USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. I > Part 48
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60
There were also present representatives of all the professions. Busi- ness men reported with hammers and nails and crash aprons. There were men who work hard in the ground six days a week. The holiday's leisure may have beckoned to them, but they declined to listen to its lure. They were on hand to assist the completion of a church building in the brief space of a day. Not much time was spent in putting the army to work. The plans had all been formulated. With the ease and pre- cision of thorough organization the big force was detailed to its task. The clatter of labor swiftly and efficiently performed smote the memorial silence. Under the magic of enthusiasm and direction the huge shape- less piles of lumber quickly began to assume the form of building ma- terial. Merrily plied the hammers and gayly sang the saw while the crunch of the plane buzzed through the obligato.
Slowly, very slowly, the work seemed to progress during the first hour. Much was being accomplished, but the results had not as vet been assembled, and to the onlooker, if an onlooker had been present, it would have seemed that the impossible had been undertaken. But there were no onlookers. The contagion of the effort was irresistible. Those who came to watch suddenly found themselves involved in the thick of the onslaught, toiling away like beavers. The pace began to tell upon some of the volunteer carpenters to whom manual labor was a novel experi- ence. Again the capable management that directed the operations again asserted itself. The force was divided into squads that worked in relays. As soon as a workman began to show signs of fatigue he was supplanted by a fresh recruit. This relay policy kept the working force continuously at its maximum of energy and of efficiency.
And the building grew.
By 8:30 the dim outlines of the structure could be discerned. And the tangible evidence acted as inspiration to greater endeavor.
Meanwhile the women of the Ladies' Aid of Alba, by whose efforts the church lot had been bought, were busily engaged in preparing a din- ner worthy of the occasion. Many of the workers ate that dinner with an appetite such as they had not known in years. The labor of muscle out under the blue sky, with lungs charged with ozone, brought them to the snowy white tables with fine zest. Vast piles of chicken and mashed potatoes and peas and steaming hot biscuits were dispatched and glori- ous heaps of strawberry shortcake disappeared.
Meanwhile the building of the church never ceased. Still plied the hammers, still the saws sang their songs, a sort of combination of artillery and musketry.
444
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
Early in the afternoon the strenuous pace of the day began clearly to manifest itself. Now every hammer-stroke seemed to lend a more definite form to the structure which grew steadily and wonderfully.
It had been planned to hold the dedicatory services at half past 5 in the afternoon. At 10 o'clock in the morning that hope had seemed a vain one, but at 3 in the afternoon everybody was fired with the belief that the program as arranged could be carried out, and in that belief they redoubled their efforts.
And at 5:30 the work had been accomplished, the miracle had been wrought, and a church was standing.
Safely walled and roofed, with the seats in place and an organ on the platform, the service, led by Rev. D. W. Moore, of Carthage, was begun. The invocation was offered by Rev. Mr. Famuliner, of Joplin. Rev. A. K Williams, of Joplin, read the scriptural lesson and Rev. Mr. Morgan, of Carterville, had charge of the singing. After a prayer by Rev. G. J. Chapman, of Joplin, there was a short talk by Evangelist Jones, who appealed to the generosity of the congregation-an appeal which brought forth a response in the way of a contribution of $557.50.
SEMI-MILITARY SOCIETIES
In February, 1905, Captain E. E. Spracklin, of Webb City, organized a company of the Uniform Rank of the Woodmen of the World and their splendid drill manoeuvres attracted wide attention. Seven other com- panies in southwest Missouri, six of them being located in Jasper county, were soon afterwards formed, and these eight were organized into a regiment of which Captain Spraeklin became the colonel. The regiment. as a whole, had participated in many Woodmen events and three of the companies have won prizes either at a state or national eneampment. The Webb City company in 1908 won first prize in the National contest at Milwaukee.
UNIFORM RANK KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS
In 1897, Colonel Carl Gray who commanded the Third Regiment of the Uniform Rank K. of P. was promoted to the position of division super- intendent of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad and rose by rapid jumps to be the vice president and general manager of this great system. After his removal from Jasper county, no one seemed willing to assume the leadership of his old regiment, which had gained such distinction dur- ing the middle nineties, and for a couple of years the Uniform Rank was dormant and did nothing save to hold the charters in the several eom- panies in the regiment. In 1902, a great Pythian wave swept over southwest Missouri and at a meeting held at Joplin in June of that year, the regiment was reorganized. Major Joel T. Livingston of Joplin, was chosen colonel and captain. Henry Wonner, of Webb City, major eom- manding the First Battalion, which was made up by Jasper county companies. This regiment in less than a year grew to twelve companies
445
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
and numbered 450 Sir Knights. Webb City Company No. 11, under command of Captain Fred HI. Nesbit, won the greatest distinction, hav- ing received from the grand chancellor the distinguished honor of being invited to eseort the Grand Lodge to its meeting place at its session in 1903. The invitation was aeeepted and the manoeuvres of old No. 11 on the streets of Jefferson City, in front of the governor's mansion, sent the Pythians wild with enthusiasm. This company also won first prize at the regimental contest at Monett, in July, 1894, and second prize at the state encampment on the following October. In October, 1903, Colonel Livingston was elected brigadier general of Missouri brigade, U. R. K. P .. and Major Henry Wonner was elected colonel of the Third regiment and still holds the position.
RAILROADS
During the past ten years Jasper county has enjoyed excellent rail- road advantages. In addition to the lines mentioned in our previous chapter, three new roads entered the county, and the Missouri Pacific road made extensive improvements.
The White River line, an extension of the Missouri Pacifie, via Carth- age, to the cotton belt and pineries of Arkansas, was built in 1904, and has opened to the wholesale interests of the county a rich trade to the east and southeast. The Missouri Pacifie extension from Carthage to Asbury also opened to the farmers of the northwest part of the county a new field for trade.
The Missouri & North Arkansas Railway and the Missouri, Kansas & Fort Worth have entered the county, making Joplin their termins and these two lines have been of great benefit to the county-the one opening a new field for trade on the south and the other bringing the mining district nearer to the coal, gas and oil belt of Kansas and Oklahoma.
VISIT OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
On January 3, 1904, the Geological Society of America, comprising eminent geologists and scientists from all over the United States and Canada, visited Jasper county and remained a few days studying the geological formation of the mining distriet. There were forty men in the party, ineluding the director of the United States Geological Survey and the professors from the leading universities of the United States and Canada. Dr. Robert Bell, of Ontario, Canada, in discussing the visit to the Jasper county district, said that he had not until then realized the immense value of the mineral deposits of southwestern Missouri. Said he: "You will find as time goes on, that your best deposits lie deeper in the ground and that the shallow mining that you are doing now is only play."
THE DROUGHT OF 1901
The summer of 1901 went down in history as being the hottest in many years and those who had kept observations of the weather say that
446
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
July of that year eclipsed any heated term that southwestern Missouri had witnessed since 1860. From July 1st to the 26th the thermometer hovered around the 100-mark, but one time in the twenty-six days going as low as ninety degrees. The last ten days of this hot spell the heat was very oppressing, the temperature rising a degree each day until on the 25th of the month the thermometer stood at 111.
During this hot spell there was much suffering and likewise great damages to the crops. The exceeding hot weather caused the creeks and rivers of the county to become almost dry. Spring river looked like a little brook. Wells and springs dried up and there was much suffering for the want of water. On the 24th of July there came a rain, however, which brought relief and, thongh much of the crops were ruined, still enough was saved to make a respectable showing at harvest time.
The day before the rain, the thermometer had stood at 111ยบ and when the night came on there was but little rest to the tired people. At 4:30 on the 26th a little shower came up and, as the day came on, turned first into a drizzle and then into a mighty rain. All during the afternoon the rain descended in torrents, materially cooling the atmosphere and re- freshing the thirsty world. That night the people got their first good night's rest in ten days and woke upon the morning of the 27th to find the temperature had dropped to seventy-seven degrees.
THE OTHER EXTREME
On the 11th of January, 1905, there came on a severe snow storm, which was followed by a drizzling rain which froze as soon as it tonched the ground. The entire surface of the earth was one great skating pond -not figuratively but literally-and the trees and underbrush presented a sight of beauty long to be remembered. Following this coat of ice, which did not melt for two weeks, there came another storm more severe than the first in this-that the temperature went far below the zero mark and hovered around it for most of the month.
February 12th was the coldest day of the year, and was said to have been the coldest sinee January, 1885. The thermometer on this date (February 12, 1905) ranged in various parts of the county, from twenty- one to twenty-seven degrees below zero.
WATERS ON A TEAR
April, 1902, was a very rainy month, so much so that nearly every river and creek in the county was out of its banks. Toward the close of the month a storm came on which almost deluged the county. The rain deseended in torrents for almost forty hours, and Spring river and Center creek, which are fed by numerous little streams, both resembled for a time the great Father of Waters. Spring river was higher than it had been for years and it spread out all over the valley on either side, in some plaees being half a mile wide. Hundreds of people viewed the raging
-
447
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
torrents from the cupola of the court house and it was a most magnificent sight.
When the waters receded and the river returned to its banks, it was found that much damage had been done to the crops, and the scene of grandeur of a few days before was turned into one of disappointment at the fortunes that had been swept down the river by the flood.
448
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
YELLOW DOG MINE, WEBB CITY
UNDERGROUND MINING SCENE, WEBB CITY
CHAPTER XL
MINING AND BANKING
FIFTEEN YEARS' MINERAL OUTPUT-PRICES FOR TWELVE YEARS-STRIKE AT ORONOGO-BANKS AND BANKING-THE PANIC OF 1907-BUSINESS CARRIED ON BY CHECKS-JASPER COUNTY BANKERS' ASSOCIATION- THE JOPLIN CLEARING HOUSE.
During the last decade, excepting now and then, the old-time methi- ods of mining have disappeared and the modern mill, with its up-to-date machinery and equipment, has taken the place of the old windlass, the horse hoister and the hand jig.
FIFTEEN YEARS' MINERAL OUTPUT
The mining industry of the county can best be represented by a cita- tion of the output of the several mines during the decade, and because the great mining industry, of which Jasper county is the center, has so much in common-with other portions of the district. Therefore, for comparison's sake, we include in our table the output of the entire min- ing distriet.
ZINC ORE.
LEAD ORE.
Combined
Year.
Tons.
Valne.
Tons.
Valne.
Value.
1911
266,377
$10,398,947
46,244
$2,656,565
$13,055,512
1910
296,976
11,926,782
44,419
2,335,422
14,262,204
1909
301,206
12,192,770
44,186
2,420,878
14,613,648
1908
259,598
8,917,073
39,119
2,152,896
11,069,969
1907
286,587
12,521,522
42,034
2,898,405
15,419,927
1906
278,929
12,079,602
39,188
3,049,573
15,129,175
1905
252,435
11,334,320
31,679
1,968,480
13,302,800
1904
267,240
9,601,200
34,362
1,886,150
11,487,350
1903
234,873
7,920,520
28,656
1,550,870
9,471,390
1902
262,545
7,973,770
31,625
1,457,120
9,430,890
1901
258,306
6,353,950
35,177
1,617,700
7,971,650
1900
248,446
6,584,290
29,132
1,407,810
7,992,106
1899
255,088
9,590,456
23,888
1,272,008
10,862,464
1898
234.423
6.319,867
26,791
851,947
7.171,814
1897
177,976
30,105
4,726,302
Vol. 1-29
449
450
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
The following table will give an idea of the several mining districts of Jasper county, the figures showing the total value of the lead and zine ontput for 1911 :
Joplin
$2.885,842
Webb City, Carterville
5,256,982
Duenweg
777,895
Alba-Neck City
691,372
Oronogo
474,264
Cave Springs
189,241
Reeds
5,650
Carthage
69,006
Sarcoxie
51,340
Carl Junction
191,194
PRICES FOR TWELVE YEARS
The following table shows the highest and average prices per ton of zine and lead during the past twelve years :
ZINC.
LEAD.
Year.
High.
Average.
Iligh. Average.
1911
$54.50
$39.03
$64.00
$57.42
1910
52.00
40.18
58.00
52.57
1909
55.00
40.47
60.00
54.78
1908
47.00
34.40
66.00
55.03
1907
53.50
43.68
88.50
68.90
1906
54.00
43.30
87.00
77.78
1905
60.00
44.88
80.00
62.12
1904
53.00
35.92
62.00
54.80
1903
42.00
33.72
60.50
54.12
1902
42.00
30.33
50.00
46.10
1901
34.00
24.21
47.50
45.99
1900
38.50
26.50
56.50
48.82
MINING EXHIBIT AT THIE LOUISIANA EXPOSITION
At the World's Fair, 1904, the mining industry of Jasper county was well advertised, five train loads of specimens being sent from the mines of the district. The feature of the exhibit was a mill in operation, where the visitors were shown the manner in which the mineral product was prepared for the market. At this mill was a representation of a mine from which the mineral was hoisted with the full equipment of an up- to-date mill, crusher, steam jig and all.
STRIKE AT ORONOGO
twenty-four dollars a ton, in 1897, to sixty dollars in 1899. Very naturally the miners felt that they were entitled to a substantial raise in
As mentioned in our mining article of the nineties, "jack" was from
451
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
wages and at Oronogo in May, 1900, went on a strike for higher pay. The strike was attended with no riots. The miners simply quit work and the miners throughout the district did not rush in to take their places. The Granby Company which controls most of the mines at this place arbi- trated the matter with the miners and the following sliding scale of wages was agreed to : When jack sold for less than twenty dollars a ton, miners were paid $1.75 a day ; when it sold from twenty to thirty dollars a ton, $2.00; from thirty to thirty-five dollars, $2.25; from thirty-five to forty dollars, $2.50; and so on for each five dollar raise in the price of jack an additional twenty-five cents per day was added to the pay of the spade hands, tub men, etc.
BANKS AND BANKING
The banking interests of Jasper county have grown to such im- portance that, we prefer, on account of the conditions peculiar to this last decade, to treat them as a whole, rather than make separate com- ment of them in the history of the different cities and towns.
Fourteen new hanks were organized and have added not only great strength to the county in a financial way but have greatly facilitated the transaction of business. We have to record the failure of one bank, the first bank failure in the county since the panie of 1893, to-wit, the Joplin Savings Bank. With this single exception the banks of the county have flourished.
THE PANIC OF 1907
In 1907 Jasper county was enjoying unbounded prosperity. Jack was commanding a good price and in all of the mining communities there was great activity. The people in the farming districts were prospering, and in the cities especially-Joplin, Webb City and Carthage-there was a pronounced building boom. The demand for houses made real estate in great demand and everything was life and activity in the busi- ness world. Early in October the failure of the Manhattan Trust Com- pany, of New York City, threw the county into the wildest excitment, and it was feared that many of the large financial institutions of the metropolis would go to the wall. The banks in the exchange cities de- clined to ship money to their correspondents in the country and for the two-fold purpose of (1st) preventing a run on the banks and thus plung- ing the country into a great financial disaster and (2nd) of carrying on the business of the country. the following plan was adopted by most of the banks of the county :
(1) The people were asked to pay all of their obligations with checks -that is, if they had a bank account, and these checks. based on the credit at the bank, served as a medium of exchange.
(2) Each customer at a bank was permitted to draw in money dur- ing the week twenty per cent. of his deposit. but no more than fifty dol- lars was paid to any one person.
The great majority of the people saw that to embarass the banks at
452
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
this time would mean great disaster to the people and quiekly dropped into the plan proposed, to meet the situation until the banks of the large cities could work out a plan to meet the emergency.
BUSINESS CARRIED ON BY CHECKS
For the convenience of carrying on the business of the county the mine owners and other large employers issued a number of small checks to their employees in payment for their wages. To illustrate: At the Yellow Dog mine, Webb City, cheeks were issued in two dollar denomina- tion and for fractional parts. If the miner had earned $17.50 for the week, he received eight $2 checks and one of $1.50, and with these he could easily pay his grocer, buteher, milkman, ete., and at each place receive a little change for incidentals. At other places the checks were split up, as the wage earner desired it.
After the first week of the panic the banks of the county issued cash- iers' checks in $1, $2 and $5 denominations and these served as a medium of exchange until January 1, 1908, when all of the banks began to pay out the real money over the counter and the panic. save the effect. was at an end.
The panic brought on some unique and interesting situations, and we mention a few of them here.
Several of the large firms, such as Newmans in Joplin, and Ilum- phry, at Webb City, also issued their personal cheeks for the purpose of expediting the business of the community. To illustrate: The customer desired to buy a hat-say that would cost $3-and tendered in payment his wage check. This was accepted and in return for the balance the pur- chaser was paid one or two of the firm's $1 and $2 checks and some money. These personal checks were accepted without protest and were counted as good as a bank draft.
Most everybody wanted to get rid of the cheeks and cashiers' checks, and so the people bought as much, if not more, than before the panic came on, and as the merchant at the bank received eredit for all these cash items the business of the county went merrily on.
All of this carrying on the business of the community on paper brought on an immense amount of bookkeeping at the banks. It will be readily seen that as it takes as much labor to enter a check for $2 as one for $20, there would be about five times the amount of labor in handling a $20 payment of wages, because there would be perhaps five cheeks in small denominations issned to cover the amount paid. It was no uneom- mon thing for the bank clerks to labor late into the night in disposing of the day's business, especially the Saturday and Monday's work.
Until the panie all of the banks of the county kept open on Saturday night, and, in the mining towns especially about one-fourth of the busi- ness of the week was transacted. All of the stores kept open until late and the scene of activity was a sight worth going miles to see. The stores were crowded and the streets packed. When the panic came on. how- ever, it was thought best not to open the banks on Saturaday nights,
158
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
and since then the banks throughout the county have thought that the business could be handled satisfactorily without the Saturday night opening. Two banks in Carterville and four in Joplin have returned to the Saturday night opening and transact a general banking business from 7 to 8 o'clock. Quite a number of the banks which did not return to its old plan, encouraged their customers paying large numbers of men to use the envelope system and pay the men at the mines and factories in money. This, of course, does away to a certain extent with the de- mand for the Saturday night opening.
JASPER COUNTY BANKERS' ASSOCIATION
The panie brought into existence the JJasper County Bankers' Asso- ciation which, during the panic, held many sessions, looking to a satis- factory solution of the great problem then before the people. This asso- ciation, at its organization, agreed that in the event of a run on any bank to come, as a body. to the resene, and so complete was the under- standing, and so splendidly did each bank do its part, that at the close of this unfortunate financial disturbance every bank was as solid as the day the storm broke loose; in place of having lost deposits, they had in- creased them and, excepting for the unpleasant memories of the strenu- ous ten weeks that followed the failure of The Manhattan Trust Com- pany of New York, the banks of Jasper county came through without the loss of a dollar to either the depositors or stockholders and as strong as the everlasting hills.
The following banks compose the Jasper County Bankers' Association : Bank of Alba, Alba ; Bank of Carl Junetion and Citizens' Bank, Carl Junction ; First National Bank and Miners' Bank, Carterville; Bank of Carthage, Carthage National Bank and Central National Bank, Carth- age; Farmers & Merchants and First National Banks, Jasper; Citizens' State, Conqueror Trust Company, Cunningham National. First National, Joplin National, Joplin State, Joplin Trust Company and Miners' Bank, Joplin; Bank of LaRussell, LaRussell; Bank of Neek City, Neck City ; Bank of Oronogo, Oronogo; Bank of Purcell, Purcell; Bank of Reeds, Reeds; First National Bank of Sarcoxie, and State Bank. Sar- coxie ; Merchants & Miners' Bank, Mineral Belt Bank, National Bank and Webb City Bank, Webb City.
THE JOPLIN CLEARING HOUSE
The banks of Joplin, at the beginning of the panic of 1907, organ- ized, for the purpose of better handling the perplexing financial situa- tion, a clearing house and its operations were highly successful and very greatly assisted in maintaining confidence among the people.
The seven banks of the city guaranteed each other credit and issued, in place of the cashiers' certificates, which had circulated for the first few days of the financial flurry, clearing house certificates which were guaranteed by the Clearing House Association.
454
HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
For each seventy-five dollars of the clearing house certificates issued one hundred dollars of either bonds or approved securities were deposited with the finance committee of the Clearing House and were pledged to secure their payment. This gave the clearing house certificates an air of stability which marked them gilt edge and these were taken, not only in Joplin but by surrounding towns and not infrequently found their way to the banks of the exchange cities, everywhere passing at par.
The clearing house was found to be such a convenience in handling the business of the city that its organization has been maintained and the daily balances of the banks' daily clearings are settled through this medium. The officers of the clearing house from its organization to now have been : President, John A. Cragin, of the First National Bank, and manager and secretary, J. A. Garm, of the Joplin National Bank.
CHAPTER XLI
OLD-TIMERS FROM EVERYWHERE
LAST REUNION OF JOPLIN OLD SETTLERS ASSOCIATION-PRESIDENT CAR- TER'S ADDRESS-"OLD SETTLERS' ODE TO JOPLIN"-THE TOASTS AND SPEAKERS-PERSONNEL OF THOSE PRESENT-OLDEST LIVING PIONEER -STATE PICNICS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
The last reunion and annnal banquet of the Joplin Old Settlers' As- sociation occurred May 14, 1905, and although the supper was excellent aud the after-dinner speeches fine, there was a touch of sadness that crept into the banquet hall and set the pioneers thinking of the "eity not made with hands." During the year that had passed since the last gathering of the association, nineteen of the members had answered the summons of the Great Master Workman and the president, William Carter, who had been the leading spirit in arranging the details of the several banquets which had been given, on taking the chair was greatly affected when he looked around the room and noted the many vaeant chairs and, being somewhat indisposed, was obliged to leave the hall before the exereises of the evening were concluded.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.