The commercial., August 02, 1907, Image 1

About The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?

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Commercial
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Drs. Moored & Long:.
DENTISTS.
E. Church St., Union City
Telephone 144.
; Drs. Moores & Long:, ;
! DENTISTS.
i E. Church St., Union City ;
i Telephone 144. ;
Colon -City Commercial, MUbllthel 1890. cgouuted September 1, 1S97.
Wett Teonetiea Courier, tMtlUbd ls7. i
UNION CITY, TENN, FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1907.
VOL. 17, NO. 19
Give Your Street and
Number with your order. This saves much time. We make a special effort to get
OUSP your order out on time and every minute saved means a great deal during the day.
vyJv We can still handle a few more orders, so let us have them.
RED CROSS DRUG STORE
Phone 100.
GOOD GROCERIES
are essential to good living. We can always give
you good groceries and at very reasonable prices.
The Best Butter Obtainable,
Splendid Tea and Coffee, a line of canned goods that
for excellence and variety cannot be equaled.
W. L. WHITE
Two Wagons
TOMATO INDUSTRY
What We Saw and Heard in Gibson
County.
Editor Commercial: We arrived
in Humboldt for early breakfast,
and after our meal we took a short
stroll, and it seemed that everyone
was resting on their arms. Ed
Stone suggested that we secure a
rig and sro out "in the country
where we could take items from
those at work in the tomato fields.
The first stop we made was at
Mr. Hopper's place. He had two
acres in tomatoes, including about
7,000 plants. He has a nice pack
ing shed at one end of his patch.
He and his wife and four children
were at work like lightning almost,
some packing, some nailing up and
some making crates. Said he would
get 200 crates that day, and that
would make 1,500 crates from the
two acres of tomatoes this season.
A colored man was gathering the
tomatoes. He had a sled about 25
inches wide with his boxes on it
and a eentle horse to draw it. He
would take two rows up one side
of the sled and two down the other
side and could gather the tomatoes
faster than they could pack them
He told us that the 1,500 crates
would sell on an average at about
70 cents per crate, his crop being
later than some.
We stopped next with Mr. Steele.
He had only two acres on his place,
cropped by a colored man. He was
making his last picking, realizing
over $200 per acre. Pretty good
rent for land, is it not? We next
stopped at a colored man's farm.
He owned GO acres which he had
bought and paid for in the last
three or four years with tomatoes
und cabbage. On our trip we saw
;. cabbage patch, containing five
acres, which had been sold and
brought $1,500 on the platform.
It now contained a fioe crop of
slock peas.
Our next move was back to Hum
boldt. They told us we had not
seen anything, and for as to be
about the packing sheds of the L.
& N. and M. &0. Railroads about
3 to 5 p. m. and we would see "one"
Two Phones 66 and 462
32
wagon load of tomatoes come in.
Between 3 and 7 p. m. there were
from 20 to 25 cars f tomatoes in
four-basket crates delivered on the
platform for shipment that night,
and each car would hold about 1,000
crates. There were 25 or 30 hands
at work on each platform until late
at night. At 10.30 p. m. they were
still at work icing and loading cars.
What does all this mean 'i W ell,
it means a whole lot when you con
sider that over five hundred thou
sand dollars is dropped in a town
of four or five thousand population
in the space of one short month
and this for tomatoes only. They
grow lots of berries and cabbages
and corn and hay. All of this can
be done here if the farmers want
it, and if they dont want it they
will never &et it. Union Uity and
vicinity can duplicate every move
that Humboldt makes if she will.
She has the soil and the railroads,
but she will' have to chop up these
big wheat farms and get more small
farmers into the country before
she can make any headway at this
work. I cannot close without say
ing a good word for the farmers
of Gibson county. They will take
great pleasure in giving you any
information you may ask for.
Some other things I would like to
speak of concerning" what we saw
and heard, but will not thrs time.
Any information 1 can give on this
subject will be cheerfully given.
If the editor will .give us space in
his paper we will answer any ques
tions in our knowledge concerning
this matter. Respectfully,
, Alfalfa.
Use Dahnke-Walker Milling1 Co.
flour, a home product, and guaran
teed. The world needs more builders,
fewer destroyers; more workers,
fewer drones; more hoe wielders,
fewer cud-cnewers; more homes,
fewer palaces and hovels; more do
ers, fewer advice dispensers; more
singers, fewer croakers; more men,
fewer "gentlemen;" more women,
fewer ladies;" more thinkers.fewer
writers; more is-nows and will-bes.
fewer has-beens. Savannah Cou
rier. .
Get the pay cash habit, it's best.
Dahkke's Cafe.
A DAYJMENT
Editors Commercial Gentle
men: 1 see an article in your is
sue of this date signed "A Tax
payer," which states the writer and
several other taxpayers cannot
understand why the city does not
run a day current on its wires and
furnish motive power for fans and
machinery. I take pleasure in
answering this inquiry, and am
sure the City Council would be
clad to have the taxpayers mani
fest enough interest in such mat
ters to keep well informed and to
determine what to advise in such
cases as they arise. "
About 1890 a franchise was
granted to George Dahnke and his
associates to erect and maintain an
electric power plant, and they
were given as an inducement to do
the work the exclusive privilege
for five years from the passage of
the ordinance to maintain such a
plant. Since that privilege has
expired the matter of the city
maintaining a day current has
frequently been before the City
Council, but after some investiga
tion was dropped until some future
time, in each case.
In March last Superintendent
W ade was asked by the Council to
canvass the town and report at the
next regular meeting of the board
in detail what it would cost the
city to run a day current, and
what income might be expected to
be derived from it. I quote from
his report then made as follows
"To start a day circuit would r,e
quire an expenditure of as much
as 81,200 for meters, transformers
and wiring at the oatset. The
coal consumption of the water and
light plant would be increased at
least $1, 200 per annum. Other
additional expenses would also be
incurred, such as an increase of
the lineman's salary, etc., probably
to the extent of $250 per yes?
The wear and depreciation on ma
chinery and danger to property
and life can only be estimated at
double what it is now. After a
thorough canvass of the town try
ing to ascertain the wants of the
people, I. can secure promises of
but twenty-five horse -power of
load in motors, and of this number
the customers da not expect in any
case to run more than two hours
per day, if that much. .
"From this source I estimate an
income of not more than $000 per
annum, if that much. The city
now has lights in one hundred and
eighty buildings, including resi
dences and offices, and I estimate
that fans might be placed in seventy-five
of these houses. From
these two sources the only income
the city would receive of, conse
quence from the day current would
have to come. Allowing the city
reasonable compensation for the
current furnished from these
sources of revenue, I estimate
there would be a loss to the city
in running a day current for at
least the first year These esti
mates cannot be guaranteed, as :
he people do not know and are
not willing to say what they would
do or want along this line. In
fact I have received very little'
encouragement from the people or
business men of the town in my
effort to start a day circuit." .
From this report "Taxpayer"
and others can understand the sit
uation as Superintendent Wade
WATSON 6c
found it end reported it to the
City Council. It was decided at
the meeting that received the re
port to defer the matter until the
outlook was more favorable for
maintaining a day current without
an actual loss to the city. In con
nection with the cost and income
of such a day current should be
considered the fact that the sub
scribers to the present power plant
own their own fans, ninety in
;ymber, at a cost of about $20 a
piece - $1,800. If these people
should use the city current they
would have to buy new fans, as
the city uses what is known as an
alternating current of 104 volts,
while the Dahnke power plant
uses a direct current of 220-volt
power, and fans suitable for one
cannot be used by the other, but
the fans for either cost about the
same.
At the time the matter was de
f erred the City Council was in
clined to take the matter up again
before the present year was out
and see if there was a more pro
nounced feeling to use such a day
current, and if the outlook was
more favorable for abetter income
from it, should it be installed.
Since that time, however, the mat
ter of road-building has been agi
tated and the city has contracted a
private debt of 10,500 for the
building of three miles of streets.
It wa9 expected by close economy
that this money could be repaid
in two years by increasing the tax
rate 40 cents. It was not known
at that time, however, that in
building the new streets the water
mains and pipes would necessarily
be damaged to the extent of at
least $300 per mile, and this of
course increases the amount of the
street debt now being contracted.
Nor was it understood then by
the City Council that the heating
plant at the public school building
was so defective that it woulct be
necessary during the year to make
an outlay of about $1,200 to pre
pare the school building so the
children and teachers could spend
the coming winter there without
suffering seriously from the cold
weather and endangering their
health in consequence. Such has
proved to be the facts, however,
and the outlays indicated have
been contracted and the sums must
be paid. These debts, in addition
to what was in sight on March 1,
the present year, makes it clear to
my mind that the city will not be
justifiable in contracting additional
debts now for anything whatever
unless the prospects are good that
the money can be refunded within
a short time.
If "Taxpayer" wants to know
what the City Council thinks of a
given proposition very badly he
can always find out by inquiring
of some member of the board, or
by attending the meetings of the
board, which occur twice a month.
I am glad, as I always am, to
furnish all the information I pos
sess to any citizen ou any subject
connected with the city govern
ment, and I am sure it is the wish
of the entire board to legislate the
best they can for the interests of
the city, having in view the re
sources of the city and keeping it
able to pay its debts without mak
ing the tax rate too burdensome.
Jno. T. Walkek, Mayor.
Union City, July 20.
The pav-as-you-Efo place
Dahnke's.
KIMZEY, PROPRIETORS.
uimoer ana
Building Material
Can furnish for, everything you want to
build from a chicken-coop to a beautiful res
idence. Our lines complete and our yards
convenient. Telephone 37.
Yards on First Street, south of Presbyterian Church.
UNION CITY, TENN.
Union City Training School.
jrj This school is noted for Its thorough work and its high class of
jjL patronage. Those interested in sending their sons and daughters.
Jj to school to prepare thern for a useful life or to prepare them for
W university work, will make L mistake in patronizing this school
C.
LOCAL HISTORY
JACKSONVILLE AND ITS SETTLEMENT.
The author, thinking that the
younger people now living in Dis
trict Number One, would be inter
ested in knowing something about
the persons living in the vicinity
of Jacksonville at the time of its
inception. -
In the year 1842, Dr. L. N. Al
len, a son-in-law of Benjamin Tot
ton, constructed two large houses
of hewed poplar logs (that was
about November 12 in the year
above mentioned) and designing to
to make a town of some proportion
gave it the name of Carlock. But
Dr. Allen did not succed in his
enterprise and sold out to Willis
A. Nailling. But before selling
to Nailling it was a great place for
holding political meetings. In the
year 1844 there was a grand Dem
ocratic rally and Judge Fitzgerald
and Andrew Jackson were selected
for oratord of the day. Jackson
did not attend, saying that he was
so afflicted that it would be impos
sible for him to be present. How
ever, the meeting was quite a
success. - '
Some time after this Willis A.'
Nailling built a large building on
the opposite side of the road, or
street, as you call it, and converted
it into a store house and got a man
from Philadelphia by the name of
Long to briDg a stock of goods,
the first dry goods ever sold in
Jacksonville. After that there
were several firms brought goods
to the village and I think succeeded
in their enterprise. 1 don't know
that I remember all tb.8 persons
engaged in business. There were
Pierce fe-Holman, Ben Taylor,
Felix McGaugh, Landrum & Bro.,
Andrew Knox and Dick Marshall,
all engaged in the dry goods busi
ness, and John Wilkins, Charley
MOSS
$3;
M. MATHIS, Principal
Gray '.and-Domingus engaged in
the grocery and saloon business.
John Morgan,1 the father of the
late Jim Morgan, ran a tailoring
establishment, William Buckner a
buggy factory, and a man by the
name of Cargill ran a blacksmith
shop. There were three physi
cians, Dr. Hill, Dr. Debow and
Dr. Medaris, who are all dead.
There are a great many incidents
that would be interesting to some
people that might be mentioned in
this article, but it would be too
voluminous for a newspaper. Some
of them may appear hereafter if
so desired.' However, I will men
tion that Domingus got killed in a
melee. with a man by the name of
Huzza, who was prosecuted and
acquitted.
UNION CITY.
Union City was incorporated in
1850, Thomas Hay being elected
mayor and John Cullom city mar
shal. We don't remember the
names of the councilmen. I think
Dr. Eli Bynum, Joe Morehead
and William Askins were three of
the number. Prior to that time
Dr. John Hnrrison was elected
first constable and the writer the
first magistrate. Notwithstanding
the three saloons there was very
little lawlessness enacted at that
timei Whisky was sellipg at 18
cents per gallon. ; ...
Don't let the baby suffer from ec-
zenia, sores or any itching of the skin.
Dean's Ointment gives instant relief,
cures quickly. Perfectly safe for chil
dren. All druggists sell It.
To Mammoth Cave. ';
Obion County Excursion to
Mammoth Cave August 14 on
regular L. & N. train from Mc
Kenzie at 4:45 p. m. for $7.40 the
round trip. This amount includes
the railroad fare, also board at
Cave Hotel and long-route trip
tbroag the cave. Tickets good re
turning within ten days. Write
L, & N. Agent.
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