V ., ?fi* .^fct- ■■■ ;^ fflfflkfc ^ hs - -.. • r ~-r ; "5tiS , ir i J " r ii ^ n r • /^TSPSsr^ , *■'■:,■ ! LIBRARY OF CONGRESS,! Chap... Shelf ... UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. p[ ^l^[^[^l^[^ISUgi5irEJ[5UH][5U Hl BRIEF FACTS ABOUT fjOUISVILLE ISSUED BY The Commercial Club, TS/EA.1T 1, 1890. fg[^l^[^[^[^l^ig[^[5p[^[5r f61 H. L. MORROW & CO., PRINTERS, LOUISVILLE, KY. \ Corner Sixth and Main Streets, Louisville, Ky. OFFICERS : Frank N. Hartwell, President. Owen Gathright, Jr., 1st Vice-Prest. Frank Von Borries, 2d Vice-Prest. Lucien Adkins, Secretary. Thomas P. Craig, Ass't Sec'y. Jno. M. Borntraeger, Treasurer. DIRECTORS : FOR ONE YEAR. FOR TWO YEARS. John S. Morris, Peyton N. Clarke, T. J. Batman, S. S. Waters, Tracy Underhill, u Angus R. Allmond, Alvah L. Terry, Geo. Braden, E. J. McDermott, A. H. Robinson. gHJEF p ACTS ABOUT LOUISVILLE. Population — January I, 1890, 231,021 ; January 1st, 1880, 123,760; increase in 10 years, 107,261. 'Situation — Latitude 38 i$'; longitude 85°45 / ; aver- \ age elevation above sea level, 440 feet. I .Area. — Including suburbs, about 18 square miles. 1 Centre Of Population. — The centre of population is , at present about eighty miles east by north of this city and moving westwardly and in the direction of Louisville every year. Nearly one-fourth of the total population of the United States lived within a radius of 300 miles (all within twelve hours rail- road travel) of Louisville, at the last census. Surroundings. — Vegetables, fruit, dairy and stock- farms, besides staple agriculture, timber, sand, clay and building materials, all in great variety and extent, surround the city in all directions, furnish- ing the most favorable conditions for the inhabit- ants to live and do business in this centre. Healthfulness. — The death rate is lower than that of any other city of equal size in the United States, namely: 14^ to the thousand. Cost of Living. — The cost of living in Louisville is reduced to a minimum on account of the very pro- ductive soil surrounding the city. Our markets are always full of the very best, and at reasonable prices. Fuel. — Coal is supplied to the manufacturers of the city at a cost of from 85 cents to $1.60 per ton on yearly contracts. Good grate coal retails at about $2.25 per ton. The development of the Kentucky coal fields, by the building of new railroads and th<; competition of the Pittsburg mines by cheap river transportation, insure absolute exemption from any scarcity of fuel. Natural Gas. — April 1st, 1889, the first natural gas main was completed to Louisville from the gas fields in Meade County — thirty miles distant. The supply at present is about 25,000,000 cubic feet daily, and new wells being sunk rapidly. Louisville is the first city in the South to use natural gas. City Tax Rate. — For 1890 $1.98, property being assessed at about two-thirds its full value. Ma- chinery used in manufacturing the manufactured products are exempt from the city taxation, and no license is required from manufacturers. Net Bonded Debt.— On January 1st, 1890, $4,983,- 000. $1,500,000 of new bonds are being issued for the improvement of streets. "Value of Real Estate. — Assessed value of real estate and improvements on Jan. 1st, 1890, $72,663,234;" January 1st, 1888, $70,152,534, against $50,194,665 in 1880; increase in nine years, $22,468,569. Banking. — Twenty-one incorporated banks, repre- senting a paid up capital of $9,326,800, with an aggregate surplus of $3,551,252, having combined net deposit of about $22,505,000, the number of banking institutions being larger than in any other city of like size and population in the United States. The above number does not include three private banks. All of our banks are peculiarly prosperous, and the number of failures and defalcations in the history of Louisville banks is strikingly small com- pared with other cities. l^nk Clearings.— 1888, $301,159,337; total for 1889, .'$359,679»462.5i, against $108,219,933 in 1878. icrease in Bank Clearings for the year 1889, over 1888,. $58,520,125.61. *rust Companies. — Four strong corporations -with : an aggregate capital of $3,000,000. Surplus, $500,- j 000, and rapidly increasing. ransportation. — Thirty navigable rivers are ac- cessible from the wharves. The following railroads center within the limits : The Louisville & Nash- 1 ville; Chesapeake & Ohio; Louisville Southern; ! Newport News & Mississippi Valley; Louisville & JKnoxville; Louisville, Cincinnati & Lexington; i Louisville, St. Louis & Texas; Louisville, H. C. & I Westport ; Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis ; I Louisville, New Albany & Chicago ; Ohio & Missis- sippi ; Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis; Louis- j ville & Cincinnati, and one belt railroad. The i Louisville, Hardinsburg & Western and the Louis- / ville, Cincinnati & Dayton will be built within the next year. Two magnificent railroad bridges span the Ohio River and the third is now being built. Street Railways — Including suburban lines, about 151 miles of track. Number of passenger carried annually from 20,000,000 to 25,000,000. The best system of transfers to be found in any city in the world, enabling passengers to reach any part of the city for one (5 cents) fare. New electric railway just opened, giving rapid transit to the business part of the city from east to west. Hard Lumber. — The proximity to the Kentucky and other great forest supplies makes Louisville a lead- ing manufacturing and distributing point for hard lumber, cooperage, staves, etc. The lumber sales last year reached 160,000,000 feet, of which 130,- 000,000 feet was shipped out as lumber and 30,000,- 000 feet was manufactured into furniture. Terra Cotta and Clay. — The finest and largest terra cotta and clay fields in the United States are to be "•- found surrounding the city. The clay fields here' 1 are exceptionally fine in point of color and strength. l Louisville is producing as fine colored brick as are ; made in the country. It is not generally known, - but all that portion of land immediately south of r Louisville, formerly known as the "Wet Woods," ' embracing thousands of acres, has been fully drained and is of the finest terra cotta clay, and makes a brilliantly colored and tough brick. Here { is a great opportunity for enterprising capital to manufacture all-clay wares. The output of bricks from Louisville last year was about 35,000,000 — ■9,000,000 of which was the finest hydraulic pressed. Government tests have shown Louisville pressed brick to be the strongest in the country. it- Tobacco. — The greatest tobacco market of the world, »jd the annual sales having reached 135,000 hogsheads — or about 170,000,000 pounds. This is handled , by 17 warehouses, many being among the largest and handsomest buildings in the city. In 1888 Louisville handled 56 per cent, of the whole west- ern American tobacco crop. Whiskey. — Many of the famous brands of Kentucky whiskies are manufactured in distilleries located in and around Louisville. This is also the great job- bing and distributing center for fine Kentucky Bourbon and Rye whiskey. The largest whiskey warehouse in the South is located here, and the trade amounts to many millions annually. Specialties. — Among many other specialties Louis- ville manufactures, on a large scale, trunks, stoves, marbleized iron and wood mantels, steam fitters' supplies, car wheels, engines and machinery, farm implements, axes, wood and steel single trees. Real Estate. — Cheaper than in any other city of similar size in the United States. No boom value. Manufacturing Interests. — 1,350 manufacturing establishments, turning out annually products valued at $65,000,000, and employing 39,000 hands. The leading industries may be summarized as fol- lows: 4 Plow Factories, including the largest in the World give employment to 2,000 workmen. 29 Iron Founderies, using annually over 135,000 tons of iron. Louisville ranks fifth among iron man- ufacturing cities of the United States, and is the largest pig iron storage market in the Union. 18 Tanneries, employing $3,000,000 of capital and over 600 workmen, turn out 600,000 sides of the best oak-tanned harness, sole and belting leather, besides 200,000 sheep skins. Saddlery Factories for the jobbing and 36 for the retail trade, employ $900,000 of capital and over 900 hands, and turn out over $2,000,000 worth of goods, and pay $400,000 in wages. Woolen Mills, with a capital of about $1,500,000, employ about 1,500 hands, and turn out goods val- ued at $3,500,000 annually. The manufacture of jeans clothing from the products of the woolen mill is rapidly growing to be a very important industry, employing at present about 1,800 persons. 14 Tobacco Factories, employing many operatives, produce about 15,000,000 pounds of manufactured plug and smoking tobacco annually. 14,000 Barrels of Cement were manufactured in Louisville during the year 1889. The Malting and Brewing interests are very large and increasing rapidly. Monumental and Granite Works. — Some of the largest and finest equipped in the United States are located in this city. Electric Fire Alarms. — The largest manufactory in the world devoted exclusively to the making of elec- tric fire alarms and police signal apparatus is con- ducted in this city. Cotton Mills. — During the present year a new cot- ton mill, with a capital of $250,000, employing about 175 operatives, has commenced operations. The Largest Wagon Manufactory in the United States is located here, with a number of other estab- lishments devoted to the same line of trade. Architectural Iron. — Louisville is noted for the manufacture of architectural iron, the makers con- tracting for buildings in all parts of United States. Car Building and Repair Shops of a number of rail- roads entering the city cover more than 300 acres of land and employ several thousand hands. "Where Louisville Excels. — She leads the world in Leaf Tobacco, Kentucky Jeans, Jeans Clothing, cast Gas and Water Pipe, Plows, Cement, fine Oak- Tanned Leather, Plate Glass and fine Whiskies. What Louisville Wauts. — The establishment of manufactories of small wares and many staple and sundry articles, which our jobbing houses are now compelled to buy in large quantities elsewhere. The position as the central point between the producing regions of raw material and the con- suming markets for finished goods makes her capable of unlimited enlargement as a manufac- ing and jobbing center. Growth of Business. — Net increase of 261 business establishments during the year ending June I, 1889. Public Schools. — Thirty-one in number (29 white and 6 colored), employing about 400 teachers, and attended by 20,355 pupils. Public Library. — The Polytechnic Library, free to the public, contains over 40,000 volumes, which number is being constantly increased. It is open thirteen hours, daily, except Sunday. Charitable Institutions. — 38 in number — more than in any other city of equal size in the country. Church Buildings. — 142 in number. ABOUT KENTUCKY. jFb HE State is in the center of the most densely ^^ populated portion of the United States. The climate is temperate and kind and the cereals can be cultivated to the highest perfection. The State has an area of 42,000 square miles, and the best natural water ways in the Union. It has two coal fields — one of 10,000 square miles in the eastern part of the State and one of 6,000 square miles in the western* part. The coking coal fields are 30 times greater ira extent than the Connellsville region of Pennsylvania. Coal is mined at the lowest cost. The State abounds in fine qualities of hard and soft timbers, iron ore,, petroleum, natural gas, building stone, glass sand,, lithograpic stone and asphaltum limestone. Within* two years over 1,000 miles of railway have been con- structed, and about 300 miles of track are now under contract and construction. The total mileage at the end of 1889, about 3,000. The mountain and hill counties are unsurpassed for fruit raising — and the famous Blue Grass Region is the garden spot of America. VeJ^ COMMERCIAL CLUB BUILDING Will be completed about September 1st. The largest and finest office building in the Southwest. MEMBERSHIP OF CLUB May 1st, 1890, 1137. ps^rHB-^s lommercial Club Building Now Under Construction. TEN STORIES HIGH COST $400,000.00 LOUISVILLE -zypr^ — THE — MBTROPOIylS OF THE NEW SOUTH' ^ICE>E> SITES FOR THE OLOCATIONO — OF — MANUFACTURING PLANTS. Any further information may be had on application to LUCIEN ADKINS, Sec*y Commercial Club, LOUISVILLE, KY - LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 571986 * < 'jfe>>: