History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men, Part 3

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1358


USA > Missouri > St Louis County > St Louis City > History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men > Part 3


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).


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in the South, because in the South commerce has been almost wholly distributive. The town of Jefferson, Texas, furnishes a notable example. From 1865 to 1870, when she formed the terminus of navigation on Red River, and supplied with merchandise a section through Texas, Arkansas, and the Indian Territory, extending northwest, west, and southwest for two or three hundred miles, she had ten thousand people, and every prospect seemed to promise her lasting prosperity. The Texas and Pacific Railroad with its through connections was formed, passing through the town itself, while already to the west the Houston and Texas Central, with its supplementary connection, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, had cut off its far western trade, so that to-day Jefferson is a way station, with deserted wharves, and her population of barely two thousand people are selling whole blocks (whose stores used to rent for one hundred and fifty and two hundred dollars per month) for the bare bricks which their walls contain.


It is true, therefore, that centres of distributive commerce are built upon foundations of sand, whilst a city grown great through a productive commerce will always possess a material element of prosperity ; also that the trade limits of a distributing centre more nearly correspond with the area whose crops it markets than do such limits of a productive commerce, the latter being almost wholly independent of that area as defining its extent and location.


Again, the distributive commerce of the interior consists most largely of an east and west movement,- i.e., exchanges between points east of the western boundary of Pennsylvania and north of Mason and Dixon's line, and points west of the western boundary of Pennsylvania and south of the Ohio River and State of Missouri.


The era of railway transportation has been also one essentially of the building up in the West of manu- facturing industries, giving to small towns a commer- cial significance which makes them important compet- itors for trade in the South.


A single accompaniment of productive commerce may here be mentioned, which will show how largely the fostering of such commerce adds to the wealth of a city. The figures given are underestimates rather than overestimates, and they embody the principle :


A ton of cast iron is worth, say ..


$35


== > 80


If made into wrought iron it may have a value of .... If the wrought iron be converted into stecl it is worth 120 to 200 If the steel be manufactured into agricultural tools it is capable of bringing, say .. 400


If, instead, it be converted into knife-blades, they will sell for .. 30,000


Or, finally, if it be made up into the balance-springs of watches its value may become over .....


100,000


998


HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.


The factor of profit which is thus under proper circumstanees capable of converting thirty-five dollars' worth of cast iron into one hundred thousand dollars' worth of watch-springs is LABOR ; and it is evident that, if these operations were carried on in a single town, the added wealth which would result to that town from the entering of a single ton of metal into its productive commerce would be many thousand per cent. of the original value of the material. The mere handling of this ton of metal, or the result of its entering into the distributive commerce of the city interested, could hardly under any eircumstances amount to twenty-five per cent. of its original value.


And while the above may be, and undoubtedly is, an extreme ease, it is nevertheless a possible and an actual case in some localities; and the principle em- bodied in this single instance is true of by far the largest proportion of manufactured articles, viz. : that the labor entering into their production bears a larger ratio to their value than the actual cost of material.


This is the sort of trade whieh lias made Boston and Philadelphia so rich, and contributes annually such vast sums to the grand resources of Great Brit- ain. It is the sort of trade which St. Louis expeets to control when her resources are more fully in play.


In the mean time, the actual movements of pro- duce and merchandise at St. Louis, as distinguished from the possible and prospective, have been as fol- lows, taking the eensus year for convenience of com- parison :


GRAIN SHIPMENTS from St. Louis towards the east by rail, and towards the south by river and by rail, each year, from 1871 to 1880, inclusive.


South.


YEAR.


East by Rail.


By River.


By Rali.


Bushels.


Bushels.


Bushels.


1871


2,154,065


4,565,973


1,322,457


1872


3,456,409


6,618,757


2,194,019


1873


2,065,660


5,920,687


1,874,386


1874


2,318,350


5,344,534


1,683,478


1875


2,658,478


3,260,035


1,871,022


1876


12,434,296


4,212,435


995,540


1877


6,570,529


5,691,493


1,373,982


1878


7,561,475


7,230,422


1,054,221


1879


8,227,465


8,596,952


1,360,036


1880


8,790,059


18,978,347


2,646,714


STATEMENT showing the increase in the commerce, population, and value of property of St. Louis from 1865 to 1880.


1865.


1880.


Increase.


Per Cent. of


Increase.


Arrivals of boats ... No.


2,767


2,360


2 407


"


1,141


1,471


330


Receipts of wheat,


and flour reduced


to wheat ......... bush.


17,657,252


46,037,578


28,380,326


160.73


Shipments of wheat,


and flour reduced


to wheat ......... bush.


13,427,052


33,676,424


20,249,372


150.81


Manufactures


of


flour ..


.. bbls.


743,281


2,142,949


1,399,668


188,31 2281.47


Receipts of hams


and meat. , 1bs.


34,781,570


92,983,380


58,201,810


167.34


Receipts of lard ....


"


6,391,030


8,415,176


2,024,146


31.67


Receipts of cattle ... No.


94,307


420,654


326,347


346 05


Receipts of sheep ...


52,133


182,648


130,515


250.35


Receipts of hogs ....


99,663


1,762,724


1,663,061


1668.68


Population ....


3 204,327


400,000


195,673


95.76


Value of real and per- sonal property ..


...


$87,625,534 $163,813,920


$76,188,386


86,95


1 1867.


2 Decrease.


3 1866.


STATEMENT showing Amount of Freight, in Tons, received at St. Louis by each Railroad and River for Ten Years.


ROUTE.


1882.


1881,


1880.


1879.


1878.


1877.


1876.


1875.


1874.


1873.


Missouri Pacific R.R. (Main Line)


907,467


850,434 404,172


425,840 245,965 366,797


413,302 191,834 395,049


354,513 178,280 318,768


416,415 173,950 333,757


229,447 196,968


328,201 196,891 223,294


344,375 149,007 252,608


Chicago, Alton & St. Louis R.R. (Mo. Div.) ... St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern R.R ....


92,088


154,248 768,652


179,772


143,313 536,318


... ...... 353,172


......... 340,740


... ...... 325,097


451,225


.... 292,842


... 392,634


Missouri Pacific R.R. (Texas Div.)


154,243


114,211


95,176


108,078


78,652


109,864 380,204


110,773 376,488


53,885 406,653


65,734


73,291


Louisville & Nashville R.R.


493,310


330,907


304,369


276,436


223,248


257,536


230,707


221,634


216,898


177,611


St. Louis & Cairo R.R.


212,267


251,915


200,996


88,196


63,885


89,435


107,984


103,808


82,470


17,927


Ohio & Mississippi R.R.


395,122


406,217 298,276


264,679


359,534 207,985


262,952 191,020


243,496 136,977


167,525


184,834


195,691


337,074 203,765


Indianapolis & St. Louis R.R


346,857


370,610


264,541


171,216


128,568


135,487


128,208


134,634


134,498


139,484


739,081


640,764


609,594


493,787


402,252


392,185


372,314


319,658


276,138


294,445


717,935


530,745


358,928


333,433


264,831


169,930


104,319


108,940


118,481


142,232


289,386


253,784


251,383


235,080


224,240


260,530


215,523


213,443


215,252


202,929


Wabash. St. Louis & Pacific R.R. (Iowa Brch.)


19,889 280,710


40,062 285,516


31,328 275,715


31,178 172,103


142,836


31,345 65,098


42,533 57,554


60,993


29,865 107,151


25,727 46,304


Upper Mississippi River ..


135,540


190,815


226,095


221,285


174,065


136,715


224,860


198,100


231,060


... .... 281,175


Lower Mississippi River.


275,175


273,110


223,925


179,400


174,180


147,185


128,020


169,780


226,535


Iilinois River.


168,410


160,555


155,605 59,025 214,195


109,620 33,800 130,785


124,785 56,040 171,900 13,730


192,055 12,045


129,940 50,345 124,125 12,200 100


30,160 146,805 6,345 100


192,770 44,830 87,985 6,000 340


4,850 1,075


Total in tons.


7,702,702


7,602,985 6,990,384 5,352,048


4,500,007


4,108,873 4,119,975 3,896,295 3,897,858 4,046,233


Total by rail .. Total by river.


802,080


852,410


893,860


688,970


714,700


644,485


688,755


663,525


732,765


801,055


In addition to the receipts of 1880 by upper Mississippi River by boats, there was received 198,315 tons of lumber, logs, and shingles by rafts.


1881


=


356,020


=


271,490


1882


962,517 339,243 319,905


335,847


447,449


530,527


536,488


Calro Short Line R.R


534,987


488,615


477,608


446,764


383,739


Chicago, Alton & St. Louis R.R. (Main Line)


288,271


32,285


45,120


....


...


...


...


Chicago, Bur. & Quincy R.R. (N. & N. W. Div.) St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern R.R.


51,821


80,170


71,035


21,055


Missouri River.


34,900 164,625


39,385 165,825


38,630 123,075


Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers.


23,430


22,720


15,015


14,080


149,825 104,200 49,645


153,995


125,715


Ohio River


Red, Ouachita, Arkansas, and White Rivers ..


6,900,622 6,750,575


6,096,524 4,663,078


3,464,388 3,431,220 3,232,770 3,165,093 3,245,178


3,785,307


268,073


280,557


319,217


Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R.R. (east) ....


St. Louis, Vandalia, Terre Haute & Ind. R.R. Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific R.R. (East'n Div.) ·Illinois & St. Louis R.R


....


27,225


452,598 2 34,709


Receipts of cotton, bales Receipts of pork ... bbis.


1 19,838


472,436


66,822


32,113


... ... ...


St. Louls & San Francisco Ry


Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific R.R. (West Brch.)


238,866


730,705


362,470


445,765


389,779


65,727


......... 28.92


Arrivais of barges ..


999


SAINT LOUIS AS A CENTRE OF TRADE.


Showing the Amount of Freight, in Tons, shipped from St. Louis by each Railroad and River for ten years.


ROUTE.


1882.


1881.


1880.


1879.


1878.


1877.


1876.


1875.


1874.


1873.


Missouri Pacific Railroad (Main Line)


678,706


709,814


407,030


272,250


196,955


202,966


203,169


151,980


171,987


162,435


St. Louis & San Francisco Ry.


180,927


185,147


122,787


78,755


44,495


45,898


51,150


34,881


30,133


39,962


Wabash, St. Louis & Pac. R.R. (West Brch.) ...


246,049


254,902


209,604


197,219


153,294


137,394


134,999


116,674


85,368


90,488


St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern R.R.


549,991


600,929


390,069


288,768


222,641


215,731


193,833


211,725


155,181


122,605


Missouri Pacific Railroad (Texas Division) ...


248,998


79,866


66,555


61,226


45,039


47,523


45,131


40,635


39,337


54,956


Cairo Short Line Railroad


139,339


135,393


111,609


91,428


68,027


66,992


38,909


76,092


37,753


39,917


Louisville and Nashville Railroad.


81,164


64,199


87,037


41,586


49,416


29,350


30,249


25,944


44,845


53,000


St. Louis and Cairo Railroad.


23,356


22,862


16,391


13,298


12,405


11,806


4,970


13,961


13,968


5,520


Ohio and Mississippi Railroad


195,717


204,006


184,975


141,182


136,677


144,065


207,905 149,285


135,647


97,885


81,158


Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. R. (east) ..


32,808


25,098


218,859


152,955


157,644


183,817


217,786


138,307


175,389


152,669


St. Louis, Vandalia, Terre llaute & Ind. R.R.


265,981


281,299


247,656


272,579


190,685


142,713


140,178


137,884


139,831


100,544


Illinois and St. Louis Railroad.


9,001


9,930


13,573


11,280


7,803


4,637


5,537


7,359


10,000


6,595


Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific R.R. (Iowa Brch.)


16,713


13,520


9,923


18,665


13,452


15,672


13,846


13,772


8,921


9,289


Chicago, Bur. & Quincy R.R. (N. & N. W. Div.)


139,925


85,455


69,678


41,197


45,829


30,590


21,423


12,754


11,546


9,551


Upper Mississippi River.


71,325


54,295


55,260


66,990


67,320


68,565


93,360


96,225


95,800


61,966


Lower Mississippi River.


610,205


730,185


813,080


499,040


434,490


426,725


379,970


367,235


469,065


525,445


Illinois River.


4,690


5,175


9,935


9,140


18,300


16,420


20,560


18,470


13,640


11,695


Missouri River.


11,980


13,720


16,415


15,040


22,465


23,185


19,360


25,100


20,390


27,810


Ohio River ..


66,010


77,600


135,360


86,935


72,100


62,100


83,460


129,025


100,660


119,660


Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers


1,150


1,100


1,315


2,040


Red, Ouachita, Arkansas, and White Rivers ..


4,545


1,950


6,160


5,445


34,640


Total in tons ..


4,519,065


4,346,937


3,793,205 2,962,861 2,495,234


2,250,520


2,260,175


1,940,545 1,938,001 1,938,672


Total by rail.


3,749,160 769,905


884,025


1,037,525


677,145


614,675


1,652,850 597,670


1,659,950 600,225


639,095


707,325


783,256


The total tonnage of freights received at and shipped from St. Louis each year from 1871 to 1880, inclusive, is indicated in the following table :


Calendar


Tons Received and Shipped.


Calendar Year.


Tons Received and Shipped.


1871.


4,913,102


1876


6,380,150


1872


5,712,229


1877


6,359,393


1873


5,984,905


1878


6,995,241


1874


5,835,859


1879


8,314,909


1875


5,836,840


1880


10,783,589


But St. Louis is not content with these results, gi- gantic as they arc, and rapid as has been the growth and development of the trade of which they are the indices. Dr. Samuel Johnson, when he was witness- ing the sale of the plant and effects of Thrale's brewery, was asked what he could find in such a scene to interest him. " I see all around me, sir," he answercd, " the potentiality of great riches." That is what St. Louis beholds in her exceptionally great resources and favorable site, and her people will never rest while these things, possessions and promises, re- main undeveloped and unutilized.


All the cotton received at St. Louis, no matter what its destination, and no matter how consigned, breaks bulk there, is handled, compressed, and re- shipped. Thus St. Louis makes some profit out of every bale received. Before Chicago, by means of her railroad, lake, and canal facilities, secured the lion's share of the east-bound carrying trade in breadstuffs and provisions, and so had her fortune made, every pound of Western produce and Western merchandise, destined no matter where, up the river or down, broke


bulk at St. Louis, and that city made a profit in it. This trade, this control of trade, St. Louis seeks once more to restore by renewing the supremacy of what was its source and medium, the Mississippi River.


This is not a dream. It is not one of Governor Allen's " barren idealities." On the contrary, it is a legitimate trade expectation, which may be realized at almost any moment. St. Louis had this control of trade once through superior facilitics and unrivaled cheapness of transportation. The same facilities exist now in a much greater degree, and the cheapness also. The opportunity to make full use of them has not quite arrived, on account of various causes and ob- structions.


But in the mean time certain facts stand out in alto relievo, and none of the commercial rivals and competitors of St. Louis can deny them.


1st. Chicago and New York dread the completion of the Welland Canal, because by that route grain from the former city can be delivered in Liverpool via the Strait of Belle Isle at rates with which New York cannot compete. In other words, Chicago, to maintain her grain trade, must transfer it from New York to Montreal.


2d. But that route is closed five months in every year by ice.


3d. St. Louis is not afraid of the competition of Montreal and the Welland Canal, because she can de- liver grain in Liverpool cheaper by the Mississippi River route than it can possibly be delivered by any other route. This has been proved, and will be


108,998


145,914


158,523


Chicago, Alton & St. Louis R. R. (Main Line).


293,830


252,465


268,309


318,754


256,444


174,454


199,242


201,580


74,837


62,618


68,204


Wabash, St. Louis & Pacitic Ry. (East'n Div.)


239,352


192,109


246,337


233,070


279,753


St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad ..


20,104


27,356


22.942


5,908


10 665


3,515


1,560


2,225


3,462,912


2,755,680


2,285,716 1,880,559


1,301,450 1,230,676


1,155,416


Total by river ..


90,990


72,393


62,346


45,596


Chicago, Alton & St. Louis R.R. (Mo. Div.) ....


.........


....


...


...


Indianapolis and St. Louis Railroad ..


296,209


246,169


1,480


Year.


1000


HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.


demonstrated again still more conclusively. At present all that need be shown in this connection is results, accomplished facts.


SHIPMENTS OF BULK GRAIN BY RIVER FROM ST. LOUIS TO NEW ORLEANS FOR ELEVEN YEARS, FOR EXPORT.


YEAR.


Wheat.


Corn.


Rye.


Oats.


Totals.


1880.


5,913,272


9,804,392


Bushels. 45,000


Bushels.


Bushels. 15,762,664


1879.


2,390,897


3,585,589


157,424


30,928


6,164,838


1878.


1,876,639


2,857,056


609,041


108,867


5,451,603


1877


351,453 37,142


1,737,237


1,774,379


1875


135,961


172,617


308,578


1874


365,252


1,047,794


10,000


1,423,046


1873.


.... ...


1,373,969


1,373,969


1872


1,711,039


1871.


309,077


3,000


312,077


1870.


66,000


66,000


Mr. Joseph Nimmo, Jr., in his notable report of 1881 on the internal commerce of the country, says that


"The regulating influence of the interior water lines is limited and conditioned by the fact that it is operative with respect to the internal commerce of the country mainly through the great interior markets, and notably those of Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, Peoria, Toledo, Detroit, Louisville, and Cincinnati. This results from the fact that the movements of commerce are directed by the trade forces rather than by the transportation forces of the country. In the transportation of the surplus products of the Western and Northwestern States to the seaboard and to foreign countries, the regulating influ- ence of the Mississippi River is rendered effective mainly through the markets of St. Louis, and the regulating influence of the northern water line is rendered effective mainly through the markets of Milwaukee and Chicago, but also to a consider- able extent through the markets of Duluth, Detroit, and Toledo.


"The competition of commercial forces exerts an important influence in determining the relative magnitude of the various trade currents of the country. The constituent elements of the trade forces of cities are, first, a large community of intelligent and enterprising merchants having an extensive knowledge of commercial affairs; and, second, the requisite capital in the hands of these men available in the pursuits of trade. These forces at Chicago, at Milwaukee, at St. Louis, and at other com- mercial cities of the interior arrest the surplus products of the West in their eastward or southward movement, such products usually reaching those cities by rail. At these points the option is first presented of transportation by water or by rail. A thou- sand trains a day may pass through towns situated on the lakes or on the rivers where these agencies and facilities for carrying on a large commerce do not exist, and yet the water lines will exercise no perceptible influence over the rates charged on the railroads. This is strikingly illustrated in the case of the rail- roads which cross the Mississippi River over bridges at thirteen different points between St. Paul and St. Louis. The river rates exert no inarked influence over the rail rates from the fact that at very few of those points is there the controlling influ- ence of a market for Western products with its constituent elements, viz., a body of men educated in the mercantile pro- fession and controlling the requisite amount of capital actually employed in trade or invested in warchouscs and other instru- mentalities for the successful prosccution of trade. The rail-


roads are not at those points, in a commercial sense, tributary to the river, but, on the other hand, to the extent to which the river towns arc local markets for the purchase of surplus pro- ducts of the trans-Mississippi States, the river becomes tribu- tary to the railroads.


" It is only at Chicago, Milwaukee, and a few other lake ports, and at St. Louis that direct competition between rail and water transportation presents itself to any considerable extent, in so far as relates to the regulating influence exerted by the two great water lines over the rates which may be charged on railroads. The extent to which the regulating influence of the two great interior water lines is rendered operative through the principal primary grain markets of the country is illustrated by the fact that of the total eastern and southern movement of grain, amounting during the year 1880 to 400,000,000 bushels, about 320,000,000 bushels, or 80 per cent., was marketed at the seven primary markets of the West, viz., Milwaukee, Chicago, Duluth, St. Louis, Peoria, Toledo, and Detroit ; and that only about 80,000,000 bushels were shipped direct from the Western and Northwestern States to the Atlantic seaboard.


"Of the total grain receipts at St. Louis during the year 1880, amounting to 47,697,066 bushels, 40,121,783 bushels, or 84 per cent., was received by railroads, and only 7,575,283 bushels, or 16 per cent., by river; and of the total grain re- ceipts at Chicago during the year 1880, amounting to 165,- 855,370 bushels, it appears that 159,129,984 bushels, or 96 per cent., was received by railroads, and that 6,725,386 bushels, or only 4 per cent., was received by lake and the Illinois Canal.


"About 90 per cent. of the grain, 85 per cent. of the pro- visions, and 8 per cent. of the cattle which reached Chicago during the year 1880 were actually marketed at that point ; and of the shipment of those commodities from Chicago, 61 per cent. of the flour and grain and only 10 per cent. of the pro- visions were shipped by lake. No live-stock was shipped by lake.


' " About 95 per cent. of the grain, 97} per cent. of the pro- visions, and all of the live-stock which reached St. Louis during the year 1880 were actually marketed at that point; and of the shipments of those commodities from that city, 49 per cent. of the flour and grain, 38 per cent. of the provisions, and 1.28 per cent. of the eattle were shipped by river.


"The foregoing facts indicate that almost the entire work of gathering up the surplus products of the Western and North- western States is done by railroads, and that the option of transportation by water or by rail is almost entirely confined to shipments from Milwaukee, Chicago, and St. Louis.


" The following table serves to illustrate the comparative magnitude of the grain traffic of St. Louis which is diverted to the Mississippi River from the railroads extending east from that city :


Bushels.


Total grain crop of the United States during the year 1879 .. 2,704,484,762 Total grain produet of the States of Illinois, Wis- consin, Minnesota, Jowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas, and the Territory of Dakota during the year 1879. 1,493,246,213


Shipments of grain and flour during the year 1880 at


Bushels.


Duluth 6,511,100


Milwaukee.


29,691,524


Chicago


154,377,115


Peoria


20,544,508


Detroit


10,366,491


Toledo


53,372,739


St. Louis


46,675,581


Total


321,539,058


Bushels.


Bushels.


3,578,057


171,843


4,101,353


1876.


1,711,039


...


1001


SAINT LOUIS AS A CENTRE OF TRADE.


St. Louis shipments of grain and flour :


Eastward


South ward :


By river.


20,901,515


By rail ..


5,800,535


In other directions


373,642


Total St. Louis shipments.


46,675,581


Grain and flour exported from New Orleans ..


15,755,041


SHIPMENTS IN TONS FROM ST. LOUIS DURING 1880.


Tons.


Total.


North :


By river


55,260 }


157,803


By rail


102,543 }


East :


By river.


145,295 }


1,325,004


By rail


1,179,709 ]


West :


By river.


16,415 Į


818,182


By rail


801,767 J


South :


By river.


820,555 }


1,492,216


By rail


671,661 }


Total shipments.


3,793,205


Total shipments by rail ..


2,755,680


Total shipments by river


1,037,525


Total shipments toward the South.


1,492,216


Shipment by river toward the South.


820,555


Tonnage of New Orleans exports, the product of the Western and Northwestern States, about ....


317,000


Mr. Nimmo adds that,-


"From the time of the first settlement of St. Louis until about the year 1855, that eity was entirely dependent upon the Mississippi River and its navigable tributaries for the means of transportation. During that period it had no competitor for the trade of the States and Territories west of the Mississippi River. A large part of the States of Illinois and Wisconsin was also embraced within the area of the commercial supremaey of St. Louis. But during the last twenty-five years a great change has taken place in the conditions governing the commercial situation and relations of that city, as the result of the exten- sion westward of the railroad system of the country. By means of this extension of railroads all the Western and Northwestern States and Territories have been brought into intimate commer- cial relationships with the lake ports, with the Atlantie sea- ports, and with hundreds of interior manufacturing and trading points throughout the States both east and west of the Allegheny Mountains. This development of traffic over the east and west trunk railroads is unparalleled in the history of commerce.


" For several years the traffie passing over each one of the thirteen railroad bridges across the Mississippi River between St. Paul and St. Louis has greatly exceeded in magnitude and in value the traffic upon the river beneath them. Through these facilities of transportation tributary to Chieago and other lake ports, and also to Atlantic seaports, St. Louis was for sev- eral years practically eut off, even from the trade of important surplus grain and provision produeing areas nearer to her ınar- kets than to those of the lake ports. It was elearly foreseen, therefore, that the growth of St. Louis, as a market for the purchase of grain and other products of the Western and Northwestern States, was dependent upon the seeuring of direet and independent railroad connections with all parts of those States ; for since railroads had become the chief instru- ment of transportation in the gathering up of these products, it was evident that only a very small proportion of sueh pro- duets could find their way to the St. Louis markets by river. Sueh facilities for transportation by rail have within the last ten years been seeured, a fact elearly developed by the statistics showing the rapid growth of the commerce of that eity.




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