USA > Kansas > A standard history of Kansas and Kansans, Volume II > Part 43
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With the development of the railroad systems of Kansas eame the establishment of railroad shops for the repair and manufacture of rail- road equipment. These shops were small affairs in the beginning. They have increased in size and diversity of work with the demands of the roads until there are now in Kansas some of the largest railroad shops in the country. Those of the Atchison. Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
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Company, at Topeka, are the largest in the state. Sometimes as many as 4,500 men are employed there. This company maintains smaller shops at other places. The Union Pacific Railway Company has large shops at Kansas City, Kansas, as has the Missouri Pacific, the Rock Island lines, the Frisco, and other railroads. The Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company has extensive shops at Parsons, as well as its general offices. The general offices of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Company are at Topeka, and are the largest in the state-among the largest in the country.
The value of the output of the shops of railroad companies in Kansas is third in volume in the state. running well above $25,000,000 annually.
The printer's art is widely developed in Kansas. The publishing business is extensive. The State Printing Plant, at Topeka, is one of the largest printing establishments in the country. More than 1,000,000 volumes of school text books are published there annually. Crane & Company have, at Topeka, the oldest publishing house in Kansas. It has published more books pertaining to Kansas history than any other house. It has a large plant and is splendidly equipped. The Hall Litho- graphing Company, of Topeka, is another large publishing and printing establishment. It has a trade extending to the Pacific Ocean. The Capper Publications have a large plant at Topeka. They consist of the Topeka Daily Capital, The Mail and Breeze, and various other papers circulating all over America. The company was founded by Arthur Capper, now governor of Kansas, and who owns and operates the entire plant.
There are many manufacturing institutions of various kinds in Kansas which will appear in the latest summary prepared by the Kansas Department of Labor, here set out :
Industries
Year
Total value of products
Bakeries and confectioneries
1914
$ 2,438,830.20
Boxes and barrels.
1914
1,084,402.69
Brick, tile and clay works.
1914
1,707,666.54
Bridge and structural-iron work.
1914
2,035,634.26
Car and shop construction by steam railways. . 1914 1914
18,205,685.97
Cement plants
2,790,321.36
Coal mining
1914
10,530.661.92
Creameries
1914
9,202,724.58
Flour and grist mills.
1914
59,765,313.31
Foundries and machine shop
1914
5,599,122.94
Gas, electric light and water plants.
1914
6,150,347.78
Ice plants
1914
1.441,016.36
Oil refineries (petroleum)
1914
8,342,565.52
Planing Mills
1914
2,056.467.28
Poultry and egg packing plants.
1914
5.522,374.22
Printing, publishing and hook-binding.
1914
10,776,538.55
Salt plants
1914
1,203,348.63
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Total value
Industries
Year
of products
Slaughtering and meat-packing plants
1914
$147,663,460.08
Smelting and refining (lead and zinc)
1914
6,926,398.73
Soap factories
1914
8,603,974.29
Total for the state
.$312,046,855.21
MEDICINE
The growth of medical science in Kansas has been largely the reflec- tion of general progress in the profession in the country. With this, Kansas has kept full pace, and the medical profession is as intelligently represented in Kansas as in any state. The first physicians to become well known in Kansas were among the very earliest settlers. One of them was Dr. Charles Robinson, who came from Massachusetts and settled at Lawrence. He took a prominent part in Kansas political affairs on the Free-State side and was the first governor of the state. Dr. B. F. String- fellow came to Kansas from Missouri, but was a native of South Carolina. He settled in Atchison, and he became one of the leaders of the pro- slavery people and did his utmost to make Kansas a slave state. He died at Atchison respected by all. In the territorial days many other physi- cians came to Kansas to find a home and field for their labors. One of these was Dr. Joseph P. Root, who was a pioneer in Wabaunsee County. He finally established himself in Wyandotte County, where he had a lucrative practice until his death. He was elected the first lieutenant- governor of the state.
It is unfortunate that the statistics from which to write a complete review of the progress of medical science in Kansas do not exist. The early days of the territory and state were too strenuous to admit of that attention to vital statistics which should have been given.
The physicians of Kansas early recognized the need of association for exchange of ideas and information obtained from their experiences with the diseases met with in a new country. An act of the Territorial Legislature approved February 10, 1859, incorporated the first medical society. It was called the Kansas Medical Society, and twenty-nine physicians were the incorporators, as follows: M. Bailey, II. H. Beals, G. W. Beaumont, J. G. Blunt (afterward major-general in the United States Army), O. Brown, H. J. Canniff, A. Danford, A. Fuller, William Graham, S. C. Harrington, M. Hartman, M. F. Holaday, Amory Hunt- ing, C. F. Kobb, J. Leigh, T. Linsey, W. Madison, C. E. Miner, A. New- man, J. M. Pelot, J. H. Phelps, S. B. Prentiss, A. J. Richey, Charles Robinson, J. P. Root, L. C. Tolles, J. B. Wheeler, and J. B. Woodward. A permanent organization under this charter was effected at Lawrence, February 11, 1859. A portion of the charter members were present. Dr. S. B. Prentiss was chosen as president and J. B. Woodward was elected secretary. The committee appointed to prepare a constitution and by-laws reported on February 23, 1860. It submitted a constitution Vol. II-26
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and by-laws, which were adopted. This meeting also adopted the code of ethics of the American Medical Association. Delegates to this asso- ciation were not elected until 1867. This was largely because of the unsettled times due to the Civil war.
The annual meeting of 1867 reorganized the Kansas Medical Society and enlarged its scope to meet the growing demands created by the in- creasing population of the state. By its charter it was authorized to issue certificates to its members, to license physicians seeking to practice in Kansas whether they were graduates of medical colleges or not, and to organize in each county an auxiliary society. This work was now to be pushed with energy. In 1872 there were, as a result, the Northwestern Medical Society, the Southern Kansas Medical Society, the Eastern Kansas Medical Society, the Kansas Valley Medical Society, and the Third Judicial District Medical Society. These were all the offspring of the parent society, organized by and under its authority. Other societies have since been instituted-the Missouri Valley Medical Society, and the Golden Belt Medical Society. There are many local societies in the cities and counties of the state. The Kansas Medical Society has modi- fied its organization from time to time to meet the emergencies arising from the growth of medical knowledge and the increase in population of the state. With these things it has kept in touch, and it must be said that no other state has a more efficient medical force than Kansas.
The annual meetings of the Kansas Medical Society date from the meeting held in 1867. The real work of the society began at that time. The first number of the Medical Herald was issued in that year at Leaven- worth, by Logan & Sinks. The Medical Index, published by Dr. F. F. Dickman, at Fort Scott, succeeded the Herald. In 1889 the Kansas Medical Journal was published. In continues under the name of the Journal of the Kansas Medical Society. The place of publication is Kansas City, Kansas.
There has always been more or less friction in Kansas between the different "Schools" of medicine. On April 14, 1869, the Homeopathic Medical Society was organized at Leavenworth. It was incorporated January 24, 1871. The charter members were John J. Edie, H. F. Klemp, J. A. Rubicon, Richard Huson, and S. K. Huson. This society has maintained a vigorous organization, and is a forceful medical factor in the state. The Eclectic Medical Association was organized at Lawrence, June 1, 1869, with Samuel E. Martin, Topeka, as president, and N. Simons, Lawrence, as secretary. A state organization was effected which was incorporated as the Kansas Eclectic Medical Association, under the act of March 27, 1871. The incorporators were Daniel B. Crouse, Ansel M. Edison, George H. Field, Samuel E. Martin, David Surber, and Caleb D. Ward. The association undertook the establish- ment of a medical college in 1883 through a stock company with a capital of $30,000, but the plan was never carried to success. The association maintains its organization.
The question of who should be permitted to practice medicine in Kansas was long agitated without a satisfactory solution. The act of
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February 27, 1879, authorized the appointment of a board of examiners. This board was composed of twenty-one members-seven each to be appointed by three medical societies-the Allopathic, Homeopathie, and Eclectic. The board was to pass on the qualifications of applicants and issue them certificates. This law was not entirely satisfactory to either the physicians or the state. The act of March 1, 1901, created a board of medical examination and registration. This board consisted of seven members-physicians in good standing, having received the degree of M. D. from a reputable medical college or university, at least six years prior to appointment. The different "Schools" were to be represented, but no one "School" was to have a majority of the board. The terms of office were-one member for one year; two members for two years; two members for three years; two members for four years. After this, all members were to be appointed for four years. There have been amend- ments to this law and as modified it is still in force.
The first medical college in Kansas was organized July 3, 1889, at Topeka. It was the Kansas Medical College of Topeka. It had a capital stock of $100,000. The faculty consisted of twenty-four members, and the first term began September 23, 1890, in a building at Twelfth and Tyler streets. The robbery of a number of graves by persons supposed to be connected with the college created excitement and trouble. In 1903 this college became the medical department of Washburn College.
On July 12, 1894, the College of Physicians and Surgeons was or- ganized at Kansas City, Kansas. The officers were G. W. Fitzpatrick, president; W. L. Seaman, vice president ; J. A. Smith, secretary ; G. E. Tead, treasurer. It was absorbed by the clinical department of the University of Kansas in 1905.
The Kansas City Medical College was opened in Kansas City, Kansas, September 14, 1897. The Kansas City College of Medicine and Surgery was also opened in Kansas City, Kansas. It began September 22, 1897. The trustees were S. A. Dunham, president ; George M. Gray, vice presi- dent; James L. Harrington, secretary; Ernest J. Lutz, treasurer; John B. Seroggs, M. B. Ward, G. O. Coffin, H. M. Downs, A. J. Welch, P. L. McDonald, and R. E. Morris. It was also absorbed by the Kansas University.
The medical "School" of osteopathy originated in Kansas. Its founder, Dr. A. T. Still, came to Kansas with his father who was a mis- sionary to the Indians. Doctor Still served in a Kansas regiment in the Civil war. He is a man of deep and original thought. Becoming dis- satisfied with the effects of drugs on the human system, he turned his attention to functions of the nerves and muscles of the human body. By proper adjustment of these and the bones of the body he was enabled to secure results far more satisfactory than with medicine. He had made a great discovery, and later he moved to Kirksville, Mo., where he estab- lished a school or college for the training of men and women in the science or profession of osteopathy. It has grown to be a great institu- tion, with a fame reaching around the world.
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The medical department of the University of Kansas is located at Rosedale, on land donated by Dr. Simeon B. Bell, one of the pioneer physicians of Kansas. It now stands as the head of the medical activities, in an educational way, of Kansas.
Closely associated with the work of the medical profession of Kansas is the State Board of Health, an account of which see in this work.
RESOURCES
SALT
The salt of the State of Kansas has been derived from three sourees at three successive stages of the industry. The early salt factories, which were the erude devices of ancient times, consisting of stone arches and chimneys to conserve heat, built about the evaporating kettles, were in use from about 1860 or earlier until the '70s. The salt of this period came from the springs and marshes, or from shallow wells sunk in the marshes. In 1867, the first of the solar salt plants was ereeted, and these soon took the place of the older method. The supply was obtained from borings which produeed brine. The modern methods of salt manufacture were introduced in 1887-88 and the supply is obtained from rock salt.
The salt marshes and springs which supplied the early hunters and the first settlements with the product covered a wide area. The springs oeeurred in the eastern part of the State, in the valleys of the Neosho, Verdigris, and Fall River, at Osawatomie; and on Walnut Creek, in Brown county. The springs of the rivers mentioned yielded sufficient for local consumption. In 1862, the Osawatomie Salt Company was organized for the purpose of supplying salt for the Kansas market. In 1866, the Kansas Farmer speaks of this venture as successful, and mentions the Leavenworth Salt and Coal Oil Company having a sup- ply from the springs of Walnut Creek sufficient for forty thousand bushels per year. The marshes were in the middle seetion of the State. The most important, from the standpoint of utility at least, was the Tuthill marsh in the southeastern corner of Republie County. The Jamestown marsh was located partly in Republie and partly in Cloud and Jewel Counties. There were two in the southern portion of Mitehell County, two in the northern part of Lincoln County, and two in the northeastern part of Stafford County. Deposits of salt were also spoken of near Great Bend and in the Republican, Solomon and Saline valleys, and at Alma, St. Marys and Junction City. These marshes would dry up in the late summer and leave large areas of salt crust on the surface of the ground. This was taken up by the pioneer salt manufacturers and hauled to their factories where it was first dissolved and allowed to stand till the impurities had settled, then the brine was syphoned off and evaporated in open kettles. When there were no salt erusts, brine was used. Mr. Tuthill was the principal salt man of the sixties in his section of the State. Ile supplied hundreds of
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barrels of salt for the local market. The brine of the marshes yielded one bushel of salt to every one hundred and thirty gallons, but the shallow wells sunk a few feet below the surface yielded a brine which made a bushel of salt to every thirty-five gallons. This salt brought ten cents per pound on the market as late as 1870. This was equiva- lent to $28 per barrel. As a matter of contrast, a much better grade of salt sold in 1898 for 27 cents per barrel.
In 1866, Professor B. F. Mudge urged upon the people of Kan- sas the advantage of supplying themselves with salt and saving the sum of at least $80,000 paid to outside concerns for 40,000 barrels of salt. He called attention to the markets of the surrounding states, which were being supplied from the East and showed where Kansas had the advantage not only in the matter of freight, but in the splen- did adaptation of the climate to solar evaporation, which was then the cheapest method of manufacture in New York and other Eastern States. In that year William Taylor, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, visited Solomon. His attention was directed to the salt spring there. The visit resulted in the forming of the Continental Salt Company of Bed- ford, Massachusetts, which sent C. W. Davis to Solomon the next year with drill and equipment to sink a well and establish a factory. This factory produced several thousand barrels of salt per year, and caused Kansas to be recognized as a salt-producing State. In 1874, a second factory was set up at Solomon by William Dewar, who secured a very good brine at a depth of eighty-four feet. He built a solar plant which he operated for two years under the name of the Wimsatt Salt Works. In 1881, the two plants were consolidated under the National Solar Salt Company. In 1890, it became the property of Solomon Solar Salt Company. This was the most important solar plant in the State and had a capacity of seven thousand barrels per year. The low price of salt finally caused it to close down.
The development of the salt industry on its present basis began with the discovery of rock salt at Hutchinson by Ben Blanchard of Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1887. He was drilling for oil or gas when he located the strata. Salt was selling for $3.00 and $3.50 per barrel, and the enterprising Hutchinson people began to boom the industry. The first plant was built by Guoinlock & Humphreys. It was ready for business March 24. 1888. This was the boom period for oil and gas, and drilling was going on throughout the State for both these products. In the counties of Ellsworth, Barton, Rice, MePherson, Staf- ford, Reno, Pratt, Kingman, Sedgwick, Harper, and Sumner this drill- ing resulted in locating stratas of rock salt from one hundred and fifty to three hundred feet thick and lying from five hundred to one thon- sand feet below the surface. The discoveries in all these localities were made about the same time and within a year thirteen salt plants were doing business within the district and others were in process of construction.
Kanopolis. Kingman, and Lyons took the lead for the first year as salt-producing centers. Rock salt was produced at these towns almost
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exclusively. Plants for the manufacture of refined table salt were erected at Anthony, Wellington, Niekerson, Sterling, and Hutchinson, especially at the latter town, where eleven plants were either doing business or in the process of construction by the close of 1888. The Guoinloek works, which had a capacity of five hundred barrels per day, was followed in a few months by the Vincent plant, built by a company of Hutchinson and Emporia men, with Frank and John F. Vincent as leading members. It had a capacity of three hundred barrels per day. The next year this company added a dairy mill of one hun- dred barrels capacity, the first one in Kansas. The Vincent plant passed through the hands of several owners and was dismantled in 1911. The Diamond Salt Company was organized in June, 1888, and their plant was erected in South Hutchinson, late in the year. Its capacity was two hundred barrels. This plant was later bought by Joy Morton, who went into the salt business in 1891, and became the principal producer in the State. Other salt works installed in Hutchin- son at this time were: the Hegwer, the Riverside, the New York, the Crystal, the Bartlett, which is the present Mathews plant, the Penn- sylvania, the MeFarland, and the Wyoming, all small plants of one or two pans.
There were two methods of salt evaporation which predominated in this period, the pan process and the grainer process. In the pan process, the salt, instead of being mined as in the case of rock salt, was first reduced to brine by water forced into the mine. After the water became saturated it was drawn back through pipes and put into tanks. It was then turned off into pans where it was evaporated by the application of direct heat to the bottom of the pan. In the grainer process, evaporation was caused by running steam pipes through the pan and avoiding many of the difficulties of the direct heat method. It also utilized waste steam as in the case of the Union Ice and Salt Company, where the chief business was the manufacture of ice. This method was adapted to weak brines which could not be profitably evaporated in any other way. The grainer process was later modified by the use of cement or wooden pans instead of metal. The first grainer plant in the State was installed by the Barton Salt Company, in the old packing house in Hutchinson, in 1892.
The Vacuum process, which is the modern method, was first intro- duced by the Hutchinson Packing Company. The apparatus for this is in three compartments. At the bottom of the inner compartment is the fire. Pipes run from this to the outer compartment carrying away smoke, and supplying heat to the brine which is in the middle compart- ment. P'nmps at the top of the brine compartment exhaust the air and canse boiling at a very low temperature. As soon as the salt is deposited by evaporation, it is carried away by an automatic device, and fresh brine supplied. This method was not made practical until 1907, but it is now used almost exclusively and is a great saving of labor. Gas was introduced in 1907, and has this same advantage as a fuel.
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In the first year of the salt industry, investors overreached them- selves. The sum of $600,000 was spent, and the combined capacity of the various plants was conservatively estimated as nine hundred thousand barrels per year. The production for 1899 was half of the capacity of the factories and brought only forty-five cents per barrel as against $1.21 the year before. The next three years were a period of elimination and consolidation. The Hutchinson interests bought eight different plants at less than cost of construction, and closed most of them. In 1892 there had been a slight raise in price, salt bring- ing fifty-two cents that year. In 1893 it declined to thirty-six cents and continued on the decline until in 1898 the price was twenty-seven cents. The plants in operation at this time were all doing business at a loss. The production was 1,810,809 barrels. Efforts made by the leading producers to organize for the good of the industry were with- out results for a number of years. The competition of Michigan salt was keenly felt. It had two advantages on the general market, a low cost of production on account of utilizing the waste steam of the saw mills, and lower freight charges. On the other hand, Kansas had a better product, Hutchinson salt having taken highest award at the Columbian Exposition.
After 1898, there was another period of elimination, so that by 1902 there were but ten companies doing business in the State. Those at Hutchinson were, the Hutchinson-Kansas, the Barton, the Carey, the Union Ice and Salt, and the Hutchinson. There was the Anthony Salt Company at Anthony, and the Sterling Salt Company at Sterling. All these were manufacturing evaporated salt. The rock salt com- panies were the Royal Salt Company of Kanopolis, the Bevis Rock Salt Company of Lyons and the Kingman Salt and Mining Company of Kingman.
The Hutchinson-Kansas Salt Company was the consolidation of two of the largest salt interests in the State. The Hutchinson Salt and Manufacturing Company was organized in 1888, and built the works above referred to as the Vincent plant. In 1891 it bonght the Crystal Salt works and that of the Nickerson Salt Company at Nicker- son. In the same year it secured the Pennsylvania and the McFar- land salt plants through Mr. Jay Gould, into whose possession they had come, and the Goulds became interested with the Vincents in the concern. The Kansas Salt Company started in 1890 with the consoli- dation of three or four of the pioneer companies. In 1891 it bought the New York Salt plant, and, in 1894, the Star Salt works. In this year it beeame the property of the Mulvanes of Topeka. In 1899, the Heg- wer plant was bought, and shortly afterward it merged with the Hutch- inson Salt Company, under the present name. By a further consolidation in 1900, the interests of Joy Morton were taken over, and he became president of the company. It is to the influence of the men connected with this company from time to time that much of the credit is due in building up the salt industry on a paying basis, as well as securing ship- ping facilities and proper freight rates. The Vincents were practical
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salt producers and had charge of the plants. The Goulds and Mortons were railroad men and no doubt were instrumental in securing con- cessions from the railroads for the immense tonnage of incoming fuel and outgoing salt.
The Barton Salt plant was erected in 1892 and was totally destroyed by fire in 1903. It was rebuilt and still continues in business pro- ducing dairy salt by the vacuum process. The Carey Salt Company. of which Emerson Carey is the head, was organized in 1901. The works started with a two pan grainer, which was enlarged from time to time until it reached a capacity of five hundred barrels. In 1901, the C'arey Company built a new plant and installed a Quadruple Effect Vacuum pan. This is said to be the best equipped plant in the world. It lias
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