USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > History of the city of Omaha, Nebraska > Part 62
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 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114
The United States census for 1890 shows that the increase in street railway transpor- tation in Omaha, during the past ten years, is 998 per cent., which is by far the largest percentage of any city in the country. Bos- ton is the only city that has more miles of electric motor line than Omaha.
In the spring of 1891 the Metropolitan Street Railway Company built what is pop- ularly known as the Dundee line, now ex- tending from Forty-first and Farnam Streets
north andwest to the residence of J. N. H. Pat- rick, on Wilson Street, the length of the line being 7,500 feet, 1,200 feet having been added in the spring of the present year. On the latter date the horses previously used gave place to electricity as the motive power.
On the 3rd of July, 1891, the Inter-State Bridge and Street Railway Company began running cars on their electric motor line to East Omaha. The line is about two and a quarter miles long, running from the inter- section of Sherman Avenue and Locust Streets, east on Locust Avenue, in East Omaha. The line is well equipped with Westinghouse, single reduction motors. There is a fifteen minute service, and trans- fers are made to and from the Sherman Avenue Line of the Omaha Street Railway.
CHAPTER XLVI.
TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE - ELECTRIC LIGHT SYSTEM.
The telegraph line from Omaha to Sacra- Wyman with the Times, and it boasted much mento, California, was completed July 4, of its few and brief dispatches received over this line. In March, 1861, the receipt of these dispatches was interrupted by an ice gorge in the Platte River, whereupon the Telegraph promptly announced that Opera- tor Peck had gone down to attend to the matter, and that " he will cross from side to side in a skiff, forming his connections with the wire on either side, and through Mr. Byron Reed, at Omaha, will keep up the trans- action of public and private business, as heretofore." The following issue of the paper declared, with all the additional hor- ror to be given the announcement by large type, " Mr. Peck Probably Drowned! " and also published the following messages: 1862, a California company, which had al- ready constructed a line between San Fran- cisco and Sacramento, building to Salt Lake, and the Pacific Telegraph Company com- pleting the connection between Omaha and Salt Lake. The work for the last named company was done by the late Edward Creighton, of Omaha, who was superintend- ent of the company. The enterprise was carried on in the face of great dangers and hardships. The through line was first called the Pacific Telegraph. In connection with this great enterprise, the late Colonel A. C. Boone, of Denver, for fifty years Indian trader and agent, used to tell of the strong opposition made by the Sioux to the exten- " North Bank Platte River, March 1, M. Dear Reed: Ilave just arrived. Platte River flooded and running full of ice. Think it very dangerous to cross, but will make the attempt .- Peck." sion of the line through their country. Hle was present at a council held with that tribe, at one time, by representatives of the gov- ernment, when the importance of the enter- prise was set out in glowing terms by one of " Omaha, 12 M. Dear Peck :- Leave all your valuables on this shore, so that if you are drowned the loss may be as light as pos- sible .- Reed." the latter, who stated that when the line was completed the Great Father, at Washington, could talk over the wire with a man on the Pacific coast. At this one of the head chiefs was observed to draw his blanket over his face; and, when asked why he did this, responded, " I am ashamed." " And what are you ashamed of?" was asked. "I am ashamed of that big lie!" he replied.
But the first line to reach Omaha was one from St. Louis, called the " Missouri & West- ern Stebbins' Line," completed in 1860. This was also built by Mr. Creighton. The Omaha Telegraph was the first daily paper printed here, with the exception of a brief experiment in that line attempted by Mr.
Fortunately, Peck was not drowned, though his escape deprived the Telegraph of a sensation which it would doubtless have made the most of, judging from its startling head line, based evidently, upon the assump- tion of Mr. Peck that the crossing was dan- gerons.
Direct eastern telegraphic facilities were afforded Omaha in 1861, by the construction of the Illinois & Mississippi Valley line. Robert C. Clowry had charge of the first of- fice opened in Omaha, the Missouri & Western Company, in 1861, which company formed a
416
417
TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE.
combination with the Pacific Company, in 1862, for terminal business. The latter com- pany employed Charles E. Pomeroy as man- ager until October 1, 1863, when he was suc- ceeded by Edward Rosewater, who held that position until 1869, when he resigned and took charge of the Atlantic & Pacific and Great Western offices, in 1870. IIe gave up the position in September, 1871, to assume the management of the Bee, the publication of which he commenced in June of that year. In 1870 a line was built from Chicago to Omaha and called the Great Western, whose Omaha business was in charge of Mr. Rose- water, but this line was soon absorbed by the Western Union, which last named company also absorbed the Pacific line in 1866, and has now a splendid office in the Omaha Na- tional Bank building, occupying the entire fifth floor and a portion of the basement floor. There are 208 names on the pay roll, requiring a weekly disbursement of two thousand five hundred dollars for salaries. There are 112 circuits outside the city, cov- ered by the Omaha office, involving the use of 9,500 cells of battery. W. W. Umsted is the local manager. The third district, com- prising Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Indian Territory, Arizona, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico and a part of Iowa, Missouri and Texas, has its headquarters in Omaha. J. J. Dickey is superintendent and Charles B. Horton assistant superintendent. During 1892, more than six million mes- sages were handled by the Omaha office, and five thousand miles of new wire were strung in the district.
In 1885 the Pacific Telegraph Company built a line to Omaha from St. Joseph, Mis- souri, established an office here, and built up a lucrative patronage, with twenty offices in Nebraska, and afterwards sold the line to the Postal Telegraph Company, whose busi- ness at Omaha is in charge of W. S. Dim- mock. The office in this city employs forty men. The company built nearly seven thousand miles of new lines throughout the 27
country in 1890. This company has suc- ceeded to the territory formerly covered by the Baltimore & Ohio Telegraph Company.
The Nebraska Telephone Company is the successor of the Omaha Electric Company, organized in May, 1879, of which C. W. Mead was president, J. J. Dickey, vice-presi- dent and general manager, L. II. Korty, secretary and treasurer. In addition to the above named, the following were interested as stockholders: S. 11. IL. Clark, W. A. Pax- ton, J. T. Clark, J. W. Gannett, Thomas L. Kimball and I. E. Jennison. In July, 1882, the present company was incorporated, with S. II. II. Clark as president; Mr. Korty, secretary and treasurer; Mr. Dickey, vice- president; and Flemon Drake, general man- ager, which officers have charge of the affairs of the company at this time, with the excep- tion that Casper E. Yost is now president and general manager and Mr. Drake is no longer connected with the company. The Nebraska Telephone Company secured from the American Bell Telephone Company a perpetual and exclusive franchise for Ne- braska and Pottawattamie County, Iowa, and in May, 1883, bought all the property owned by the Omaha Electric Company. The incorporation was effected with a capi- tal stock of $250.000, which has since been increased to $700,000. Beginning business. in May, 1883, with 323 subscribers and 160 miles of wire, steady and rapid progress has been made by the company since that date. November 1, 1892, there were over fifteen hundred miles of line within the city limits, and nearly seventeen hundred subscribers. The present system of the company supplies the telephonic demands of 4,500 subscribers, requiring the use of 2,859 miles of wire. For the city business an average of 235 men are employed, to whom $7,200 is paid monthly. The exchange was first located in the Union Block, on Fifteenth and Farnam, a removal to the Ramge Building, Harney and Fifteenth, being effected July 1, 1887, which change involved an outlay of over
418
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
twenty thousand dollars, and an immense amount of tedious and vexatious work. In the Ramge Building eighteen rooms on the fifth floor, a large portion of the basement, and an adjoining building in the alley, are occupied. Upon getting into more conven- ient quarters, which gave the necessary space for the increased demands of the busi- ness, the company entered upon a system of improvements, regardless of expense, one feature being a new switch board, made of solid mahogany and costing $32,000. This has a capacity for 4,500 subscribers, which can be increased by adding sections of a ca- pacity of two thousand each. The placing of this board in position involved much labor, there being over thirty-seven thous- and soldered connections. The " clearing off" method of this switch board is a great improvement on those formerly used, and in this respect the Nebraska company was a pioneer. Their example was soon after fol- lowed by the Liverpool, England, company, and more recently by various exchanges in this country. The company purchased a lot, 66x132 feet in size, at the southwest corner of Douglas and Eighteenth, paying therefor $31,500, and in the spring of 1891 proposed to begin the erection of a three-story brick building, sixty-six feet square, with high basement, and to adopt the underground system for wires in the business portion of the city. By this means a great saviug on repairs would be gained and the unsightly and dangerous masses of wires which now disfigure the main business streets removed from sight, and the risk to life greatly re- duced. Sleet and hail storms always inflict much damage to the overhead wires, one storm, in March, 1889, imposing an expense of $4,400 upon the Omaha company for re- pairs. A sleet storm in March, 1892, cost the company over twelve thousand dollars for repairs. It is said that on one occasion a storm at Kansas City damaged the telephone system to the extent of twenty thousand dollars. The Nebraska Telephone Company
has recently adopted what is known as the long distance telephone system in connect- ing its various exchanges throughout the State.
By reason of two changes of grade of Douglas Street, the erection of the building proposed on the corner of Eighteenth and Douglas Streets has been delayed; but, now that these changes have been made, the building will soon be constructed. One hundred and fifty thousand feet of duct have just been laid, which is equal to three miles of trench or completed conduit. This will lessen the amount of wire now strung on poles about seven hundred miles. The building and conduits will be occupied June or Jnly, 1893.
The American District Telegraph Com- pany was organized in June, 1883, with an authorized capital of $100,000. The incor- porators were M. II. Goble, J. J. Dickey, L. H. Korty, L. M. Rheem and Flemon Drake; L. II. Korty, president; M. H. Goble, vice- president; L. M. Rheem, secretary and treas- urer. The office was first located at 209} South Thirteenth Street, but was soon after- wards moved to the present location, num- ber 1304 Douglas Street. There were but eight messengers at first, but the company have now fifty-three employes in the Omaha office and fourteen in the south Omaha branch. The cab and parcel delivery busi- ness has been added, and the company has also established a system of private watch- man service, by which reports are received at stated intervals, more or less frequent, from the watchmen engaged in the various large manufactories of the two cities, by means of electric gongs. They have also a system of automatic fire alarms, by which the exact location of fires in any part of a building may be ascertained. The value of the watchman service may be shown by an instance where the watchman in one of the chief hotels of the city failed to ring in his report one night. A messenger was sent at once to ascertain the reason, and found the
419
TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE.
watchman lying intoxicated in the basement of the hotel, with an overturned lantern, still burning, on the floor beside bim. The present officers of the company are: L. II. Korty, president; J. J. Dickey, vice-presi- dent; L. M. Rheem, secretary, treasurer and general manager; James Donnelly, Jr., superintendent.
The Northwestern Electric Light Com- pany was organized in 1883, and established its first power-house in the Strang building, on Farnam and Tenth Streets, but afterwards moved to the Woodman Linseed Oil Mills. The power is now furnished from the power- house of the Thomson-Ilouston Company. The present officers of the Northwestern Company are: Henry T. Clarke, president; Nathan Merriam, secretary; John T. Clarke, treasurer and manager. This company was the first in Nebraska to operate arc and in- candescent lights.
The Sperry Electric Light Company, or- ganized in 1883, with a capital of fifty-six thousand dollars, of which amount fifteen thousand dollars was paid for the patents of the Sperry company, for Nebraska. A brick building, now used as a steam laundry, was put up by the company on Dodge Street between Eleventh and Twelfth. It was the intention of this company to supply build- ings with light by the storage system, but this was found to be impracticable. Among those who took stock in the enterprise were Guy Barton, A. J. Simpson, Churchill Par- ker, W. A. L. Gibbon, Dr. V. H. Coffman, George C. Ames, John A. McShane, George W. Ames, J. H. Dumont and George Arm- strong. The investment proved unprofit-
able, and a consolidation was effected with the New Omaha Thomson-Houston Electric Light Company.
The Thomson-Houston Electric Light Company was organized September 26, 1885, the following named being the incorpora- tors: J. C. Reagan, J. E. Riley, J. W. Pad- dock, George W. Duncan, C. G. Reagan, George Canfield, Alfred Shroeder, M. A. MeMenamy. The business has since passed into other hands-the New Omaha Thomson- Houston Electric Light Company-with S.L. Wiley as president and manager and HI. E. Chubbuck, secretary, treasurer and superin- tendent. The new company has a capital of $600,000, and operates seventy miles of wire. The power-house, situated at the foot of Jones Street, is 118x135 feet, three stories high, built of brick in the most substantial manner. From this, power and light are fur- nished for manufactories in all parts of the city, day and night, in addition to the gen- eral business of the company. More than $300,000 was expended in improvements and extensions in 1890.
The Omaha Illuminating Company was incorporated November 16, 1886, and leased for ten years all the rights and interests of the Northwestern Electric Light Company. The incorporators were: Pierce C. Hime- baugh, C. C. Warren, Henry T. Clarke, Frank Warren and Ralph Breckenridge, with a capital of twenty thousand dollars. The present officers are: S. L. Wiley, presi- dent; Henry T. Clarke, vice-president; R. V. Montague, secretary and treasurer. The power is furnished by the new Thom- son-Houston Company.
CHAPTER XLVII.
GRAIN ELEVATORS -FIFTEEN YEARS' DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS LINE - STORAGE CAPACITY FOR MILLIONS OF BUSHELS.
In 1875 John McCormick, David S. Bar- riger and Fred H. Davis erected, at the cor- ner of Jones and Seventh Streets, the first elevator built in Omaha. At that time the wheat shipments from Nebraska amounted to only a few hundred cars per annum, and the oat crops were insufficent to supply the home demand. More attention was given to corn by Nebraska farmers, but the export from this section was so limited that when these gentlemen built their elevator its capacity of but 200,000 bushels was deemed sufficiently large for all practical purposes. The Chase patent was used, and the build- ing was 80 by 132 feet on the ground and 80 feet high. Including the outlay for offices, a warehouse for sacking purposes, and cribs, the sum of forty thousand dollars was expended. The following winter the Omaha Elevator Company was organized, with Mr. McCormick as president, Mr. Bar- riger vice-president and Mr. Davis secre- retary and treasurer, with a paid up. capital stock of fifty thousand dollars. In July, 1879, the buildings were all destroyed by fire, en- tailing a loss of one hundred thousand dol- lars, three-fourths of which amount was covered by insurance. Before the smoking ruins were fairly removed, Mr. McCormick commenced the erection of a temporary building on the ground for warehouse pur- poses, in order to continue the business, and Mr. Barriger was planning for the construc- tion of the immense elevator now standing near Spoon Lake, on the Council Bluffs side of the river, which was completed in 1883, at a cost of $280,000, with a storage capaci- ty of over one million bushels. The busi-
ness was conducted by the officers of the Omaha Elevator Company until Mr. Mc- Cormick's death, in 1885, when the Omaha Elevator and Grain Company was organ- ized, with H. W. Rogers as president, Mr. Barriger, vice-president and Mr. Davis, sec- retary. In August, 1889, a consolidation was effected with the Union Elevator Com- pany.
In June, 1877, C. W. Lyman and P. C. ITimebaugh started, under the firm name of C. W. Lyman & Co. Soon afterwards Na- than Merriam was admitted to the firm, and in the following August, on the retirement of Mr. Lyman, the firm became Ilimebaugh & Merriam. They engaged in the grain business with a capital of $25,000, the build- ing erected that year having a capacity of thirty thousand bushels. A few years later the large building east of Twelfth Street, on the Union Pacific Railroad, was erected. In August, 1889, a new company was formed by the consolidation of the Ilimebaugh & Merriam Company and the Omaha Elevator and Grain Company, and styled the Omaha Union Grain Company, under the following management: H. W. Rogers, president; P. C. Himebaugh, vice-president; Nathan Mer- riam, general manager; David S. Barriger, assistant general manager; Edward P. Peck, secretary; S. B. Cochran, treasurer. In con- sequence of the death of Mr. Ilimebaugh, in April, 1890, other changes were made and the Omaha Elevator Company was organ- ized and purchased the entire elevator prop- erty and plant of the Omaha Union Grain Company. The present officers are: F. H. Peavey, president; A. B. Jaquith, vice pres-
420
421
GRAIN ELEVATORS.
ident and manager; C. T. Peavey, treasurer; and E. P. Peck, secretary. These officers, with F. H. Davis, E. C. Michener and C. M. Champlin constitute the board of directors.
The Omaha Elevator Company owns and operates the elevator east of Thirteenth Street, known as "Elevator A," which has a capacity of two hundred thousand bushels, and leases the elevator east of " A," known as "Elevator B" (which is owned by the Union Elevator Company), with a capacity of 750,000 bushels. Seventy other elevators in this State, owned and operated by the Omaha Elevator Company, have a combined capacity of 1,000,000 bushels.
The Fowler Elevator Company erected a small building in June, 1888, and com- menced business in a modest way. The following year a stock company was formed with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, and the storage capacity increased to 200,000 bushels. B. Fowler is president; C. T. Brown, secretary, and C. H. Fowler, treas- urer of the company, with offices in the First National Bank Building, the elevator
being located at the intersection of North Tenth and Charles Streets. This company owns and controls twenty elevators in Ne- braska. It has recently built nine elevators on the Kearney and Black Hills branch of the Union Pacific Railroad.
The elevator built during the year 1890 by the Woodman & Ritchie Company, has a capacity of 600,000 bushels, and was opened for business September 1, 1890. It is con- structed after the most improved methods, with abundant facilities for the storage of grain. The company was organized with Clark Woodman, president; Frank E. Ritchie, vice-president and Charles L. Harris, secre- tary, in 1890, with a paid up capital of $500,000. The amount invested in ground and building is $250,000. The elevator is 60 feet wide, 264 feet long and 140 feet high. It is located just across the alley from the Woodman Oil Works, with convenient railway trackage. Upon the death of Mr. Woodman, which occurred in Chicago, in August, 1891, Mr. Ritchie was made presi- dent.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
BANKS AND BANKING -THE GROWTH OF THESE INSTITUTIONS - EXPENSIVE AND ATTRACTIVE BANK BUILDINGS.
[Mr. A. P. Hopkins, president Commercial National Bank, is the author of this chapter. ]
The history of banking in Omaha seems to naturally divide itself into two periods, the first period commencing with the year 1855 and ending with 1863. The second period commencing with 1863 and extending down to the present time. During the first period the banking system of the country changed from the State bank system to the National. At the commencement of our his- tory the State bank system was at its height. " Banks of Issue " under State charters were multiplying with great rapidity, especially in the new and growing West. The abuse of this system in the West became so great that the name " wildcat banking " has been used as descriptive of the operations of this period. The panic of 1857 was so severe and far-reaching in its effects that a very large majority of the banks throughout the country went down in the general crash. The methods continued, however, until dis- placed by the National system, in 1863. The banks of Omaha, during this time, were not by any means the worst of their kind, but were really better than the average.
The first office opened in Omaha for the transaction of a general banking business was in the spring of 1855, by the Western Exchange Fire & Marine Insurance Com- pany, at the southwest corner of Twelfth and Farnam, the site now occupied by the United States National Bank. This com- pany was the first financial institution estab- lished in Nebraska under a charter from the legislature. Thomas II. Benton, Jr., a son of Senator Benton, was president, Leroy Tuttle, cashier, and A. U. Wyman, teller.
The latter two gentlemen have, each, since occupied the honorable position of treasurer of the United States. The Western Ex- change Fire & Marine Insurance Company from its organization was aided greatly by the government deposits, and did a large and flourishing business, until its failure, September 23, 1857.
The next in order was the Bank of Ne- braska, organized June 7, 1856, and located at the southeast corner of Farnam and Twelfth Streets. Its officers were: B. F. Allen, president; Samuel Moffatt, cashier. This bank issued thirty-seven thousand dollars in currency under the management of Allen & Moffatt, which was redeemed in full. B. R. Pegram, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, bought the bank and became its presi- dent in 1858, and D. C. DeForrest was made cashier. The bank went out of business in 1859.
From a history of Omaha, written by James M. Woolworth, and published in 1857, we take the liberty to quote, regarding the two banks just referred to: "The charters of these institutions are of the most liberal kind. No public securities are re- quired, no control over them is exercised by the government, they might issue their bills to any amount, without one dollar of gold with which to redeem them. It would he hard for the public to protect themselves against fraud, should the officers please to close the institution, but the public hold a strong protection against such a course in the character and worth of the gentlemen who own the banks. Not only is their moral character above suspicion of such a gross act of public injury, but their business
422
423
BANKS AND BANKING.
interests and relations are too dear and extended thus to be sacrificed. Indeed so careful have these gentlemen been to pro- tect themselves individually, and the public from the possibility of such an act, that they did, on organizing their two institu- tions, place in the banks, gold and securities exceeding the amount of money issued by them. The consequence has been that their bills have been and are regarded as a safe circulation both at home and abroad. But so large are the advantages which these banks secured and yielded to the stock- holders that at the last session of the legis- lature, the government was importuned for other similar charters for institutions like these all over the territory, hy parties whose responsibility was doubted. The legislature passed acts chartering eight of these banks, but the governor vetoed all the bills. The house passed two over his veto, the others were lost. The excitement both in and out of the territory, was very great, in so much that Nebraska money fell into disrepute, and both banks in Omaha, thereupon began to draw in their circulations, and they have redeemed nearly all of it. Hereafter they will bank on some other circulation than their own."
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.