USA > Missouri > Linn County > The history of Linn county, Missouri. An encyclopedia of useful information > Part 14
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The completion of the road constitutes an era in the history of St. Joseph, and from that period dawned the light of a new prosperity. In the five suc- ceeding years the population of the city was quadrupled, and her name her- alded to the remotest East as the rising emporium of the West.
In the summer of 1872 this road commenced the building of a branch southward from St. Joseph, twenty-one miles, to the city of Atchison. This was completed in October of the same year.
The St. Joseph and Western is one of the most valuable roads that leads into St. Joseph, and has been the source of a large trade from the neighbor- ing State of Kansas.
The Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluff's road is not so important, having parallel roads in opposition, and until it came under the control of the C., B. & Q. it lacked comprehensive business views and enlightened management. It is, however, a good, local road, all the way from Sioux City to Kansas City, but as a northern and southern road, with competing lines, will not be of very great value as an investment.
The Missouri Pacific is another road that has run to the city, but found it far from profitable, and are now building from Atchison north, into Ne- braska. This road, like the K. C. & C. B., is of great local convenience to the people and St. Joseph.
The Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific, as its southeastern route to St. Louis, the St. Joseph and Western, and the Hannibal and St. Joseph, will always' be the leading roads. The first mentioned running a branch to St. Joseph, giving them a route to St. Louis over what was called the Kansas City, St. Louis and Northern, now all known as the Wabash system.
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH.
The St. Joseph and Des Moines is another new road of local importance, although giving another Chicago route to the city of " pools and corners."
There are now (1881) three lines of street railway in St. Joseph.
The Board of Trade was organized October 19, 1878.
WHOLESALE TRADE.
The rapid increase of the wholesale trade of St. Joseph is simply re- markable. The merchants, in January, looked forward to a greatly increased trade, but they did not think for a moment that it would go so far beyond the expectations of the most sanguine. Such, however, has been the case, and there is no telling what proportions the trade will assume in 1881. To accommodate this increase of business, many of our merchants are com- pelled to erect more commodious buildings. The many magnificent whole- sale structures that have gone up in the past few months bear ample evidence to the truth of this assertion.
Total sales in 1880 of merchandise $49,385,000
Add sales of manufactures. 12,902,115
Grand total of the trade of St. Joseph, 1880. $62,287,115
GAS WORKS.
In the year 1856 J. B. Ranney and associates proposed to the city authori- ties that privileges should be granted to a company to be organized of which the city should take one-half the capital stock and himself and associates the remaining half. The proposal was agreed to and the city became a stockholder. The works were erected and met with a steady loss even at the rate of five and six dollars charged per thousand feet of gas to con- sumers. The city sold out for twenty cents on the dollar. They continued changing hands and losing money until the purchase of the works in 1871, by James Clemens and his associates, of Detroit, Michigan, under the name of the Citizens' Gas Light Company, for the sum of $50,000. This company greatly enlarged and otherwise improved the works, and secured a contract for lighting the street lamps, which had remained unlighted several years. The trouble was that the people had not progressed far enough to fully appreciate gas in their business houses or private residences, and the cost of introducing was an item of serious contemplation while their residences to a large extent were not built with gas arrangements. The company, however, began to prosper for the first time in the history of gas in St. Joseph when a new company was granted equal facilities witlı them and proposed to cut down the price of gas and teach the citizens of St. Joseph the beauties of its use.
In 1878 this new company came to the front under the name of the Mu- tual Gas Light Company, the present owners-of the works, and made pro- posals to the authorities, through their president, C. H. Nash, to supply
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH.
present consumers with gas at $2.50 per thousand feet, and the street lamps at $25 per annum. The old company had charged $4 per thousand feet and $30 for lighting the street lamps per year. They were granted the franchise and awarded the city contract, and this resulted in the sale of the entire works and franchise of the old company to the Mutual Gas Light Association.
The latter company has erected elegant new works on the corner of Lafayette and Sixth streets, capable of supplying a city of 75,000 inhab- itants.
The company have now placed in position over twenty miles of main pipe, supplying over eight hundred consumers and nearly five hundred street lamps.
WATER-WORKS.
One of the chief needs of St. Joseph for more than ten years past has been a complete and perfect system of water-works, to be employed both as a safeguard against fire and as a means of averting the possibilities of a de- ficient supply in seasons of drought.
But it was not until the 10th day of December, 1879, that anything was actually accomplished in that direction, at which date the mayor approved an ordinance passed by the city council authorizing the construction of water-works upon the " gravity system," the supply to be obtained from the Missouri River above the city limits.
On December 23, 1879, the contract was let to the St. Joseph Water Company, under bond to complete the works and furnish a full supply of pure, wholesome water within twelve months from that date. This com- pany commenced work on the 4th day of January, 1880, and upon the 12th day of January, 1881, the works were accepted by the city authorities as per- fectly satisfactory.
The great basins are supplied with water by the engines below, the water first being forced into a well west of the elevation, and after that it runs through pipes into the reservoirs, of which there are three. The settling basin is 380 feet long by 85 feet wide, and its capacity is three million gallons. Its depth is twenty feet, and its water level is two feet higher than the reser- voir on. the south.
The north basin, which is intended for the filtered water, is 150 feet wide and 300 feet long, and has a capacity of six million of gallons.
If at any time it should be required to empty these basins there is cer- tain machinery on hand that can be placed at work immediately and the old water can be replaced by that which is fresh and pure.
Reservoir Hill is 330 feet above high water mark, and it is 122 feet higher than any point in St. Joseph. In the business portion of the city the pressure has been, since the works were in operation, 120 pounds to the square inch.
In testing the capacity of the street hydrants it has been demonstrated
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH.
that in the business portion of the city a stream can be thrown through hose, with a proper nozzle attached, to the height of about 110 feet, while at the corner of Nineteenth and Francis streets, one of the highest points within the eastern.corporate limits, a distance of sixty-five feet has been shown to be the extreme limit of the elevation.
At the present writing something over twenty miles of main pipe have been laid in place and one hundred and eighty:two hydrants placed at proper locations and in working order.
The works were to cost at first $300,000, but the company kept adding to · the original estimate until the works complete have cost $700,000 instead of the amount first estimated.
THE UNION DEPOT.
To Jolın B. Carson, general manager of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, belongs the credit of originating a plan for the construction of a union depot at St. Joseph.
After various conferences of the union depot projectors, the erection of the building was finally determined upon in April, 1880, when the St. Joseph Union Depot Company was organized, with the following companies as in- corporators and stockholders: Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad Company, Missouri Pacific Railway Company, St. Joseph and Western Railroad Com- pany, which is a part of the Union Pacific; Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad Company, which is a part of the Chicago, Burling- ton and Quincy Railroad; Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railroad Com- pany; St. Joseph and Des Moines Railroad Company.
The ground which was selected and legally condemned for this enterprise is situated on the east side of Sixth Street, near the corner of Mitchell Ave- nue, that having been found to be the most suitable location for a common point of meeting for the different railroads operating their lines through this city. It embraces a tract of six acres, all of which will be required for its buildings, sheds, platforms, tracks, etc.
The style of the building is Eastlake domestic gothic, and contemplates a building 400 feet in length and fifty feet in width, set back from Sixth Street thirty-six feet, so as to give room for carriage-way between present street line and front of building.
STOCK.
The transactions of the stock-yards for the past three years are as follows:
KIND OF STOCK.
1878. 1879.
1880.
Head of hogs.
69,710|99,513|102,150
Head of cattle.
5,992 15,005
20,592
Head of horses and mules.
1,842
3,179
3,505
Head of sheep.
3,564 2,293|
5,990
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH.
The capacity of the yards is limited at present to fifty pens, which will accommodate 2,500 head of cattle and 3,000 head of hogs.
LIVE STOCK.
During the year 1880 nearly 10,000 head of cattle were marketed in St. Joseph, which amounted to the aggregate value of about $300,000.
There were about 4,000 horses and mules sold in this market in 1880, of a total value of $350.000. A great portion of this number were shipped out to Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Louisiana and South Carolina.
There were 140,000 head of hogs sold in this city in 1880, of a value of $2,000,000, making the total sales of live stock $2,650,000.
PACKING-HOUSES.
There are at present (1881) three packing-houses in the city. The oldest of these was established by the present proprietor, David Pinger, in 1853. It is near the Francis Street depot. About five hands are generally em- ployed. Slaughtering here is principally done for the butchers.
Hax & Brother were established in 1868. Their packing-house and office are on the corner of Fourth and Mary streets. They employ in the winter season between sixty and eighty hands, and also pack to a limited extent in summer.
The packing-house of H. Krug & Co. was established in the winter of 1877-8, H. Krug, president; James McCord, vice-president and treas- urer; George C. Hax, secretary. The capital stock of the company is $72,000. In the winter of 1879-80 this house packed between 60,000 and 65,000 hogs. In the summer about 24,000 head were packed. In August, 1881, they slaughtered 1,800 hogs per week.
Connett Brothers, who packed in 1880 about 6,000 hogs, on their farm in the county, are now (1881) erecting a spacious brick structure south of the city limits, which will cost, when completed, about $25,000 or $30,000. Its packing capacity will be from 1,000 to 1,500 per day.
ICE.
The past winter has afforded the best ice harvest ever before known in this city. The following statement shows the number of tons taken from the Missouri River and Lake Contrary and stored for use:
Breweries .
40,000 tons.
Packing companies 25,000 tons.
Ice dealers 25,000 tons.
Private use 10,000 tons.
Total 100,000 tons.
The average cost of storing ice last season was less than $1.00 per ton, while the average cost of imported ice the year previous was $4.50 per ton.
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HISTORY .OF ST. JOSEPHI.
OPERA HOUSE.
No other city in the entire West can boast of so fine a temple devoted to the dramatic art, nor comparing in size and elegance of appointment, with the Opera House in this city.
The building was erected by Mr. Milton Tootle, in 1873, at a cost of $150,000. It is regarded by all as the finest theater west of Chicago.
The City Hall cost $50.000. an imposing building.
INTERESTING ITEMS.
In accordance with a resolution of the Board of Trade recently adopted, a committee appointed for that purpose has prepared articles of association for the incorporation of a stock company, to be called the Chamber of Com- merce, the object of which is to perfect a plan for the erection of a Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce building in this city. The organization has been completed, and it is thought that the necessary stock can be placed at once. The location has not yet been determined upon, but it is de- signed to secure a corner lot, if possible, near to the business center of the city.
The St. Joseph glucose company was formed in June, 1880. The name of the company is The St. Joseph Refining Company. It has all of the latest improved machinery, and a capacity for making up 3,000 bushels of corn daily. The building is situated in South St. Joseph, and covers over an acre of ground.
Situated on South Fourth Street, in the premises formerly occupied by the Evans, Day & Co. Canning Factory, are the Star Preserving Works, owned and operated by Albert Fischer & Co. They have recently enlarged the premises with additional buildings until they cover nearly an entire square.
The capacity of the works are 40,000 cans, or 1,800 bushels of tomatoes per day, or from 1,000 to 1,200 bushels of peas. During the preserving sea- son these works have about 250 employes upon their pay-roll.
PRODUCE PACKING.
The packing of butter, eggs, apples, potatoes. and other produce is as- suming immense proportions, and as St. Joseph is situated in the heart of the finest agricultural district in the world, this industry must increase with each succeeding year.
The following statistics of this branch of trade were supplied by the prin- cipal commission houses here for the year 1880.
No. of bushels potatoes shipped from the city . 100,000
No. of bushels apples packed and shipped from the city. . 216,250
No. dozen eggs packed and shipped from the city . 400,000 No. pounds butter packed and shipped from the city 880,000 Total value of the shipments above noted. $450,000
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH.
The military force of the city consists of two battalions, composed of five companies of infantry, all superbly equipped and exceedingly well drilled.
THE FIRST TELEGRAPH LINE
built to St. Joseph was completed to that point on the day of the inaugura- tion of President Franklin Pierce. The first dispatch to come over the line to St. Joseph was his inaugural address. The name of the telegraph oper- ator who received the message was Peter Lovell. His office was on the southwest corner of Second and Jule streets.
POST-OFFICE AND FINANCES.
Letters received by mail.
1,043,209
Local letters received and delivered.
95,061
Postal cards by mail. 294,448
local , 72,988
Newpaper delivery
802,190
Total number of pieces sent, 1880
4,024,170
Increase over 1879, 123 per cent.
Total business money order department, 1880
$ 1,596,237.26
Sales of stamps, envelopes and postal cards
54,395.36
Internal revenue for 1880 66,161.43
1,750,000.00
Total debt of the city .. assessed valuation, 1880 10,000,000.00
Interest on city indebtedness, 4 per cent.
Value of property owned by the city. 250.000.00
St. Joseph is the third city in size in the State, and its population, by the census of 1880, is 32,484. It is gaining moderately, but the spirit of en- terprise has never been very highly developed by her people. Her whole- sale merchants are opposed to further opposition in their line, and, as a rule, they do little to advertise their business; some of the heaviest never put- ting a line of advertisements in the papers year in and year out, while many do it grudgingly, as a sort of tax which they are compelled to pay. It is like St. Louis, slow to move, and like the latter city, it has some live, energetic men, but not enough to leaven the mass.
In scope of country tributary to her growth and prosperity St. Joseph has little to complain of, and if an energetic spirit possessed her people she would have a surprising growth the next ten years. As it is, she is likely to retain her present position as the third city in the State. She has a re- fined and cultivated people, hospitable and generous, but her business inter- ests are carried on to the extreme upon the basis of self. With an increase of population and more extended and broader views St. Joseph's future is one of promise.
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LAWS OF MISSOURI.
HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION LAW.
The homestead exemption law of the State of Missouri has been one of the most enlightened laws passed for the benefit of the people. In the last session of the general assembly of the State, the spring of 1880-81, there was a material change in the law, and it is given here in full. Thus every head of a family can be secure in a home of moderate value, if he will not waive his right to it. There are printed notes now drawn up in which there is a clause printed waiving the right of holding such property under that law. When a man signs such a note, his home stands in the same light as his other property. These notes should never be signed un- less by or with the consent of the wife as well as the husband. The law reads, as amended, as follows and is in full force at this time:
SECTION 1. Section twenty-six hundred and eighty-nine (2689) of the Re- vised Statutes of Missouri, is hereby amended by striking out, " or incor- porated towns and villages having a less population," and inserting in lieu thereof, "having a population of ten thousand or less," in twelfth line, and by inserting immediately after " dollars," fifteenth line, the words "and in cities and incorporated towns and villages having a population less than ten thousand, such homesteads shall not include more than five acres of ground or exceed the total value of $1,500," so that said section as amended shall read as follows:
SEC. 2689. The homestead of every housekeeper or head of a family, con- sisting of a dwelling-house and appurtenances, and the land in connection therewith, not exceeding the amount and value herein limited, which is or shall be used by such housekeeper, or head of a family as such homestead, shall, to- gether with the rents, issues and products thereof, be exempt from attach- ment and execution, except as herein provided; such homestead in the country shall not include more than one hundred and sixty acres of land, or exceed the total value of fifteen hundred dollars; and in cities having a pop- ulation of forty thousand or more, such homestead shall not include more than eighteen square rods of ground, or exceed the total value of three thousand dollars; and in cities having a population of ten thousand and less than forty thousand, such homestead shall not include more than thirty square rods of ground, or exceed the total value of fifteen hundred dollars;
9
130
LAWS OF MISSOURI.
and in cities and incorporated towns and villages having a population less than ten thousand, such homestead shall not include more than five acres of ground, or exceed the total value of fifteen hundred dollars; and any mar- ried woman may file her claim to the tract or lot of land occupied by her and her husband, or by her, if abandoned by her husband, as a homestead; said claim shall set forth the tract or lot claimed, that she is the wife of the person in whose name the said tract or lot appears of record, and said claim shall be acknowledged by her before some officer authorized to take proof or acknowledgments of instruments of writing, affecting real estate, and be filed in the recorder's office, and it shall be the duty of the recorder to re- ceive and record the same. After the filing of such claims, duly acknowl- edged, the husband shall be debarred from, and incapable of selling, mort- gaging or alienating the homestead in any manner whatever, and every such sale, mortgage or alienation is hereby declared null and void; and the filing of any such claims, as aforesaid, with the recorder, shall impart notice to all persons of the contents thereof, and all subsequent purchasers and mortgagers shall be deemed, in law and equity, to purchase with notice: Provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to prevent the husband and wife from jointly conveying, mortgaging, alien- ating or in any other manner disposing of such homestead or any part thereof.
Approved, March 26, 1881.
HUSBAND NOT LIABLE.
AN ACT to exempt the husband from the payment of the debts of the wife contracted before marriage.
SECTION 1. The property owned by a man before his marriage, and that which he may acquire after his marriage by purchase, descent, gift, grant, devise, or in any other manner whatsoever, and the profits thereof, except such as may be acquired from the wife, shall be exempt from all debts and liabilities contracted or incurred by his wife before their marriage.
SEC. 2. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed.
Approved, March 25, 1881.
RIGHTS OF MARRIED WOMEN.
The law passed by the general assembly on the rights and privileges of married women is full and complete, is composed of fourteen sections and too long to be embodied in this work. The law can be found in the "Re- vised Statutes of Missouri, volume 1, 1879." It is chapter 51, and found on pages 557 to 561.
HEDGES TRIMMED.
It may not be known to all that a law was passed by the last general assembly (1880-1881), that " every person owning a hedge fence, over five
1
131
LAWS OF MISSOURI.
years old, upon the line of any public road or highway in this State, is hereby required to cut down the same, to the height of not more than five feet nor less than four feet, every two years: Provided, that hedge fences inclosing orchards, house-yards and stock-yards, shall be exempt from the provisions of this act."
The overseer of roads is to serve the notice and the owner has thirty days to commence, and if he fail to do it the overseer shall have it done and the owner must pay all expenses of the same. It can be collected of him by law, same as revenue for road purposes.
The law passed and took effect March 16, 1881.
CHANGING SCHOOL-HOUSE SITES.
SECTION 1. The voters of any school-district in this State may change the location of a school-house site when the same, for any cause, may be deemed necessary and notice of such comtemplated change shall have been given by the directors at least twenty days prior thereto by posting at least three written notices in three of the most public places in the district where such school-house site shall be located: Provided, that in every case a majority of the voters of said district shall only be necessary to remove a site nearer the center of a school district, but in all cases to remove a site further from the center of a school-district it shall require two-thirds of the legal voters of such school-district.
SEC. 2. All acts and parts of acts in conflict with this act are hereby repealed.
Approved, March 24, 1881.
MARRIAGE LICENSE.
The legislature of 1880-81, passed a marriage license act which makes it necessary for persons before marriage to secure a license. No person au- thorized to perform the marriage ceremony, can legally do so without first seeing the license, and a marriage performed without a license is not legal and a penalty is attached. The intent of the law is to have an official rec- ord which will stand in the courts and settle any dispute either of mar- riage or property which may hereafter arise. The law reads:
SECTION 1. Previous to any marriage in this State a license for that pur- pose shall be obtained.
SECTION 2. The recorder of the county issues the license and the parties must be, the male 21 years and the female 18 years of age .. If younger the parents or guardian must give consent.
PURCHASING BOOKS BY SUBSCRIPTION.
The business of publishing books by subscription, having so often been brought into disrepute by agents making representations and declarations
132
LAWS OF MISSOURI.
not authorized by the publisher, in order to prevent that as much as possi- ble, and that there may be more, general knowledge of the relation such . agents bear to their principal, and the law governing such cases, the follow- ing statement is made:
A subscription is in the nature of a contract of mutual promises, by which the subscriber agrees to pay a certain sum for the work described; the consideration is that the publisher shall publish the book named, and deliver the same, for which the subscriber is to pay the price named. The nature and character of the work are described by the prospectus and sample shown. These should be carefully examined before sub- scribing, as they are the basis and consideration of the promise to pay, and not the too often exaggerated statements of the agent, who is merely employed to solicit subscriptions, for which he is usually paid a commis- sion for each subscriber, and has no authority to change or alter the con- ditions upon which the subscriptions are authorized to be made by the publisher. Should the agent assume to agree to make the subscription conditional, or modify or change the agreement of the publisher, as set out by the prospectus and sample, in order to bind the principal, the sub- scriber should see that such condition or changes are stated over or in con- nection with his signature, so that the publisher may have notice of the same.
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