USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people > Part 29
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Ex-Lieutenant Al Cahn made a most humorous response to the toast "The Ex-Officers on half pay and short rations."
Major Craycroft of Joplin did the honors for the Joplin Rifles and referred eloquently to "our better five-eighths, the ladies."
THE LIGHT GUARD DISBANDED
At the session of the state legislature in 1887 that body made no appropriation for the National Guard and the companies all over the state disbanded, among them the Light Guard. The Carthage Banner, speaking editorially of the matter, said: "Company A, Fifth Regiment N. G. M., is no more. This means that the Carthage Light Guard, the flower of the regiment, the pride of our people and the oldest company in the state, has, like many other companies throughout the state, laid down its arms to the legislative cowards who fear the threats of a secret organi- zation that defies the law whenever opportunity offers, and to the de- mands of the mossback element from the back counties. It is a most humiliating surrender after nearly eleven years of faithful service. While our people feel most keenly the loss of the Light Guard and are chagrined beyond measure that this step has been forced upon the com- pany, they all unite in approving of the action taken Wednesday night.
"The meeting was largely attended and the motion to disband was carried unanimously. A resolution of thanks was tendered to the gov-
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ernor, the adjutant-general, the chairman of the senate and the house committees on militia for the efforts they made for the success of the bill; also to the citizens of Carthage for their support and encourage- ment in the past. The arms will be returned to the state, and the uni- forms and other property carefully stored and kept in good condition for the future, in case another company should ever be organized under more favorable legislation. It was decided that after the debts of the company are paid, the surplus remaining in the treasury shall be donated to the Board of Trade. This amount will probably be between $180 and $200. The first prize medal held by the company was voted to Capt. Caffee, and the second medal to Capt. Harrington. The company flag was voted to Lieutenant Deutsch."
REORGANIZED
At the 1889 meeting of the general assembly a liberal appropriation was made for the state guard and Company A was reorganized, fully one half of the old members going into the reorganized company. The company will be spoken of again in our military article covering the 'nineties.
CHRISTMAS POSTOFFICE SURPRISES
In 1880 Maj. A. F. Lewis, editor of the Carthage Banner, was ap- pointed postmaster of Carthage and under his able management many new and business like innovations were made. So thoroughly did he sys- tematize the work and so quickly and satisfactorily was business trans- acted that before the end of the year the office had been raised from third to second class, which brought with it more and better mail service and postal accommodations. This was greatly appreciated by the citizens of Carthage and it was decided by the business and professional people of the county seat to present the postmaster with an appropriate testimonial of their appreciation. Christmas day was selected as the most appro- priate time for the presentation.
Major Lewis was not aware that he was to be the recipient of a Christmas present and himself had planned a Christmas surprise. At about eleven o'clock Christmas day, 1880, the postmaster called all of his help to his desk and in a neat speech related the raising of the office from a third to a second class station, stating that he desired to give full credit to the office force for this important designation. He said that howsoever well he might plan, if there was not perfect accord and loyal support from the "men behind the guns" he could not succeed, and in testimony of his appreciation of their loyalty and faithfulness he pre- sented each with a handsome Christmas souvenir. He had scarcely fin- ished his remarks when one of his intimate political friends asked him to step over to the restaurant and get an oyster stew. Now oysters were Major Lewis's long suit and he accepted. On arriving at the oyster par- lor he found there assembled some hundred or more of the business men
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and leading citizens and before he had time to ask the meaning of the assemblage Attorney Al Thomas, a most ardent Democrat and political adversary, as spokesman for the people, told Mr. Lewis that regardless of their political affiliations they were loud in their praise of his manage- ment of the postoffice and desired to show him in some tangible way their feeling of commendation and on behalf of the business men of Carthage presented him with a gold watch appropriately engraved. The watch was a beautiful one, costing one hundred and fifty dollars. It is needless to say that Major Lewis was overcome with feelings of gratitude and thereafter on account of the two Christmas surprises, the postoffice work was improved still more.
FIREMEN'S TOURNAMENT JUNE 12-14, 1888
The Southwestern Volunteer Firemen's Association held their an- nual tournament at Carthage and it was a great success, being attended by some twenty-five companies and $3,500 was distributed in prizes.
FIRST-PRIZE WINNERS AT FIREMEN'S TOURNAMENT. JUNE, 1888
The firemen were quartered at Camp Thomas, in Central Park. One of the features of the tournament was a band concert, the opening night being attended by twelve bands combined for the occasion into one mon- ster organization of one hundred pieces.
CARTHAGE ENTERTAINS THE GRAND LODGE K. OF P.
In October, 1882, the Missouri Grand Lodge, Knights of Pythias, honored Carthage as the place of holding the annual legislative assembly. The people of the county seat always entertain with a lavish hand and on this occasion did themselves proud. The business houses and many residences were beautifully decorated with the flag of the nation and the
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colors of the order. The session lasted for three days and brought to the Queen City a thousand visitors including, besides the delegates to the grand body, eight divisions of the uniformed rank. Among these were drill corps from St. Louis, Sedalia, Moberly, Nevada, Fort Scott and Columbus, Kansas, as well as the uniformed divisions of Joplin and Car- thage. The parade of the Uniformed Rank escorting the representatives to the place of meeting was an imposing affair and gave to Jasper county and Southwestern Missouri its first glimpse of the red-plumed Knights who, during the latter 'eighties and 'nineties created such wild excite- ment at the national encampment of the order.
One hundred and fifty dollars was given away in prizes. The cham- pionship prize open to all divisions was won by the then celebrated Tancred Division of Columbus, Kansas, winners of the second prize at New Orleans in 1884 and the first prize at Toronto, Canada, in 1886. The first prize, open to Missouri drill teams, was won by the Sedalia knights, where the divisions from Moberly and St. Louis also carried off honors.
At the close of the first day's session a grand ball was participated in by the members of the order. At this meeting of the grand lodge, John H. Holmes, now for twenty years reelected grand keeper of records and seals came into prominent notice, making a taking speech in present- ing a jewel for faithful service to Charles J. Gelwitz, then holding that office, and being designated by the grand chancellor as the leader of the grand march at the military ball.
JASPER COMMANDERY, No. 31, K. T.
What St. John's day is to Masonry, so Ascension day is to the Knights Templar. The occasion is the one day during the year when an appropriate celebration is always had.
. This important annual event was three times publicly observed by the Carthage commandery, until during the 'eighties the exercises of 1885 were perhaps the most elaborate of its public gatherings. Ascension commandery of Joplin, and Mount Olive of Lamar were the guests of the mother commandery and participated in the parade and other ex- ercises. The day was concluded by a banquet at the Harrington Hotel. Among the speakers at the banquet were D. A. Preston, of Joplin, who spoke eloquently on the subject "Ancient Knighthood." Col. A. A. Hulett of Webb City spoke of "Templarism of Modern Times" and paid a glowing tribute to the work of the temple as exemplified now.
S. S. Wells, on behalf of Jasper commandery, responded to the toast "Carthage," while S. Wells, of Lamar, spoke of the tender mem- ory of the Mount of Olives. H. H. Barns of Joplin told of the wondrous charm of lady fair, and paid a glowing compliment to the Eastern Star.
THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
Stanton Post No. 16, Grand Army of the Republic, was mustered July 19, 1882, by Major William Warner, of Kansas City, then depart-
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ment commander of that organization. As will be noted from the num- ber, the Carthage Post was one of the first to be organized in the state and has always been a strong organization, both in point of numbers and good works. It has exerted a great influence in Carthage and has cared splendidly for its members. The feeling of comradeship has been strong and has brought the brothers-at-arms closer together as neighbors and friends.
The following were the Charter members of Stanton Post No. 16: Thomas Buckbee, second lieutenant, Company B, 13th Mo. Cav .; G. M. Hurley, ass't surgeon, Medical Staff; W. S. Bower, quarter gunner, United States Navy ; T. A. Wakefield, first lieutenant, Company A, 8th Mo. Cav .; C. P. Phillips, private, Company A, 17th U. S. Col. Inf .; H. Armstrong, captain, Company A, 2d Mass. Cav .; Bennett Hall, sergeant, Company E, 129th Ill. Inf .; Amos H. Caffee, surgeon, 13th Kas. Inf .; Benton Tuttle, private, 1st N. Y. S. S .; Frank Hill, private, Company H, 5th Mass. Vol .; Jesse Rhoades, corporal, Company H, 30th Ill. Inf. Vol .; E. J. Montague, second sergeant, Company B, 9th Ill. Inf. Vol .; A. Pettyjohn, private, Company E, 88th Ind. Inf. Vol .; J. W. Burch, private, Company E, 107th Ill. Inf .; S. S. Riley, private, Company C, 23rd Ind. Inf .; E. R. Wheeler, private, Company E, 22nd Ill. Inf .; J. P. Hubbart, private, Company A, 2nd Ill. Cav .; A. B. Parkell, major, 4th Iowa Cav .; Dr. Miller, corporal, Company H, 9th Ind. Inf .; J. G. Irwin, first lieutenant, Company K, 18th Ohio Inf .; J. H. Coffman, second lieutenant, Company B, 126th Ill. Inf .; M. Shupert, private, Company D, 24th Ohio Inf .; H. Hubbart, private, Company F, 2d Ill. Cav .; R. L. Galbreath, second sergeant, Company L, 14th Pa. Cav .; Theo. F. Gray, second sergeant, Company I, 169th Ohio Inf .; J. H. Ralston, private, Company A, 16th Ill. Inf .; A. J. Crandall, private, Company C, 51st Wis. Inf .; Walter Benedict, private, Company B, 100th Ill. Inf .; R. G. Seawell, corporal, Company D, 100th Ill. Inf .; J. E. Twitchell, corporal, Company E, 6th Mo. Inf .; A. F. Lewis, lieutenant, Company I, 13th Kans. Inf .; John C. Gill, private, Company B, 40th Ill. Inf .; G. Rose, private, Company G, 15th Ill. Cav .; Charles Pool, corporal, Company B, 24th Ind. Inf .; Sam Wetzel, captain, Company B, 29th Ind. Inf .; John T. Hodsheir, private, Com- pany E, 4th Mo. Cav .; E. Edwards, private, Company C, 12th Mo. Inf .; J. C. Bridges, private, Company K, 21st Ill. Inf .; Charles Bovard, private, Company G, 11th Pa. Inf .; Josiah Tilden, paymaster, U. S. A .; C. W. Botkin, private, Company H, 1st Ala. Cav .; H. P. Sloan, captain, Company C, 74th Ill. Inf .; E. C. Stephenson, private, Company D, 36th Wis. Inf .; Andrew Russell, private, Company I, 14th Iowa Inf .; W. O. Robinson, second sergeant, Company F, 16th Iowa Inf.
THE CARTHAGE SKATING RINK
In 1884 Messrs. J. E. Sombart and Frank Jeans built a skating rink which at that date was the finest institution of the kind west of the Mississippi. The structure is one hundred and fourteen by sixty-six feet,
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the auditorium being one hundred by sixty-six. The building, since 1890, has been used as an armory for the Carthage Light Guard and is ad- mirably fitted for drill purposes. The old rink has been the scene of many a brilliant military ball and other social functions where space was a factor. The building originally cost $5,000.
CARTHAGE CITY HALL
In 1884 Carthage built a commodious city hall, and we clip, from the Banner of June 6, 1884, the following description of the building : "Certainly no fault can be found with the contractors for the new city hall with reference to their promptness in completing the building Their contract called for its completion by the 13th of July, 1884. The structure was today turned over to the city for examination and ac- ceptance. Another feature of the business upon which the city is to be congratulated is that the city hall is a fixed fact without having ex- ceeded the $7,000 voted for the purpose.
"It is a building of which our city may be proud. It is not par- ticularly magnificent, but is neat, commodious, conveniently arranged and in every way fills the bill.
"The ground floor contains the city jail, which is subdivided into a corridor and five cells, six by eight feet each, besides the iron cage which is seven by fourteen feet, the remainder of the ground floor, twenty-two by forty-three feet is intended for the fire department, and is connected by an archway in one corner with the hose tower.
"The second floor is divided by a hall way running the full length of the building north and south. On the west of the hall is the record- er's court room, eighteen by forty-five feet in dimensions, with a stair- way at the south end leading to the jail department, for the convenience of those lodging below who are called upon to meet His Honor. On the east side of the hall are three rooms for the use of the various city officers. Water, gas and every convenience are admirably distributed throughout the building. A broad stairway from the front on Grant street, which goes up between the city hall and Harrington & Sander- son's new block, affords the main communication of the offices with the outer world, besides which however the hallway extends clear across the block and the building is accessible from Harrington's front stair- way opening on the public square.
"The city council this morning thoroughly inspected the building and found it in every particular up to contract. Messrs. Harrington & Sanderson will receive due credit from the public for the promptness and thoroughness with which they performed their obligations to the city."
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CHAPTER XXIII
JOPLIN, CIVIC AND BUSINESS
THE WHITE LEAD WORKS ZINC FACTORY-WOOLEN MILL-JOPLIN FLOURING MILL-FIRST STREET CAR LINE-WATER WORKS BUILD- ING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION-THE JOPLIN CLUB-INTRODUCTION OF TELEPHONE-ELECTRIC LIGHTS CITY POLITICS AND AFFAIRS-FIRE DEPARTMENT-BANKS AND BANKING THE NORTH ROAD-THE SPLITLOG (KANSAS CITY & SOUTHERN) RAILWAY-SCHOOLS DURING THE 'EIGHTIES-FORMAL ADOPTION OF HIGH SCHOOL COURSE-ARBOR DAY-FIRST COMMENCEMENT-HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY-DISTRICT OF JOPLIN ORGANIZED COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS.
Joplin during the 'eighties made a steady and continuous growth, although there was no period that could have been designated as a boom. The following business ventures figured prominently in the upbuild- ing of the city.
THE WHITE LEAD WORKS
As mentioned in our chapter on Joplin during the 'seventies, the white lead works revolutionized the manner of handling that ore, and when it became a fixture in the mining district the other lead furnaces, one by one, suspended operations and the smelting industry centered in the lead factory of Moffet & Sergeant.
The original plant of the lead works was destroyed by fire on April 3, 1880, and was rebuilt at once, the new factory being double the size of the old works.
During the middle 'eighties the lead works were sold by Moffet & Sergeant to a company composed of L. P. Cunningham and others and they, in turn, sold the plant to the Picher Lead Company, the present owners of the works.
The white lead from the Picher factory is now sold in all the markets of the world, the United States government being a purchaser, using the Joplin sublimated lead to paint the battleships.
THE ZINC FACTORY
Another institution which was of vast importance to Joplin during the 'eighties and the 'nineties was the zinc works located on west Ninth street, just north of the cemetery. The company was organized in December, 1881, by P. Murphy, William Byers, Thomas Connor, T. A.
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McClelland, O. H. Picher, L. P. Cunningham, C. H. Brewster and Ed. Zilliken. Here a number of furnaces were built for the reduction of zinc and a large amount of the mineral of the Joplin district was there made ready for the market. A hundred or more men were employed and its influence was greatly felt in a manufacturing way. The works later became the property of the Empire Zinc Company, and when the natural gas fields of Kansas offered a cheap fuel were torn down and moved to the sunflower state.
THE WOOLEN MILLS
The later part of 1882 a number of the leading business men of the city conceived the idea of making Joplin a manufacturing, as well as a mining center, and organized the Joplin Woolen Mills Company with a capital of $25,000.
The mill was built in 1883 at the corner of Eleventh and M
BROADWAY, EAST JOPLIN, IN 1883 (Old mule cars making first trip.)
streets and for four years was operated with a fair degree of success. In 1884 the capital of the company was increased to $50,000.
During the later 'eighties the operations of the mill were not suc- cessful and the plant was leased to the Inland Lead and Paint Company and turned into a paint factory.
JOPLIN FLOURING MILL
In 1882 John B. Sergeant built the Joplin Flouring mill, a three- story brick building on the site of the Brand-Dunwoody Milling Com- pany's plant, Eleventh and Wall streets.
This was Joplin's first mill and proved a great boom to the city, as it brought, to Joplin many farmers, with their grains, who previously had gone elsewhere.
The mill when first built had a capacity of grinding one hundred
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barrels a day, and its elevator had a capacity of 40,000 bushels. Dur- ing the first year of business the mill ground 20,000 bushels of wheat. This mill was destroyed by fire in 1892 and was rebuilt by W. G. Ser- geant, a son of the original builder. The mill now belongs to the Brand- Dunwoody Milling Company who have since doubled its capacity, mak- ing it a 300-barrel a day plant.
FIRST STREET CAR LINE
John B. Sergeant, after having made a fortune out of the mines, did not go elsewhere to seek investment, but used the large capital he had made to further build up and develop Joplin. We noted during the 'seventies his connection with the first railway that was built by the City of Lead, and so, in the 'eighties, we find him organizing a com- pany to build a street car line.
On November 15, 1882, a franchise was granted to John B. Sergeant to build a street car line in the city. The Joplin Street Car Company was organized with a capital of $20,000 and a mule car line built, the road extending from East Broadway to the zinc works on West Ninth and traversing Broadway in East Joplin and Main and Ninth streets in West Joplin. The car barns were on Broadway in the old Collins stable. The company operated four cars and owned eighteen span of mules which were used as the motor power. Clark Craycroft was the super- intendent and general manager of the road. With the advent of elec- tricity as a motive power of the old mule cars passed off the stage and made way for the up-to-date mode of transportation.
THE WATER WORKS
As mentioned in our section devoted to the 'seventies that the great majority of the people who came to Joplin in its early day did not ex- pect to remain longer than to make a quick fortune. Consequently the early improvements were not of a permanent character. The houses were quickly put together, but few people dug wells or cisterns, and the main water supply was from the water wagon. S. O. . Ellis, of East Jop- lin, had a deep well from which he secured a fine supply of water which, was sold to his customers, but the great majority of water haulers ob- tained their supply from the mining pumps. With these conditions the establishment of a water works system was hailed with delight.
Shortly after his election as mayor W. E. Maynard appointed a com- mittee of citizens and the city council to act jointly and to investigate and report a feasible plan to build a water works system for Joplin. The committee consisted of L. A. Filmore, P. Murphy, J. Hewitt, O. H. Picher, A. B. McCarty, Dan Collins, C. J. Lewis, P. E. Blow, W. L. Harris, and A. C. Blakey.
The committee held a number of sessions and during their settings listened to three propositions by C. E. Gray of St. Louis, Charles H. Fuller of Decatur, Paul B. Perkins of Geneseo, Illinois. The one sub- Vol. 1-17
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mitted by Mr. Perkins seemed the most feasible and on the 22d of De- cember, 1880, the committee submitted its report to the city council recommending that a franchise be granted to that gentleman and that the system of water works proposed by him be adopted.
The matter was submitted to a vote of the people and at a special election held on January 11, 1881, was carried by a tremendous ma- jority-1,229 votes being cast in favor of the proposition and only 31 against it.
The Joplin Water Works Company, successors of Paul B. Perkins, was incorporated April 9, 1881, with a capital of $124,000. The officers of the company were O. H. President, president; P. Murphy, vice pres- ident and treasurer; L. P. Cunningham, secretary, and C. J. Lewis, superintendent.
The works were built during the summer and fall of 1881; a public test, which proved highly satisfactory, was made October 20th, and the plant was formally accepted by the city and opened to the public on November 1st.
The building of the water works was perhaps the most important event of the 'eighties and marked the beginning of the passing from an overgrown mining camp to an up-to-date city. With their building came a modern fire department and adequate fire protection. It lessened insurance rates and supplied the city with a quantity of fresh water from beautiful spring-fed Shoal creek. It made possible a water sup- ply for factories, mills and mining plants. In short, it paved the way for a greater Joplin.
The building of the water works also gave a confidence in the stabil- ity of the city and was one of the factors in its real establishment. In 1882, the first year after the construction of the water works, some $500,000 was spent in buildings of various kinds-not much for today, but then a considerable sum.
THE JOPLIN BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION
Perhaps no other society did more toward building up Joplin than the Building and Loan Association, which was organized April 10, 1883. The capital stock was $200,000, consisting of 200 shares of $1,000 each. At the organization of the association it was agreed that no one should own or control more than ten shares, and in this way a large number of people were interested and the possibility of a few controlling the as- sociation was precluded.
During the 'eighties and later years this association was the means of assisting a great many people to build homes, and also benefited the city as a whole by starting the home-building boom which commenced in the 'eighties.
The association also fostered a love of the beautiful and inaugurated an era of better building.
The first board of directors in the Joplin Building and Loan Asso- ciation, comprised John H. Taylor, Clark Craycroft, W. B. Holyard,
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C. J. Lewis, G. B. Young, A. H. Warle, D. C. McConny, W. H. Fair- banks and J. C. Gaston.
THE JOPLIN CLUB
The Joplin Club (now the Joplin Commercial Club) was organized in October, 1888, and from then to now has been a great factor in the building of the city. The following were its first officers: President, Galen Spencer; vice president, Thos. Connor; secretary, W. H. Proud- foot; treasurer, Gilbert Barbee.
The objects of the club, when organized were two-fold-first, to foster and encourage whatever would build up or improve the city of Joplin and, secondly, to promote a better spirit of friendship among the business men of the city, and to this end the social feature was cul- tivated.
The first place of meeting was in the Barbee building, where a beau- tiful suite of rooms was fitted up and used until the building of the Club Theatre building in 1890, when the present quarters were oc- cupied.
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