USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Evansville > History of the city of Evansville and Vanderburg County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 18
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credit here for originating the mixed carload system. A buyer who lacks the means to buy a car of each line of goods that he needs in stock, can go to the exchange and buy a mixed lot, using one car which can be packed with chairs, beds, tables or bedroom suites just as he needs them to sort it. He thus gets a rate on a car and saves a great deal in his freight. This fact has been made a great point by the traveling man and merchants who heretofore have been compelled to pay full freight rates because they could not possibly use a carload at at time, are very much pleased with this new idea which gives them a chance to stock up in all other lines at the same time and at carload rates. At present, the president of the exchange is Mr. A. F. Karges, the vice president, H. J. Rusche, the secretary, H. H. Schu, and the treasurer, Ben Bosse, of the Big Six Carloading Association. They also serve as directors and are assisted by W. A. Koch and Edward Ploeger. They have also an Association of which the following are the officers: President, Eli D. Miller, folding bed manufacturer; vice president, H. J. Rosenberger; secretary and treasurer, Charles D. Gilbert. The directors are the same as those mentioned above.
The upper part of the building and a portion of the front is used for offices. The furniture manufacturers say that in spite of the fact that lumber is said to be getting scarce, they have no trouble in getting all they want. They are heavy buyers and fine judges of lumber and know just exactly from whom to purchase their lumber. One of the association recently bought 3,000,000 feet of one concern. Of course they buy as much as possible from home dealers, but they also buy in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. This southern lumber has to be shipped here by river as the freight rate by rail would be too much. Their buying in big lots keeps them in such a position that they never have to close down on account of a scarcity in any certain wood or grade of lumber. They also claim that the Big Four Railroad will be a great help in putting their goods into places with which they have heretofore been unable to compete.
The following is a list of exhibitors at the Furniture Exchange build- ing, with the various lines they carry :
Karges Furniture Company, chamber suits, wardrobes, chiffoniers and chiffon robes; Specialty Furniture Company, chamber suits, chiffoniers and odd dressers; Bosse Furniture Company, kitchen cabinets, wardrobes and kitchen safes; Evansville Desk Company, roll-top and flat-top office desks ; United States Furniture Company, upright and mantel folding beds ; Buch- ner Chair Company, chairs and rockers; Evansville Bookcase and Table Company, extension tables ; The Metal Furniture Company, iron and brass beds and springs; Schelosky Table Company, extension tables ; Star Furni- ture Company, chairs, tables and kitchen cabinets ; Marstall Furniture Com- pany, wardrobes; Chair Makers' Union, cane and splint seat chairs and rockers ; Crescent Furniture Company, sideboards, buffets, china cabinets and chamber suits; Globe Furniture Company, chamber suits, sideboards and odd beds; Evansville Metal Bed Company, iron and brass beds and springs ;
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Stolz-Schmitt Furniture Company, chamber suits, chiffoniers, hall trees, dressing tables; Bockstege Furniture Company, parlor, library and exten- sion tables; Indiana Furniture Company, beds, safes, tables, wardrobes and kitchen cabinets; World Furniture Company, folding beds, buffets, hall trees, china closets and bookcases; Crown Chair Company, cane and wood seat chairs and rockers; Eli D. Miller & Co., upright and mantel folding beds; Evansville Mattress and Couch Company, davenports, couches, springs and cots; Evansville Trunk Company, trunks, hand satch- els, etc .; Troy Chair Company, cane and splint seat chairs and rockers; Hobenstein-Hartmetz Company, music cabinets; Becker Wagon Works; Henderson Desk Company, roll-top and flat-top office desks; Southern Stove Works, the Leader line; Indiana Stove Works, makers of the Darling line; Crescent Stove Works, manufacturers of the Crescent line; Evansville Stove Works, manufacturers of the Evansville Model line, and the Ad- vance Stove Works.
Manager Gilbert of the Exchange building says the number of visitors and buyers at the Exchange increases daily and that he believes this is go- ing to be one of the best years the manufacturers of furniture and stoves have had in a long time. Inquiries and orders are both on the increase and trade has opened up nicely since the first of March. The local factories are running on full time and in some of the departments night shifts are being worked.
Since the beginning of this work a consolidation has been made which will make Evansville the greatest furniture market in the world.
The Globe, World and Bosse Furniture manufacturing companies, com- prising four distinct plants, one of which is under course of erection, were merged into the Globe-Bosse-World Furniture Company with a capitaliza- tion of $600,000, all subscribed and paid into the treasury. The merger is the result of a plan devised by Benjamin Bosse, who has been the lead- ing spirit in the furniture making plants affected by the combine. The merger gives Evansville the largest single furniture manufacturing com- pany in the world, the second largest being that at Sheboygan, Wis.
The new corporation elected Benjamin Bosse, president; Albert F. Karges, vice president ; C. M. Frisse, secretary, and E. W. Ploeger, treas- urer. These officers and the following constitute the directorship; John W. Boehne, Fred Bockstege, H. J. Karges, H. F. Reichmann and Henry F. Bosse.
The capital stock of the original Globe, World and Bosse plants was $400,000. Additions to old factories and the erection of a new one have justified a 50 per cent increase in the capital stock.
The new combine will have a pay roll of $250,000 annually, will employ 600 men and manufacture goods worth more than $1,000,000 each year.
Economy of management and the saving of duplication in manufacture will be desirable results to be obtained by the combine. The factories in- cluded in the merger have all been built within ten years.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE FIRST STREET CARS-THEIR . SIMPLICITY-HORSES GIVE WAY TO MULES, THEN TO ELECTRICITY-ASPHALT FROM TRINIDAD PITCH LAKE-THE WHOLESALE TRADE-HOW IT PROSPERED DURING THE WAR-OLD TIME DRUMMERS-DECLINE OF JOBBING TRADE-HOW WE COLLECTED DEBTS- OLD COUNTY FAIRS AND HORSES-GOLDSMITH MAID AND JUDGE FULLERTON -THE FIGURE EIGHT TRACK-THE BIG FAIR GROUND- THE HOOSIER.
THE FIRST STREET CARS.
In the year 1867 the people of Evansville decided that the place had taken on enough airs to begin the construction of a street car line and the officials immediately corresponded with capitalists in the east who had made a business of things of this kind with a view of inducing them to locate a line here. Several of our local capitalists were inclined to go in with them but four citizens took all the stock and it was but a short time until Main street, which was then entirely unimproved, was all torn up and rails were being put down. Up to that time Main street was of course the popular street of travel and it was decided that the one route which would at once commence to do a land office business, ought to extend from the top of the levee to the E. & T. H. depot at 8th and Main. This, they decided, would do away with omnibus, hacks, etc., and the traveler coming from the south and wishing to go north, and, vice versa, his brother coming down from Chicago going to the south, would find a speedy means of tran- sit and at the time this Main street track was laid down, there was little or no talk about a line in any other part of the city. The work was done very speedily and it was soon announced in the papers that on a certain afternoon the street cars would begin running, (and for some reason while the people of the east spoke of these early cars as horse cars, we only knew then as street cars in Evansville). Promptly on time the car was loaded at the top of the levee and the one horse was attached to it and started to pull it but was unable to do so, so the crowd disembarked and very genially pushed it up to First and Main, when they went on their way rejoicing. It was found soon afterwards that this one block from Water to First could well be left out and the track was torn up and it is a fact that for a great many years and not until the lines were run into the hills below the city, this was the only real grade in the entire city of Evansville. And where is there another city of this size of which the same could be said? Cars that
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are now going by the name of dinky cars, a few of which still remain in possession of the company as mementoes, were well patronized and while our people were used to exercise and cared very little for such a small thing as a walk of 8 blocks, they patronized the cars for the novelty of the thing. For a long time the single horse was used in the cars, when it was decided that mules were better propositions than horses, as they were sturdy little fellows and could stop and start without pulling themselves all to pieces as a horse did. About the next move was to get up a cross city line and as Cook's park was then the chief attraction in the suburbs, it was de- cided to run the line to that point and as there was a lot of cheap ground across from the park, it was utilized for the street car stables. About this time Mr. C. R. Bement was the chief holder of the stock and I think even- tually controlled the most of it. This first line to Cook's Park ran along a raised road on one side of which was a hugh gully and near Fulton Avenue on the right-hand side going out, was another. In fact, that whole portion of town was cut up by hugh gullys which had been made by the overflow of water coming into Pigeon creek so that if an old pioneer could see that country today, he would hardly recognize it. Shortly after this there was a demand for car lines in all directions and one of the next to be built was a line to Oak Hill Cemetery. The first superintendent of the carlines here was a Mr. Wieland, a man from the east. He was succeeded by William Dean and he in turn by Billy Bahr, who was at the head of a great many changes and improvements. Then came Thomas Gist, also a practical street car man and then Mr. Herbert D. Moran, who represented a line of en- tirely new stockholders. They had plenty of money behind them and on the 15th of September, 1892, the first electric car was run. These, of course, would not compare to the cars of today, but it is due to the company to say that they have kept up with the march of improvement, have introduced better cars as fast as they were made and have today a very creditable . outfit. After Mr. Moran retired, R. Smith became superintendent and then Mr. Fletcher M. Durbin, who holds the position at present. The company now has 36 miles of city lines and 31 miles of interurban lines. Many of these lines which reach out into these neighborhoods, do not pay anything on the investment but as new factories come in and these waste places will be settled, the travel will become more extensive and the street car company will begin to reap its reward.
It was in 1888 that the first electric railroad in the United States was put in operation at Richmond, Indiana. Electricity as a motor was then only in the early stages and it seemed as if everyone connected with the advance of electricity was determined to keep his knowledge profoundly a secret and all outsiders were excluded. Those who dealt in electrical mo- tors had little to say about them but seemed to attempt to make their busi- ness mysterious. But many street railroad companies looked forward to storage battery cars. as the only substitute for the horse car. Storage batteries had not proven a success and had been abandoned in several
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places. It will be remembered that almost the first forward step in this part of the country in the way of getting rid of horse or mule power was taken up by Chicago with her cable lines and when it was found that they could be operated successfully, street car men seemed to feel that there was no need of their going further, but in Evansville no one thought of ever putting in a cable line. The street car men waited until the fact had been demonstrated that the trolley line was the only practicable method of running a car and though their first cars were more or less crude, it was not long until they had as good cars as could be built anywhere in this country. There has been some little trouble in Evansville as to the weight of the rails used and as to just what rights regarding the streets the railroad companies have and there have been many arguments on this question. However, these have been amicably adjusted, yet it is a fact well known to many citizens that when new streets have been put down the street car company has come very far from paying its proper proportion of the ex- penses. The asphalt on Walnut street is a very good case to which to refer. Where a double track exists the sum charged up to the property owners on Walnut street for the improving of the street was nothing more or less than outrageous, but the average citizen knew that all his time spent in kicking was wasted. Verily, the ways of asphalt are hard to understand. I know a whole lot about the matter, but what's the use of putting it in this book? Trinidad Pitch Lake Asphalt! Oh, ye suckers !
THE WHOLESALE TRADE.
Today many of us wonder how it is that Evansville, with all of its nat- ural advantages, has not grown faster, and it is indeed a strange fact, with its beautiful level country around it, its beds of coal, its mighty river, its geographical position, its climate, its hospitable people. There is every- thing to recommend and I will now say that as far ago as the year 1850 these natural advantages appealed to at least one man. Mr. Samuel E. Gil- bert had been in business in Mobile, Alabama, and having had a severe at- tack of yellow fever, was told by his physicians that he could not live longer in the South. He was then in the mercantile business for which he seemed well fitted and at once decided that he would move to the North and locate. At that time the little city of Madison was being boomed and he had heard of it from friends in the South and, leaving his business, he took his wife and son and taking a steamer started to Madison to look over the situation. At that time he had heard of Louisville, Kentucky, but had never heard of the name of Evansville, Indiana. When the boat reached this point, the captain told him that they would be delayed for some three hours, putting on freight, and told him that he might look over the little place, as it was getting to be quite a shipping point. Mr. Gilbert came up Main street and walked around the village and noticed the lay of the land, talked to some of the people and was very much impressed. He then returned to the boat
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and proceeded to Madison, Indiana. This latter place was somewhat in advance of Evansville in the way of culture and other things, but he noted that back of it were rows of hills and saw that there was no chance for a city to extend its limits in any direction without going up these hills, which of course meant that it would never be a great wholesale or manufacturing city, but simply a city of homes. He also decided that it was too near Louisville and Cincinnati to ever hope to compete with these two places as a wholesale center. With the little city of Evansville still in his mind, he came back, hired a buggy of Joe Setchell, one of the old livery men, and drove out back through the country roads in every direction and when he returned, he said to Mr. Setchell, as he delivered his team, "You have a chance for a great city here and I am going to come here to locate, al- though I never heard of the place until last week." He brought his wife and son down from Madison, rented a building from Thomas Scantlin on Sycamore street just back of the Orr Iron Store and started the first ex- clusively wholesale grocery in Evansville. At that time there were two other firms, Bement & Viele and Heiman Bros. Both of these firms were in the grocery business, but had retail counters in connection. Mr. Gilbert decided that a good wholesale business could be worked up in this territory and taking a horse he went into Kentucky, up through the Green river country and succeeded in selling quite a lot of goods. He told the mer- chants in that country that if they had no money they could send down hides, furs, beeswax, tallow, or, in fact, anything that would sell, and they could get everything they wanted from him in the grocery line. Soon after that he engaged the late William H. Rust, who for many years was one of the old landmarks about the city and he was the second drummer to ever go out of Evansville. About that time Captain Frank P. Carson be- gan to travel for the old Preston firm. This firm was at first Keen & Preston, but afterward the partnership was dissolved and they occupied separate stores. It soon began to be demonstrated that quite a large scope of country would buy goods from Evansville, if merchants were properly approached, and new wholesale houses began to spring up, so that by the time the war began the wholesale trade of Evansville was simply wonder- ful. There was keen competition in every line of business, whereas at the present there are some lines which have almost a monopoly, but in those days there were keen business rivals in every branch. A great amount of money was made by these wholesale men, who had the foresight to see that the war would create a great advance in prices, and many of them used every cent they could raise and used their credit to its greatest ex- tent to purchase goods. At this time Samuel E. Gilbert, before mentioned, built a large brick warehouse in the rear of his residence on Second street, and packed it full with all sorts of articles that he knew would rise in price. He obtained a great deal of money through his marriage to his first wife and through this reason was enabled to lay in this very large stock. When the war came on the wholesale business was making rapid strides and the
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only drawback the merchant had arose from the fact that they could not send goods to the South as fast as they were ordered, for a line of gun- boats were soon along the Ohio river and to be allowed to ship goods even to our close neighbors in Kentucky, it was necessary to get a permit from a provost marshal on one of these boats. It is a matter of history that in those days there was more or less favoritism. Firms who had come here from Kentucky and Tennessee and were as loyal citizens as any were not allowed to send out goods to fill their orders in many cases, while mer- chants who had come from the districts in the East had no trouble in get- ting their permits. At times there was usually a gunboat in front of Ev- ansville but at times it would leave for other points and when it came back and anchored, there would be a perfect fleet of skiffs taking the representa- tives of these wholesale houses out to the gunboats to get these permits. When the war closed no city in the United States reaped more benefit than those in this section. If course Cincinnati, Louisville and St. Louis, being larger, sold more goods, but Evansville got her full share. The South, after its four years of dire struggle, was almost in poverty and in many parts whole districts had barely the common necessities of life and they naturally turned to the North to get aid, and the position that Evansville held as the gateway to the South, so to speak, worked much to her advan- tage. Again, some of our best citizens had come from the southern states and located with us, so that there was a bond of sympathy which also had its effect. For several years after the war the trade kept growing. It was found that the houses were totally insufficient to accommodate the business and what is known as the wholesale district sprung up. The first block below Sycamore street was built by Samuel E. Gilbert and was known for many years as Gilbert's block. It was partially destroyed by fire some years ago. While D. J. Mackey was in the height of his pros- perity, and leading member of the firm of Mackey Nisbet Company, he built their present building and also the magnificent building now occupied by the Hinkle Nisbet Company and Leich Drug Co. and others, while across the street Geo. S. Sonntag, Cyprian Preston andothers built up until the square between Sycamore and Vine on First was a complete row on both sides of handsome buildings. In those days it was not an unusual sight to see the sidewalks completely covered and piled with goods reach- ing clear out into the middle of the street, so that there was barely room for two drays to pass each other and a great majority of these goods went South. It is a strange fact, but nevertheless true, that even in those days the country north of Evansville never seemed to care to patronize it in any way or shape. The merchants in that section all brought in some other city if possible. They seemed determined that not one cent of their money should ever reach Evansville. No one knows why this should be the case, but it was probably a case of envy. After the country north of here be- came cut up by a network of railroads and dummy lines, they began to throw their trade here, but with all due respect to them, it was only because
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they thought that they could save the freight and not from any great desire to help this city along. It is hard to tell just what factor produced the change in the wholesale business in Evansville. Possibly the inability of the merchants to compete with the enormous capital of the concerns in Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville and St. Louis, for it must be remembered that as fast as new lines of railroads were opened up and even ran to the doors of Evansville the drummers from these larger cities came in swarms and even sold their goods right in our own city. The gala day of wholesaling in Evansville was when we had packet lines up every stream near here. Green river, Cumberland river and the Tennessee river brought great quantities of goods. But just how much of this trade has been profit is something I cannot explain, for the reason given above. I only predict that the Evansville of the future will not be a great wholesaling Evansville, but a manufacturing Evansville. But by this I do not mean that the whole- sale trade will ever grow less than it is at present. In fact, as little places spring up around us on the different traction lines, the trade will increase and the natural increase in population in the Pocket of the State of Indiana will also aid. Much has been said about the drummer as he was called in the old days, or the commercial traveler, as he insists on being called at present. But one thing certain, the commercial traveler knows nothing at all of the hardships and trials of the early drummer. In this connection I am again compelled to speak personally. For nine long years my home was in the saddle, except for a few months during the summer. I served in the saddle longer and more continuously than any cavalry man in the late war. At that time there were two railroads in this part of the country, the E. & T. H., which came into Evansville, and the I. C., which ran into Cairo. All through southern Illinois and north Kentucky, where now a man can go in any direction by rail, not a railroad had been even suggested. I have gotten into the saddle at the stable here in Evansville, started out to make a thirty or sixty day trip without ever seeing anything except wagons and horse-back riders. The grocery drummer carried his samples as fol- lows: In a pair of saddlebags one side was full with several packages of coffee, sugar, syrup, tobacco, sometimes cigars, smoking tobacco, rice and what were known as the greatest staples in the grocery trade. In the other side he carried a few white collars, a change of underwear, socks and a few handkerchiefs. At the back of his saddle was a complete suit of rainproof clothes. Leggings, coat with no outside pockets (for they would catch the rain), and a rubber cap, to go over the back of the neck, giving the rider only a small V shaped place from which to note where he was going. He was supopsed to lay out his trip ahead, figuring just how long it would take him to ride from one town to another, how long it would take him to transact his business in each town and this list was left at the store, though there were no telegraph facilities or mail facilities enough to do any good. But the firm wanted to know where he was and more especially to check him up and see how much time he wasted. My house did not allow me to
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