Bank was organized January 9, 1865, with W. F. Coolbaugh, President, and F. W. Brooks, Cashier. It was authorized to commence busi- ness January 25, 1865. The present Board of Directors is composed of E. D. Rand, C. E. Perkins, Charles Starker, J. C. Peasley and J. T. Remey. The present officers are : J. C. Peasley, President; J. T. Remey, Cashier. The capital stock is $150,000, and the surplus fund, $30,000.
Merchants' National Bank was organized October 29. 1870, and authorized to commence business December 2, 1870. The first Directors were C. A. Bodemann, P. H. Smyth, T. W. Barhydt, J. C. McKell, T. W. Newman, C. O'Brien and L. Teedrick. The first officers were: T. W. Barhydt, President ; E. M. MeKittrick Cashier. The present Directors are J. C. McKell, John Pat- terson, T. W. Newman, T. W. Barhydt, George Sweny, W. W. Nassau and M. C. McArthur. The capital stock is $100,000, and the surplus fund, $210,000.
German-American Savings Bank was incorporated September 1, 1874. The first Directors were Hon. Charles Mason, Dr. J. J. Ransom, J. S. Schramm, Fred Becker, W. D. Gilbert, Henry H. Scott, S. H. Jones, J. H. Armstrong and John Lahn. The first officers were: Hon. Charles Mason, President ; H. Herminghans, Cashier. The present Directors are Hon. Charles Mason, J. S. Schramm, John Patterson, S. H. Jones, Dr. W. W. Nassau, Henry H. Scott, Dr. J. J. Ransom, C. F. Bosch and Thomas Hedge. The present officers are Hon. Charles Mason, President ; William A. Torrey, Cashier. The capital stock is $60,000, and surplus fund, $12,044.32.
Iowa State Savings Bank was organized August 20, 1874. The Directors and officers, who have always been the same, are Charles Starker, E. D. Rand, C. E. Perkins, J. C. Pcasley and Theodore Gillett. E. D. Rand is President, and William Garrett, Cashier. The capital stock is $60,000, and the surplus fund, $6,645.26.
CORPORATED JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES.
Burlington Mutual Loan Association was organized May 5, 1868, with the following first Directors : W. E. Tomlinson, Thomas Hedge, J. L. Waite, H. H. Scott, Robert Allen, A. J. Hillhouse : Auditors, R. Spencer, W. C. Hendrie and James Putman, and E. Joy. President; T. W. Barhydt, Vice President : J. J. Heider, Secretary ; John Lahce, Treasurer. The present officers are P. M. Crapo, President; H. H. Scott, Vice President; R. M. Green, Secretary : E. McKitterick, Treasurer. The office of this Association is located in O'Brien's Block, corner Fourth and Jefferson streets.
Burlington Lumber Company was incorporated February 10, 1877, with the following officers : E. D. Rand. President ; J. L. Pierson, Secretary and Treas- nrer. Capital, $100,000.
533
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
Burlington Insurance Company was incorporated December 21, 1860. The officers are Walcott Seymour, President; William Bell, Vice President ; J. G. Miller, Secretary. Capital, $200,000.
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