Qass- 
 
 Book 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 
 
H 
 
 AND BOOK TO THE CITY OF 
 LITTLE ROCK, STATE OF 
 ARKANSAS. ..^POPULARLY 
 STYLED "THE CITY OF 
 ROSES."-^EIGHTEEN HUN- 
 DRED AND NINETY-SEVEN. 
 
 BEING A FAITHFUL 
 ACCOUNT OF ARK- 
 ANSAS' -^CAPITAL 
 CITY3i=- FROM THE 
 STANDPOINT OF A 
 MANUFACTURING 
 CENTER. .^^/g/i^ 
 _^REPORTED AND 
 COPYRIGHTED BY 
 Col. M. L,. DeMalher, 
 STAFF MEMBER OF 
 _^THE ARKANSAS 
 GAZETTE, LITTLE 
 ROCK, ARK.Difc^ 
 
 From The Arkansas Gazette, 
 January IS, 1897. 
 
i:{h 
 
PUBLISHED UNDER THE 
 AUSPICES OF THE2^ 
 LITTLE ROCK BOARD 
 OF TRADE. D^ 
 
 WRITE TO -^LITTLE 
 ROCK BOARD OF TRADE 
 FOR -^SUCH INFORMA- 
 TION AS DOES NOTD^ 
 APPEAR IN THIS HAND 
 BOOK.a^ 
 
 _^THE LITTLE ROCK 
 BOARD OF TRADEi^ OF- 
 FERS SUBSTANTIAL^^ 
 INDUCEMENTS TO MAN- 
 UFACTURERS -^TO LO- 
 CATE IN THE CITY.3^ 
 
 A 
 
PRESS OP 
 
 GAZETTE PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
 
 LITTLE KOCK, ARK. 
 
INTRODycTlON. 
 
 ,:?j^AVING IN MIND 
 authenticated accounts 
 of Arkansas and her 
 chief city, nothing is 
 more remarkable to 
 strang-ers, who study either of 
 the two, than the lack of manu- 
 factures and of railway facilities, 
 called for by favoring conditions 
 of the State. It is not a question 
 with them, whether on the one 
 hand watercourses and present 
 railroad connections, or whether 
 on the other hand, extraneous 
 causes enter into the case, but 
 what have the people of Arkan- 
 sas and of Little Rock engaged 
 
 I. . . 
 
 in, that so great opportunities 
 
 should have escaped notice? 
 
ABSENCE OF RAILROADS AND 
 FACTORIES. 
 
 There are of course reasons for the ah- 
 seuces of railroads aud manufactures, 
 equal to the resouices and advantages of 
 the state; however on first thought, it 
 were impossible to name any one in par- 
 ticular. But it is, furely, not a t'Utficient 
 answer to the question, to say, that both 
 Little Rock and the state, ate cut off from 
 other avenues to wealth and gi'eatuess. 
 than that of agriculture, even though 
 eight-tenths or more of Arkansas' popula- 
 tion engage in farming. Such an an- 
 swer involves the hypothesis of the Ar- 
 kantan being, so to speak, insular in his 
 conception of means to ends, when in fact 
 his hospitality to new ideas and his lib- 
 erality and enterprise in trials of merit 
 with his neighbors have for years won 
 for his state the applause of all t>ister 
 commonwealths of the Union. 
 
 The reason is to be sought further. 
 Arkansas aud Little Rock may not. have 
 thought 'SO before times, but there are 
 causes fui- the lack of manufactures and' 
 railroads other than appear on the sur- 
 face, ami for which au esplauatiou mu- 1 
 be fOUght in the history of otier South- 
 ern states. In the case of Georgia and 
 her capital city, it is supplied in the fact 
 of powerful Wall Street friends whose 
 enthusiasm over resources of the state. 
 by reas'on of its disinterestedness and 
 sincerity, stimulated investments in 
 mines, factories, railroads-, quarries and 
 town property. In the case of Virginia 
 it is found in the patronage of strong 
 railway corporations, who hesitated at 
 no expense, and who left no means un- 
 tried to bring capital and population to 
 the development of their territory. In the 
 case of Alabama it is found directly in 
 railway construction on the part of the 
 state government, after which it was 
 easy with railroad capitalists and man 
 Lifactures not only to rea.-on for liber- 
 ality and enterprise on the part 
 of the legislature, but for the coufldeuce 
 of it.< people in the resources and ad 
 vantages of their state. And in the case 
 of the Carolinas it is that of Providence 
 helping those who help themselves, 
 which, interpreted in their history, 
 means that having continued to join 
 modesit earnings of the farm, shop, store 
 and professions, there has been effected 
 results which represent an aggregate in- 
 
vestment of local capital to the amount of 
 millions. 
 
 Hence, however, the instances cited 
 only complicate the maze, Arliausas and 
 Little Kock must follow if they are to 
 enter upon the development of railroads 
 and manufactures, in one, or it might be 
 in all of them is to be found the clew. 
 Excepting friends who are strongly eu- 
 ti enched in the confidence of Wall Street 
 (but which with proi>er approach can be 
 furnished in the person of thiee distin- 
 guished railway magnates)— Arkansas 
 possesses all means supplied by the 
 states named. And what is better, in hev 
 coal field-i, water power, navigable water 
 cour.^es, forests, marbles, building stone, 
 luanganese, antimony, beauxile, zinc, cop- 
 per, lead, chalk, gypsum, green sand, 
 marl, fiuit. grass, grain, and cotton lauds, 
 she jupplies in her own territory more 
 than the aggregate resources and advan- 
 tages of the five states combined. 
 
 AN INTERESTING EXAMPLE. 
 
 .S-.-parating the subject uf manufactures 
 from that of railroads, it is of course un- 
 reasonable to expect, upon a considerable 
 scale, indui'trial development, without 
 leader's possescsed of business experience 
 and judgment sufficient to attract gener- 
 al confidence; or who, at least, add to 
 the organization and promotion of manu- 
 facturing enterprises, skilled knowledge, 
 if not time and money, a.^^ evidence of 
 good faith. 
 
 Take the Georgia cotton mills for ex- 
 ample. Though afterwards carried to 
 heights rivalling states deemed to have 
 a munopoly of cotton manufacture, its 
 hiistory, no doubt, turns upon the Au- 
 gusta factory, situated at Augusta, Ga. 
 Aud to admit that much, is to bring into 
 the Ught the forgotten fact, that the 
 whole system, a.-' a profitable investment 
 for that state, turned upon the skilled 
 knowledge and industry of one man, 
 (Gogin by name) who, immediately an- 
 tedating the war of the states, wnw called 
 to the management of the Augusta fac- 
 tory. It was he who, not only carried 
 the enterprise to a paying basis for the 
 fir.-t time in its history, but whoso gen- 
 ius became established in the cotton 
 world, immediately after the war. in al- 
 most fabulous earnings for which rhe 
 mill is celebrated. 
 
 There had been nothing to parallel il 
 in the cotton mill industry of the state. 
 and nothing, in the situation at the time, 
 to invite great cotton plants. And. th(n'e- 
 fnre. once it was shown, that nothing 
 militated against their eneonragment and 
 >uccess. excepting inexperience, lack uf 
 capital, and lack of industrial leaders, 
 not only was local capital from many 
 
sources combined for investment in cot- 
 ton mills, but when approached by the 
 right men, industrial capitalists of the 
 East were not slow to invest in Georgia 
 cotton mills. And in fact, when the mor- 
 al of it all is' sought for. it will be found 
 in a proviso wbicli obtained in both cases, 
 that, those placed in charge should be of 
 similar training and experience to that 
 of the man who, in all truth, can be said 
 to have created the great cotton mill in- 
 dustry of the Souih, when from compara- 
 tive nothingness he laised the fame of 
 the Augusta Factory, as a money-maker, 
 to that of the best in the world. 
 
 RAILROADS ALIVE TO THE SITUA- 
 TION. 
 
 At' ill the case of manufactures upon 
 tbeir own merit, so it is when the in- 
 terest of railroads in the matter, is joined 
 to the sub.iect of the iudu.?trial develop- 
 ment in the state and at its capital city. 
 One of the systems at last has in mind 
 ie.sults which will follow when the oppor- 
 tuaity of the two becomes understood, 
 but at the same time, being always un- 
 der the suspicion of working for selfish 
 ends, it has been at sea, as to the best 
 course to pursue. 
 
 It has hesitated to proceed unnecessa- 
 rily in a wrong direction, and in conse- 
 quence, has held itself in abeyance, un- 
 til delay, in the promotion of manufac- 
 ture-', has become irksouie. if not detr'- 
 mental to its interests, with this resull- 
 that it is impatient enough to move in- 
 dependently in the matter. And herein 
 it is, that a serious disadvantage can fol- 
 low such establishment of industries, con- 
 ditioned to resources of the ftate. For 
 if the railroads are, perforce, required to 
 take the initiative. Little Rock will in 
 effect, lose th. command of its own af- 
 fairs and the ra I roads of course, farm out 
 to strangers favors and advantages nec- 
 essary to the success of manufacturing 
 plants. 
 
 Of the interest, old, new, and projected 
 roads, feel in the outcome of local devel- 
 opment directed to manufactures; it is 
 not necessary to add that it does not, in 
 toto, depend upon the pra^pect of an "in 
 and out" haul of material found iu their 
 teiritory. It also involves both the set- 
 tlement of the country, and a better dis- 
 tribution of money over their territory 
 (not to mention, on account of aggregated 
 manufactures under such conditions), a 
 greater business out of Little Rock, than 
 would he possible at any point in the 
 Southwest, outside of St. Louis, Kansas 
 City, and New Orleans. 
 
8 
 
 FROM THE STANDPOINT OF LITTLE 
 ROCK. 
 
 Predisposed as the facts of llie case are. 
 to the direct que.-tiou of Little Rock's 
 future history, there is but one answer: 
 i'liat of a manufacturiug center, though 
 ai the same time it mutt always remain 
 lUe largest and wealthiest commercial, 
 social, educational, and political center 
 of the t<tate. 
 
 It is a result which is to follow, how- 
 ever, an hcnest mittalie upon the part 
 of its leaders, for a tjme, kept uut of sight 
 iLhsources and opportunities which, lu 
 the case of other cities of its size and 
 populaUon, would have ultimated in one 
 111 the largest mauufactuiiug cenieis 
 of the Southern States. And in the sense 
 chat it is an unavoidable consequence, if 
 liusinese considerations are to govern its 
 fortunes, Littie Rock need not be impa- 
 tient of its realization, if sponsors ap- 
 pear for it in centers of industrial capi- 
 tal, provided similar etforts are made to 
 overcome inexperience in manufacture, 
 as took place when the people of Augus- 
 ta, Ua., placed their great factory under 
 the diiection of the famous mil. man 
 from the .tate of Maine. 
 
 The conditions, not to say variety and 
 extent ol native material, are so much 
 in its favor, that, at a venture, it can be 
 said to have no parallel on the Western 
 Continent. This refers not only to cheap 
 fuel at the present time, but to cheaper 
 fuel still from coal mines lately discov- 
 ered clo e at hand. It refers also to cot- 
 ton and woolen mills, oil mills, leather 
 manufacture, aluminum plants, agricul- 
 tural implements, reductiou works for 
 ziiic, lead, and copper, paper iiiiils, car 
 shops, wagon factories, fumiiure lacto- 
 ries, good schools, good health, guod wa- 
 tcr,favoriug social conditions to mill own- 
 ers and mill workers; and next to maui- 
 fo.d and unlimited means to success, na- 
 tive to the state, it presents at the pres- 
 ent time, with a prospect of becoming 
 greater still at an early day. the largest, 
 ready made market close at hand, of any 
 originating center in the Union, of less 
 than a quarter mi. lion of inhabitants. 
 
 Or in other words, not only do the lae;s 
 of the case prove an opportunity for in- 
 vesting capital which carries with it pre- 
 disposing causes that mean pros- 
 perity, but an importance, which 
 ii- to round itself short of no man- 
 ufacturing center of the South— with all 
 railroads in operation, and all new ro-.d.; 
 beudimr their influence and encourage- 
 ment to the promotion of enterprises 
 sure to give them a large busine s; and 
 Mire til bring to tlu'ir imiuediate Icrrii ;- 
 ry. a commercial and social developnieut 
 commensurate with the character and 
 excellence of the country. 
 In the same connection, not to be mis- 
 
understood, it ehonld perhaps be said 
 
 that though it may not be in general, ;5o 
 loiown to the public, it is in evidence 
 against Little Rock that in striving for 
 commercial honors, it is in the end seen, 
 that splendid city as it is, it has not 
 grown to a commanding height in size 
 and population. The fact i.«, an avoid- 
 ance of ruanntacture was but, natural, at 
 a day when returns from commercial in- 
 vestments in the state, paid four or five 
 times the amount derived from other 
 forms of business enteiprlses. But now, 
 that such a day is gone, the past returns 
 to incite a new pro'pec. of prosperity. 
 That 01 mdustries which ?annot prom- 
 ise less tnan a means to gain, depended 
 upon a safe basis, at the same time it 
 can be expected to add four and five 
 times the number of people to the •■■um 
 total of population, than followed wheu 
 commercial enterprise was only in force. 
 
 SPONSOR FOR LITTL,E ROCK AND THE 
 STATE. 
 
 Respecting the offices of well knowu 
 railway magnates as sponsors for Little 
 Rock and the state: It l< in evidence 
 that incalculable benefit would follow 
 the selection of at least one of them, for 
 tLi^ reason that it would aid iu uudoint; 
 iMUch misapprehension of Arkansas, and 
 at the same time benefit properties in 
 which he is directly intereted. But, 
 transcending any selfish interest in the 
 matter, tile man contemplaied iu this cm- 
 aection can be moved as well from the 
 side of public spirit and an opportunity 
 to distingui.-h himself as a benefactor. 
 uot ouly to a state, but to a great section 
 of our common country where, 
 nature Itself, pleads the cause 
 of a brave and generous people. 
 For however any effort toward 
 the successful development of manufac 
 tuws. must turn, primarily, upon 
 great aggregates of native material, to 
 satisfy capitalists of the safety and prof- 
 it of their investment, like the motion im- 
 parted to things when Fort Smith and 
 the state woke up in 1887, the influence 
 would reach, irresi.-tibly, to all South- 
 ivu and Southwestern states of the Un- 
 ion; and the geuiu- of the man, for direct- 
 ing great enterprises, become crowned 
 by a fame for usefulness to bis fellow 
 man second to no American citizen of the 
 present da.y. 
 
 It is not a fruitles or impracticable 
 btep to take. .Tohn H. Inman alone prov- 
 ed that it was in keeping with the re- 
 ijuiremens of capitalists who learn, com- 
 paratively, nothing of inviting fields for 
 investment that lie beyond the hard 
 grind of business which leaves them 
 scarcely time to cultivate the acquain- 
 tance of their own family. And if sue- 
 
10 
 
 cessful In the case of Atlanta and the 
 
 state of Georgia, why not in the case of 
 Little Rock and the state of Arkansas, 
 whose manifiilil and unlimited naiive ma- 
 terial equal the natural resources of at 
 least four manufacturing states of the 
 South ? 
 
 Again: If from deeire on his part to 
 avoid publicity, or any other reason, it 
 i.< discovered that this man, most fitted 
 of all others for the ?ponsorship, is disin- 
 clined to lead in the matter (for at beet 
 it will be no child's play to be left off 
 when the actor has had his fun), there 
 is recourse left in a convocation uf 
 railway magnates, boards of trade, and 
 state authorities, who can line up their 
 effort in parallel directions; and as need 
 for it presents itself, the party of the flrit 
 part, resident at money centers, identify 
 those publicly selected to Invite manu- 
 facture,? to the state and Its capital city. 
 The only oli.ieetion to this plan, as com- 
 pared to the first, is the fact that It would 
 lack the stamp of individuality, or orig- 
 inal conception, which at any turn of tine 
 game, would show the same directing 
 hand and brain, and therefore at ail 
 times inspire confidence by reason of 
 consistency both in the design and in its 
 execution. But it is better than nothing 
 at all, and if it is, perforce, the only al- 
 ternative left to our state authorities and 
 the Little Rock Board of Trade, it is at 
 least to that extent a point gained from 
 which, thereafter, it would be possible 
 to discover advantagse that would not 
 crtherwL'e appear to those who, for the 
 first time, undertake the establishment 
 of factories. 
 
 RAILWAY AVENUES TO RAW MATER- 
 IAL. 
 
 Of roads, present and prospective, over 
 which it is possible to concentrate upon 
 Little Rock, all native material of the 
 state, it 1-- not necessary to emphasize the 
 fact that they are also direct and indirect 
 means over which to reach markets of 
 the West, Southwest and Mexico, not to 
 mention markets of the South, where 
 the predilection already exists of patron- 
 izing home industries. 
 
 It i- an advantage, both as respects a 
 eupply of native material and of connec- 
 lions to ri'ady made markets not |)rissir)l;> 
 to another point in the trans-Mississippi 
 division of the Union. There are other 
 point* to whicn more irunk roads have 
 already been constructed. than 
 Little Rock could hope for in the next 
 twenty-five years, however, all other 
 things mty come her way. But there 
 is none of them whose railway lines com- 
 mand so many kinds, and so great a sup- 
 ply of native material at short range, 
 none of them, at which the cost of ma- 
 
11 
 
 teiial, lo begiu witU, would be lowoi lo 
 manufactures; and', therefore, none ol" 
 them, tht outcome of which would pair 
 with conditions favoring Litt e Rock, in 
 competiug at first hand, tor the manu- 
 lac:uriiig trade before described. 
 
 It is also extraordinary that so little 
 has been understood of ihe situation, 
 both upuu the score of railway lines in 
 operation to Little Hock, and of others in 
 Mght. Of the first, railways in opera- 
 tion, there are iluee systems or groups 
 which, in ctt'ect, means (trunk lines, 
 branches and connections operated in 
 this s.ate) twenty-stveu roads that con- 
 nect Little Hock to so many different 
 parts of the state. 
 
 The operated road's are as follows, viz.: 
 Missouri Pacific railway, north; Mis- 
 souri Pacific railway, south; Little Rock 
 and Memphis, branch if the Missouri Pa- 
 cific; Little Rock and Alexandria, or 
 Houston, Central ArKausas and Northern 
 railway; Cotton Belt railway, mirth; Cot- 
 ton Bolt railway. South; Altheimer branch 
 of the Cotton Belt rai way; Little Rock 
 and Memphis railway; Pike City connec- 
 tion of the Missouii Pacific railway; Pre.-- 
 cott and Wallaceburg connection of the 
 Missouii Pacific riilway; Arkadelphia 
 and Dalaik connection of the Missouri 
 Pacific railway; Hoxie and Pocahontas 
 connection (jf tlie Mis.souri I'acific and 
 Netlleton sy.stems; Russellville and Dar- 
 dane le e: uuection of the Missouri Pa- 
 cific railway; Searcy and West Point 
 connection of the Mi-souri Pacific rail- 
 way; Warren, Eldorado, Nashville, 
 Greenwoi d and BatesviUe branches of 
 the Missouri Pacific railway; Clarendon 
 and Helena connection of the Cotton 
 Belt railway; Rob Roy and Euglish con- 
 nection of the Cotton Belt rai way; Stuit- 
 .gart and DeWitt connection of ttie Cot- 
 ton Belt railway; Helena, Brinklty and 
 Indian Bay connection of the Little Rock 
 and Memphis railway; Magnolia and 
 Shreveport branches of the Cotton Belt 
 railway; White and Black River connec- 
 tion of the Missouri Pacific, Little Rock 
 and Memphis, and Cotton Btlt railways. 
 Of roads "in sight" there are three 
 cla ses — extensions and connections of 
 roads now operated, roads now build- 
 ing, and projected roads, viz.; Little Rock 
 and Memphis extension; Mena, Hot 
 Springs and Little Reck branch of the 
 Kansas City. Pittsburg and Gulf rail- 
 way; Miami, Bentonvll e and Little Rock 
 branch of the Nettleton system; Har- 
 rison, Marshall and Liitle Rock branch 
 of the Mackay road projected from St. 
 Louis to .\bilene, Texas, under the title 
 of the St. Louis, Siloam and Southern 
 railway: St. Paul and Little Rock; Mans- 
 field and Little Rock; Eureka Springs 
 and' Little Rock; Chadwick and Little 
 
12 
 
 Rock, and ttie Salem and Little Rock 
 branches of the St. Louis and San Fran- 
 cisco railway. And, indeed, of which 
 last named group of branch roads (two 
 of which will be but t) it is to be an- 
 ticipated of their extension, that they 
 will bring to their territory and to Little 
 Rock a prosperity unexampled in the his- 
 tory of Southwestern railway develoj)- 
 ment; the remarkable character of the 
 country penetrated being the viudicaiion 
 of the prediction made. 
 
 OUR RAILWAT AUTHORITIES NOT 
 POSTED. 
 
 In connection with the >-ubject of na- 
 tive material for manufactures, to be 
 alone derived from territory of the Mis- 
 souri Pacific railway, there is one diffi- 
 culty in the way, which, without ex 
 traneous help, it will not be easy to over- 
 come. It is this: Though facts of the 
 case may be, in a general way, argued 
 by the mileage so great a >ystem op- 
 erates in this state, so extra- 
 ordinary are the amounts, and so wide- 
 ranged the variety of material, that, in 
 any serious attempt at details, inve>tors 
 are, on first impulse, inclined to hold 
 such information at arm's length. It is 
 not due to any indisposition to take hold 
 of a good thng, when they know it, but 
 being at best strangers lo the state, it 
 seems to them, incredible, that others in 
 po-ition to do so, had not, in time, pre- 
 occupied the ground floor tu the exclu- 
 sion of all outsiders. 
 
 In the same connection, that of ma- 
 terial to be derived by Little Rock from 
 territory of the Missouri Pacific railway, 
 it is of course presumed, that the author- 
 ities of the road are sufficient to estab- 
 lish such information of the country pen- 
 etrated, as would impress itse f, but they 
 have accompli bed nothing in that direc- 
 tion. There is no doubt of their inter- 
 est in the development and profitable op- 
 eration of the road in their Arkansas ter- 
 ritory, and upon the whole, they have 
 authorized most liberal expenditures to 
 advertise the state along with matters 
 of their own. But when inquiry is 
 pu.shed further than this, it is found 
 that the.v have had neither the inclina- 
 tion to study the country, upon original 
 grounds of their own, nor the leisure to 
 study information, supplied by their 
 ■ ubordiuates, which established the fact 
 that, outside of timber and farm pro- 
 ducts, there is not ten miles square m 
 their territory which does not supply 
 native material required in manufac- 
 tures and the arts. And as the same 
 condition applies to other roads, as it 
 does to the Missouri Pacific, at a glance 
 there is -een plenty of reason for collect- 
 ing data, necessary to a proper authenti- 
 
13 
 
 catiou of Little Rock's present and fn- 
 tui-e prospects as a manufacturing cen- 
 ter, whether the outcome is to be pro- 
 pitiated by means of sponsors, by iude- 
 peudeni action, or by means of a convo- 
 cation of railway magnates, boards of 
 trade, and state authorities. 
 
 WIDE EXTENT OF TERRITORY. 
 
 That the variety and extent of ma- 
 terial found in the Arkansas territory, of 
 present and prospective railroads, is not 
 al. on paper, nor all in the air, take the 
 following named counties penetrated by 
 them. 
 
 Territory of the Missouri Pacific rail- 
 way, main line, branches and direct con- 
 nections: Clay, Lawrence, Jackson, Inde- 
 pendence, White, Lonoke, Pulaski, Sa- 
 line, Hot Springs, Garland, Clark, Ne- 
 vada, Hempstead, Miller. Howard, Oua- 
 chita, Union, Bradley, Drew, Ashley, 
 Desha Lincoln, Jefferson, Phil ip-, Lee, 
 St. Francis, Cross, Craighead, Woodruff. 
 Faulkner, Conway, Pope, Johnson, 
 Franklin, Sebastian, Crittenden and 
 Pike counties. 
 
 Territory of the Cotton Belt railway, 
 and immediate connections: Green, Clay, 
 Craighead, Cross. Woodruff, Monroe, 
 Arkansas, Jefferson. Cleveland, Dallas, 
 Calhoun, Ouachita, Columbia, Lafayette, 
 Miller, Lonoke, Pulaski and Phi lips. 
 
 Counties reached by the Little Rock 
 and Memphis; railway: Pulaski. Lonoke. 
 Prairie, Monroe, St. Francis, Crittenden; 
 Counties to be connected to Lltt e Rock 
 by means of the Mena, Hot Springs and 
 Little Rock branch of the Kansas City, 
 Pittsburg and Gulf railway: Benton, 
 Polk, Sevier, Little River, Miller, Mont- 
 gomery, Garland and Saline. 
 
 Territory the propoed branch road 
 from the Nettleton system will connect 
 to Little Rock: Fulton, Sharp, Lawi-ence, 
 Craighead, Crittenden, Benton, Madison, 
 Johnson, Logan, Yell, Garland, Perry 
 and Saline counties. 
 
 Territory of the Mansfield aud Little 
 Rock branch of the Frisco: Seba-tian. 
 Scott, Logan, Yell, and Perry counties. 
 Ten-itory of the Salem and Litt e Rock 
 branch of the Frisco railway: Fulton, 
 Izard. Independence, and White counties. 
 Territory of the New Orleans and 
 Northwestern: Ashley. Bradley. Dallas. 
 Grant and Saline counties. 
 
 Territory of the St. Louis, Siloam ana 
 Southern railway: Marion, Boone, New- 
 ton. Franklin, Crawford, Sebastian, 
 Searcy, Van Buren and Faulkner coun- 
 ties. 
 
 But this Is not all. Not only does the 
 given territory suppy, at a glance, a 
 case covering seventy, out of seventy- 
 five, counties in a state remarkable for 
 
14 
 
 the variety and extent of its natural re- 
 sources (and therefore a case for the 
 railroads in which concentration at a 
 certain point would mean a market tor 
 material used in manufactures and the 
 arts), but if all three are, hereafter, to be 
 governed by business reasons affecting 
 the one as it doe> the other, no alterna- 
 tive is left, other than that of joint ac- 
 tion (of Little Rock and the state-at- 
 iarge) with the railroads, along lines of 
 progress called for by exigencies of the 
 situation. And if not that, then Is it 
 high time for Arkansas and her chief 
 city, as we.l as her railroads, to go out 
 of the business of material developiueut. 
 tru-ting to luck for that which comes 
 only through energy, enterprise, hard 
 thinking, and the good of the one toward 
 the others? 
 
 LOCAL ADVANTAGES OF MANUFAC- 
 TURES. 
 
 Of course, given a wide extent of ter- 
 ritory upon which to . predicate Little 
 Rock's claim to public notice, it were 
 in many respects quite easy to cast a 
 horoscope that would, so to speak, "hold 
 water." But it is a serious question, 
 environed as it is by !uch strong rivals 
 a.-- Memphis, St. Louis and Kansas Citj-. 
 whether the diroction of Its energleis to 
 commercial enterprise does not in the end 
 militate against its reasonable prospects 
 of wealth and greatness. 
 
 It is not meant that the greatest suc- 
 cess to commercial enteiprite is impos- 
 sible, other things being equal. But it is 
 a fact that the ruling industries of the 
 state, agriculture, and lumber have not 
 proved, ■•« far, strung enough to sustain 
 a trade superstructure to which, on the 
 surface, it appear.s entitled. 
 
 Its commercial accomplishment is not 
 less poss;ble than in the case of other 
 interior cities of the country, but if there 
 has been any advantage which it does 
 not enjoy, it has been either railroad 
 concentration and patixiuage. manufac- 
 tures, or competing rail and river out- 
 let, or a combination of the three, all of 
 which will follow in the course of time 
 for Little Rock. But it has in no ca.se de- 
 pended upon a greater amount of native 
 material upon, which it is prac- 
 ticable to base manufactures, as 
 well as railroad connections, ga- 
 lore; and at the same time retain In 
 their favor, so large a margin of virgin 
 territory upon which to build a splen- 
 did commerce. 
 
 In the case of manufactures, for which 
 it must take the initiative, if it is to hold 
 its own against rivals, it is quite a differ- 
 ent thing. It involves the exchange of 
 commodities for raw material, which in 
 the end builds up two great lines of in 
 
IS 
 
 dustries instead of one, or which, in the 
 aggregate contributes to both the com- 
 mercial and industrial wealth of commu- 
 nities. It becomes the .-cene of adven- 
 ture for young people of industrious hab- 
 its who, while bound by home ties to all 
 parts of the state, find it a means to pre- 
 ferment, whether of sliill in mechanics, 
 business management, fame or fortune. 
 
 It is also a reciprocal line of industry 
 for any city, in the sense, that for each 
 ten thousand dollars invested in factories, 
 it adds thirty or forty inhabitants to a 
 community, whereas the same amount 
 Invested in commerce only adds ten per- 
 sons. 
 
 But best of all; Take the tables on 
 manufactures (extracted from United 
 States census reports for 1890) given in 
 another place. As a creator of local 
 wealth, and the wealth of a state, com- 
 merce compares to It. as a peanut stand 
 does to a wholesale grocery house. For 
 instance: In the table of summaries un- 
 der the head of "Arkau'^as Manufac- 
 tures." not only will it be found that the 
 total value of manufactured products ag- 
 gregated $22,659,179. which was derived 
 for one year, from $10,448,236. in plants, 
 and .?4.523.378 in live assets, but of the 
 total cash value of manufactured pro- 
 ducts. .'512.397.261, was distributed, or re 
 niained in the state, as cost of material; 
 .$5.794..8,83.as total wages paid: and $1,- 
 035.256 as miscellaneous expenses. Or 
 say $19,182,400. 
 
 THE HALF HAS NEVER BEEN TOLD. 
 
 Regarding the aggregates or amounts 
 of native material: Any other part of 
 this report is an easy task to perform, 
 compared to the difficulties met with in 
 a serious discussion of this branch of 
 the subject. The difficulty does no* 
 lie with the subject, or its treatment, 
 but with readers who are strangers to the 
 state, or for the matter of It. with all 
 readers, who have not had to do with 
 the exploitation of this state, or with 
 the application of its natural resources to 
 conditions of manufactures and com- 
 merce. 
 
 Had the state been situated closer to 
 the beaten highways of the Union, and 
 the general business man and traveler of- 
 tener a visitor to its midst, nothing more 
 would have been needed to establish 
 the facts in the case, than their publica- 
 tion in so many words and figures. But 
 in this instance, when it Is considered, 
 that nothing had gone before In public 
 print, or In the general knowledge of the 
 public, on which to rely for conclusions 
 In the premises, something of the reader's 
 indulgence must be entreated until the 
 -ubject has been rounded to the end. and 
 the writer, at tlie same time understood. 
 
16 
 
 as only performing that part of a chron- 
 icler of facts covering the fortunes of a 
 state and city unljnown to them, or may- 
 hap, only known to them in a sense which 
 has nothing to do with the question- 
 treated. 
 
 In plain, it is a case in which possibil- 
 ities inhering to natural resotirces of the 
 country, read much like an impositi'U} 
 upon tie credulity of the public. And in- 
 deed, it is a case in which a change to 
 the other horn of the dilemma has no 
 better effect. For if substantiated in a 
 manner otherwise satisfactory to tie 
 reader, the tendency is to shame their 
 understanding of a country well worth 
 their notice; and therefore, "also establish 
 for a people who were entitled to con- 
 sideration, if upon no other ground than 
 the character of country selected by 
 them, as a home for themselves and their 
 posterity. 
 
 TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY BILLIONS 
 FEET OF LUMBER. 
 For example of what has been just 
 -aid, take the forest area of the state: 
 It is reasonably estimated to be twenty- 
 five millions of acres in extent. This 
 means, at only 6,000 feet to the acre, 
 (which is the minimum estimate for 
 merchantable forest in Arkansas) the 
 sum of 'one hundred and fifty billions of 
 feet of timber, suited to manufactures 
 and commerce. Bat, instead of one hun 
 dred and fifty billions of feet, the amount 
 of stumpage is in all reason two-tilrds 
 greater. This is self-evident. For if 
 there is taken into account the density 
 of forest in the low-ground, hardwood 
 districts of the state, where measure- 
 ments often run to 14,000 feet to the acre, 
 and in true pine dirtricts of the state, 
 where measurements run to 12,000 feet 
 to the acre (the area of the two being 
 more than equal to the remainder of the 
 state), at a glance there is had, two hun 
 dred and fifty billions of feet, which is 
 the greatest amount of timber found in 
 any other state of the Union. 
 
 Another complicating phase of the suli- 
 .iect, under the head of timber resources, 
 upon which, for manufactures and con- 
 istruction. Little Rock dc n draws, and is 
 hereafter to draft her needs, is found iji 
 the compilation of forest statistics (U. 
 S. Census Reports on Arkansas), as com- 
 pared to facts in the case. 
 They ate so far out of line with what 
 has been practically established on be- 
 half of ihe state, as to put a doubtful 
 construction upon the entire volume de- 
 voted to forest areas of the Union. So 
 to speak, the compilers "fell do mi." be- 
 cause they either did not know their 
 business, or because their information 
 
17 
 
 was obtained, at .-ecnnd hand, from per- 
 sons who were ignorant of whai they 
 tallvcd. or who. being designing 'and 
 sharlis, hoped by such misrepresenration 
 to shut out mil. owners for a time, or 
 whu hoped to Iseep out buyers likely to 
 compete against parties by whom they 
 were employed. 
 
 COAL RESOURCES OF THE STATE. 
 
 Though under different aspects, the 
 same reasoning toward tho-~e who are 
 strangers to the state, applies to coal dis- 
 coveries made in the state. And. by 
 way of parenthesis, it may be said to 
 apply to everything else In the state, the 
 exploitation of which had been entrusted 
 to other hands, than those whose ' xper- 
 ience in nur we tern country, leads tliem 
 to discard theories, and get down 1o 
 "bu.^iness." it they wish to malie discov- 
 eries of value to commerce, manufac- 
 niies and the arts. 
 
 Not only has the coal area of ihe state 
 served to raise a conflict between .state- 
 ments authorized by the government 
 through the United States geological sur- 
 vey, and >tatements authorized by I lie 
 state through the Arkansas geologica 
 survey, ended some years ago, but it is 
 proved, that in neither case had the 
 facts of the system been reached. And 
 the matter in question, therefore, still 
 hanging fire for no other reason than the 
 utistalies, or shall we call it, "errors" 
 of -cience. 
 
 In the case of the first named survey, 
 while perhaps not designed to read so 
 in fact, an ambiguous treatment of the 
 subject makes ihe superficial area of 
 the whole system appear at least three 
 times greater than it is. And in the case 
 of the Arkansas Geological Survey, the 
 concluion reached, though it made the 
 sum of the whole, only second to that of 
 Pennsy vania, falls short of the facts, 
 for the reason of other discoveries made 
 since the survey closed, which add one- 
 fourth, if not one-third, to the total area 
 'if i!ur Arkansas coal fields. 
 
 So has it been with everything else. 
 But enough has been >aid to the reader, 
 to understand that, if in any part of this 
 report (already made, or which is to fol- 
 low), contradiction aiTays itself against 
 either authorized or unauthorized data 
 in their possession, evidence is not want- 
 ing to show that, at the worst. Little 
 Rock and the state would be entitled to 
 the benefit of a doubt. 
 
 NATIVE ZINC, COPPER, LEAD AND 
 
 ANTIMONY. 
 
 Speaking from a positive standpoint, 
 which means that the writer in the char- 
 acter of a "Gazette" represent ative, had 
 both led and participated in discoveries 
 
18 
 
 "f zinc lead, copper and antimony, made 
 
 in tliis state during the last sixteen years. 
 
 I here is a delicate duty to perform which 
 will not be shirked now that the wh )le 
 matter seriously concerns Little RocU. 
 
 It is the question of sufBcieni economic 
 oies in Arkansa- to maintain reduction 
 work at the chief city of the state, the 
 possibilities of which begin to loom up 
 along with prospective railway connec- 
 tions and ;i low-priced coal, along with 
 coke necessary to some processes. And 
 in this respect, all scientific testimony 
 to the conirary. notwithstanding, the 
 ores are present in quantity, particularly 
 the zinc, over the countie of Baxter, 
 llarioii. r.ooue, Newton, and Searcy. It 
 occurs iu the same structural form, and 
 to the same extent, as found in the .lop- 
 
 I I ' and Anr '1.1 c.i^' ' ct ~ *•' \l.t^-' ..i i i. in 
 which lead the Arkansas system be on^e. 
 but with this reservatien. that in the 
 counties named an intersecting lead add 
 materially to the probabilities of the 
 case. It is this lat er fact which ex- 
 plains the wider territory over which the 
 zinc is distributed than geen in the Mis- 
 souri zinc fields before named. 
 
 Hence, taking into account discoveries, 
 which time and again subs'antiated all 
 claim- set up for the Arkansas zinc dis- 
 trict, it does seem remarkable that no 
 more appreciation is held of it at leduc- 
 tion centers, than if situated in the re- 
 gion of the Upper Amazon. The situ 
 ation. true enouf;h. is in part explained 
 by published statement of scientific 
 geologists who, under state and other 
 warrant for their action, have no doubt 
 erred in their conclusions. And the rea- 
 son for saying so, i>; found in the fact 
 that practical miners have, in nearly ev- 
 ery case of adverse decision, followed af- 
 ter them, only to discover bodies of zinc 
 ore greater than is today known en the 
 western continent; with a prospect held 
 out to others, having capital and a prnc- 
 tieal turn of mind, of striking bonanzas 
 In exchange for their industry and enter- 
 prise. 
 
 The mistakes, due to the scientists, 
 appear to have had their origin with so- 
 called "zinc geologists" employed by tlie 
 chief of the Arkansas Geologica Sur- 
 vey, to establish the economic geology 
 of the zinc region, but who diverted their 
 ofllce to the study of North Arkansas 
 stratagraphy. with the usual resul'. th.it 
 neither have we more infonnation upon 
 the subject than was known practically 
 thirty years ago. nor anything add'ed. . 
 through such -ource. to the knowledge 
 capitalists and' mining engineers reijnire 
 as a condition to their investment at d 
 labor. 
 
 It i>' a long way to go about the subj<'ci. 
 but as related to Little Rock, by reason 
 
19 
 
 of prospective connections to the Arlian- 
 sas zinc fields, it had become necessary. 
 II is known that in two instances, the 
 mistalies of the scientists 'ind cholved 
 oft railroad enterprises througli the coun 
 try, not to mention an unlmiiled amount 
 of capital, the investment of which In 
 7inc properties had been arrested Iw the 
 same means. As the matter stood in its 
 uncontradicted form, it was an outrage 
 innocently or otherwise, perpetrated upon 
 the confidence of the public. And in the 
 ease of this report on Little Rock, it has 
 been taken up for final disposition, with 
 this challenge to the authors of the mis- 
 take that if they will retrace their steps 
 through the zinc country, and not "wab- 
 ble on the gudgeon," they will in shame 
 admit their error. 
 
 It was nothing of great moment to 
 them, whether they hit or missed the 
 mark. But it was much to the state of 
 Ai'kausas and its capital city, as witness, 
 the arrested development of railroad;' 
 through North Arkansas. And not least 
 of all, it was much to Little Rock, as 
 witness for example, the possibilities the 
 zinc and lead open up— not only in the 
 way of reduction works upon a large 
 scale, but in the sublimation of load 
 and zinc for use as paints: and which 
 bod.y material when added to ochre and 
 >ienna closer at hand (and to oil already 
 pressed at this point, alone promise a 
 great industry for Little Rock. 
 
 MANUFACTORIES NEEDED AT LITTLE 
 ROCK. 
 (As conditional to material in reach.) 
 Cotton (actories. 
 Woolen mills. 
 Oil refineries. 
 Soap factories, 
 Paint factories. 
 Type foundries. 
 Paper mills, 
 Starch factories. 
 Pottery wares, 
 Tripoli plants, 
 Tannery plants, 
 Car works. 
 Canning factories. 
 Boat yards, 
 Leather manufacturers, 
 ■ Box factories. 
 Tobacco factories, 
 Match factories, 
 Manufacture of Alum, 
 Wagon factories, 
 Soapstone finishers, 
 Furniture factories. 
 Knit goods factories. 
 Coffin factories. 
 Manufacture of aluminum,' 
 Carriage factories. 
 Manufacture of fertilizers, 
 Boat oar factories, 
 Graphite lubricators, 
 Pencil factories, 
 Stove polish manufacture, 
 Agricultural implement factories. 
 Soap stone fire brick plants, 
 Bucket and tub factories, 
 Fre clay brick plants. 
 Granite polishing plants. 
 Pressed brick plants, 
 Brick, tUe and terra cotta plants. 
 Crayon plants. 
 
BOARD OF TRADE EXHIBITS. 
 
 In proceeding directly to particulars 
 belonging to the subject of nat:Vf> ma- 
 terial, upon which depends a fiituie of 
 manufactures, it w'l: at least save i^oii.e 
 space m this report, if it ^-aid at ou'^n 
 ti at exhibits coUecied by the LittU- Kock 
 board of trade cover all facts in the case-; 
 and for this reason it will be a saving to 
 all prospectors in time, money and anx 
 icty, if they will give the collection, es- 
 pecially that of minerals, a close -t.ijy, 
 Avh eh can be done at their lesur.?, .ind 
 wlhout any uiquisitivenese on the part 
 of others, free of cost. 
 
 It is a eollect'<:i; having for its e vl au 
 ej.lubit of Arkansas' native material, 
 without the intervent ou of uninstructed 
 >oli( ctor.: and persons interested ciihct 
 iu lands or mining properties, whicj 
 I'lakes it the only reliable display .>t' t'lu 
 kind in the state, to which the publ^j iws 
 tree access And, therefore, in pa.ssuig 
 it is only justice to say of the Liuie 
 Kick board of traae that in the public 
 .pirit exhibited by them in the mairor, 
 tiiey are entitled to the reward it brins*?, 
 now that the natural resources o: i;ie 
 state are to turn upon efforts to stai't up 
 I laLufactures upon r, considerable sialo, 
 1 oth for their city ai:d state. 
 
 Exclusive of woods, textile mate. a;, 
 ■actory, farm, garden and orchard j)iod- 
 Dcts, the following '_- the collection iia<l 
 in mind: 
 
 BOARD OF TRADE MINERAL EXHIBIT. 
 
 Semi-bitumous coal, .'emi-anthracite 
 eonl, zinc, lead, copper, iron, nickle, baux- 
 ite, antimony, manganese, pyrites, chalk, 
 soapstone, novaculite, graphite, tripoli, 
 gyp>-um, talc, fire clay, tiling, elate, roof- 
 ing, ?late, ochre, sienna, strontia, gla^s 
 sand, agate, serpentine, marble, grsnlte. 
 limestone, sandstone, porcelain, brown 
 ware, yellow ware, terra cotta, pressed 
 brick, building brick, vitrified brick, and 
 tile claye. 
 
 ARKANSAS COAL. 
 
 While >-aw mills and oil mi,ls were at 
 the time in operation (the first conducted 
 upon a scale and in a manner worthy of 
 the pioneers in the industry, p.nd the 
 other justified in its advancement by the 
 low price of cotton seed and '-he hii;h 
 price of oil), the subject of manuLac- 
 tuies was not considered in couaection 
 with tU's state, until the great exteur of 
 the Arkan.-as coal fields became known 
 tow.ir.l tie close of 1SS6. And iu ihis 
 lighi. with other states of the south nel! 
 startol in the race for induetri-il cnfr-r- 
 prJses and the money market tijrtit ever 
 since, the facts in the case to a cousidern- 
 ble fcxtent, explain the unappropriated 
 
21 
 
 oppoi-t unity for manufacture.-- to vhioii. 
 at Utile Rock and over the stale, ntten- 
 t:ou is called. 
 
 T'jc pitsenee of the coal had be^'n i.ie- 
 vised, first, by Prof. David Dale Owen, 
 jne of the Owen brothers of N^w Uar- 
 mouy, lud.. at the time in charge ot the 
 origaial g( ological reconnoissanco of the 
 state, and afterwards by the l^mted 
 States geological survey. But in both 
 ca.-e9 excepting a few well known dis- 
 coveries made before their dav, which 
 are now known to have beru nccasiuiicd 
 by "faults" in the system whch brou,:;ht 
 the coal to the surface, all information 
 proceeded upon theories, the basis of 
 which were fossil plants belonging to 
 members of the carbonif erou ■ er.i. And 
 jn consetiuence, the writer having beeu 
 instructed by the paper to determine 
 whether coal was found in the state In 
 quantity, it was (after sis months' ex- 
 plo.tation and application to the work) 
 left exclusively to "The Arkansas Ga- 
 zette" to announce all general facts 
 known in the premies to the present 
 day, so exhaustively wias the undertak- 
 ing carried out at that time. 
 
 Of the area of the .\rkans:ns coal field 
 (saying nothing of a system ot equal ex- 
 tent found to adjoin it in the Indi:in Ter- 
 ritory), it is s!m])ly neii'.-sary to annouuc-f 
 that, bringing the discover'e,-: up to date, 
 it is probably 2.000 square miles in ex- 
 tent, and occurs according to order of 
 quantity or distribution, in the follow- 
 ing counties reached by the Little Rock 
 and Fort Smith, and the "Frisco" rail 
 roads, viz: Sebastian, Johnson, Faulk- 
 ner, Franklin, Logan, Scott. Crawford. 
 Pope and Yell counties. This i- exclu- 
 sive of any prospects allowed, now that 
 it is becoming known, that the coal fields 
 encroach hitherward to the immediate 
 territory of Little Rock, >vJth not an un- 
 reasonable hope that accident has led to 
 a discovery of good coal within four 
 miles of the city. 
 
 Of the quality of the coal, it should be 
 stated in the out-et, as a necessary con- 
 dition to an understanding of its value, 
 that it is a semi-bituminous, or half an- 
 thracite variety, and on that account h.-ts 
 achieved a higher reputation as a heating 
 agent than all other coals of a bituminous 
 character used in manufactures, or for 
 making steam, excepting that of New 
 South Wale-- and the Shamokin basin of 
 Pennsylvania the tixed carbon 78 to 9.^ 
 per cent being even greater, and the asli 
 8 to 4, even less than the coals of the 
 two systems named. But while .nil this 
 is true as to name of the coal, and there- 
 fore true as to the character of the coal, 
 it is only true as far as it applies to coal 
 found in Sebastian, Scott, Logan, Craw- 
 ford. Franklin, Yell and Johnson counties 
 in general. 
 
T^ 
 
 There is a departure observed in the 
 density of the coal, and therewith a ten- 
 dency discovered to a true anthracite in 
 the case of the Eureka mines at Spadra 
 in John on county, on the Little Rock 
 and Fort Smith railroad, which quality 
 is worked to the advantage of its own- 
 ers by means of breakers. But this fact 
 is even more emphasized the closer the 
 present ascertained eastern limit of the 
 coal is approached. The coal become.- 
 harder until in Pope county its den ity, 
 and its anthracite qualities in general as 
 well, has for years made the product of 
 the Ouita mines, also situated on the Lit- 
 tle Rock and Fort Smith railroad. Famous 
 over all Southwe-^ern states. And in 
 the case of late discoveries made in 
 Faulkner county, which is an adjoining 
 county to the one in which Little Rock 
 is situated, it is a dustlet- s, dry coal, dif- 
 fering nothing from the Lehigh iu gen- 
 eral character excepting that it can be 
 broken up with les- cost, or. that it is not 
 so hard and dense. 
 
 Keing another discovery ma<le by the 
 papcr.'and the facts of locality reserved 
 for this issue, it should therefore be ad- 
 ded to the la.--t case described that the 
 following names of owners on whose 
 property the coal is found, section, town- 
 ship and range (made public for the first 
 time) will gVve the points in Faulkner 
 county from which prospectors can 
 work out their exploitation.', 
 
 D. O. Hartou, depth 60, 85 and 115 feet; 
 section 13, township 4, range 15, 
 
 W. SI. Lee, three miles from Conway, 
 south; section 7, township 5, range 14. 
 
 Bruce place, round close to Lallow; 
 section 8, township 5, range 14. 
 
 Crowley place, Round Mountain, sit- 
 uated three miles from Pi'eston. 
 
 Beloat place, Black Fork, eighteen 
 mile; north of Conway, 
 
 Xelso Peyton, colored, wire road, eight 
 to nine miles from Conway, 
 
 Holland place, fifteen miles north of 
 Conway. 
 
 J. A. Pence, corporation of Conway. 
 
 COAL STATISTICS. 
 Coal mined in the state for year 
 
 ended June 30, ISOG, tous 889,785 
 
 Mined for year ended June 30, 
 
 1895, tons S9").ti71 
 
 Number of mines worked 39 
 
 Vumber of men empioyea'. 2,25c. 
 
 ARKANSAS WOODS. 
 In a table immediately following tbi; 
 division of the report, a shnwing is at 
 tempted of merchantable woods found it 
 the state. The cla'siflcation carried out 
 under the respective heads of "paper 
 stock, construction, furniture and cab 
 inet woods," is not designed to be arbi 
 
23 
 
 trary, as will no doubt suggest Iself ii 
 a glance at the varieties named. Bill 
 it is employed at this time because ne\\ 
 characteristics have been discovererl 
 throjgh an order given by the LittK 
 Rock board of trade, for a series of exhi 
 bition panels now hanging on thei 
 walls. 
 
 While no effort was made to bring out 
 the best color and marking of the panels 
 either with fillers, stains, acids, or po- 
 ishlng m.'jchine. remarkable, or let us -ay 
 new characteristics have developed them 
 selves in familiar woods found in Ark 
 ansas. simply by means of polishing dom 
 by hand and a coat of varnish. Anr 
 hence, as a result of accidental discov 
 ery. not only \~- there reason for the class 
 ifiMtion. br.* it is trne when said in S' 
 many words, that the effect is one whi"^' 
 prac'ically adds quite a number of wondf 
 to the 'ifit commonly used in manufnc 
 turps: tb" rjunlities. or color, markins 
 and strength of which Cfor they nrp al 
 hard woods') had evideutlv e oaped tb- 
 notice of expert timber prospectors. 
 
 For instance: Tt will bo found, throtisri 
 the coDection named, that in the willow 
 oak of this state manufacturers, who ro 
 nuire oua'-ter sawed stuff, will find an 
 idea' wood.. The omission of the wood 
 from the list of those us'^d in manufnc 
 ture. is accounted for in a number of 
 ways. It is in disfavor with farmers 
 for rail timber, and is therefore slau 
 dered by them. The panels exhibiter" 
 by tho Little Rock bor>rd of trade, by th- 
 state denartment of a<rriculture and man 
 ufacture. and by the Iron Mountain land 
 department, each from different parts 
 of the state, is probably the first time an 
 attempt was made to give it a showing 
 and therefore nothing known of it ii 
 The manufacturing wor'd. .\nd lastlv: 
 Tt is one of the most abundant oaks founr 
 in the state: a quick grower. 50 year- be 
 ing more than sufRciont to give it a mer 
 ohantable size: and is found s-rowins 
 on "slash" lands, which makes it difficult 
 to "log" unless done at the dryest season 
 of the year. 
 
 A difference, in fact, will be found ir 
 other varieties of wood named. For s 
 to speak, it is all round, a case in whict 
 "local modification" appear= to hav 
 played a part as it does in geology. T( 
 =ay this does not. of course, imply tha 
 tliero is any wonder about the thing, bu 
 rather, as takes place in the modifica 
 tion of bass wood (which is the "linden" 
 in the series named, and which in the 
 Southwest is called "linn"), it has no 
 pa sed whol y lieyend recognition, bu 
 it is not the same wood we know. Thii 
 
24 
 
 much, however, is to be taken fo 
 granted, that the best of them will b( 
 put to their trumps toidentify without 
 considerable examination, any of tht 
 Arlsansas woods, esceptinsr pine, cypre.ss 
 hicliory. ash and gum. which in them 
 selves show even more than a passing 
 difference. And in consequence, to taki 
 up the reasoning where it began, mucl 
 wil be gained by hard wood prospectors 
 if they (these who are not familiar wit 
 the state) give either of the series o1 
 panels dex-ribed, a close study, not sav 
 a careful experimental trial of such va 
 rieti^ as by their color and marking 
 show an adaptability to certain uses foi 
 which they seek the most desirable 
 woods. 
 
 ARKANSAS' PAPER STOCK WOODS. 
 Cotton wood, sweet gum, linden, tupelo 
 gtim, cypress, 
 
 ARKANSAS' CONSTRUCTION WOOD. 
 
 Tollow pine, white onlc, hickory, pecan. 
 P"sf- oak. sycamore, cypre s. cedar. .t^I 
 and oth^r oaks named nndor the head '>f 
 "furniture wood." 
 
 ARKANSAS' FTTRNTTURE WOODS. 
 
 Wnlnnt. satin wood or gum, chen-y. 
 red oak. back oak, willow oak, cow oak 
 burr oak. rod maple, bpech and winged 
 elm, 
 
 ARKANSAS' CABINET AND ORNAMEN- 
 TAL WOODS. 
 
 .Tudas tree or red bnd. papaw. slippery 
 elm. holly, sassafras, dogwood, chinque 
 pin, red haw, .a^iple haw, prickly ash 
 shittam wood, red mulberry, bois d'arc. 
 rivor birch, sweet bay. honey 'ocust. lin- 
 den nnd liornbeam. 
 
 TEXTILE RESOURCES. 
 
 Rathfr than cotton as an introductior 
 to the sub.iect of textile re'onrces. thai 
 of wool has been substituted, for reasonf 
 which fol'ow. 
 
 The United States census report of 
 1890. if taken at its face value, remove; 
 .\rkansas at a single sweep from the lisl 
 of wool producing states. This is not 
 done arbitrarily, but it follows as a re- 
 suit of artificial limitations, of which it 
 was impossible* to njako notice m men 
 stinruisries of sheep and wool produced 
 in th: state. 
 
 F;r instanco: The number of sheep oi 
 farms in Arkansas aggregated only 24r!, 
 ;>0f) head. Thi does not represent tin 
 capacity of the state for sheep raising 
 but when investigated, it is found to car- 
 ry in it elf discouragements which yet 
 surround the indiKstry in a country re 
 markabe for the fact that more thrii 
 tivc^^ixths of its whole area compri es 
 forest lands, or open territory. 
 
25 
 
 Neither does the cireum'tance nf only 
 512,390 pounds of wool clipped in ISSsi 
 prove anything n.sninsl the wool indus- 
 try as a source of profit to the farmer. 
 It represents instead this fact, that, to- 
 jrether with inroads permitted upoi 
 flocks by reason of a large open terri- 
 tory, the producei's are the victims of ;i 
 conspiracy among the buyers, who hav 
 not allowed them to discover that four- 
 flfths of the Arkansas wool, classes with 
 the be-t of the South, the so-called lalw 
 wool of Louiisiaua. 
 
 All this is. upon investigation bnni 
 out, not only in the circumstance tha' 
 only 243.999 -hecp were found on t24.7i;r 
 farms, and more than one-fifth nf tl'f 
 whole number killed by dogs, during th' 
 previous year. l>ut as still further proof 
 ef artificial instead of natural limitations 
 take the census of improved breeds found 
 on farms: They number only 50,4G0. 
 while that of the common sheep of th' 
 country is 193,.^39. This has fol owed 
 rotwithstandlLg it is an indu try lodged 
 almost exclusively in the hands of white 
 farmers, who are more thrifty in a gen- 
 eral way than the average of Southern 
 farmers. 
 
 Consequently, once the laws of th( 
 state are framed to protect wool grow- 
 ers, a ready made market for wool sup- 
 plied by mills close at hand, and th< 
 light thrown upon the c'assification of 
 Arkansns wool, there is no question of 
 woolen mills doing better at Little Rod 
 tother advantages of cheap fuel, climate, 
 cheap labor, and price of property in 
 included) than at any point in the South 
 and West having 25.000 or more popula- 
 tion. 
 
 COTTON MltiLS. 
 
 As in the instance of wool, under the 
 head of textile resources, so it i*i with 
 cotton: It is doubtful whether the sub- 
 .iect of cotton mills could be applied to 
 local condilirns without a full rfasoning 
 of the case, as follows. 
 
 However much it is our iuc ination to 
 view the operation of cotton mills as 
 local to certain states or certain parts 
 of the Union, the propo-ition does net 
 hold any better in the case of Arkansas, 
 than it did when it was a rule with the 
 public to contend, that, having been 
 innugurated by the New England State.s, 
 they could not he operated successfuly 
 in other parts of the country. This was 
 upon the principle, that having the 
 money, macliinery and experience, it 
 would be a doubtful experiment to ereei 
 cotton mills in other parts of the Union, 
 especia ly if, in the face of competition, 
 eastern mills agreed upon an ofiCensive 
 
26 
 
 and defensive alliance. But it was a 
 fallacy for two reasons: First, There 
 did not enter into the question at the 
 time certain considerations which be- 
 long to cheaper fuel, cheaper cotton, 
 cheaper labor, improved machinery, and 
 more congenial conditions in jreneral. of- 
 fered by the cotton states, thp natural 
 home of the cotton mill. And second: It 
 is to plain and practica' business rea- 
 sons and not to sentiment, that we owe 
 the gene'-al development of Southern 
 cotton mill-, particularly in the Oaro- 
 linas. CJeoriria and Alabama. 
 
 The same kind of fallacy was applied 
 when a movpment wa>; discusspd to re- 
 move the manufacture of boots and 
 shoes, or at least, a coDsiderab'e p.art of 
 it. to St. Tyouis. It was contended that 
 to do so. it would be on account of as- 
 sociated indn tries, nractic.nlly nccessarv 
 to remove enstcim manufactnrincr towns 
 as a whole, when in fact, it was not from 
 any standpoint, necessary to brincr form- 
 er centers of such manufactures into the 
 question. For if it was to succeed. St. 
 Lonis must look to Its own Intere-ts. and 
 not to that of other=. This it did pro- 
 ceed to do by raoan<! of its home market. 
 and by the most liberal and effective 
 system of drumming known in the busi- 
 ness hi.story of the world. And almost 
 at the close of the second year after it-' 
 introduction, the spectacle was affordfd 
 of a great industi-y having been com- 
 pelled to remove its domicile haf way 
 across the continent, not in spite of op- 
 position found in the east, but simply 
 by reason of tremendous business pluck 
 and energv St. Loui^^ brought lo bear 
 upon the undertaking. 
 
 It was something of thi-isame spirit, 
 though not so .concentrated in form, 
 which wrestPd cotton manufacture from 
 the exclusive control of the pa*t. ,\nd 
 in the instance of I>ittlp Rock, and the 
 state fwi'h a large territory west ^f lipvo 
 rapidly filling up. and with Mexico, the 
 West Indies, and Central America to 
 supply with such wares') to ucceed with 
 cotton mils, it will only be necessary 
 that the right msn and the opppniinity 
 meet. And this accnmplishcHl. the result 
 witnessed in the case of the St. Louis 
 shop trade, will have been no more re- 
 markable tlian the re-transfer, or the 
 re-division of the cotton mill industry of 
 theeat and south with the southwest. 
 
 Of coursp. all this talk under (^\io head 
 of cotton mills has proceeded inly upon 
 the accepted theory of a migration of 
 al' manufacturing industries from ex- 
 treme sections of the country to the 
 business axis of the continent (which is 
 the MissiSBippi valley) accordingly as 
 
conditions demand it. But at the same 
 
 time It has proven a strong reinforce- 
 ment of the question, there is no doubt 
 of I he fact that the right m:in. or the 
 right set of men. can eome here and suc- 
 ceed in planting larger mil s and more 
 of them than at any point in the south 
 and west not fully started in the great 
 cotton mill race of the western continent. 
 They have not only the cheapest cot- 
 ton of all districts given over to cotton 
 mills, but the be t cotton as a whole, of 
 al' cotton states of the Union; cheap fuel, 
 with good reasons for knowing that in 
 twelve months time Little Rock will af- 
 ford still cheaper fuel for manufactures; 
 cheap labor, which also includes the fact, 
 that it has the great "white belt" of the 
 state to draw from for mill operatives; 
 the right kind of temperature and re a- 
 tive humidity to compare favorably with 
 centers engaged in cotton manufacture; 
 not to add, the second smallest death 
 rate from con-nmption of all cities of 
 the Union. And last: A libeial and pub- 
 lic-spirited people who while neither ablr 
 nor willing to subscribe argely to stock 
 in a single industry, are yet. according 
 to their ability and inclinat'on. willing 
 to take st'ick tngother with noigliliori?, in 
 large cotton mill euteiprises. under con- 
 ditions which in the outset of this re- 
 port were pointed cut as means to reach 
 the height, up to which had climbed the 
 cotton mill industr.v of certain ontiiofii 
 .states. 
 
 METEOROLOGICAL COMPARISON. 
 
 The fol owing talile. with associatofl 
 comments was supplied by Mr. P. H. 
 Clarke, forecast cfBcial. and is intro- 
 duced b.v reasons of sugge tioEs made to 
 the writer by leading members of the 
 Cotton Manufacturers' Association dur- 
 ing their visit in a body to the .Vtlanta 
 exposition. 
 
 But at the same time the data supplied 
 is intended to cover meteorological con- 
 ditions favoring cotton manufacture. It 
 applies equally on the side of hea th and 
 climate; and therefore, by autlieuticated 
 comparison, it will be seen that Liltlo 
 Reck in it- natural residence conditions 
 differs not over much fmni otli' r points 
 in the table. 
 
2S 
 
 REPORI OP L,OCAL FORECAST OFFI- 
 CIAL. 
 
 Mean monthly temperature and relative 
 humidity at places named tor the months of 
 June and December, 1890 and 1895: 
 
 
 
 
 f 
 
 
 3 
 
 ft) 
 
 3S 
 
 
 s 
 
 
 £3 
 
 
 S 
 
 3 
 
 
 STATION. 
 
 ^ 
 
 CD 
 
 ^p 
 
 Nashua, N. H 
 
 Lowell, Mass 
 
 Springfield, Mass 
 Prov dence, R. I.. 
 
 Atlanta, Ga 
 
 Little Rock, Ark 
 
 Nashua. N. H 
 
 Lowell, Mass 
 
 Springfield, Mass |June, 
 
 Providence, R. I June, 
 
 Atlanta, Ga [June, 
 
 Litt;e_Rock, Ark [June, 
 
 Nashuar"N.~H lOec, 
 
 Lowell, Mass [Dec, 
 
 Springfield, Mass |Dec., 
 
 June, 
 June, 
 June, 
 June, 
 June, 
 June, 
 June, 
 June, 
 
 1890164.2 
 1890165.3 
 1890,67.5 
 1.S90I67.7 
 
 1890 1 78. S 
 ls9oi7S.2 
 
 1895 
 1895 
 1895 
 1895 
 1895 
 1S95 
 
 68. 4| 
 69.71 
 70.7 
 71.6 
 76.8 
 ,77.2 
 
 Providence, R 
 
 Atlanta, Ga 
 
 Little Rock, Ark. 
 Nashua, N. H.... 
 
 Lowell, Mass 
 
 Springfield, Mass 
 Pro\idence, R. I 
 
 Atlanta, Ga 
 
 Little Rock, Ark 
 
 Dec, 
 
 Dec, 
 
 Dec, 
 
 1890120.5^ 
 1890121.9 
 1S90122.6 
 1S90|2S.4 
 18901 45. 4 
 1890145.9 
 
 67 
 
 74 
 68 
 73 
 70 
 78 
 70 
 76 
 66 
 75 
 69 
 _75 
 70 
 S3 
 78 
 66 
 75 
 75 
 
 Dec. 
 Dec, 
 Dec, 
 Dec, 
 Dec, 
 Dec, 
 
 1895 
 1895 
 1895 
 
 29.0 
 33.6 
 
 
 1895136.4 
 1895|43.6 
 1S95 44.2 
 
 75 
 86 
 75 
 69 
 82 
 76 
 
 Of the cities above mentioned ;n New 
 Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Is- 
 land, Nashua has 147,000 sp ndles; Lowell, 
 881,000; Springfield, six cotton manufactur- 
 ing companies: Providence. 116,000 spindles. 
 
 The above temperature and relative hu- 
 midity figures are taken from the reco:ds 
 of the Unitde States weather bureau. 
 
 LITTLE ROCK DRINKING WATER. 
 (Copy.) 
 Hoboken, N. J., January 25, 1893. 
 Certificate of watrr analysis. 
 Received from Home Water Company, 
 Little Rock, Ark.: 
 
 No 1723. Dec. 24, 1892. Sample of Arkansas 
 River water, after filtering, color, none; 
 taste, pleasant,; smell, none. 
 
 DATA OBTAINED BY ANALYSIS. 
 
 Parts in Grains per 
 100,000. gallon. 
 
 1. Free ammonia 0.0015 0.0009 
 
 2. Album noid ammonia . 0.0035 0.0O2 
 ^. Oxygen required to ox- 
 
 dize organic mattei- .. 0.083 0.048 
 
 4. Nitrites 
 
 5. Nitrites 0.113 0.06 
 
 G. Chlorine 0.825 0.48 
 
 7. Total hardness 5.50 3.20 
 
 8. Permanent hardness .. 3.50 2.04 
 
 9. Temporary hardness.. 2.00 1.16 
 
 10. Total solids 12.14 7.0O 
 
 11. Mineral matter 10.56 6.18 
 
 12. Organic aJid volatile 
 
 matter 1.5S 0.82 
 
 (Sgned.) ALBERT R. LEEDS, PH. D. 
 
 Professor of Chemistry Stevens Institute 
 of Technology. 
 Note— The United States gallon is taken at 
 
 58,334.95 grains. 
 
29 
 
 Stevens Institute of Technology, 
 Hoboken, N. J., January 25, 1893. 
 Home Water Co., Little Rock, Ark.: 
 
 Dear Sirs— I transmit herewith the cer- 
 tificates of analysis of the two samples of 
 Arkansas River water. No. 1 being the anal- 
 ysis of the water taken from the river be- 
 fore filter. ng, just as it comes to your fil- 
 ter plant, and No. 2 the analysis of the 
 sample of water after it has passed through 
 the filters. 
 
 The unfiltered water was very brown and 
 muddy, and not suitable for domestic or 
 manufacliu'ing use. The filtered water was 
 perfectly colorless, clear and brilliant, 
 pleasant to the taste, and suited to all kinds 
 of purposes, domestic, laundry, dyeing, 
 bleaching, paper making, boilers, etc. 
 
 The two features in the analysis which 
 are the most instructive are those under 
 the head of albuminoid ammonia, and the 
 oxygen required to oxidize organic matters. 
 These especially indicate the quantity of 
 fore.gn organic substances and impurities 
 which are present. The filtered water shows 
 a most striking and gratifying reduction. 
 The filtered water contains only the two 
 one-thousandth part of a grain of albumin- 
 oid ammonia. This I can assure you is un- 
 usually pure water. Yours very respectful- 
 ly, (S.gned). ALBERT R. LEEDS, 
 Professor of Chemistry Stevens' Institute 
 
 of Technology. 
 
 GRANITE AND MARBLE. 
 
 So much as *:aid having been in grea;er 
 pait applied to the idea of oppoitunltles 
 outsiders had overluolied in the ca-e of 
 Little Kock and the state, it is in conse- 
 quence only true to facts in the prem- 
 ises to give the other side of the question, 
 which is that of a lilie failure on the pan 
 of the local inhabitant to take iu the situ- 
 ation. This oversight is In a large sense 
 al.-o a reason for this report. Kor while 
 nothing is intended to reflect upon the in- 
 habitants of Little Rock and the state, 
 unless it might be argued from their pre- 
 occupation (the one with commerce, and 
 the other with agriculture, to the ex- 
 clusion of other considerations), it is yet 
 a fact, with only a few exceptions to the 
 rule, that what we know in detail of Ar 
 kansas' resoui-ces is due to the enterprise 
 and public spirit of the Arkanas "Ga- 
 zette." 
 
 This means all extended details, even of 
 timlx'r and coal, upon which turned their 
 general development since. And there- 
 fore, leaving uul antimony discoveied by 
 Von Blucliei-. bauxite discovered by the 
 (Branner) Arkan-as geological survey, 
 ferni-mauganese. discovered by English 
 prospectors in search of paralusite for ue 
 iu dyeing, and lead and the sulphuret of 
 zinc discovered by early Missouri min- 
 ers (the crystalline carbonate of zinc hav- 
 ing been discovered by "The Gazette"), 
 there is nothing known intelligently of 
 native material found in the state, that 
 was not originally supplied by its rep- 
 resentative in per.-on, if not through the 
 columns of the paper. 
 
 What is meant is fully illustrated in 
 
30 
 
 llie granite aud marble tound in the state. 
 Tlie first whicli extends across the coun- 
 try south of Little Rock, and its north- 
 <'rn edge only one mile from the corporate 
 limits, comprises a curved backbone 
 ridge five miles long, with an average 
 width exceeding two mile-, aud accord- 
 ing to the va-t volume of material de- 
 rived from it, found as far south as the 
 line of Louisiana, must have formed the 
 most imposing, as it is today, the moM 
 intere-ting feature in the geology of Ar 
 kausas. It is an exceedingly interest- 
 ing exposure particularly if we include 
 in the bearing upon our subject the fac!., 
 that conformable to other exposures e.v- 
 tended through several counties we-t of 
 here, we have argument in it, not ouly 
 of a continuous connection, but the rea- 
 sonable presumption of a granite plat- 
 form, so to ^peak, near enough to the sur- 
 face not to take from the region all pros- 
 pect of valuable mineial discoveries. 
 
 But. at the same time, the exposure of 
 the granite was sufficient to set all doubts 
 of quantity at re.-t, not only had the "doc- 
 tors" disagreed, aud iu the end the sys- 
 tem accepted as an accident due to glacial 
 transportation, but upon the whole so in- 
 definite were the conclusions as to deter 
 all granite workers from it.? use. And in 
 consequence, there is no instance on 
 record where a hole ten feet deep had 
 been sunk down upon the formation. 
 This was up to 1887. In that year gran. 
 ite pavements having been adopted by 
 Little Rock, "The Gazette" ordered an 
 exploitation of the locality, with this re- 
 sult which followed, that it was at once 
 employed for building and ornamental 
 purposes, as well as for paving instead 
 of Missouri granite. 
 
 Of the marble, which b found in Car- 
 roll, Boone, Baxter, Madison, Marion, 
 Searcy and parts of Washington, Benton, 
 Stone and Independence counties, the 
 most accessible at the present time, is 
 the first and last named bodies, one of 
 which is reached at Eureka Springs and 
 the other at Batesville, this state. Though 
 in the fifties a block had been contrib- 
 uted to the Washington monument at 
 Washington, D. C, and Instantly pro- 
 nounced the best contributed by our 
 American state*, it was not until 1S82 
 that it was accepted to be a marble, the 
 authorities before that time having hes- 
 itated to go any further with Its classi- 
 fication than that of an "encrinital build- 
 ing stone," when in fact it is of the same 
 color and grain as our .-o-called Ten- 
 nessee marble: but with this reservation 
 in favor of the .\rkansa.si stone over that 
 of Tennessee, tliat while it takes and 
 retain,* as good polish, experiment proves 
 that it cost fifty per cent less to prepare 
 for market, its working qualities under 
 the saw and chisel being that of Italian 
 
Commercial Valne of LitUe Ruck Granite. 
 
 St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 1st., 1895. 
 Mr. John S. Braddock, Little Rock, Aik: 
 Dear Sir— We have given your mate- 
 rial a full test in cutting and polishing 
 and it is satisactory in every respect, 
 and I am suie tbat it could be sawed 
 as well as cut with a good gang of saws 
 to advantage. Our red Missouri granite 
 and the dark Quiucy granite that the 
 hardest granites in the Unitel States; 
 all other granites, as Bane. Maine, St. 
 Cloud, Colorado, and California, are 
 somewhat softer, but the Little Rock 
 granite cuts about 25 per cent cheaper 
 than all the above mentioned materials. 
 No doubt if your quarry was put in 
 proper working order and supplied with 
 the necessary machinery, that you would 
 be successful in getting a good market 
 for your material. It is a good material 
 and something new in color and forma- 
 tion, it stands a satisfactory crushing 
 strength of 2.3, GOO pounds, and 
 takes a nice polish, and could 
 be used for monumental as well as build- 
 ing work. The lowest freight rate from 
 the East to St. Louis is 36 cents per hun- 
 dred pounds in carload lots, or about 62 
 cents per cubic foot, and from Little Rock 
 to our yard it would be only 7 1-2 per 
 hundred pounds cr 1.3 cents per cubic 
 foot, and this difference gives us a chance 
 to control not alone St. Louis and Mis- 
 souri, but also a good many other state* 
 witb your material against any East- 
 ern granite. Yours respectfully, 
 
 WILLIAM MARTIN, 
 Superintendent Syenite Granite Co. 
 
31 
 
 marble. The total area of the Arkansas 
 marble district is probably 2,500 square 
 miles. 
 
 It was designed to add in this connec- 
 tion something of the especial structural 
 value of both the granite and marble, 
 but since the report was begun, the dut.r 
 has been committed to an eminent arch- 
 itect of this city, who is at the same time, 
 not without the geologifal attainments 
 necessary to a thorough knowledge of 
 the subject. His paper will be found 
 among a number which follow as a sup- 
 plement to the report as a whole. 
 
 SOAPSTONE AND OCHRE. 
 
 Another thing the state ha.? suffered in 
 connection with its natural resources, is 
 a species of depreciation carried on by 
 outsiders to protect properties in kind 
 owned or controlled by them, which, 
 though it su.gge>ts the tricks of small 
 minds, has its influence. 
 
 It is a form of misrepresentation which 
 has followed so frequently, that, upon 
 occasion inquirers writing for .samples of 
 any kind or for information, or both (If 
 they are interested and desire notice) 
 should be painstaking enough to show 
 that they have a business standing at 
 home, or at lea.'t they should afford 
 some evidence that they mean business, 
 elsewise. having become tired of the 
 play they will obtain neitlier samples nor 
 information. And at all events. If the 
 »neees-ities of the case allow it. It were 
 better to visit Arkansas in person, and 
 eo settle the value and quantity of ma- 
 terial at a single stroke. 
 
 The fjpecies of depredation de- 
 scribed ha« been largely directed against 
 zinc, ochre, and soapstone. The attack 
 on the first named has invariably issued 
 from parties directly and indirectly In- 
 terested in zinc mines. But which fact, 
 much as it should impute their testi- 
 mony, appears In general to have been 
 overlooked. 
 
 In the ease of ochre, a most extraordi- 
 nary bed of which, both In body and 
 color, is found at Monticello on the War- 
 ren br.ineh of the Missouri Pacific rail- 
 way, this state, the trick played for the 
 last three years by St. Tjoui^ parties has 
 .been to obtain car load lots from the 
 (owners, free of cost, for trial in manu- 
 factures, the object of which was. no 
 doubt, to stock up with a high grade 
 ochre by means of misrepresentation, 
 and afterwards depreciate It" reputa- 
 tion, while they represented the washed 
 (Arkansas product as a high priced for- 
 eign Importation. Something like the 
 p:^perience described might have oc- 
 curred in connection with high colored 
 ochre .and sienna lately discovered near 
 this city, but with the experience of 
 others before their mind, the man who 
 
32 
 
 olitaiui? any amount of it for trial or ex- 
 .■uri illation will have hi.^ pains for thanks. 
 unless he can produce the documents. 
 
 A still more remarkable instance, oul 
 of many others in the same connection, 
 was brought to light last year upon the 
 subject of the great beds of soapstone 
 found in this state, twenty miles west of 
 here on the lines of railway surveys to 
 Hot Springs. Mena. and Fort Smitli. 
 Samples were by reque-t forwarded tu 
 parties in Veimont engaged in the prep- 
 aration of soapstone finishes, with the 
 result, that instead of coming out like 
 men and acknowledging its value (for 
 it has no superior on the Western con- 
 tinent, having been teted by manufac- 
 ture into fire brick, stove lining, and 
 bisque ware) by return mail it v?as learn- 
 ed that it was "talc," meaning talc slatp, 
 and not steatite or soapstone. And to 
 make their attempt more ridiculous, i; 
 was discovered since, that they are palm- 
 ing off on the trade, under the name of 
 .-oapstone finishes, etc., talc slate. 
 
 It appears from information at hand, 
 that some questions had been raised to 
 the effect that the strata of the soap- 
 stone i.= too much contorted to suppl.v 
 dimension material. The .statement hav- 
 ing been originated in good faith by par- 
 tie* prospecting the soapstone for manu- 
 facturers of furnace and stove linings. 
 it is therefore answered in the same 
 spirit. They did not carry their exami- 
 nation far enough. Three miles east of 
 the original discovery the soapstone oc- 
 cur.* abundantly In almost horizontal 
 strata. 
 
 STRONTIA, MANGANESE AND COPPER. 
 Strontia, in abundance, is only found 
 in the Ru*h creek mining district of Ma- 
 rion county, one of the eight counties of 
 Arkansas that adjoin the Missouri state 
 line. The locality is that of the crystal- 
 line carbonate of zinc found in this state, 
 and beside .^trontia and zinc, is remark- 
 able for the presence of manganese, mar- 
 ble, glass sands, and mammoth forest 
 trees. The strontia. and the other mate- 
 trial described. L* found only a few miie^ 
 
 from White river, and in the event of 
 the beet sugar industry gaining a fool- 
 iJVold in this state, could bo delivered at 
 nil railroad crossings of White river, and 
 at all landings on White, St. Francis, and 
 Arkan-as rivere at a small cost for trans- 
 portation. 
 
 Ferro-Manganese, notwithstanding its 
 presence in Scott and Marion counties. 
 IS found principally in two sections of 
 the state, viz.: Independence county, 
 which is reached over the Bate=vi'.le 
 branch of the Missouri Pacific railway, 
 nad in Polk county, which is re.nched 
 over the Kansas City. Pittsburg and Gulf 
 
 ailroad. Though a large part of the 
 
33 
 
 first named district has been appropriat- 
 ed by Pitt-burg steel companies, some 
 of the finest manganese properties in the 
 world remain in the hands of local par- 
 ties who know its value but who are not 
 exorbitant in their price. Throughout 
 the second named district, whch is prob- 
 ably the largest manganese field iu the 
 world (with brown hemalite ore, coal 
 and lime not far away), desirable prop- 
 erties were some years ago covered by 
 options in the interest of Memphis capi- 
 talists These options have no doubt ex- 
 pired long ago, and at a venture one 
 would be free to say that the opportuni- 
 ty is in greater part open to investors. 
 
 Copper is found in the Tomahawk val- 
 ley of Searcy county, situated immediate- 
 ly south of Marion county. It occurs iu 
 both a carbonate and oxide form; and 
 taken in connection with its proximity 
 to mineral discoveries made in Marion, 
 Boone and Newton countie.-, and in the 
 neighboring valley of St. Joe (with noth- 
 ing thoroughly explored of the country 
 lying between) is iu itself a departure 
 from a rule which promises good results 
 if the oppotunity is improved by careful 
 exploitation. Being otherwise surround- 
 ed, by a good fai m and fruit region, it 
 is iiol i]iidpi)ri.c;at d. but iciu.an^ an ;ir 
 rested development because ifc value is 
 depended upon railway construction 
 through the country from Harrison to 
 Little Rock. And upon the first signal 
 of such constiuction which is not Impos- 
 sible at this time, it can be expected to 
 come widely into notice. 
 
 ANTIMONY AND GYPSUM. 
 Antimony occurs in Polk county in that 
 part which immediately adjoin.* the 
 couuties of Howard and Sevier, all three 
 of which are threaded by the Kansas 
 Ci;y. Pittsburg and Gulf railroad. Alueh. 
 if not the greater part of the territory 
 where found, was a few years ago owned 
 by the United States Antimony company, 
 of Philadelphia, who erected a reverber- 
 ating furnace, wunk shafts, and prepared 
 to reduce the ore. But upon the occasion 
 of a visit made to the plant in 1888, it 
 was learned that the coj't of wagon 
 transportation to distant railway points 
 rendered further operations impractica- 
 ble, or at least too costly; since which 
 time no further developments have been 
 made. It is presumed that the same 
 company owns the property, and there- 
 fore is not upon the market. But in the 
 event of others wishing to share in the 
 antimony di-coveries. Lieut. Van Blu- 
 cher should be sought out through the 
 officers of the Kansas City, Piltsburg and 
 Gulf railroad. He is the discoverer, and 
 is, upon good authority, known to have 
 most desirable antimon.y properties in 
 hiding. 
 3 
 
34 
 
 Gypsum is found in Pilie county, and 
 furnis the base of- conspicuou-' tieadland 
 flnuliing a stream known as the Little 
 Missouri river, a confluence of the famous 
 Ouachita river. The nearest approach 
 by rail is over the Prescott and Wallace 
 burg connection of the Missouri Pacific, 
 and over the Nashville branch of the 
 Missouri Pacific. In connection with 
 county where found it should be added 
 that the Smithton and Pike City connec- 
 tion of the Mi-'souri Pacific railway pen- 
 eti-ates a region of Pike county, afford- 
 ing the puiest porcelain clay found in 
 the state, notwithstanding Arkansas is 
 probal)ly richer in plastic clay, and Lit- 
 tle Rook the center of a greater variety 
 of merchantable clays, than found else- 
 where in the Union. And in connection 
 with the subject of clays applied direct- 
 l.y to pottery uses, it will be found treat- 
 ed in an exhaustive manner by Prof. 
 Thomas, of Alexander, this ^tate, in an 
 article from his pen, which, as one of a 
 series, supplements this report. 
 
 HARDWOOD AND PINE DISTRICTS. 
 
 It was originally designed to supply 
 at a glance, by shadings, on a map pie- 
 pared for the purpose, the localities of 
 prevailing hardwood and pine forests 
 in the state. This design was abandon- 
 ed, and the accompanying large map to 
 the report substituted for the reason that 
 the reduced size of the maps ordered, 
 defeated the end for which they were 
 intended. 
 
 Though a stranger to the state, readers 
 who apply the designations which fol- 
 low will obtain an equally satisfactory 
 notion of the prevailing timbers through- 
 out the state; remembering, of course, 
 that in the case of streams traversing 
 pine counties, there is no exception to 
 the rule of hardwood timber immediate- 
 ly flanking their course. 
 
 The hardwood district of Arkansas 
 comprises conspicuously. Northern and 
 Eastern Arkansas; aDd in this state by 
 the term Eastern Arkansas is meant 
 that part of the state lying east of White 
 river as far south as the Arkansas; and 
 Northern .Vrkansas thai part ot the state 
 lying north of file Arkansas and west 
 of White river. The exception in tihe 
 ca-'e of both Northern ;ind Western Ar- 
 kansas comprises Cleburne. Van Buren, 
 Stone, Izard, Randolph and Clay, which 
 arc pine counties, with fractional areas 
 of pine found in counties included under 
 the head of hardwood counties. 
 
 The pine district of the state is notably 
 Southern and Western Arkan as. The 
 first comprises all territory of the state 
 lying south of the Arkansas river and 
 south of the southern half of the Ar- 
 
35 
 
 knnsas division of Missouri Paciflp rail- 
 way. Ttie second comprise^' tm ritoiy ly- 
 ius west of Little IJock. soutli of tbe Ar- 
 kansas river, and uortli of tlie southern 
 em half of the Arl<ausas division of the 
 Missouri Pacific railway. The excep 
 tions to the rule in the case of South Ar- 
 kansas are Chicot, Desha and Lincoln 
 ciuntie?'; and the exceptions iu the case 
 of Western Arkansas are Sebastian, Lo- 
 gan and Franklin counties, which are 
 hardwood districts. 
 
 OUTPUT OF WOOD PLANTS. 
 
 When arriving at the subject of timber 
 re.^ources iu another part of this report, 
 it was decided to omit the annual output 
 of wood plants operated in this state. The 
 •subject appeared to be surrounded with 
 too many obstacles to saccess. and upon 
 the whole, the last two yea:s had not 
 l)een advantageou?" to the saw-mill indus- 
 try, and to wood plants in general. But 
 Muce the first of the year other means of 
 a reliable character, having been sup- 
 plied to the writer, the following will be 
 found, within a few thousand feet, to 
 be the average of the last three years. 
 
 The information a-i supplied has been 
 for satisfactory reasons divided, into 
 ■saw-mill and miscellaueous wood pro- 
 ducts. The following is the table of 
 plants according to claesification of 
 owners, or according to product for 
 which they claim a specialty. The 
 total number of plants included, all 
 of them situated on railroad line-', i.« 
 4G7: 
 
 OUTPUT OF SAW MILLS. 
 
 Yellow Pine 492,827,000 
 
 Oak f all kinds 93,746,000 
 
 Oak and pine 94,474,00) 
 
 Oak and cypress 27,035.000 
 
 Cypress and pine 32,200,000 
 
 Cypress lumber 29,200,000 
 
 Oak, gum and cottonwood 35,000.000 
 
 Oak, hickory and gum 39,200,000 
 
 Oak, gum and cypress 24,100,000 
 
 Oak and poplar 25,000,000 
 
 Oak and gum 16,000,000 
 
 Oak, ash and gum 6,900,000 
 
 Oak .walnut and elm 3,OSO,000 
 
 Oak, walnut and pine 3,000,000 
 
 Oak, p ne and cypress 3,000,000 
 
 Oak, hickory and sycamore 2,600,000 
 
 Miscellaneous lumber 45,000,000 
 
 OUTPUT MISCELLANEOUS WOOD 
 PRODUCTS. 
 
 Carloads. 
 
 Staves 320 
 
 Staves and heading 722 
 
 Tight barrel staves 206 
 
 Bucker staves 47 
 
 Staves and hoops 38 
 
 Staves and barrels 51 
 
 Shaped hoops 32 
 
 Heading 27 
 
 C ttonwood box material 37 
 
 Mscellaneous 231 
 
 Wagon material, feet 2,231,000 
 
 Hickory slabs, feet 1,800,000 
 
 Cypress staves 7,210,000 
 
 Cypress shingles 181,676,000 
 
36 
 LOCAL, MANUFACTURES. 
 
 While all details of this report on lo- 
 cal conditions have been focussed upon 
 piopspectt. Little Hocli offers to mauu- 
 lactures of many kinds, the reason of the 
 case is not altogether on one side of the 
 question, when it is asked: What has 
 been done in the way of industrial enter- 
 prises, or manuiactureisV 
 
 The answer is thi ; To use no data 
 originating at Little Kock or in the state, 
 a reply is found away back in the census 
 reports of 1890, which, while much im- 
 proved since then, covers the case suf- 
 uciently to piove, that when accoinuio- 
 dated LO the situation at the time, enough 
 money had been forthcomiug to show 
 tnac ail her people were not indifferent 
 lu mauufactuies. 
 
 b'uv example, notwithstanding outside 
 of ihe city and county, Arkan as in geu- 
 eia was backed in the race by hundreds 
 ct saw mills, and Fort Smith, Pine Bluff, 
 i'exarkana, Helena, Camden," Newport, 
 and other points in common, not without 
 entries for industrial honors, out of a 
 lo^aj investment ol $14,y71,t>14, in dif- 
 lerent kinds of industries, named undtr 
 the head of manufaeturecs, Little Kock 
 and the county in which it is situated, 
 supplied little les» than one-tifth of the 
 total amount so invested throughout the 
 state. 
 
 The sum has been increased, or 
 nearly doubled since then, there 
 having been nothing overdrawn in the 
 census report, nor in tact, full justice 
 done lo the matter, which is admitted in 
 foot notes to the recapitulation pub Ishod 
 under the authority of the government. 
 But the facts of the case are etjual to 
 all rea-' nable demand manufacturing 
 investors might make, as a "show down," 
 preliminary to planting their money in 
 ihe city. 
 
 It is a showing that is particularly grat- 
 ifying since it brings to ight the cii'- 
 oumstauce, that the cost of a product 
 valued at $1(X>, is less in Arkansas thau 
 iu the following forty states and terri- 
 tories of the Union, viz.: Maine. New 
 Hampshire. Vermont, Massachusetts, 
 Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, 
 New .Jersey. Pennsylvania. Delaware. 
 Virginia. West Virginia. South Carolina, 
 Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, 
 Lousiana, Tenne-see, Keutucky. Mis- 
 souri. Indian Territ' ry, New Mexico, 
 California. Oregon, Montana. Nevada, 
 Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North 
 Dakota. Minnesota. Michigan, Iowa. Illi- 
 nois. Indiana. Ohio and Wyoming. 
 
 In connection with the table of sum- 
 
37 
 
 niaries of mauufaciuics which folow. it 
 should be said that the cumiuaiies of 
 "Little Kocli Manuiaccuiea" do uot in- 
 clude items aud hgure^ that applied at 
 the lime lo .ubm-ban diatiicts. This fact, 
 in cousequeuce, qualities ihe table of 
 "Litlle Uock and Couut^" to a consid- 
 erable degree, the outlying districts, 
 which were the ^eat oi many industrial 
 plants, having been the next year added 
 to the city. The outcome ie, that the 
 table on "Little Rock and County" repre- 
 sents, U' not whol y, at least in the great- 
 est part, industries which, at ihe time 
 represented, in fact. Little Rock manu 
 factures 
 
 It should be explained in the same con 
 nection that the term "total capital in 
 vested" used in the tables, includes the 
 value or cost of lauds, buildings, ma- 
 chinery, implements aud tools. 
 
 And, to come nearer home: Take the 
 table of "Manufactures, Little Rock and 
 County," and if traced back through de- 
 tai s for which it comprises the aggre- 
 gated sums of each, interesting discov- 
 eiie- will be made by those who had not 
 looked at the question >eriously. For in 
 stance: Take the fnilowing items aud 
 compare them with facts which parallel 
 the case on the r^ide of commerce in Lit 
 tie Rock, viz.: Number of establishments, 
 1-51; number of emplo.ves, 2279: invested 
 in plants, .1:4,14.5.299: distribuied as cost 
 of material', total waues paid, and mis 
 ce lanenus expense.o, S,'?.4.'').5,927, 
 
 MANUP.A.CTURES, LITTLE ROCK AND 
 COUNTY, CENSUS OF 1890. 
 
 Number of employes 2,279 
 
 Total capital invested J2,S52i403 
 
 Invested in plants $1,872,468 
 
 Live assets 979,935 
 
 J2,852.403 
 
 Number of establishments 151 
 
 Total value of products $4,145,299 
 
 Cost of materials $1,918,998 
 
 Total wages paid 1,267,503 
 
 Miscellaneous expenses 269,426 
 
 $3,455,027 
 LITTLE ROCK MANUF.\CTURES. 
 
 Number of employes 1 534 
 
 Total capital Invested $2,677!955 
 
 Invested in plants $1,807,201 
 
 Live assets 870,745 
 
 $2,677,955 
 
 Number of establishments 124 
 
 Value of products $3,120,677 
 
 Cost of materials $1,396,773 
 
 Total wages paid 830,857 
 
 Miscellaneous expenses 254,227 
 
 $2,481,857 
 ARKANSAS MANUFACTURES. 
 
 Number of employes 15 972 
 
 Total caDltal invested $14,971,614 
 
38 
 
 Invested in plants $10,448,236 
 
 Live assets 4,523,378 
 
 $14,971,614 
 
 Number of establishments 2,073 
 
 Value of products $22,659,179 
 
 Cost of materials '^•^?I'o?l 
 
 Total wages paid ^' ,?'|;. 
 
 Miscellaneous expenses l,03j,2ob 
 
 $19,182,405 
 LITTLE ROCK MANUFACTURES. 
 (Dun's local Agency Census, 1896.) 
 
 Cotton seed oil mills * 
 
 Cotton delinter plants 1 
 
 Foundry and machine shops 5 
 
 Engines and holers ^ 
 
 Railway car shops - 
 
 Street railway car shops 1 
 
 Wagons and carriages * 
 
 Cotton gin factories l 
 
 Furniture factories ^ 
 
 Planing mills ° 
 
 Sash, doors and blinds * 
 
 Wooden pulleys J 
 
 Saw mills • 
 
 Tobacco ad cigar factories = 
 
 Candy factor es ^ 
 
 Confectioners J 
 
 Bread and cakes 1* 
 
 Electric light plants ° 
 
 Architectural iron works ^ 
 
 Manufacturing druggists J' 
 
 Saddlery and harness » 
 
 Boot makers " 
 
 Woman's clothing ^* 
 
 Tailors' custom work i^ 
 
 Coffins and burial cases 3 
 
 Painting and paper hangmg i-t 
 
 Printing and publish ng ^^ 
 
 Blacksmiths and farriers ^^ 
 
 Photographers ° 
 
 Manufactur ng jewelers ^ 
 
 Baking and yeast powders ^ 
 
 Tents and sails Jl 
 
 House builders *i 
 
 Cotton compresses ^ 
 
 Dyeing and cleaning * 
 
 Illuminating and heatmg gas | 
 
 Hand stamps i 
 
 Artificial .ce i 
 
 Lock and gunsmithing ° 
 
 Marble and stone works * 
 
 Bicycle and repair shops = 
 
 Mineral and soda waters ° 
 
 Lime and cement J 
 
 Granite quarries ° 
 
 Brick manufacturers * 
 
 Plumbing and gas fittmg * 
 
 Booting and roofing material " 
 
 Saw repairs and grind ng ^ 
 
 Tinners and coppersmiths ° 
 
 Vinegar and cider factories ^ 
 
 Trunk factories - 
 
 Mattress factories * 
 
 Plastering and stucco works > 
 
 Flouring and corn mills ^ 
 
 Staves and wholesale staves ' 
 
 Cooperage plants » 
 
 Mechanical dentists ^- 
 
 Broom and brush factories -■ 
 
 Boxes, fancy and paper ^ 
 
 Boxes, wooden 
 
 23 
 
 Brass toundr es 
 
 Shirt factories ., 
 
 Sewing machine repairing ^ 
 
 Handle factories ' 
 
 Wine covering ^ 
 
 Upholstering * 
 
 Cornice makers ' 
 
 Wrought iron works ^ 
 
 Fence and w re factories J 
 
 Woodenware manufacture •• '■ 
 
 Total ■"'1 
 
39 
 
 SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF LITTLE 
 ROCK, 
 
 Of social conditions: It is only fair to 
 the question of Little Rock's social 
 fabric, to say that it is neither too rijrid 
 .inci erect in outline to fit well into the 
 wider environments of the west, nor tco 
 eomples, not to suggest something of -e 
 lined conceptions and ta te.s. And if this 
 is true, embarrasfiiiig as it may be to 
 those of us who criticise western coin 
 munities (not for what we know of them, 
 but by reason of locality and surmund 
 ings), is it not possible, that, because of 
 the standpoint from which we look, they 
 have the advantage of us. being never 
 too dull of wit to know at sight, a hyper 
 critical observer? 
 
 It is at east certain, that we never get 
 at the best side of western life, if it 's 
 only looked at ^rom the exterior. There 
 is a certain openness; in manner and 
 speech and a certain regard for comfort 
 and economy in dress, behind which, if 
 we look closely, there are faces which 
 alway- look out kindly upon humanity 
 And what is a better test of the morale 
 and intelligence of a man or woman 
 than a consciousness of the truth, that 
 the whole world is kin? 
 
 Consequently with this much under 
 stood, not only is it easy to gel at the 
 fact of LItt'e Rock's society, but alsc 
 the conditions of life from which it i- 
 recruited. It does not in any resjiect 
 compare unfavorably on the surface with 
 the best of our American cities. But it 
 is more than is implied by its well 
 dressed' members and its charming 
 homes. And. therefore, however other 
 cities of the Southwest claim greater 
 wealth, t'oey cannot as a rule, show bet- 
 ter men and women in their soda' ranks 
 than thosf of Little Rock. 
 
 In the last sentence we have, in fact. 
 tile application of the subject to the 
 g'ound taken for Little Rock: of be 
 ing. in all seriousness, the only one of 
 many cities visited in the United States 
 where (wanting in nothing that is de 
 rived fiom money, blood, travel, fash- 
 ion, and education), social conditions are. 
 in the best and widest senses, favorable 
 to mill owner and mill worker. 'What 
 is meant is simply this: If upright and 
 iiidustriou'. the worker of any kind wi I 
 tii'd here more good people of his class. 
 who have come from farms and not from 
 slums, than any city of its size in the 
 Union; and the miL owner, if a gentle 
 man. will in a short time receive a kind 
 er and completer recognition, according 
 to his social qualities and ambitious. 
 
40 
 
 than men of ten and twenty times their 
 capital have received all their lives 
 from citie- where they live. 
 
 It is an exc usive people to those whose 
 character or qualities do not fit them to 
 wear well out of their sphere, whether 
 of business or morals, but never more 
 generous hosts and neichbors than when 
 tlieir hospitality nnd friendship are put 
 to the touch by the ri.sht men and wo 
 men. It i^. moreover, not an exclusive 
 ly Southern people, but from all piirts 
 of the Union, which, in part, no doubt, 
 aceonnis for the bearinff marliinsr tliem 
 above all people of the Southwest. For 
 r.Tther than noisy, or too free and e-i??.. 
 tbpy are. in seneral, reserved and pelf 
 p ssessed. beyond those of Memphis. St 
 T.ou's. Kansas City, Dal'a', Hous'on. 
 Gnlveston and San Antonio. And it is 
 no doubt in consequence of this char- 
 acteristic that they p?cnpe special notiof-. 
 when others, more forward', strut out n 
 wp'comed reeo.snition. before the sti'.nii 
 er could take their soundinss. Tint 
 their reserve ha- its advantages, as wit 
 nes-' their son^ and dai's-h'ors wh" Imve 
 gone out to more stations of honor nnd 
 trust, and to more refined and stately 
 homes in other cities and states. ,han in 
 prrportion to number of inhabitants, ha? 
 followed class for class, in the last twen 
 ty years history of Southern cities, ex 
 ceptinsr Baltimore. Richmond. Charles 
 ton. Tjouisville. Memphis and New Or 
 leans. 
 
 COMMERCE OF I,ITTLE ROCK. 
 
 Though this report is, in the main 
 riven over to the sut)Ject of mannfne- 
 tures. and the reasonings of Little Rock's 
 cnraniercp held back, it is far from the 
 truth to imply, from the circumstances, 
 tliat ;t is nop now liolding its own, or 
 that it will not hold is own hereafter. It 
 lias it < limitations, il is true, but they are 
 'imitations which d" not apply in the case 
 of it.s retail trade, however. a.griculture 
 and the lumber industry of the state are 
 unequal to the demands, not to say, rea- 
 sonalile necessities of Ailvansas' rapidly 
 growing population. 
 
 Any difficulties in the way onl.v appi.v 
 to the .iobbin.g trade, which (by reason of 
 vestrictinns necessitated at the hands of 
 ta'lrrads. and a con-equent competition 
 of St. Louis, Memptiis. New Orleans, and 
 Kansas City, in this s'atel is to some ex- 
 tent an "arre ted development," but 
 whicli, under late pressure brought to 
 boav upon the situation, will no doubt 
 disappear; and in consequence the whole- 
 sale rlealer re-appear in its trade in nnm 
 tiers called for by Lltt'e Rock's oppor- 
 tunity and its irresistible growth. 
 
41 
 
 An important reason which has iii- 
 tiuenced the condition of Little Rocls's 
 wholesale trade, complained of. will be 
 found in changes made in the purcha i' 
 of cotton, formeily consigned to cotton 
 factors at New Orlean.*. Memphis, and 
 St. Louis, but now in general bought at 
 first hand from producer-, or from mer- 
 cbants doing business at points nearest 
 to the producer. It was a form of busi- 
 ness countenanced b.v precedents of the 
 cotton trade, but which In passing awa.v 
 now completely unmasks the eleraeu; 
 of danger there wa- itirolved in it for 
 legitimate busiue-^s men. And as a re- 
 sult, having been wholly or generally 
 abated only during the past few years, 
 and freight rate limita;i(ins, within the 
 state, not attacked upon general piiuci- 
 ples. it remains for Little Rock to im- 
 prove the opporinuily. 
 
 It also follows in ths same connection, 
 that with the double star of commerce 
 and manufacture,- to s;Ul by. and pleniy 
 of sea room to "tack" in. during period.* 
 of adverse winds, not all of Little Rock 
 is seen, if it is judged by limitation ■. 
 which to break up. as now understood. 
 only needs a strong pull, a long pull, and 
 a pull all together on the part of her peo- 
 ple. 
 
 Regarding the retail side of the ques- 
 tion: We have in it. at a glance, an ar- 
 gument which at the same time it i? a 
 credit to 1 ittle Rock, is? aKso a pointer to 
 means tlir ugh which it is practicable 
 to build a wholesale trade equal to the 
 demands of it-i own territory, if not ab- 
 solutely the whole demands of the state. 
 Like its inetropolit.in contemporaries, 
 .vou can not only obtain in the city at first 
 hand, ever.v thing running up from a 
 hay stack to a steam eugiine, but in Its 
 place as the social center of the state, it 
 is the only ahsolute center of fashion 
 found in Arkanas. And accordingly, 
 while not a hand is turned against other 
 points of trade in the state, it has been, 
 with good lenson for congratulation?, the 
 d termination of its luorchants. not to 
 sacrifice the advantage It perpetuates, 
 e'.iher to greed, or to it* twin evil of cnm- 
 meice, shoddy: with this result, that it^ 
 retail trade doubles itself during the 
 .vear because of patronage which, until 
 a few years hack, had been bestowed 
 UI10U New York. Chicago, St. Loui,- and 
 Memphis and the ranks of local patrons 
 iiicroa.sed more than fifty per cent, b.y 
 citizens in general rf .\rkansa •. and of 
 adjoining territoiy. 
 
 LITTLE ROCK COMMERCIAL PLANTS. 
 (Dun's Local Agency Census, 1S96.) 
 
 Wholesale dry goods and clothing 3 
 
 Wholesale hats, caps and millinery 1 
 
 Wholesale boots and shoes 1 
 
 Wholesale and retail India rubber goods.. 1 
 
 Wholesale hardware 2 
 
42 
 
 Wholesale furniture 2 
 
 Wholesale drugs 1 
 
 Wholesale grocers 8 
 
 Wholesale liquors 5 
 
 Wholesale fruits and produce 4 
 
 Wholesale flour, grain and feed 5 
 
 Wholesale meats ] 
 
 Wholesale sand and gravel 1 
 
 Lumber dealers 20 
 
 Coal dealers 7 
 
 Men's clothing and furnishing 14 
 
 Millinery, dry goods and clothing 58 
 
 Boots and shoes 14 
 
 Jewelers and watch makers 12 
 
 Hardware stores 8 
 
 Furniture stores 15 
 
 Undertakers 6 
 
 Queensware, toys, etc 12 
 
 House furnishing 6 
 
 Books, stationery and newstand 10 
 
 Drug stores 30 
 
 Saddlery and harness 9 
 
 Piano houses 2 
 
 Sheet music stores 2 
 
 Stringed instruments 2 
 
 Florists 6 
 
 Confectioners 20 
 
 General merchandise stores 40 
 
 Retail grocers 124 
 
 Cigar stands 14 
 
 Saloons 48 
 
 Hotels and restaurants 27 
 
 Barbers 52 
 
 Steam laundries 4 
 
 L very and feed stables 11 
 
 Butchers and meat markets 20 
 
 Hides, furs and tallows 4 
 
 Machinery agents 4 
 
 Railway contractors 2 
 
 Grading contractors 5 
 
 Newspapers 15 
 
 Pawnbrokers 4 
 
 Miscellaneous 45 
 
 LITTLE ROCK BANKS. BROKERS. ETC. 
 (Dun's Local Agency Census, 1S96.) 
 
 National banks 2 
 
 State banks 3 
 
 Bankers and brokers 4 
 
 Merchandise brokers* firms 4 
 
 Commission merchants 15 
 
 Packing house agents' firms 2 
 
 Brewery agencies firms 3 
 
 Building and loan associations, local 10 
 
 Build ng and loan associations, foreign.. 7 
 
 Real estate dealers and agents 35 
 
 Abstractors and conveyancers 3 
 
 Fire Insurance companies 1 
 
 Fire insurance agencies 11 
 
 Life insuance. state agencies 7 
 
 Life insurance, Southern agency 1 
 
 Surety company agencies 3 
 
 Number of physicians 85 
 
 Number of lawyers 103 
 
 INHABITANTS OF LITTLE ROCK. 
 Being for several rea-ons a matter <if 
 general comment, it is hardly necessary 
 to ;iay, that in appi caching the subject of 
 Little Rock'.s "inhabitants." and there- 
 fore by Implication, the subject of Ar- 
 kansas' population, one is reminded of 
 the "Cockney," who, as answer to an in- 
 quiry why water was >prinkled on while 
 cloth to bleach it when exposed to the 
 sun. was informed that it did good by 
 reason of offices the water performed iu 
 pa-sing through the cloth. 
 
43 
 
 It. is uot eouteudt-(I, excepting in ex- 
 treme cases, that any one seriously be- 
 lieved the story of the "Arlsausaw Trav- 
 eler," but there Is no doubt that its of- 
 fices, as it ran through the pubUc mind, 
 did the state no good. To this day, let 
 the reputable citizen of the ftate go 
 • abroad, and it is the rule and uot the ex- 
 ception, if he does not attract attention, 
 insantly it is announced that he is from 
 Arkansas. But meanwhile this talies 
 place, little thought is given to the fact, 
 that however the story may be predicated 
 upon a frontier civilization, as it was 
 conceived fifty years ago, it holds no 
 more in these latter day;', than would 
 the "witch burning" civilization of the 
 New England states apply to descend- 
 ants of those people, not. to mention an 
 application of the "pipe and gin" civiliza- 
 tion to the Knickerbocker descendants 
 of New York, or the "Sucker" civilization 
 of IlUnois, or the "broncho" civilization 
 of Texas. 
 
 There was an end lo it all sometime in 
 their history, and why nut in the ca;e of 
 AikamasV One thing i« certain, if oth- 
 ers can stand it, and not afterwards blusli 
 for their intrepidity iu reaching conclu- 
 sions, the Arkau.-an can. especially since 
 the matter will in the end take care of 
 itself. And in the cast' of Little Rock, 
 there is not an inhabitant of adult years, 
 who, in the face of authenticated report;" 
 of the government (uot to add current 
 assurance of the day) does not know, that 
 the hypercriticism of himself and neigh- 
 bors is founded either upon ignorance, 
 prejudice, or malice. This is upon gen- 
 eral principles. 
 
 If on the other hand we predicate the 
 matter upon origin of inhabitants, and 
 admit the hypothesi.s. that their ,;tand- 
 aid of civilization is not up to the meas- 
 ure of the critics, it will be found that 
 the inequality is not altogether native 
 to the state. But thi.* is parleying with 
 the question, when, despite the "mis- 
 takes of Moses." it is a fact, that from 
 the highest to the lowest, society at Lit- 
 tle Koek. and throughout Arkansas, i- 
 permeated by less rottenness than any 
 eily or fitate of the Union, .vnd to *h"o 
 proof of which any one who is interesti d, 
 is challenged to consult the authenti- 
 cated reports of the government upon all 
 ■ubjects entering into the question, 
 whether of morals, education, busines, 
 or politics. 
 
 Of the origin of Little Rock's inhabi- 
 tants: Take the tables which follow, ex 
 traded from the census of 1890, and 
 upon the ground tljat the exposition ap- 
 plies almost wholly to adult persons, it 
 will be found that the injus.ice done the 
 state, in the ca-e of its capital city, is re- 
 
44 
 
 buked in the fact of a general If not co* 
 
 mopolitau origin of its inhabitants. 
 
 Before passing from the subject it 
 should be added, that the number of in- 
 habitants credited to Little Rock in the 
 census of 1S90, 25,874. is correct as far 
 as it goes. But it doe.- not go far enough. 
 The annexation of suburban di-tricts, al- 
 luded to under the head of manufactures, 
 iu the case of population, included ad- 
 ditions to the city which, for the pur- 
 pose of avoiding city taxation, had not 
 been included in the census of either 
 ISTU, ISSU, or 1S90, and growing out of 
 which omission, L»ttle Rock will, iu ef- 
 fect, show iu lyOO, the .largest gain of 
 population in ten years, of all cities of 
 the ,-oulliwest having mote than 25,000 
 inhabitants. Judging alike from the di- 
 rectory, school, and franchiic census of 
 the city, it can be safely assumed tshort 
 of an house to house census) that the 
 inhabitants of Little Rock, rather than 
 less, number more thau 40.000. 
 
 NATIVE WHITE POPULATION OF LIT- 
 TLE ROCK. 
 (United States Census of 1890.) 
 
 Oli.o 159|Tennessee 1,S3G 
 
 Illinois 1261 Mississippi 1,123 
 
 New York 121| Alabama 772 
 
 Missouri 16iil Kentucky 6t2 
 
 Indiana 82| Texas 449 
 
 Kansas 71 Louisiana 229 
 
 Pennsylvania ... 59| Indian Ter.itory. 2S 
 
 Michigan 401 Calitcrnia t^ 
 
 Iowa 34 1 Maryland 15 
 
 Nebraska 30, Georgia 16 
 
 Wisconsin 1»1 South Carolina .. 13 
 
 Massachusetts .. 15, Colorado S 
 
 Minnesota S| Virginia 9 
 
 Rhode Island S] Neiv Mex co 5 
 
 Maine 4i Oregon 4 
 
 Connect-CUt 4| Utah 3 
 
 New Hampshire. 3i North Carolina.. 4 
 
 Vermont 1, West Virginia .. 3 
 
 New Jersey SI Florida 3 
 
 Nevada 21Dtlaware 1 
 
 Alaska 2i Waslilngion 1 
 
 Total native whites, not born in Ark- 
 ansas 6,143 
 
 Total white, natives of Arkansas 7,b49 
 
 G:and total of whites, natives 13,992 
 
 FOREIGN POPULATION OF LITTLE 
 ROCK. 
 (United States Census of 1S90.) 
 
 Germany 1,0S7I Denmark 9 
 
 Ireland 2471 Not way 9 
 
 England 2051 Bohemia 9 
 
 Canada 133| Hungary 7 
 
 Switzerland 53|Australa 4 
 
 Sweden E61 Wares 4 
 
 Fiance 49| Africa 2 
 
 Scotland 44, Wtst Indies 2 
 
 Italy 44 India 
 
 Austria 3l| Greece 
 
 Poland 2S| Belgium 
 
 Russia 17| South America .. 
 
 China 151 Mexico 
 
 Holland 10[Not specified 
 
 SUMMARIES OP LITTLE ROCK'S POPU- 
 LATION. 
 (United States Census of 1890.) 
 
 Total population 1890 25,874 
 
 Total foreign population 2,122 
 
 Total native population 23,762 
 
4S 
 
 Total natives of Arkansas U,0S2 
 
 Natives not born in Arkansas 12,700 
 
 Total white population 1S90 16,114 
 
 Negroes, including 21 Chinese, etc .... 9,760 
 
 Excess of white population 6,354 
 
 Total families in Little Rock 1890 5,496 
 
 Total dwellings in Little Rock, 1S90 4,980 
 
 Excess of farail.es to total dwellings .. 516 
 
 Total male population, 1890 12,962 
 
 Total female population, 1890 12.912 
 
 Excess of males to total females jiO 
 
 STATUS OF SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES. 
 
 A.! called for in efforts designed to 
 propitiate manufactures, and therefore 
 convey a clear idea of existing condi- 
 tions favoring the welfare and comfort 
 of those invited to share its fortunes, 
 it would be d fficult to round off any 
 serious report of Little Kock, without 
 applying the school and chui'ch test? 
 which mark the history of our American 
 civilization. 
 
 Taken at their face value, there is no 
 difference from what is observed at 
 other points where the family is built 
 up and protected upon lines ol defense 
 dictated by reason and common . ense. 
 Nor in fact is it necessary to go else- 
 where for illustration of views express- 
 ed upon the subject by continental 
 writers who had vi ited the United 
 States, the substance of which is ds fol- 
 lows: That given the premises of native 
 inhabitants, of respectable parentage, 
 and their age over twenty-five years, 
 there is no doubt of a noble likeness run- 
 ning through the character and senti- 
 ments of our people, traceable directly 
 to the free school and free church sys- 
 tem of our people; and therefore, that 
 while in the truest sense creditable to 
 the geniu." of our institutions, they have 
 peen, are now, and always will be, the 
 basis of greater stability upon which 
 re!3ts our free government, than all the 
 Republics known in the world's history. 
 
 But at the same time all this L; ad- 
 mitted, and the dictum, set forth, accept- 
 ed as a splendid tribute to our school 
 and church system, why is it at vari- 
 ance with that which, in common, has 
 been accepted of th^s tate. and therefoie 
 by implication, accepted of its capital 
 city? 
 
 It is true, that at a venture, but few 
 of us can acquit ourselves of the charge 
 upon other grounds than thoughtless- 
 ness or prejudice. And yet, it does not 
 mitigate the effect, if we only admit 
 the mistake without repairing the dam- 
 age. It is not, that the arrow sped from 
 the bow is lost, but it is the careless and 
 indifferent view held of the con.-equence, 
 when in all fairness and Justice as much, 
 if not more diligence should be displayed 
 
46 
 
 to repair wrong, as we wuuld in the case 
 of a person whom, upon first acquaint- 
 ance, we had mi -understood, or whom 
 we had misjudged or slandered to our 
 friends.. The failure to do so is, there- 
 fore, in the same .sense an injustice, 
 whether we care to thinii .-o or not. 
 
 Beyond this, it is not necessary to go 
 with the subject than the fact, that in the 
 highest sense so Intent are the people of 
 Little Rock upon an advanced plane for 
 their church and school, that at a ven- 
 ture, it were not too much to declare 
 their office..- surpassed in no city of the 
 world. They are not all -aints, not by a 
 good deal. Nor have they and their 
 children become be-spectacled from por- 
 ing over ponderous tomes. But they 
 comprise in greater part the beet type of 
 Southern, Eastern and Western people it 
 is po sible to find intimately associated 
 under the roof-tree of any cit.v iu the 
 world: who, at the same time they fear 
 God and hate the devil, show forth a 
 composite character plainly derived fi'om 
 Puritan, Cavalier and Hugenot, which 
 means that their mental and moral life 
 may be expected to keep pace with the 
 business sagacty, excellences, and giace.s 
 of the three types named. 
 
 In the tables which follow it was not 
 deemed necessary to go beyond sum- 
 maries supplied by the local superintend- 
 ent of public instruction. They expres.- 
 at a glauce all furce it is possible to u.se 
 in a discussion of public school maltei\? 
 in our Southwestern country. Nor was It 
 thought necessary to go beyond a mere 
 sunitaary of means Little Rock other- 
 wi e supplies under the heads of col- 
 leges, kindergarten, and studios. It is 
 sufficient from the number given to 
 know that they are demanded by the city 
 and state. 
 
 LITTLE ROCK PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 (Data based upon yearly averages for ten 
 years.} 
 
 Average enrollment of whites 2,659 
 
 Average enrollment of negroes 1,704 
 
 Total average yearly enrollment 4,363 
 
 Average attendance of whites 1,990 
 
 Average attendance of negroes 1,114 
 
 3,104 
 
 Number of teachers employed for whites.. 40 
 Number of teachers employed for ne- 
 groes 21 
 
 Total average teachers employed 61 
 
 Average high school graduates, white 19 
 
 Average high school graduates, negroes.. 10 
 
 Total average of high school graduates.. 29 
 
 Average cost of supervision and in- 
 struction $35,979 77 
 
 Average total expendiutre $58.S00 S3 
 
 Grand total expenditures for ten 
 years $588.008 30 
 
LITTLE ROCK PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 (Operations of the present year.) 
 
 Number of teachers employed 84 
 
 Number of pupils enrolled. 1896 5,118 
 
 Total cost for instruction % 45,505 
 
 Total cost for all purposes 73,712 
 
 Total value of property 313,103 
 
 CHURCHES. SCHOOLS, SCHOOLS OF IN- 
 STRUCTION, ETC. 
 (Arkansas Gazette Census, 1S96.) 
 
 Churches of all denominations 62 
 
 Y. M. C. A. rooms and library 1 
 
 Young men's institute and library. Catho- 
 lic 1 
 
 Public schools 9 
 
 Colleges and academies 5 
 
 Parochial schools 3 
 
 Kindergarten 7 
 
 Medical college 1 
 
 Law school 1 
 
 Business colleges 2 
 
 Art studios 3 
 
 Mus cal studios, vocal 8 
 
 Musical studios, instrumental 13 
 
 Piano instructors 173 
 
 Pipe organ instructors 8 
 
 Dancing school instructors 2 
 
 LITTLE ROCK WATER SERVICE. 
 
 Pressure to the square inch, 75 to 80 pounds 
 
 Distributing mains, 4 to 20 Inches, 50 miles. 
 
 Double muzzle Are hydrants, 320. 
 
 Diameter of standplpe, 20 feet: height, 150 
 feet. 
 
 Reservoir capacity, 11,000,000 gallons. 
 
 Pumping capacity, 14,000,000 gallons. 
 
 Probable cost of plant, 5600,000. 
 
 As part of th s equipment they use a 
 6,000,000 capacity Worthingt n high duty en- 
 gine. 
 
 PUBLIC COMFORT iN GENERAL. 
 
 Cost of sewer system i 30,000 
 
 Fire apparatus and alarm system.. 34,000 
 
 Cost of telephone plants 175.000 
 
 Water works— probable cost 600,000 
 
 Gas and electric light plants 750,400 
 
 Cost of street railways 1,250,000 
 
 Total cost $2,849,400 
 
 HAT BAND SUMMARY. 
 (City of Little Rock.) 
 
 Area of city In square miles 11 
 
 Number of inhabitants 40,000 
 
 Value of Church property i 891,000 
 
 Public buildings, State and city 2,448.000 
 
 Total value J3.339,000 
 
 Number of manufacturing plants.. 401 
 
 Number of commercial piants 706 
 
 Banks, agencies, lawyers, doctors, 
 
 etc... 319 
 
 Total number 1,426 
 
 Manufacturing capital employed $5,156,000 
 
 Other incorporated plants 1,452,000 
 
 Banking capital 1,253.000 
 
 Total, not including commerce 
 In general $7,851,000 
 
 Value of manufactured products 
 
 1896 $8,190,000 
 
 Trade sales for year 1896 16,612,421 
 
 Total miscellaneous transactions .. 7.310,070 
 
 Total, exclusive of banking $32,112,697 
 
48 
 
 LITTLE ROCK BOARD OF TRADE. 
 
 In clo-ing this report it is due to say 
 of the Little Roeli Board of Trade that 
 no body of business men realize more 
 fully the opportunities of their city and 
 state, and to that end have entered the 
 race of progress and development in a 
 spirit worthy of men who, knowing the 
 right way to succpss, have the conurage 
 to follow it, notwithstandig discourage- 
 ments that beset them at the start. 
 
 Rather than an affair that is attended 
 to at the leisuie of its member?, it is a 
 working body which in its parts repre- 
 sents the strongest men found iu the 
 state, and therefore with a view tu util- 
 izing each one's ability and influence to 
 the be^t advantage, its membership is di-- 
 vided into three classes. Those whose 
 province it is to advance and defend the 
 city as a whole, and therefore not only 
 set the battle of commercial and indus- 
 trial development in array, )iut plan for 
 it. The second clas- comprises the rank 
 and file who are always in the saddle. 
 The th^rd clasy is composed of the re- 
 serves who are drawn upon the supply 
 vacancies in the ranks of the first two 
 mentioned; and all three at all times re- 
 sponding to the call of duty promptly as 
 the general alarm is sounded. 
 
 But the principal advantage it proves 
 to Little Rock is the fact that from its 
 zeal and liberality it is at all times possi- 
 ble to evolve a personal and general co- 
 operation that is more than money when 
 theie is need to promote new 
 €nterpri.:es— a bright- faced, open- 
 armed, welcome, behind which 
 Little Rock stands pledged with 
 its manhood and womanhood to do 
 justice to the man or woman who has a 
 right to personal as well as business rec- 
 ognition. And for this reason aloue, say- 
 ing nothing of a readine.'s to do the best 
 possible for those needing help to get de- 
 sirable industries on their feet, there is 
 not another body of organized business 
 men like it today in America. 
 
 As expressed in the body of the report, 
 on the nativity of iU citizens in general, 
 it is also a remarkable body in the sense 
 that it includes most reputable people 
 from all parts of the Union, which fact 
 probably accounts for the readiness with 
 which they receive others of equally rep- 
 utable personal and busine.-s standing, 
 instantly that occasion demands action 
 along Hues laid down for their govern- 
 ment. But even with this admission, the 
 gist of the thing remans when it i re- 
 flected that, however the origin of popu- 
 lation in other cities compares with Lit- 
 tle Rock, none of them compare with it 
 in the cordiality of their gi-eetin'j;, with- 
 out waiting to see "how much there is 
 in it" for the individual. And in conse- 
 
49 
 
 quence, acting upon the principle that a 
 gentleman and lady, is a gentleman and 
 lady in Little Rock as they are at home, 
 it is no wonder that, having tasted of its 
 confidence in others as In her own citi- 
 zenship, thos€ who have need to change 
 their domicile never fail to return. 
 
 As an incorporated institution it should 
 perhaps be added of the Little Rock 
 Board of Trade that, dating from last 
 fall, it is In fact a consolidat:on of a sen- 
 ior and junior body of businea? men, and 
 |is therefore the only body of the city to 
 be approached by outsiders upon any 
 subject requiring general action and en- 
 couragement, as well as information of 
 all kinds whether of railroads, indus- 
 tries, native material, or public improve- 
 ment^ of any kind. 
 
 OFFICERS LITTLE ROCK BOARD OF 
 TRADE. 
 
 President— W. W. Dickinson, whole- 
 sale and retail hardware. 
 
 Vice President— Henry M. Cooper, Lit- 
 tle Rock Cooperage Company. 
 
 Treasurer— John G. Fletcher. German 
 National Bank. 
 
 Secretary— George G. Harkness. 
 
 DIRECTORS LITTIE ROCK BOARD OF 
 TRADE. 
 
 John W. Pope, cotton factor. Howell 
 Cotton Company. 
 
 T. H. Jones, commission merchant. 
 
 J. A. Fones, wholesale and retail hard 
 ware. 
 
 Joh F. Boyle, Are insurance. 
 
 J. W. Blackwood, attorney at law. 
 
 Chas. S. Stifft. wholesale and retail 
 Jeweler. 
 
 J. H McCarthy, capitalist and- con- 
 tractor. 
 
 H. P. Edmonson, retail grocer. 
 
 P. B. T. Hollenberg, HoUenberg Music 
 Company. 
 
 W. S. Mitchell, Arkansas Democrat 
 Company. 
 
 M. L. DB alALHBR. 
 
so 
 
 '■'HE MERCANTILE AGENCY 
 
 K. G. MJN & CO. 
 
 Little Rock, Ark.. Jan. 6, 1897. 
 Col. M. L. DeMalher, City: 
 
 Replying to yours of recent date will 
 say my conclusions upon the questions 
 laid before me, are as fol ows: 
 
 The year 1S96. which ha- just closed, 
 has been full of many perplexiiies for 
 merchants, manufacturers, etc., and as 
 a rule trade for the year just ending has 
 not been sati.sifactory, yet this has been 
 the case thioughout the country; and 
 while we have felt the general depres- 
 sion, yet we are in no worse condition 
 than many other trade centers. The 
 fall and winter trade in jobbing lines 
 ha- averaged fair, but the retail trade 
 has not been up to expectation and the 
 very unsatisfactory results of late are 
 argely attributed to local causes, for 
 instance — short crops, low-priced cotton, 
 etc., which has made money scarce with 
 the masse^: besides the hard times that 
 the country has been passing through 
 has caused the consumer to be more 
 economical, and both traders and con- 
 sumers have been more economical and 
 bought in the main for actual needs or 
 demand-: tli;>; pniiscM'vation has. in a 
 great measure, a'^slsted to curtail the 
 usual volume of trade. 
 
 Yet as a jobbing market. Little Rock 
 Is holding her own and In comparison to 
 other markets of the same elze Is gain- 
 ing in importance gradually every year. 
 It is true there are not as many Jobbing 
 houses In the city as we had a few 
 years ago. but this Is the ca'^e also with 
 many other markets and is accounted 
 for by the depreciation In values which 
 has made profits small: at the same 
 time the expenditure necessary to op- 
 erate a who'esale business has not prac- 
 tically lessened In comparison to the 
 email profits realized: therefore, those 
 who have capital are timid, the results 
 being uncertain, and do not care t 
 vest In large enterprises, especially 
 since the conntry has been In a state 
 of suspense from an epidemic of fail- 
 ures. 
 
 The jobbing merchants of Little Rock 
 who are now In business are progres- 
 sive and enterprising: they cover a 
 greater territory and have more travel- 
 inar salesmen than heretofore. Ten years 
 ago the trade of this city was princi- 
 pal y confined to a radius of 125 miles. 
 Now her merchants are seeking trade 
 throughout the entire State of Arkansas. 
 North Louisiana .the Indian Territory 
 and some of her merchants have consed- 
 erable trade e\en In Texa'^. 
 
 As to her manufacturing interest will 
 say, with a few exceptions, no progress 
 
51 
 
 has been made during the past year. 
 
 which lias resulted fidni the low price of 
 products and small margins. The man- 
 ufacturing of cotton oil. which is a large 
 industry here, has been to some extent 
 handicapped by the low price of their 
 product and the results have not been 
 all that could be wished for. The lum- 
 ber manufacturers have to a greater 
 extent felt, the depressidn. the hard 
 times having been felt throughout the 
 whole country, which curtailed build- 
 ing and improvements, thus making the 
 demand for lumber only moderate and 
 low prices have prevailed. To the 
 lumber dealers 1896 has been the most 
 unsatisfactory for years, yet the outlook 
 in this branch of manufacturies .^eems 
 more hopeful and a good trade is antic- 
 ipated during the coming spring. 
 
 During the year Just ended the Little 
 Rock cotton mills was forced to shut 
 down, leaving creditors unprovided for. 
 This mil, up to the time of its closing, 
 turned out large amounts of cotton 
 yarn, twine, etc. The low prices haa 
 some effect upon it; yet the prime cause 
 of its failure to sustain itself was large- 
 ly on account of the plant having bee 
 bought principally on credit. The op- 
 erator, therefore, relied mainly upon out- 
 side assistance to run it. The mill in 
 1895, even under these conditions, did 
 very well, but during the early part of 
 1896 was compelled to manufacture on 
 a delcining market which handicapped 
 it to such an extent that it was forced 
 to close. There seems to be no doubt 
 but that this plant could be made an ul- 
 timate succescs with ^uiHeient capital 
 to operate it. for it is one of the best 
 equipped mills for its size in the south- 
 west. 
 
 Some of the factories engaged in the 
 manufaciuring of fixtures, sash, doors, 
 architectural woodwork, are not eati - 
 fled with the result of thf year, while 
 others who are engaged in the same line 
 state they did not make much money, 
 but express themselves as being fairly 
 well saiisiied considering the year which 
 they had to contend with. 
 
 One of the argest and most sueces - 
 ful plants located here and in fact tn-' 
 of the best plants in this .'■ection Is en- 
 gaged in manufacturing cotton presscf-:. 
 cotion seed machinery, iron worke.s. 
 etc. This enterprise ha- done a largo 
 and profitable business and their prt d 
 net is shipped to every cotton-produr 
 ing country in the world, and has i 
 large domestic and foreign trade, ship- 
 ping a large amount of their output to 
 Mexico and Europe, and it is a paying 
 ins itution and one that this city and 
 state can be proud of. 
 
 Another of the leading plants here is 
 the roller mills, who turn out each day 
 
52 
 
 in the neighborhood of 600 barrels of 
 mea: and 400 barrels of flour, and on 
 account of the growtli of this business 
 their capital has been increased. 
 
 The manufacturing of candy is a 
 growing enterprise here. It is gaining 
 in prosperity and increasing in im- 
 portance. Some seasons of the year 
 the plant is forced to work both day and 
 night and their output is di-tributed 
 throughout this state, part of Texas, 
 Louisiana, etc. 
 
 In spite of the hard limes the local 
 furniture factory, which is now in op- 
 eration, has been gaining and the issue 
 for the .year has been satisfactory to it-' 
 owners. Their trade has grown to sucli 
 an extent that it was necessary to en- 
 large iis capacity and it is now on the 
 road to success. 
 
 Among our large manufacturles are 
 those engaged in cooperage, making of 
 staves, handles, headings, etc., and while 
 as a rule are not thought to have made 
 a great deal during 1896. at the >ame 
 time seem to have held their own. In 
 some of these plants there is a large 
 amount invested and shipments are 
 made from these different enterprises to 
 as far west as California, and as far 
 east as the Atlantic seaboard. 
 
 The many other small manufac- 
 turles who are engaged in the man- 
 facture of tobacco, wagons, carriages, 
 mattresses, trunlss. etc., are believed to 
 have made a good living, besides some 
 of them have made a little money. 
 
 JIauy consumers who are not close ub- 
 server;! have asked how a city of this 
 size has been able to sustain itself dur- 
 ing the hard times which we have been 
 experiencing, and the answer is made 
 that if they would stop long enougli to 
 observe they would find out that Little 
 Rock has a great many more manufac- 
 tories than slie has been given credit for. 
 and these in themselves have in a great 
 mea;iure, assisted in giving Little Rock 
 what prestige she now enjoys. It is true 
 we need more of them and encourage- 
 ment should be given to manufactruers 
 who come here to seek locations, and 
 with more railroads we would soon have 
 a city of double the amount of its pres- 
 ent population. 
 
 Within the last decade in appearance 
 Little Rock has improved wonderfully. 
 In the years of 1SS.5 and 1S86 she liad 
 but few paved streets: now -he has many 
 miles of paved and improved streets and 
 the general character of the buildings, 
 residences, etc., are much more substan- 
 tial and attractive and for it size wil) 
 compare most favorably with any in the 
 Union and its geogiaphical situation and 
 its close proximity to coal beds and many 
 other advantages ought to make this city 
 
S3 
 
 a leading manufacturing center in tlie 
 sreat Southwest. 
 
 Immigration burcnu- liavf lieen turn- 
 ing tbelr attention toward Arl-iausas and 
 ttie tide ul' immigrants seems to be com- 
 ing mis way, for during (lie last five 
 years many immigrants iiave bee locat- 
 ing in laige numbers, in different por- 
 tions of tbe state: and the class that 
 has been teekmg homes in our midst is 
 thr.ity and industrious. The benedcial 
 results from this source is gradually but 
 sureiy being felt. 
 
 In summarizing your questions, will 
 say wnlle 189G iu many respects ;0 far 
 as the net isnies and re-iultis are con- 
 •-•erned is not satisfactory, yet our city 
 has held its own and in a measure we are 
 better off than some sections who have 
 been retrograding, and taken as a whole 
 we have much for which to be thank- 
 :ul. 
 
 It is almost too early to prophesy In 
 regard to 1897. The entile country has 
 jeen in the throes ot liuancial diasters 
 juring 1S9(!, and the coun:ry at the pres- 
 ent time is like a weak individual who 
 has been through a siege of sickness and 
 s in a couvalesceuee .-tate; and is com- 
 pelled to gain m.jre strength before be 
 can walk. This is the pre^^nt condition 
 of the country and we hope it will not 
 tie long before the country is on its feet 
 igain. No one can e.xpeet it to jump at 
 mee from a long .lege of depression 
 into a state of prosperity. This will 
 come gradually. Our lumber induslries 
 anticipate an increased demand for lum- 
 ber to be shiped and distributed north, 
 east and west. This together with our 
 fruit crop will be a beneficial help and 
 to tide over until the ne.xt fall crops are 
 made; therefore conservative authori- 
 :les while they do not look for a large 
 spring trade tbey anticipate a very fair 
 one and with the trade of ne.xt fall Ark- 
 -■insas hopes to be at leat in a fairly 
 tirosperous condition. 
 
 WILLIAM P. HUTTON. 
 
 EDUCATION IN AKK.VNSAS. 
 
 Bj' Prot. Junius Jordan, State Superintend- 
 ent f Public Instruction. 
 The effort to make effectively promi- 
 nent the material resources of Arkan- 
 sas, has nullified to some extent, inter- 
 est in her educational activities. The 
 rusli for timber and mining lands and 
 for expositions of physcal products ha^ 
 almost exceeded the bounds of modera- 
 tion, and the writers have been kept 
 busy in .etting intensity -to these in- 
 viting advantages. The quiet and effect- 
 ual progress of our public and private 
 school system, the personal self-sacri- 
 fice of our citizens, in this behalf, have 
 largely been overlooked. 
 
54 
 
 But a reaction U beginning, and tlie 
 silent, though steady energies of our 
 people, through sunshine and stoim, and 
 amidst adversitj- as well as proeperiiy, 
 are being appreciated in the presence 
 of an advancing and prai. eworthy de- 
 votion to higer and more permanent ed- 
 ucational development. The West, once 
 estimated in itti impoL-taucy by its t;ee.:, 
 its expansive area;?, its water courses, 
 and its rutic sturdiness, is now at the 
 front in a far more ennobling attitud'' 
 and expression. Its newspapers, its pul- 
 pits, its comereial workers, its state.;- 
 men, have awakened a new enthusiasm 
 in the student ol" progress. The observ- 
 er, too, is called to clo e. thought when 
 he sees that this people, under a long 
 series of adversities and a continuous 
 cloud of unfair distrust and su picion. 
 have presented to the eye of the re- 
 publ-c, entertaining, instructive and 
 commanding results. When we think of 
 the four years of devastating war. fol- 
 lowed by nine yea is of negative condi- 
 lions imder the bLglH of recou.struc- 
 tion, and turn to look at the standards 
 attained in the years that have eudej^l 
 with 1896, we almo t disbelieve the ex- 
 istence of any other than a continued 
 series of prosperous epochs. It seem< 
 however, that our state in th s respeci. 
 furnishes a bright example of that ex- 
 alted band that ha- "come up through 
 great tr biihitiou," and we present for 
 consideration her attainments and suc- 
 cesses in intellectual and moral devel- 
 opment. 
 
 Other states may present more enlarg- 
 ed and comprehensive system.- and ac- 
 complishments, but there were not the 
 same advertisities and discouragements 
 to meet and to overcome. When man 
 contemplates attainments, his apprecia- 
 tion i.- measured by a knowledge of the 
 obstacles surmounted, and the difficul- 
 ties overcome in reaching the result. 
 
 Measuring the status of Arkansas to- 
 day by this standard, as to her intellect- 
 ual progres- and achievements, we are 
 willing to risk our standing for the bene- 
 dictions that ever rest upon those who 
 have fought a good fight. 
 
 The records show as follows: Euuiu- 
 eration of school poi)ulation :u l^O."), 
 448.941; in 1890. 45r>.T3(:. 
 
 .-Vmounts received from -tate tax. dis- 
 trict tax. poll tax and other sources i i 
 1S9.J. $1..j90.257.T0; in 1S9(!. $l,(17.j.991.l:;. 
 
 Expenditures for salaries and other 
 purposes in 1894-95, $1,130,232.75; in 
 1895-96, $1,232,986.08. 
 
 ■["he amount unexpended in 1S96 in tlie 
 hands of various county treasurers, 
 $443,005.05. 
 
 The permanent school fund was $4.">0.- 
 000 Invested in Arkansas stao bonds. 
 
S5 
 
 on which there is an accumulated inter- 
 est of $390,000, and an annual increase 
 of $35,000. 
 
 In addition to tlie 5,980 schools taught, 
 the state maintaias the Arkansas Indus- 
 rial University at Fayetteville; and lilse- 
 wise the Branch Normal College at Pino 
 Bluff, the latter for colored teachers. 
 The amounts annually expended for 
 hese institutions averages 560,350. 
 
 Furthermore, the sum of $20,000 was 
 appropriated by the Legislature in 1895, 
 ■fo maintain a normal school of one 
 month in each year, in each county of 
 the state. The success of. this movement 
 shows that 5,779 teachers out of 6,673 
 attended these normals. 
 
 There is iu attendance at the public 
 schools in the state 296,600 pupils, and at 
 the State University 621; at the Branch 
 Normal School, 100 students; at private 
 
 nd denominational schools, 2,2200. 
 
 These are most encouraging exhibits 
 of the financial and intellectual progress 
 of Arkansas, as far as concerns the spirit 
 of enterprise in her public and private 
 schools. But. there is another most grat- 
 ifying presentation to make, which es- 
 tablishes beyond question the sincerity 
 as well as the sacrifices our people have 
 made and are still making in behalf of 
 our sons and aughters. We submit 
 herewith a statement showing the 
 amount of funds Invested in private 
 schools and in denominational institu- 
 tions. 
 
 The figures include the values of build- 
 ings, grounds, and equipments of every 
 nature, such as libraries, apparatus, fur- 
 niture, etc. 
 
 Stuutgart College. Stuttgart, $6,000. 
 
 Jonesboro Training School, Jonesboro, 
 $5,673.75. 
 
 Hinemon University, Monticello, $7,- 
 150. 
 
 Rogers Academy, Rogers, $30,000. 
 
 Central Baptist Female College, Con- 
 way, $35,000. 
 
 Hiram and Lydia College Altus. $22,- 
 
 aoo. 
 
 Arkadelphia Methodist College, Arka- 
 delphia, $58,000. 
 
 Mountain Home Baptist College, 
 Mountain Home, $13,000. 
 
 Quitman College, Quitman, $27,000. 
 
 Hope Institute, Hope. $7,500. 
 
 Bentonviile College, BentonvlUe, $10,- 
 500. 
 
 Conference Training School, Fordyce, 
 ?4.400. 
 
 Hendrix College, Conway, $62,000. 
 
 Arkadelphia Baptist College, Arkadel- 
 phia, $80,000. 
 
 Searcy Female Institute, Searcy, $80,- 
 SOO. 
 
 Searcy Male College. Searcy. $20,000. 
 
 Galloway Female College, Searcy, $45,- 
 IKX). 
 
56 
 
 Littie Rock Academy, Little Rock, f7,- 
 000. 
 
 Arkansas Cumberland College, Clarks- 
 ville, $58,300. 
 
 Warner Female College, Little Rock, 
 $7,000. 
 
 Philadelphia High School, Melbourne, 
 .$15,000. 
 
 Sulphur Rock Academy, and James- 
 town Academy, $2,500. 
 
 Arkansas CoUose. Batesville. $30,000. 
 
 Little Rock University. Little Rock. 
 
 This shows an aggregate of $547,623. T."> 
 that has been invested in enterprises of 
 a private and denominational character 
 all in behalf of advanced intelleetu;il 
 culture. The good people of this state, 
 in addition to the public school ta.x, 
 wliich they readily pay, state and dis- 
 trict, througli a spirit of love and en- 
 thusiastic devotion to mental and moral 
 development, have contributed of their 
 own private means and hard-earned re- 
 sources over a half million of dollars 
 to the great cause of education. Nor 
 have we included in the above enuniLM-- 
 ation quite a number of other smaller 
 institutions, whose value would swell 
 the above sum to .530.000. 
 
 The record is before the people, and it 
 is one of which every one In Arkansas 
 should be proud and doubly encouraged 
 to continue faithful ia this grand work 
 until our state sets the pace for a new 
 eia in grander and nobler acconiplisli- 
 ments in the great future of the Repub- 
 lic. 
 
 LETTER FROM M.\SSACHUSETTS. 
 
 Northborough. Mass.. Dec. 2(!. 1896. 
 To the Editor of The Gazette. 
 
 I notice that you propose to issue a 
 January 15th edition, one feature of 
 which, I presutne, will be cheap coal— 
 the foundation of the power of modern 
 civi ization. I am told that you can se- 
 cure good coal for manufacturing pur- 
 poses delivered at $1.25 per ton. This 
 seems to us very low, and certainly will 
 attract capital and skilled labor, but 
 cautious men will inquire if a moderate 
 demand will increa e the price. 
 
 Making and moving, creating and car- 
 rying, are the principles which lie at 
 tiae foundation of success. Mining and 
 agricu ture are great sources of produc- 
 tion as well as manufacture. But, 
 however much we may produce, it 
 avails little unless we can transport it 
 to a good market. Good transportation 
 facilities can only be supported by am- 
 ple material to be carried, and good 
 markets can only be found for articles 
 that can be afforded at -mall cost. Pro- 
 duction and trasnportation must go hand 
 in hand. Making and moving, creat- 
 ing and carrying, must be carefully ad- 
 
57 
 
 justed on to the other 60 that there wi;i 
 be harniony between the two great 
 forces. 
 
 This harmony is not to be secured by 
 mere guess-work. The subject must 
 be carefully studied by experts and men 
 whose only interest i- ihat of the public. 
 I am therefore glad to notice that you 
 are agitating the subject of creating a 
 railroad commission in Arkansas. About 
 twenty-five years ago we formed such 
 a commission in Massachusetts and 
 though we now have much to complain 
 of the information gathered and the ad- 
 vice given to contending parties — for 
 the powers of the commi-sion have al- 
 ways been merely advisory — have been 
 worth many times their cost. No 
 wrong method can long survive a full 
 statement of its evils by a disinterested 
 and competent tribunal. 
 
 The public interest is further pro- 
 tected al' over the country by the inter- 
 state commission. Mo-t of the states, 
 I presume, have railroad commissions. 
 and one great result is to prevent the 
 building of unnecessary railroads. I 
 notice recently that a piece of railroad 
 has been declared unnecessary in a 
 prosperous manufacturing neighbor- 
 hood in Connecticut. The rail will be 
 take up, and the stations and bridges 
 be sold. There have been several such 
 cases, and one of them only a very few 
 miles from my home, was a finely bni t 
 road that is now, and 'has been for 
 twenty years, totally abandoned. In 
 some form the public has to pay for 
 this, A wrongly located railroad is a 
 total lo-s, A properly located railroad 
 may be very poorly built, and meet 
 with great difficulties at the outset, but 
 with reasonab e management, it will be- 
 come good property. 
 
 The mam lines of railroad connect- 
 ing principal points are mapped out 
 without much difficulty and details 
 must be left to the civil engineers, but 
 the connecting and cross lines present 
 many points that must be carefully 
 cmsidered by experts in other depart- 
 ments than engineering. Then, too. the 
 uljjeet of street railways is under the 
 supervision of our railroad commission, 
 and this is a very important feature of 
 their duties now that electric and pneu- 
 matic methods of conveying power seem 
 (o wholly supercede the use of horses. 
 For many reasons, therefore, I hope the 
 coming year wil witness the organiza- 
 tion of a competent railroad commi-sion 
 in your state formed of gentlemen who 
 appreciate how grand a work is before 
 them in adapting all the latest improve- 
 ments to the development of the re- 
 sources of your great state. Faithfullv 
 yours, CHARLES W. PELT. ' 
 
58 
 
 POTTERL KS IN AR KANSAS. 
 
 Little Rock as Adapted to Siifli liiiliisfrie«. 
 
 (By Wm. S. Thomas.) 
 Of the many industries for wliose in- 
 troduction Arkansas ofCeis unusual in- 
 duwmeut-', tlierp nrc none equaling 
 the manipulation of our clays. Pottery 
 i. one of the oldest arts, iis records an- 
 tedate the hii'th of our Savior by more 
 than 3000 years, and its pioducts have 
 been used by every nation of the earth 
 civilized and savage. At the present 
 time, with our advanced eivi'.izaliou, 
 the demand has increased wiih the im- 
 provement and facilities for manufic- 
 ture. 
 
 It is not the deeign of this article to 
 give a history of pottery, or to explain 
 the modes of manufacture of what 
 comes under the head of the ceramic 
 art, but to call the attention of those 
 interested in thi.^ industry to the fact 
 that within the boundaries of this state 
 we have every variety of clay and oth 
 er minerals used in the manufacture 
 of ware, from bul ding, paving, and 
 fire brick, drain and sewer pipe, sa t- 
 glazed stoneware, yellow and Rocking- 
 ham, C, C, and white granite ware, in 
 short up to and including Severes china, 
 with the exception of feldspar, and of 
 that I will speak farther on. It is 
 doubtful if there is a locality in the 
 world where, within the same area, all 
 the raw material used in manufactur- 
 ing the article- included in the term 
 ceramics, is found in such c ose prox- 
 imity as in this state and the near vi- 
 cinity of Little Rock. 
 
 Except feldspar, there is not one m- 
 gredient lacking that entert; into the 
 composition of any known ware. Feld- 
 spar has been found in this state, bu' 
 not of a purity that would answer for 
 the higher grade- of ware, though we 
 have hopes a better quality will yet be 
 discovered. It is found of excellent 
 quality in the Indian Territory and 
 \Iabama As this mineia is only used 
 in "limited quantities in the better classes 
 of wares and for glasses, its absence i-- 
 not serious, as will be seen from the 
 fact that Staffordshire, England, where 
 •^00 000 people are employed in this in- 
 dustry and the output annually amounts 
 to $20 000,000, of which a large portion 
 comes to the United States, gets mo-t 
 of its feldspar from this country. "' 
 Middletown, Conn. 
 
 Trenton, N. •!., the Staffordshire of 
 America, has iwenty or more manu- 
 factories, which are not only obliged 
 to send away for their fe dspar, but to 
 Pennsylvania for coal, and to South 
 Carolina for their kaolin. Cincinnati 
 has a number of potteries In succes-^ful 
 operation— one whose ware competes 
 with the finest made in Europe— but 
 
59 
 
 there is neitlitr coal, or any ingredient, 
 entering into the wares there manufac- 
 tured, that is fount! in the near vicinity 
 of that city. A thorough investigation 
 has proved that no place in this country 
 or Europe possesses as many advant- 
 ages for the prosecution of this Industry 
 in all its branches, as Arkansas. We 
 have three varieties of cual, which will 
 be found a very important item — we 
 have seggar and fire brick clays, bal 
 clay (so termed by the Stafford- hire 
 potteries), kaolin, the purest of quartz, 
 clay for terra cotta, stoneware, etc., in 
 fact, for everything used in this art. 
 
 To the investor, this industry pos- 
 sesses advantages over most state-, as 
 no amount of capital is invested in raw 
 material— when wanted you go and dig 
 it — no insurance on raw material, no 
 danger of depreciation of value from 
 time or any other cause, nor are the 
 products affected by climate, time or 
 fashion. For the manufacture of pot- 
 tery in all its branches. Little Rock of- 
 fers the advantage of cheap raw ma- 
 terial, cheap labor, cheaper buildings 
 than at the north, and has the farther 
 advantage of an unliniiied market with 
 no near competition. It is hoped this 
 article wi 1 meet the eye of some party 
 sufficiently skilled in the art to appre- 
 ciate these conditions, and take ad- 
 vantage of the situation. 
 
 The writer has given facts from per- 
 sonal experience, having been interested 
 for a number of year- in one of the most 
 extensive manufactories of the kind In 
 the United States, and has made a 
 practical test of many Arkansas clays. 
 He would be pleased to give farther in- 
 formation to aid anyone wishing to in- 
 vestigate with a view to establishing a 
 pottery. 
 
 In connection with clays, I wish to 
 call attention to a mineral clo ely re- 
 ared to kaolin or china clay, called 
 bauxite. In the arts, this mineral is of 
 late introduction, attention first being 
 called to it as an oxide of alumina in 
 1868, and it is used for producing that 
 metal and alum. It takes its name 
 from Baus, in Prance, where it was 
 first discovered. Thousands of tons are 
 annually consumed in Philadelphia, 
 Syracii.se. Buffalo, and Brooklyn, for the 
 manufacture of alum. North Carolina. 
 Georgia. Alabama and Arkan as are the 
 only states where this mineral has been 
 found Ln commercial quantities, and the 
 three first named states are at the pres- 
 ent time supplying the market. The Ark- 
 ansas deposits are quite extensive, of 
 excellent quality, and are located from 
 six to thirty miles from Little Rock. 
 There i^ no reason why Little Rock 
 should not at least manufacture alum, 
 if not the metal. 
 
60 
 
 REPORT OF LITTLE ROCK BOARD 
 OF '1 RAUE. 
 (By Geo. G. Harkness, Secretary.) 
 All tilings considered the business and 
 indu trial interests of the city of Little 
 Koek are in better shape at the begin- 
 ning of the current year than they have 
 been at any time since the commercial 
 barometer began fallinsr four years ago. 
 It is true that Little Rock, like every 
 other city in the country, has suffered 
 numerous failures during the late de- 
 pression, but the percentage has been 
 small by compar -on with other places 
 of equal commercial importance and 
 few of her peers can hope to keep pace 
 with her in the march of advance- 
 ment that is now commencing, for the 
 reason that the diversity of Little Rock's 
 resources when money is easy, is excep- 
 tional. 
 
 As compared with 1895 the year just 
 ended hows a slight advantage in a 
 l)us ness way. There were fewer fail- 
 ures in 1890 than iu 189.5 and these were 
 tor the most part failures of concenis 
 iliat in lS9o were weak and due to fail 
 l)ut which struggled into the succeeding 
 year with an effort only to succumb fin- 
 ally. As to value and volume of busi- 
 ne s the best eriterions are found on 
 comparative freight, express and post- 
 offlce figures and bank clearings. .V 
 comparson of freight receiiits for the 
 last three months of 1895 and 1S9G shows 
 the startling increase of 3737 cars in the 
 latter yearr due to the protecting influ- 
 ence of the Little Rock Board of Trade. 
 Following is the statement by month-: 
 
 1895. 1896. 
 cars. cars. 
 
 October 2762 4292 
 
 November 2832 3701 
 
 December 2842 4177 
 
 8430 12,173 
 
 Increase in 1896 3737 
 
 A comparison of bank clearings shows 
 an increase as follows: 
 
 189", $16.202,70<; 
 
 ISor, 16,304,81'i 
 
 Increa e in 1S96 $102,109 
 
 The gross receipts of tlie Little Rock 
 postofllce for the fiscal year ending .Tune 
 30. 1890. were nearly the same as in 
 the preceding year: 
 
 IS')',; $ ."i8.2l 17.01 
 
 1896.' 58,402.16 
 
 Increase in 1896 $255.15 
 
 The receipts of the Pacific Express 
 
 Company, the only company doing busi- 
 
 nes- here, were somewhat smaller in 
 
 1896 than in 1895. 
 'I'hough no very determined efifort was 
 
61 
 
 made during the past year to attract to 
 this city new industrial plants, the 
 Board of Trade managed in a quiet way 
 to add a poke and hub factory, employ- 
 ing twenty-five hands, to the woodi- 
 workiug interests of the city and to in- 
 stall heii' a first-class tobacco mau- 
 iifactory. This cnnccru is called the Ar- 
 kan as Tobacco Works, it manufactures 
 plug and twist of a superior quality and 
 has been particularly successful. It em- 
 ploys an average of thirty hands. 
 
 The cotton interests of Little Rock 
 have suffered seriously during the cur- 
 rent cotton year, owing to the destruc- 
 tion on .September 1(>, 1890, of the mam- 
 moth East Little Rock press of the 
 I'nion Compress Company. This was 
 the largest building of the kind in the 
 world and it»s inimeuso storage capacity 
 greatly facilitated the handling of cot- 
 ton on this market. All cotton handled 
 on the local market since the d&=truc- 
 tiou of the East Little Rock press was 
 pressed at the North Little Rock Com- 
 press, but the limited capacity of this 
 press caused much cotton to be diverted 
 from thi- market. The low price of cot- 
 ton this season has prevented several 
 thousand bales stored in and around 
 Little Rock fi'om coming into sight. 
 Following is a statement of the cotton 
 movement on the Little Rock market 
 for the cotton ,easen of 180."i and 18'.).;. 
 from September 1, tu December 31: 
 Receipfc, Sept. 1 to Dec. 31. 
 
 1S9.J 75,300 
 
 1896 69,006 
 
 Shipments Sept. 1 to Dee. 31. 
 
 1895 54,342 
 
 1896 58,740 
 
 Stock, Dec. 31. 
 
 189... 5 21,801 
 
 1896 9,500 
 
 On December 31, 1896, middling was 
 quoted at 6c on the Board of Trade and 
 on the corresponding day of the prev- 
 ious year at 7 l-4c 
 
 The business men of Little Rock are 
 at present united as never before in .-i 
 determined effort to advance the com- 
 mercial interests of Little Rock and Ar- 
 kan as from the inside. The Little 
 Rock Board of Trade has inauguarated a 
 a special feature of its work for 1897 a 
 series of citizens' meetings. It is In- 
 tended that the business men shall get 
 together at lea-t once each month, touch 
 elbows and exchange ideas for the good 
 of the community. Two of these meet- 
 ings have already been held and such a 
 spirit of pride in the city and state 
 shown and such an enthusiasm for de- 
 velopment as cannot fail to work out 
 great benefits. Already plan.? are on 
 foot looking to the building of "Great- 
 'e)r Little RjDck." These plans were 
 formulated at the two meetings referred 
 
62 
 
 to and tlie activty with which the busi- 
 ness men of the comiuunity have taken 
 hold, determined to do their share lu 
 the trenches has fired much new ma- 
 terial with an ambition to participate. 
 The committee appointed to secure the 
 convention of Arkansas Teacher- for 
 Little Rock has earned the first laurel 
 wreath by closing with the executive 
 committee of the Southeru Teacheis' 
 Association for the holding of the con- 
 vention in Little Rock in June next. This 
 committee consists of Prof. T. L. Cox. 
 Mr. W. S. Mitchell and Mr. Geo. Russ 
 Brown. 
 
 The entire power of the Little Rock 
 Hoard of Trade will be ihrown intu an 
 elfort to increase the railway mileage 
 of the state of Arkansas during 1897, to 
 this end the Legislature will be urged 
 to pass the Naylnr bill, embodying the 
 opinions of the legislative committee of 
 the Board of Trade and providing for the 
 construction of railroads within the state 
 by convict labor. 
 
 Among the certain factor- that will 
 contribute to the comfort and prosperity 
 of Little Rock are the new free bridge 
 acioes the Arkansas river at the foot of 
 Main street and the new pressed brick 
 plant which will be built in the West 
 End by Lieper & Apperson. An almost 
 certain consequence of the complet.on of 
 the new bridge is the eon.«truction of an 
 electric line connecting the Army Post 
 with Little Rock and embracing North 
 Little Rock. 
 
 It is hardly possible that another year 
 will go by without active work being 
 commenced on the extension of the 
 Little Rock and Memphis railroad west 
 from Little Rock to Wister Junction. 
 The Little Rock and Mississippi railroad, 
 eommonlj- known a- the Worthen road, 
 has just been turned over to Mr. Chas. 
 F. Penzel as receiver for the evident 
 purpose of closing the eighteen-mile 
 gap that remains between its present 
 tei-minus and Little Rock. The Kansas 
 City, Pittsburg and Gulf railroad ha- 
 nearly completed the stretch of line be- 
 tween Fort Smith and Texarkana and 
 will probably build on to Hot Springs 
 and Little Rock from Mena, Ark. .\r- 
 rangeinents have been completed for the 
 extension of the Corbin road from Sun- 
 iiyeide to Hamburg in Ashley county. 
 
 The movement of the Board of Trade 
 of Little Rock for increased railway 
 mileage has struck a responsive chord • 
 throughout the state, and in view of the 
 determined pull and the pull together 
 that i- being made, it is safe to assert 
 that something is bound to come. 
 
 The lumber busines.-; of the state, 
 which means more to Arkansas and Lit- 
 tle Rock than any one interest except 
 possibly cotton, has already received a 
 
63 
 
 very conylderable stimulus on the pros- 
 pect of its protection by legislative ac- 
 tion under the incoming national admin- 
 istration. 
 
 In conclusion, the people of Little Rock 
 owe much to the patriots who have kept 
 intact the Little Rock Board of Trade 
 during the late depression and who have 
 Ijy their membership and support 
 builded it up to what it now is, the 
 strongest commercial organization that 
 ever represented the buiness interests 
 of Lttle Rock. The Board of Trade is 
 alive to the opportunities which now lie 
 open to Little Rock and every business 
 man should feel it his duty to join this 
 good organization and help push things 
 along. 
 
Li^yn ^ 
 

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